Bankruptcy Definitions

§ 101 - Definitions

USC-prelim US Code Notes Updates

USCPrelim is a preliminary release and may be subject to further revision before it is released again as a final version.

Current through Pub. L. 112-131. (See Public Laws for the current Congress.)

In this title the following definitions shall apply: (1) The term “accountant” means accountant authorized under applicable law to practice public accounting, and includes professional accounting association, corporation, or partnership, if so authorized. (2) The term “affiliate” means— (A) entity that directly or indirectly owns, controls, or holds with power to vote, 20 percent or more of the outstanding voting securities of the debtor, other than an entity that holds such securities— (i) in a fiduciary or agency capacity without sole discretionary power to vote such securities; or (ii) solely to secure a debt, if such entity has not in fact exercised such power to vote; (B) corporation 20 percent or more of whose outstanding voting securities are directly or indirectly owned, controlled, or held with power to vote, by the debtor, or by an entity that directly or indirectly owns, controls, or holds with power to vote, 20 percent or more of the outstanding voting securities of the debtor, other than an entity that holds such securities— (i) in a fiduciary or agency capacity without sole discretionary power to vote such securities; or (ii) solely to secure a debt, if such entity has not in fact exercised such power to vote; (C) person whose business is operated under a lease or operating agreement by a debtor, or person substantially all of whose property is operated under an operating agreement with the debtor; or (D) entity that operates the business or substantially all of the property of the debtor under a lease or operating agreement. (3) The term “assisted person” means any person whose debts consist primarily of consumer debts and the value of whose nonexempt property is less than $150,000. (4) The term “attorney” means attorney, professional law association, corporation, or partnership, authorized under applicable law to practice law. (4A) The term “bankruptcy assistance” means any goods or services sold or otherwise provided to an assisted person with the express or implied purpose of providing information, advice, counsel, document preparation, or filing, or attendance at a creditors’ meeting or appearing in a case or proceeding on behalf of another or providing legal representation with respect to a case or proceeding under this title. (5) The term “claim” means— (A) right to payment, whether or not such right is reduced to judgment, liquidated, unliquidated, fixed, contingent, matured, unmatured, disputed, undisputed, legal, equitable, secured, or unsecured; or (B) right to an equitable remedy for breach of performance if such breach gives rise to a right to payment, whether or not such right to an equitable remedy is reduced to judgment, fixed, contingent, matured, unmatured, disputed, undisputed, secured, or unsecured. (6) The term “commodity broker” means futures commission merchant, foreign futures commission merchant, clearing organization, leverage transaction merchant, or commodity options dealer, as defined in section 761 of this title, with respect to which there is a customer, as defined in section 761 of this title. (7) The term “community claim” means claim that arose before the commencement of the case concerning the debtor for which property of the kind specified in section 541 (a)(2) of this title is liable, whether or not there is any such property at the time of the commencement of the case. (7A) The term “commercial fishing operation” means— (A) the catching or harvesting of fish, shrimp, lobsters, urchins, seaweed, shellfish, or other aquatic species or products of such species; or (B) for purposes of section 109 and chapter 12section 109 and chapter 12, aquaculture activities consisting of raising for market any species or product described in subparagraph (A). (7B) The term “commercial fishing vessel” means a vessel used by a family fisherman to carry out a commercial fishing operation. (8) The term “consumer debt” means debt incurred by an individual primarily for a personal, family, or household purpose. (9) The term “corporation”— (A) includes— (i) association having a power or privilege that a private corporation, but not an individual or a partnership, possesses; (ii) partnership association organized under a law that makes only the capital subscribed responsible for the debts of such association; (iii) joint-stock company; (iv) unincorporated company or association; or (v) business trust; but (B) does not include limited partnership. (10) The term “creditor” means— (A) entity that has a claim against the debtor that arose at the time of or before the order for relief concerning the debtor; (B) entity that has a claim against the estate of a kind specified in section 348 (d), 502 (f), 502 (g), 502 (h) or 502 (i) of this title; or (C) entity that has a community claim. (10A) The term “current monthly income”— (A) means the average monthly income from all sources that the debtor receives (or in a joint case the debtor and the debtor’s spouse receive) without regard to whether such income is taxable income, derived during the 6-month period ending on— (i) the last day of the calendar month immediately preceding the date of the commencement of the case if the debtor files the schedule of current income required by section 521 (a)(1)(B)(ii); or (ii) the date on which current income is determined by the court for purposes of this title if the debtor does not file the schedule of current income required by section 521 (a)(1)(B)(ii); and (B) includes any amount paid by any entity other than the debtor (or in a joint case the debtor and the debtor’s spouse), on a regular basis for the household expenses of the debtor or the debtor’s dependents (and in a joint case the debtor’s spouse if not otherwise a dependent), but excludes benefits received under the Social Security Act, payments to victims of war crimes or crimes against humanity on account of their status as victims of such crimes, and payments to victims of international terrorism (as defined in section 2331 of title 18) or domestic terrorism (as defined in section 2331 of title 18) on account of their status as victims of such terrorism. (11) The term “custodian” means— (A) receiver or trustee of any of the property of the debtor, appointed in a case or proceeding not under this title; (B) assignee under a general assignment for the benefit of the debtor’s creditors; or (C) trustee, receiver, or agent under applicable law, or under a contract, that is appointed or authorized to take charge of property of the debtor for the purpose of enforcing a lien against such property, or for the purpose of general administration of such property for the benefit of the debtor’s creditors. (12) The term “debt” means liability on a claim. (12A) The term “debt relief agency” means any person who provides any bankruptcy assistance to an assisted person in return for the payment of money or other valuable consideration, or who is a bankruptcy petition preparer under section 110, but does not include— (i) all of such partnership’s property, exclusive of property of the kind specified in subparagraph (A)(i) of this paragraph; and (ii) the sum of the excess of the value of each general partner’s nonpartnership property, exclusive of property of the kind specified in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, over such partner’s nonpartnership debts; and (C) with reference to a municipality, financial condition such that the municipality is— (i) generally not paying its debts as they become due unless such debts are the subject of a bona fide dispute; or (ii) unable to pay its debts as they become due. (33) The term “institution-affiliated party”— (A) with respect to an insured depository institution (as defined in section 3(c)(2) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act), has the meaning given it in section 3(u) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act; and (B) with respect to an insured credit union, has the meaning given it in section 206(r) of the Federal Credit Union Act. (34) The term “insured credit union” has the meaning given it in section 101(7) of the Federal Credit Union Act. (35) The term “insured depository institution”— (A) has the meaning given it in section 3(c)(2) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act; and (B) includes an insured credit union (except in the case of paragraphs (21B) and (33)(A) of this subsection). (35A) The term “intellectual property” means— (A) trade secret; (B) invention, process, design, or plant protected under title 35; (C) patent application; (D) plant variety; (E) work of authorship protected under title 17; or (F) mask work protected under chapter 9 of title 17; to the extent protected by applicable nonbankruptcy law. (36) The term “judicial lien” means lien obtained by judgment, levy, sequestration, or other legal or equitable process or proceeding. (37) The term “lien” means charge against or interest in property to secure payment of a debt or performance of an obligation. (38) The term “margin payment” means, for purposes of the forward contract provisions of this title, payment or deposit of cash, a security or other property, that is commonly known in the forward contract trade as original margin, initial margin, maintenance margin, or variation margin, including mark-to-market payments, or variation payments. (38A) The term “master netting agreement”— (A) means an agreement providing for the exercise of rights, including rights of netting, setoff, liquidation, termination, acceleration, or close out, under or in connection with one or more contracts that are described in any one or more of paragraphs (1) through (5) of section 561 (a), or any security agreement or arrangement or other credit enhancement related to one or more of the foregoing, including any guarantee or reimbursement obligation related to 1 or more of the foregoing; and (B) if the agreement contains provisions relating to agreements or transactions that are not contracts described in paragraphs (1) through (5) of section 561 (a), shall be deemed to be a master netting agreement only with respect to those agreements or transactions that are described in any one or more of paragraphs (1) through (5) of section 561 (a). (38B) The term “master netting agreement participant” means an entity that, at any time before the date of the filing of the petition, is a party to an outstanding master netting agreement with the debtor. (39) The term “mask work” has the meaning given it in section 901 (a)(2) of title 17. (39A) The term “median family income” means for any year— (A) the median family income both calculated and reported by the Bureau of the Census in the then most recent year; and (B) if not so calculated and reported in the then current year, adjusted annually after such most recent year until the next year in which median family income is both calculated and reported by the Bureau of the Census, to reflect the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers during the period of years occurring after such most recent year and before such current year. (40) The term “municipality” means political subdivision or public agency or instrumentality of a State. (40A) The term “patient” means any individual who obtains or receives services from a health care business. (40B) The term “patient records” means any record relating to a patient, including a written document or a record recorded in a magnetic, optical, or other form of electronic medium. (41) The term “person” includes individual, partnership, and corporation, but does not include governmental unit, except that a governmental unit that— (A) acquires an asset from a person— (i) as a result of the operation of a loan guarantee agreement; or (ii) as receiver or liquidating agent of a person; (B) is a guarantor of a pension benefit payable by or on behalf of the debtor or an affiliate of the debtor; or (C) is the legal or beneficial owner of an asset of— (i) an employee pension benefit plan that is a governmental plan, as defined in section 414(d) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; or (ii) an eligible deferred compensation plan, as defined in section 457(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; shall