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Part 2 - General Definitions and Principles of Interpretation

 
    (810 ILCS 5/Art. 1 Pt. 2 heading)PART 2 GENERAL DEFINITIONS AND PRINCIPLES OF INTERPRETATION (Source: P.A. 95‑895, eff. 1‑1‑09.)

    (810 ILCS 5/1‑201)(from Ch. 26, par. 1‑201)
    Sec. 1‑201. General Definitions.
    (a) Unless the context otherwise requires, words or phrases defined in this Section, or in the additional definitions contained in other Articles of the Uniform Commercial Code that apply to particular Articles or parts thereof, have the meanings stated.
    (b) Subject to definitions contained in other Articles of the Uniform Commercial Code that apply to particular Articles or parts thereof:
        (1) "Action", in the sense of a judicial proceeding,

includes recoupment, counterclaim, set‑off, suit in equity, and any other proceeding in which rights are determined.

(2) "Aggrieved party" means a party entitled to

pursue a remedy.

(3) "Agreement", as distinguished from "contract",

means the bargain of the parties in fact, as found in their language or inferred from other circumstances, including course of performance, course of dealing, or usage of trade as provided in Section 1‑303.

(4) "Bank" means a person engaged in the business of

banking and includes a savings bank, savings and loan association, credit union, and trust company.

(5) "Bearer" means a person in possession of a

negotiable instrument, document of title, or certificated security that is payable to bearer or indorsed in blank.

(6) "Bill of lading" means a document evidencing the

receipt of goods for shipment issued by a person engaged in the business of transporting or forwarding goods.

(7) "Branch" includes a separately incorporated

foreign branch of a bank.

(8) "Burden of establishing" a fact means the burden

of persuading the trier of fact that the existence of the fact is more probable than its nonexistence.

(9) "Buyer in ordinary course of business" means a

person that buys goods in good faith, without knowledge that the sale violates the rights of another person in the goods, and in the ordinary course from a person, other than a pawnbroker, in the business of selling goods of that kind. A person buys goods in the ordinary course if the sale to the person comports with the usual or customary practices in the kind of business in which the seller is engaged or with the seller's own usual or customary practices. A person that sells oil, gas, or other minerals at the wellhead or minehead is a person in the business of selling goods of that kind. A buyer in ordinary course of business may buy for cash, by exchange of other property, or on secured or unsecured credit, and may acquire goods or documents of title under a preexisting contract for sale. Only a buyer that takes possession of the goods or has a right to recover the goods from the seller under Article 2 may be a buyer in ordinary course of business. "Buyer in ordinary course of business" does not include a person that acquires goods in a transfer in bulk or as security for or in total or partial satisfaction of a money debt.

(10) "Conspicuous", with reference to a term, means

so written, displayed, or presented that a reasonable person against which it is to operate ought to have noticed it. Whether a term is "conspicuous" or not is a decision for the court. Conspicuous terms include the following:

(A) a heading in capitals equal to or greater in

size than the surrounding text, or in contrasting type, font, or color to the surrounding text of the same or lesser size; and

(B) language in the body of a record or display

in larger type than the surrounding text, or in contrasting type, font, or color to the surrounding text of the same size, or set off from surrounding text of the same size by symbols or other marks that call attention to the language.

(11) "Consumer" means an individual who enters into

a transaction primarily for personal, family, or household purposes.

(12) "Contract", as distinguished from "agreement",

means the total legal obligation that results from the parties' agreement as determined by the Uniform Commercial Code as supplemented by any other applicable laws.

(13) "Creditor" includes a general creditor, a

secured creditor, a lien creditor, and any representative of creditors, including an assignee for the benefit of creditors, a trustee in bankruptcy, a receiver in equity, and an executor or administrator of an insolvent debtor's or assignor's estate.

(14) "Defendant" includes a person in the position

of defendant in a counterclaim, cross‑claim, or third‑party claim.

(15) "Delivery", with respect to an instrument,

document of title, or chattel paper, means voluntary transfer of possession.

(16) "Document of title" includes bill of lading,

dock warrant, dock receipt, warehouse receipt or order for the delivery of goods, and also any other document which in the regular course of business or financing is treated as adequately evidencing that the person in possession of it is entitled to receive, hold, and dispose of the document and the goods it covers. To be a document of title, a document must purport to be issued by or addressed to a bailee and purport to cover goods in the bailee's possession which are either identified or are fungible portions of an identified mass.

(17) "Fault" means a default, breach, or wrongful

act or omission.

(18) "Fungible goods" means:             (A) goods of which any unit, by nature or usage

of trade, is the equivalent of any other like unit; or

(B) goods that by agreement are treated as

equivalent.

