N.C. Gen. Stat. § 25-9-520

Acceptance, refusal to accept record, and cancellation of record

Redline — June 1, 2021 → current.View current text →

Current — April 1, 2022

As of June 1, 2021

(1) Mandatory refusal to accept record. - A filing office shall refuse to accept a record for filing for a reason set forth in G.S. 25-9-516(b) and may refuse to accept a record for filing only for a reason set forth in G.S. 25-9-516(b).

(1) Mandatory refusal to accept record. — A filing office shall refuse to accept a record for filing for a reason set forth in G.S. 25-9-516(b) and may refuse to accept a record for filing only for a reason set forth in G.S. 25-9-516(b).

(2) Communication concerning refusal. - If a filing office refuses to accept a record for filing or cancels a record under G.S. 25-9-518(b1), it shall communicate to the person that presented the record the fact of and reason for the refusal or cancellation and the date and time the record would have been filed had the filing office accepted it. The communication must be made at the time and in the manner prescribed by filing-office rule but in no event more than three business days after the filing office receives or cancels the record.

(2) Communication concerning refusal. — If a filing office refuses to accept a record for filing or cancels a record under G.S. 25-9-518(b1), it shall communicate to the person that presented the record the fact of and reason for the refusal or cancellation and the date and time the record would have been filed had the filing office accepted it. The communication must be made at the time and in the manner prescribed by filing-office rule but in no event more than three business days after the filing office receives or cancels the record.

(3) When filed financing statement effective. - A filed financing statement satisfying G.S. 25-9-502(a) and (b) is effective, even if the filing office is required to refuse to accept it for filing under subsection (a) of this section. However, G.S. 25-9-338 applies to a filed financing statement providing information described in G.S. 25-9-516(b)(5) which is incorrect at the time the financing statement is filed.

(3) When filed financing statement effective. — A filed financing statement satisfying G.S. 25-9-502(a) and (b) is effective, even if the filing office is required to refuse to accept it for filing under subsection (a) of this section. However, G.S. 25-9-338 applies to a filed financing statement providing information described in G.S. 25-9-516(b)(5) which is incorrect at the time the financing statement is filed.

(4) Separate application to multiple debtors. - If a record communicated to a filing office provides information that relates to more than one debtor, this Part applies as to each debtor separately.

(4) Separate application to multiple debtors. — If a record communicated to a filing office provides information that relates to more than one debtor, this Part applies as to each debtor separately.

(5) Appeal. - If the Secretary of State refuses to accept a record for filing pursuant to G.S. 25-9-516(b)(8) or cancels a wrongfully filed record pursuant to G.S. 25-9-518(b1), the secured party may file an appeal within 30 days after the refusal or cancellation in the Superior Court of Wake County. Filing a petition requesting to be allowed to file the document commences the appeal. The petition shall be filed with the court and with the Secretary of State and shall have the record attached to it. Upon the commencement of an appeal, it shall be set for hearing at the earliest possible time and shall take precedence over all matters except older matters of the same character. The appeal to the Superior Court is not governed by Article 3, 3A, or 4 of Chapter 150B of the General Statutes and shall be determined upon such further notice and opportunity to be heard, if any, as the court may deem appropriate under the circumstances. The court shall permit the joinder of any interested party that would be allowed under the Rules of Civil Procedure.

(5) Appeal. — If the Secretary of State refuses to accept a record for filing pursuant to G.S. 25-9-516(b)(8) or cancels a wrongfully filed record pursuant to G.S. 25-9-518(b1), the secured party may file an appeal within 30 days after the refusal or cancellation in the Superior Court of Wake County. Filing a petition requesting to be allowed to file the document commences the appeal. The petition shall be filed with the court and with the Secretary of State and shall have the record attached to it. Upon the commencement of an appeal, it shall be set for hearing at the earliest possible time and shall take precedence over all matters except older matters of the same character. The appeal to the Superior Court is not governed by Article 3, 3A, or 4 of Chapter 150B of the General Statutes and shall be determined upon such further notice and opportunity to be heard, if any, as the court may deem appropriate under the circumstances. The court shall permit the joinder of any interested party that would be allowed under the Rules of Civil Procedure.

