Azusa Bankruptcy Attorney

TITLE 11 - BANKRUPTCY
CHAPTER 5 - CREDITORS, THE DEBTOR, AND THE ESTATE
    SUBCHAPTER III - THE ESTATE

-HEAD-
    Sec. 552. Postpetition effect of security interest

-STATUTE-
      (a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section,
    property acquired by the estate or by the debtor after the
    commencement of the case is not subject to any lien resulting from
    any security agreement entered into by the debtor before the
    commencement of the case.
      (b)(1) Except as provided in sections 363, 506(c), 522, 544, 545,
    547, and 548 of this title, if the debtor and an entity entered
    into a security agreement before the commencement of the case and
    if the security interest created by such security agreement extends
    to property of the debtor acquired before the commencement of the
    case and to proceeds, products, offspring, or profits of such
    property, then such security interest extends to such proceeds,
    products, offspring, or profits acquired by the estate after the
    commencement of the case to the extent provided by such security
    agreement and by applicable nonbankruptcy law, except to any extent
    that the court, after notice and a hearing and based on the
    equities of the case, orders otherwise.
      (2) Except as provided in sections 363, 506(c), 522, 544, 545,
    547, and 548 of this title, and notwithstanding section 546(b) of
    this title, if the debtor and an entity entered into a security
    agreement before the commencement of the case and if the security
    interest created by such security agreement extends to property of
    the debtor acquired before the commencement of the case and to
    amounts paid as rents of such property or the fees, charges,
    accounts, or other payments for the use or occupancy of rooms and
    other public facilities in hotels, motels, or other lodging
    properties, then such security interest extends to such rents and
    such fees, charges, accounts, or other payments acquired by the
    estate after the commencement of the case to the extent provided in
    such security agreement, except to any extent that the court, after
    notice and a hearing and based on the equities of the case, orders
    otherwise.

-SOURCE-
    (Pub. L. 95-598, Nov. 6, 1978, 92 Stat. 2602; Pub. L. 98-353, title
    III, Sec. 466, July 10, 1984, 98 Stat. 380; Pub. L. 103-394, title
    II, Sec. 214(a), Oct. 22, 1994, 108 Stat. 4126; Pub. L. 109-8,
    title XII, Sec. 1204(2), Apr. 20, 2005, 119 Stat. 194.)


                       HISTORICAL AND REVISION NOTES                   

                          LEGISLATIVE STATEMENTS                      
      Section 552(a) is derived from the House bill and the alternative
    provision in the Senate amendment is rejected. Section 552(b)
    represents a compromise between the House bill and the Senate
    amendment. Proceeds coverage, but not after acquired property
    clauses, are valid under title 11. The provision allows the court
    to consider the equities in each case. In the course of such
    consideration the court may evaluate any expenditures by the estate
    relating to proceeds and any related improvement in position of the
    secured party. Although this section grants a secured party a
    security interest in proceeds, product, offspring, rents, or
    profits, the section is explicitly subject to other sections of
    title 11. For example, the trustee or debtor in possession may use,
    sell, or lease proceeds, product, offspring, rents or profits under
    section 363.

                         SENATE REPORT NO. 95-989                     
      Under the Uniform Commercial Code, article 9, creditors may take
    security interests in after-acquired property. Section 552 governs
    the effect of such a prepetition security interest in postpetition
    property. It applies to all security interests as defined in
    section 101(37) of the bankruptcy code, not only to U.C.C. security
    interests.
      As a general rule, if a security agreement is entered into before
    the commencement of the case, then property that the estate
    acquires is not subject to the security interest created by a
    provision in the security agreement extending the security interest
    to after-acquired property. Subsection (b) provides an important
    exception consistent with the Uniform Commercial Code. If the
    security agreement extends to proceeds, product, offspring, rents,
    or profits of the property in question, then the proceeds would
    continue to be subject to the security interest pursuant to the
    terms of the security agreement and provisions of applicable law,
    except to the extent that where the estate acquires the proceeds at
    the expense of other creditors holding unsecured claims, the
    expenditure resulted in an improvement in the position of the
    secured party.
      The exception covers the situation where raw materials, for
    example, are converted into inventory, or inventory into accounts,
    at some expense to the estate, thus depleting the fund available
    for general unsecured creditors, but is limited to the benefit
    inuring to the secured party thereby. Situations in which the
    estate incurs expense in simply protecting collateral are governed
    by 11 U.S.C. 506(c). In ordinary circumstances, the risk of loss in
    continued operations will remain with the estate.

                          HOUSE REPORT NO. 95-595                      
      Under the Uniform Commercial Code, Article 9, creditors may take
    security interests in after-acquired property. This section governs
    the effect of such a prepetition security interest in postpetition
    property. It applies to all security interests as defined in
    section 101 of the bankruptcy code, not only to U.C.C. security
    interests.
      As a general rule, if a security agreement is entered into before
    the case, then property that the estate acquires is not subject to
    the security interest created by the security agreement. Subsection
    (b) provides the only exception. If the security agreement extends
    to proceeds, product, offspring, rents, or profits of property that
    the debtor had before the commencement of the case, then the
    proceeds, etc., continue to be subject to the security interest,
    except to the extent that the estate acquired the proceeds to the
    prejudice of other creditors holding unsecured claims. "Extends to"
    as used here would include an automatically arising security
    interest in proceeds, as permitted under the 1972 version of the
    Uniform Commercial Code, as well as an interest in proceeds
    specifically designated, as required under the 1962 Code or similar
    statutes covering property not covered by the Code. "Prejudice" is
    not intended to be a broad term here, but is designed to cover the
    situation where the estate expends funds that result in an increase
    in the value of collateral. The exception is to cover the situation
    where raw materials, for example, are converted into inventory, or
    inventory into accounts, at some expense to the estate, thus
    depleting the fund available for general unsecured creditors. The
    term "proceeds" is not limited to the technical definition of that
    term in the U.C.C., but covers any property into which property
    subject to the security interest is converted.

                                AMENDMENTS                            
      2005 - Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 109-8 substituted "products" for
    "product" in two places.
      1994 - Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 103-394 designated existing
    provisions as par. (1), struck out "rents," after "offspring," in
    two places, and added par. (2).
      1984 - Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 98-353 inserted "522," after
    "506(c),", substituted "an entity entered" for "a secured party
    enter", and substituted "except to any extent" for "except to the
    extent".

                     EFFECTIVE DATE OF 2005 AMENDMENT                 
      Amendment by Pub. L. 109-8 effective 180 days after Apr. 20,
    2005, and not applicable with respect to cases commenced under this
    title before such effective date, except as otherwise provided, see
    section 1501 of Pub. L. 109-8, set out as a note under section 101
    of this title.

                     EFFECTIVE DATE OF 1994 AMENDMENT                 
      Amendment by Pub. L. 103-394 effective Oct. 22, 1994, and not
    applicable with respect to cases commenced under this title before
    Oct. 22, 1994, see section 702 of Pub. L. 103-394, set out as a
    note under section 101 of this title.

                     EFFECTIVE DATE OF 1984 AMENDMENT                 
      Amendment by Pub. L. 98-353 effective with respect to cases filed
    90 days after July 10, 1984, see section 552(a) of Pub. L. 98-353,
    set out as a note under section 101 of this title.

-End-