(19) "Genuine" means free of forgery or

counterfeiting.

(20) "Good faith" means honesty in fact in the

conduct or transaction concerned.

(21) "Holder" means:             (A) the person in possession of a negotiable

instrument that is payable either to bearer or to an identified person that is the person in possession; or

(B) the person in possession of a document of

title if the goods are deliverable either to bearer or to the order of the person in possession.

(22) "Insolvency proceeding" includes an assignment

for the benefit of creditors or other proceeding intended to liquidate or rehabilitate the estate of the person involved.

(23) "Insolvent" means:             (A) having generally ceased to pay debts in the

ordinary course of business other than as a result of bona fide dispute;

(B) being unable to pay debts as they become due;

or

(C) being insolvent within the meaning of federal

bankruptcy law.

(24) "Money" means a medium of exchange currently

authorized or adopted by a domestic or foreign government. The term includes a monetary unit of account established by an intergovernmental organization or by agreement between two or more countries.

(25) "Organization" means a person other than an

individual.

(26) "Party", as distinguished from "third party",

means a person that has engaged in a transaction or made an agreement subject to the Uniform Commercial Code.

(27) "Person" means an individual, corporation,

business trust, estate, trust, partnership, limited liability company, association, joint venture, government, governmental subdivision, agency, or instrumentality, public corporation, or any other legal or commercial entity.

(28) "Present value" means the amount as of a date

certain of one or more sums payable in the future, discounted to the date certain by use of either an interest rate specified by the parties if that rate is not manifestly unreasonable at the time the transaction is entered into or, if an interest rate is not so specified, a commercially reasonable rate that takes into account the facts and circumstances at the time the transaction is entered into.

(29) "Purchase" means taking by sale, lease,

discount, negotiation, mortgage, pledge, lien, security interest, issue or reissue, gift, or any other voluntary transaction creating an interest in property.

(30) "Purchaser" means a person that takes by

purchase.

(31) "Record" means information that is inscribed on

a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in perceivable form.

(32) "Remedy" means any remedial right to which an

aggrieved party is entitled with or without resort to a tribunal.

(33) "Representative" means a person empowered to

act for another, including an agent, an officer of a corporation or association, and a trustee, executor, or administrator of an estate.

(34) "Right" includes remedy.         (35) "Security interest" means an interest in

personal property or fixtures which secures payment or performance of an obligation. "Security interest" includes any interest of a consignor and a buyer of accounts, chattel paper, a payment intangible, or a promissory note in a transaction that is subject to Article 9. "Security interest" does not include the special property interest of a buyer of goods on identification of those goods to a contract for sale under Section 2‑401, but a buyer may also acquire a "security interest" by complying with Article 9. Except as otherwise provided in Section 2‑505, the right of a seller or lessor of goods under Article 2 or 2A to retain or acquire possession of the goods is not a "security interest", but a seller or lessor may also acquire a "security interest" by complying with Article 9. The retention or reservation of title by a seller of goods notwithstanding shipment or delivery to the buyer under Section 2‑401 is limited in effect to a reservation of a "security interest". Whether a transaction in the form of a lease creates a "security interest" is determined pursuant to Section 1‑203.

(36) "Send" in connection with a writing, record, or

notice means:

(A) to deposit in the mail or deliver for

transmission by any other usual means of communication with postage or cost of transmission provided for and properly addressed and, in the case of an instrument, to an address specified thereon or otherwise agreed, or if there be none to any address reasonable under the circumstances; or

(B) in any other way to cause to be received any

record or notice within the time it would have arrived if properly sent.

(37) "Signed" includes using any symbol executed or

adopted with present intention to adopt or accept a writing.

(38) "State" means a State of the United States, the

District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, or any territory or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.

(39) "Surety" includes a guarantor or other

secondary obligor.

(40) "Term" means a portion of an agreement that

relates to a particular matter.

(41) "Unauthorized signature" means a signature made

without actual, implied, or apparent authority. The term includes a forgery.

(42) "Warehouse receipt" means a receipt issued by a

person engaged in the business of storing goods for hire.

(43) "Writing" includes printing, typewriting, or

any other intentional reduction to tangible form. "Written" has a corresponding meaning.

(Source: P.A. 95‑895, eff. 1‑1‑09.)

    (810 ILCS 5/1‑202)(from Ch. 26, par. 1‑202)
    Sec. 1‑202. Notice; knowledge.
    (a) Subject to subsection (f), a person has "notice" of a fact if the person:
        (1) has actual knowledge of it;
        (2) has received a notice or notification of it; or
        (3) from all the facts and circumstances known to the

person at the time in question, has reason to know that it exists.

