12 USC 5385 – Orderly liquidation of covered brokers and dealers
(a) Appointment of SIPC as trustee
(1) Appointment
Upon the appointment of the Corporation as receiver for any covered broker or dealer, the Corporation shall appoint, without any need for court approval, the Securities Investor Protection Corporation to act as trustee for the liquidation under the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 (15 U.S.C. 78aaa et seq.) of the covered broker or dealer.
(2) Actions by SIPC
(A) Filing
Upon appointment of SIPC under paragraph (1), SIPC shall promptly file with any Federal district court of competent jurisdiction specified in section 78u or 78aa of title 15, an application for a protective decree under the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 (15 U.S.C. 78aaa et seq.) as to the covered broker or dealer. The Federal district court shall accept and approve the filing, including outside of normal business hours, and shall immediately issue the protective decree as to the covered broker or dealer.
(B) Administration by SIPC
Following entry of the protective decree, and except as otherwise provided in this section, the determination of claims and the liquidation of assets retained in the receivership of the covered broker or dealer and not transferred to the bridge financial company shall be administered under the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 (15 U.S.C. 78aaa et seq.) by SIPC, as trustee for the covered broker or dealer.
(C) Definition of filing date
For purposes of the liquidation proceeding, the term “filing date” means the date on which the Corporation is appointed as receiver of the covered broker or dealer.
(D) Determination of claims
As trustee for the covered broker or dealer, SIPC shall determine and satisfy, consistent with this subchapter and with the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 (15 U.S.C. 78aaa et seq.), all claims against the covered broker or dealer arising on or before the filing date.
(b) Powers and duties of SIPC
(1) In general
Except as provided in this section, upon its appointment as trustee for the liquidation of a covered broker or dealer, SIPC shall have all of the powers and duties provided by the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 (15 U.S.C. 78aaa et seq.), including, without limitation, all rights of action against third parties, and shall conduct such liquidation in accordance with the terms of the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 (15 U.S.C. 78aaa et seq.), except that SIPC shall have no powers or duties with respect to assets and liabilities transferred by the Corporation from the covered broker or dealer to any bridge financial company established in accordance with this subchapter.
(2) Limitation of powers
The exercise by SIPC of powers and functions as trustee under subsection (a) shall not impair or impede the exercise of the powers and duties of the Corporation with regard to—
(A) any action, except as otherwise provided in this subchapter—
(i) to make funds available under section 5384(d) of this title;
(ii) to organize, establish, operate, or terminate any bridge financial company;
(iii) to transfer assets and liabilities;
(iv) to enforce or repudiate contracts; or
(v) to take any other action relating to such bridge financial company under section 5390 of this title; or
(B) determining claims under subsection (e).
(3) Protective decree
SIPC and the Corporation, in consultation with the Commission, shall jointly determine the terms of the protective decree to be filed by SIPC with any court of competent jurisdiction under section 78u or 78aa of title 15, as required by subsection (a).
(4) Qualified financial contracts
Notwithstanding any provision of the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 (15 U.S.C. 78aaa et seq.) to the contrary (including section 5(b)(2)(C) of that Act (15 U.S.C. 78eee(b)(2)(C))), the rights and obligations of any party to a qualified financial contract (as that term is defined in section 5390(c)(8) of this title) to which a covered broker or dealer for which the Corporation has been appointed receiver is a party shall be governed exclusively by section 5390 of this title, including the limitations and restrictions contained in section 5390(c)(10)(B) of this title.
(c) Limitation on court action
Except as otherwise provided in this subchapter, no court may take any action, including any action pursuant to the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 (15 U.S.C. 78aaa et seq.) or the Bankruptcy Code, to restrain or affect the exercise of powers or functions of the Corporation as receiver for a covered broker or dealer and any claims against the Corporation as such receiver shall be determined in accordance with subsection (e) and such claims shall be limited to money damages.
(d) Actions by Corporation as receiver
(1) In general
Notwithstanding any other provision of this subchapter, no action taken by the Corporation as receiver with respect to a covered broker or dealer shall—
(A) adversely affect the rights of a customer to customer property or customer name securities;
(B) diminish the amount or timely payment of net equity claims of customers; or
(C) otherwise impair the recoveries provided to a customer under the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 (15 U.S.C. 78aaa et seq.).
(2) Net proceeds
The net proceeds from any transfer, sale, or disposition of assets of the covered broker or dealer, or proceeds thereof by the Corporation as receiver for the covered broker or dealer shall be for the benefit of the estate of the covered broker or dealer, as provided in this subchapter.
(e) Claims against the Corporation as receiver
Terms Used In 12 USC 5385
- Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
- Bankruptcy: Refers to statutes and judicial proceedings involving persons or businesses that cannot pay their debts and seek the assistance of the court in getting a fresh start. Under the protection of the bankruptcy court, debtors may discharge their debts, perhaps by paying a portion of each debt. Bankruptcy judges preside over these proceedings.
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
- Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
Any claim against the Corporation as receiver for a covered broker or dealer for assets transferred to a bridge financial company established with respect to such covered broker or dealer—
(1) shall be determined in accordance with section 5390(a)(2) of this title; and
(2) may be reviewed by the appropriate district or territorial court of the United States in accordance with section 5390(a)(5) of this title.
(f) Satisfaction of customer claims
(1) Obligations to customers
Notwithstanding any other provision of this subchapter, all obligations of a covered broker or dealer or of any bridge financial company established with respect to such covered broker or dealer to a customer relating to, or net equity claims based upon, customer property or customer name securities shall be promptly discharged by SIPC, the Corporation, or the bridge financial company, as applicable, by the delivery of securities or the making of payments to or for the account of such customer, in a manner and in an amount at least as beneficial to the customer as would have been the case had the actual proceeds realized from the liquidation of the covered broker or dealer under this subchapter been distributed in a proceeding under the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 (15 U.S.C. 78aaa et seq.) without the appointment of the Corporation as receiver and without any transfer of assets or liabilities to a bridge financial company, and with a filing date as of the date on which the Corporation is appointed as receiver.
(2) Satisfaction of claims by SIPC
SIPC, as trustee for a covered broker or dealer, shall satisfy customer claims in the manner and amount provided under the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 (15 U.S.C. 78aaa et seq.), as if the appointment of the Corporation as receiver had not occurred, and with a filing date as of the date on which the Corporation is appointed as receiver. The Corporation shall satisfy customer claims, to the extent that a customer would have received more securities or cash with respect to the allocation of customer property had the covered financial company been subject to a proceeding under the Securities Investor Protection Act (15 U.S.C. 78aaa et seq.) without the appointment of the Corporation as receiver, and with a filing date as of the date on which the Corporation is appointed as receiver.
(g) Priorities
(1) Customer property
As trustee for a covered broker or dealer, SIPC shall allocate customer property and deliver customer name securities in accordance with section 8(c) of the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 (15 U.S.C. 78fff-2(c)).
(2) Other claims
All claims other than those described in paragraph (1) (including any unpaid claim by a customer for the allowed net equity claim of such customer from customer property) shall be paid in accordance with the priorities in section 5390(b) of this title.
(h) Rulemaking
The Commission and the Corporation, after consultation with SIPC, shall jointly issue rules to implement this section.