(6) Upon consideration of the petition and other appropriate pleadings, the court may order the Secretary of State to file the record or take other action the court considers appropriate, including the entry of orders affirming, reversing, or otherwise modifying the decision of the Secretary of State. The court may order any other relief, including equitable relief, as may be appropriate.

(7) The court's final decision may be appealed as in other civil proceedings.

(7) The court’s final decision may be appealed as in other civil proceedings.

History

(2000-169, s. 1; 2001-231, s. 4.)

AMENDED OFFICIAL COMMENT (2010 EDITION)

1. Source. New.

2. Refusal to Accept Record for Filing. In some states, filing offices considered themselves obligated by former article 9 to review the form and content of a financing statement and to refuse to accept those that they determine are legally insufficient. Some filing offices imposed requirements for or conditions to filing that do not appear in the statute. Under this section, the filing office is not expected to make legal judgments and is not permitted to impose additional conditions or requirements.

Subsection (a) both prescribes and limits the bases upon which the filing office must and may reject records by reference to the reasons set forth in section 9-516(b). For the most part, the bases for rejection are limited to those that prevent the filing office from dealing with a record that it receives - because some of the requisite information (e.g., the debtor's name) is missing or cannot be deciphered, because the record is not communicated by a method (e.g., it is MIME-rather than UU-encoded) or medium (e.g., it is written rather than electronic) that the filing office accepts, or because the filer fails to tender an amount equal to or greater than the filing fee.

3. Consequences of Accepting Rejectable Record. Section 9-516(b) includes among the reasons for rejecting an initial financing statement the failure to give certain information that is not required as a condition of effectiveness. In conjunction with section 9-516(b)(5), this section requires the filing office to refuse to accept a financing statement that is legally sufficient to perfect a security interest under section 9-502 but does not contain a mailing address for the debtor or disclose whether the debtor is an individual or an organization. The information required by section 9-516(b)(5) assists searchers in weeding out "false positives," i.e., records that a search reveals but which do not pertain to the debtor in question. It assists filers by helping to ensure that the debtor's name is correct and that the financing statement is filed in the proper jurisdiction.

If the filing office accepts a financing statement that does not give this information at all, the filing is fully effective. Section 9-520(c). The financing statement also generally is effective if the information is given but is incorrect; however, section 9-338 affords protection to buyers and holders of perfected security interests who give value in reasonable reliance upon the incorrect information.

4. Filing Office's Duties with Respect to Rejected Record. Subsection (b) requires the filing office to communicate the fact of rejection and the reason therefor within a fixed period of time. Inasmuch as a rightfully rejected record is ineffective and a wrongfully rejected record is not fully effective, prompt communication concerning any rejection is important.

5. Partial Effectiveness of Record. Under subsection (d), the provisions of this part apply to each debtor separately. Thus, a filing office may reject an initial financing statement or other record as to one named debtor but accept it as to the other.

Example: An initial financing statement is communicated to the filing office. The financing statement names two debtors, John Smith and Jane Smith. It contains all of the information described in section 9-516(b)(5) with respect to John but lacks some of the information with respect to Jane. The filing office must accept the financing statement with respect to John, reject it with respect to Jane, and notify the filer of the rejection.

NORTH CAROLINA COMMENT

Subsection (b) is modified by changing "two business days" to "three business days." Subsection (b) is also modified by inserting the phrases "or cancels a record under G.S. 25-9-518(b1)," "or cancellation," and "or cancels." Subsection (e) has no counterpart in the uniform text.

Official source: North Carolina General Assembly. Reproduced from public-domain North Carolina statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.