LD 2245
pg. 105
Page 104 of 493 An Act to Adopt the Model Revised Article 9 Secured Transactions Page 106 of 493
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LR 1087
Item 1

 
In resolving questions that arise from the creation of a
security interest by SP-1, one must take care to distinguish D's
rights against SP-1 from D's rights against SP-2. Once D
discharges the secured obligation, D becomes entitled to the
note; SP-1 has no legal basis upon which to withhold it. If, as
a practical matter, SP-1 is unable to return the note because SP-
2 holds it as collateral for SP-1's unpaid debt, then SP-1 is
liable to D under the law of conversion.

 
Whether SP-2 would be liable to D depends on the relative
priority of SP-2's security interest and D's interest. By
permitting SP-1 to create a security interest in the collateral
(repledge), subsection (c)(3) [Maine cite subsection (3),
paragraph (c)] provides a statutory power for SP-1 to give SP-2 a
security interest (subject, of course, to any agreement by SP-1
not to give a security interest). In the vast majority of cases
where repledge rights are significant, the security interest of
the second secured party, SP-2 in the example, will be senior to
the debtor's interest. By virtue of the debtor's consent or
applicable legal rules, SP-2 typically would cut off D's rights
in investment property or be immune from D's claims. See
Sections 9-331 [Maine cite section 9-1331], 3-306 [Maine cite
section 3-1306] (holder in due course), 8-303 [Maine cite section
8-1303] (protected purchaser), 8-502 [Maine cite section 8-1502]
(acquisition of a security entitlement), 8-503(e) [Maine cite
section 8-1503 subsection (5)] (action by entitlement holder).
Moreover, the expectations and business practices in some
markets, such as the securities markets, are such that D's
consent to SP-2's taking free of D's rights inheres in D's
creation of SP-1's security interest which gives rise to SP-1's
power under this section. In these situations, D would have no
right to recover the collateral or recover damages from SP-2.
Nevertheless, D would have a damage claim against SP-1 if SP-1
had given a security interest to SP-2 in breach of its agreement
with D. Moreover, if SP-2's security interest secures an amount
that is less than the amount secured by SP-1's security interest
(granted by D), then D's exercise of its right to redeem would
provide value sufficient to discharge SP-1's obligations to SP-2.

 
For the most part this section does not change the law under
former Section 9-207, although eliminating the reference to the
debtor's right of redemption may alter the secured party's right
to repledge in one respect. Former Section 9-207 could have been
read to limit the secured party's statutory right to repledge
collateral to repledge transactions in which the collateral did
not secure a greater obligation than that of the original debtor.
Inasmuch as this is a matter normally dealt with by agreement
between the debtor and secured party, any change would appear to
have little practical effect.


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