How to Become a Secured Party Creditor
How to Become a Secured Party Creditor
Security agreements are contracts between lenders and debtors that take much of the risk out of lending. In these agreements, the borrower puts property up for collateral in exchange for the funds. If the debtor goes into default on these funds, the person or organization who provided the loan may claim the property.
Secured Party vs. Secured Party Creditor
In a security agreement, the term secured party refers to the person or organization that lends the money. Typically, the secured party is a bank or other financial institution. However, if they loan money through a security agreement, individuals can become secured parties.
Scammers sometimes use the term secured party creditor when trying to convince people to file liens against public officials, the United States government or other organizations. While seeing this term is not proof that someone is running a scam, it should serve as a red flag. People may be especially suspicious of those who promise to make someone a secured party creditor to access secret bank accounts that the government holds.
Entering a Security Agreement With a Debtor
A family member or friends cannot just loan money with a handshake and a promise with the hope of being a secured party. To be a secured party, a lender must enter a security agreement with the debtor. The form must be able to stand up to legal scrutiny, or else, the debtor could default and get out of giving up the collateral.
While every security agreement looks different, they all should:
- Accurately describe the collateral with as much detail as possible.
- Outline the conditions under which the debtor defaults.
- Clearly state the repayment expectations.
- Have covenants, which place limits on the debtor’s ability to borrow from others.
Organizations that often enter these agreements as part of their business strategies typically have lawyers who draft contracts for them. However, individuals may not have access to the same resources. Some online legal service providers allow users to create security agreements from a template.
If the debtor goes into default, the secured party may file a UCC-1 form with their state’s secretary of state or similar authority. This filing serves as a lien on the property. Lenders can bring the collateral property into their possession. Each state has its own procedures for filing UCC-1 forms, so lenders should check with those authorities first.
Beware of Scams
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Trade Commission and the United States Treasury warn of schemes in which scammers convince victims that all citizens have some kind of secret account with the federal government. Though these scams change and evolve, each iteration has a few important qualities in common. The con artists claim that:
- Everyone has a secret bond or bank account.
- People can get the money from their accounts by becoming secured party creditors.
- The scammer’s special kit has all the forms someone needs to get the money.
These schemes have people believe that once they declare themselves secured party creditors, they can file liens against the government on these secret accounts. Law enforcement may refer to these schemes as redemption, bond fraud or strawman cons. What makes these scams so dangerous is that they use real legal forms and legal-sounding jargon to convince people they’re legitimate.
How to Terminate a UCC
The Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) under Article 9 governs how a lender obtains a security interest against a debtor's personal property for the payment of debt. Under Article 9, a borrower is called the "debtor" and the lender is called the "secured party." Filing a document called a UCC-1 Financing Statement secures a lender's lien against a borrower for specific collateral used as payment to the lender. The filing of a UCC-1 to secure collateral is termed "perfecting" a lien.
How to Terminate a UCC
How to Terminate a UCC
OUR REVIEW PROCESS
We write helpful content to answer your questions from our expert network. We perform original research, solicit expert feedback, and review new content to ensure it meets our quality pledge: helpful content – Trusted, Vetted, Expert-Reviewed and Edited.
Our content experts ensure our topics are complete and clearly demonstrate a depth of knowledge beyond the rote. We are incredibly worried about the state of general information available on the internet and strongly believe our mission is to give voice to unsung experts leading their respective fields.
Our commitment is to provide clear, original, and accurate information in accessible formats. We have reviewed our content for bias and company-wide, we routinely meet with national experts to educate ourselves on better ways to deliver accessible content.
For 15 years our company has published content with clear steps to accomplish the how, with high quality sourcing to answer the why, and with original formats to make the internet a helpful place.
How to Release a Property Lien
When a borrower gives property to a lender as collateral for a loan, the lender is considered a secured creditor. The loan is secured by the collateral, so if the borrower doesn’t repay the loan, the lender can take the collateral and sell it to satisfy the debt. When the collateral is not real estate, the lender perfects its security interest in the collateral by filing a UCC-1 financing statement, often called simply a UCC. When the loan is paid, the lender must terminate the UCC lien by filing a UCC-3 form marked with “termination.”