When Is An LLC Needed

  We want to help you out on your business journey and explain to you when a corporate liability shield, like an LLC or corporation is needed or not. As small business owners it can be extremely valuable to find guidance in what you should be doing for your business and when. We are going […]

Agriculture Bankruptcy & Marshalling of Assets

Marshaling

General marshaling principles. The equitable doctrine of marshaling rests upon the principle that a creditor having two funds to satisfy his debt should not be permitted to arbitrarily prejudice a junior creditor who may resort to only one of the funds. Meyer v. U.S., 375 U.S. 233, 236, 84 S.Ct. 318, 11 L.Ed.2d 293 (1963).  Bankruptcy and […]

Filing Financing Statements and Determining Priority

Determining Priority of Perfected Security Interests

Determining Priority in Perfected Security Interests Who’s on first? This question decides what creditor gets paid, and what becomes an unsecured creditor whose best option is to recover pennies on the dollar for the money loaned to a business that purportedly had collateral. Priority to collateral needs determination to see who can seize it in […]

What is an Agricultural Lien under the UCC?

agricultural security interests (1)

What is a UCC Agricultural Lien As we detailed in our introductory article on security interests, a security agreement gives a creditor some form of legal right over the property of a creditor. While this definition is fairly straightforward, there are all kinds of quirks which are unique to agricultural liens. Under the 2001 amendment […]

How Do You Perfect a Security Interest in Agriculture?

farmers in bankruptcy

A “security agreement” is defined by the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) as “an agreement that creates or provides for a security interest.” 810 ILCS 5/9-102(a)(74). A security agreement is “effective according to its terms between the parties, against purchasers of the collateral, and against creditors.” 810 ILCS 5/9-201(a). Or, put simply, a security agreement gives […]

Pricing LLC Membership Interest

membership interest

How are LLC Membership Interests Valued? Suppose a borrower claims to have a successful limited liability company, LLC.  He claims that his membership interest in this LLC is valuable collateral that he wants to pledge to obtain another commercial loan. How should the commercial lender approach valuation of the LLC’s membership interest in determining how […]

Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act

uniform fraudulent transfer act

Effective January 1, 1990, Illinois adopted the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act. “The purpose of the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act is to prevent fraudulent transfers of property by a debtor who intends to defraud creditors by placing assets beyond their reach.” Zurich American Insurance Co. v. Personnel Staffing Group, LLC, 2018 IL App (1st) 172281, ¶18, 105 N.E.3d […]