Business Credit Magazine May 2014 | Page 20

Selected topic A Bruce Nathan, Esq. and Eric Chafetz, Esq. Mistakes in a UCC Financing Statement’s Collateral Description Can Be Hazardous to a Perfected Security Interest! A trade creditor dealing with a financially distressed customer may seek a security interest in its customer’s property to increase the likelihood of payment of the creditor’s claim. One of the requirements for obtaining a valid security interest with priority over future security interests and liens in the same collateral is for the creditor to properly identify its collateral in both (i) the security agreement executed by its customer, and, just as importantly, (ii) the publicly filed Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) financing statement. The recent holding of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, in 1st Source Bank vs. Wilson Bank & Trust, et al., is a reminder of the unintended and harsh consequences of inco