be considered, for purposes of section 1102 of this title, to be a person with respect to such asset or such benefit. (41A) The term “personally identifiable information” means— (A) if provided by an individual to the debtor in connection with obtaining a product or a service from the debtor primarily for personal, family, or household purposes— (i) the first name (or initial) and last name of such individual, whether given at birth or time of adoption, or resulting from a lawful change of name; (ii) the geographical address of a physical place of residence of such individual; (iii) an electronic address (including an e-mail address) of such individual; (iv) a telephone number dedicated to contacting such individual at such physical place of residence; (v) a social security account number issued to such individual; or (vi) the account number of a credit card issued to such individual; or (B) if identified in connection with 1 or more of the items of information specified in subparagraph (A)— (i) a birth date, the number of a certificate of birth or adoption, or a place of birth; or (ii) any other information concerning an identified individual that, if disclosed, will result in contacting or identifying such individual physically or electronically. (42) The term “petition” means petition filed under section 301, 302, 303 and [2] 1504 of this title, as the case may be, commencing a case under this title. (42A) The term “production payment” means a term overriding royalty satisfiable in cash or in kind— (A) contingent on the production of a liquid or gaseous hydrocarbon from particular real property; and (B) from a specified volume, or a specified value, from the liquid or gaseous hydrocarbon produced from such property, and determined without regard to production costs. (43) The term “purchaser” means transferee of a voluntary transfer, and includes immediate or mediate transferee of such a transferee. (44) The term “railroad” means common carrier by railroad engaged in the transportation of individuals or property or owner of trackage facilities leased by such a common carrier. (45) The term “relative” means individual related by affinity or consanguinity within the third degree as determined by the common law, or individual in a step or adoptive relationship within such third degree. (46) The term “repo participant” means an entity that, at any time before the filing of the petition, has an outstanding repurchase agreement with the debtor. (47) The term “repurchase agreement” (which definition also applies to a reverse repurchase agreement)— (A) means— (i) an agreement, including related terms, which provides for the transfer of one or more certificates of deposit, mortgage related securities (as defined in section 3 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934), mortgage loans, interests in mortgage related securities or mortgage loans, eligible bankers’ acceptances, qualified foreign government securities (defined as a security that is a direct obligation of, or that is fully guaranteed by, the central government of a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), or securities that are direct obligations of, or that are fully guaranteed by, the United States or any agency of the United States against the transfer of funds by the transferee of such certificates of deposit, eligible bankers’ acceptances, securities, mortgage loans, or interests, with a simultaneous agreement by such transferee to transfer to the transferor thereof certificates of deposit, eligible bankers’ acceptance, securities, mortgage loans, or interests of the kind described in this clause, at a date certain not later than 1 year after such transfer or on demand, against the transfer of funds; (ii) any combination of agreements or transactions referred to in clauses (i) and (iii); (iii) an option to enter into an agreement or transaction referred to in clause (i) or (ii); (iv) a master agreement that provides for an agreement or transaction referred to in clause (i), (ii), or (iii), together with all supplements to any such master agreement, without regard to whether such master agreement provides for an agreement or transaction that is not a repurchase agreement under this paragraph, except that such master agreement shall be considered to be a repurchase agreement under this paragraph only with respect to each agreement or transaction under the master agreement that is referred to in clause (i), (ii), or (iii); or (v) any security agreement or arrangement or other credit enhancement related to any agreement or transaction referred to in clause (i), (ii), (iii), or (iv), including any guarantee or reimbursement obligation by or to a repo participant or financial participant in connection with any agreement or transaction referred to in any such clause, but not to exceed the damages in connection with any such agreement or transaction, measured in accordance with section 562 of this title; and (B) does not include a repurchase obligation under a participation in a commercial mortgage loan. (48) The term “securities clearing agency” means person that is registered as a clearing agency under section 17A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or exempt from such registration under such section pursuant to an order of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or whose business is confined to the performance of functions of a clearing agency with respect to exempted securities, as defined in section 3(a)(12) of such Act for the purposes of such section 17A. (48A) The term “securities self regulatory organization” means either a securities association registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission under section 15A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or a national securities exchange registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission under section 6 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. (49) The term “security”— (A) includes— (i) note; (ii) stock; (iii) treasury stock; (iv) bond; (v) debenture; (vi) collateral trust certificate; (vii) pre-organization certificate or subscription; Bankruptcy Definitions, Bankruptcy Definitions, Bankruptcy Definitions