(b) "Knowledge" means actual knowledge. "Knows" has a

corresponding meaning.

(c) "Discover", "learn", or words of similar import

refer to knowledge rather than to reason to know.

(d) A person "notifies" or "gives" a notice or

notification to another person by taking such steps as may be reasonably required to inform the other person in ordinary course, whether or not the other person actually comes to know of it.

(e) Subject to subsection (f), a person "receives" a

notice or notification when:

(1) it comes to that person's attention; or         (2) it is duly delivered in a form reasonable under

the circumstances at the place of business through which the contract was made or at another location held out by that person as the place for receipt of such communications.

(f) Notice, knowledge, or a notice or notification

received by an organization is effective for a particular transaction from the time it is brought to the attention of the individual conducting that transaction and, in any event, from the time it would have been brought to the individual's attention if the organization had exercised due diligence. An organization exercises due diligence if it maintains reasonable routines for communicating significant information to the person conducting the transaction and there is reasonable compliance with the routines. Due diligence does not require an individual acting for the organization to communicate information unless the communication is part of the individual's regular duties or the individual has reason to know of the transaction and that the transaction would be materially affected by the information.

(Source: P.A. 95‑895, eff. 1‑1‑09.)

    (810 ILCS 5/1‑203)(from Ch. 26, par. 1‑203)
    Sec. 1‑203. Lease distinguished from security interest.
    (a) Whether a transaction in the form of a lease creates a lease or security interest is determined by the facts of each case.
    (b) A transaction in the form of a lease creates a security interest if the consideration that the lessee is to pay the lessor for the right to possession and use of the goods is an obligation for the term of the lease and is not subject to termination by the lessee, and:
        (1) the original term of the lease is equal to or

greater than the remaining economic life of the goods;

(2) the lessee is bound to renew the lease for the

remaining economic life of the goods or is bound to become the owner of the goods;

(3) the lessee has an option to renew the lease for

the remaining economic life of the goods for no additional consideration or for nominal additional consideration upon compliance with the lease agreement; or

(4) the lessee has an option to become the owner of

the goods for no additional consideration or for nominal additional consideration upon compliance with the lease agreement.

(c) A transaction in the form of a lease does not create

a security interest merely because:

(1) the present value of the consideration the lessee

is obligated to pay the lessor for the right to possession and use of the goods is substantially equal to or is greater than the fair market value of the goods at the time the lease is entered into;

(2) the lessee assumes risk of loss of the goods;         (3) the lessee agrees to pay, with respect to the

goods, taxes, insurance, filing, recording, or registration fees, or service or maintenance costs;

(4) the lessee has an option to renew the lease or to

become the owner of the goods;

(5) the lessee has an option to renew the lease for a

fixed rent that is equal to or greater than the reasonably predictable fair market rent for the use of the goods for the term of the renewal at the time the option is to be performed; or

(6) the lessee has an option to become the owner of

the goods for a fixed price that is equal to or greater than the reasonably predictable fair market value of the goods at the time the option is to be performed.

(d) Additional consideration is nominal if it is less

than the lessee's reasonably predictable cost of performing under the lease agreement if the option is not exercised. Additional consideration is not nominal if:

(1) when the option to renew the lease is granted to

the lessee, the rent is stated to be the fair market rent for the use of the goods for the term of the renewal determined at the time the option is to be performed; or

(2) when the option to become the owner of the goods

is granted to the lessee, the price is stated to be the fair market value of the goods determined at the time the option is to be performed.

(e) The "remaining economic life of the goods" and

"reasonably predictable" fair market rent, fair market value, or cost of performing under the lease agreement must be determined with reference to the facts and circumstances at the time the transaction is entered into.

(Source: P.A. 95‑895, eff. 1‑1‑09.)

    (810 ILCS 5/1‑204)(from Ch. 26, par. 1‑204)
    Sec. 1‑204. Value. Except as otherwise provided in Articles 3, 4, 5, and 6, a person gives value for rights if the person acquires them:
        (1) in return for a binding commitment to extend

credit or for the extension of immediately available credit, whether or not drawn upon and whether or not a charge‑back is provided for in the event of difficulties in collection;

(2) as security for, or in total or partial

satisfaction of, a preexisting claim;

(3) by accepting delivery under a preexisting

contract for purchase; or

(4) in return for any consideration sufficient to

support a simple contract.

(Source: P.A. 95‑895, eff. 1‑1‑09.)

    (810 ILCS 5/1‑205)(from Ch. 26, par. 1‑205)
    Sec. 1‑205. Reasonable time; seasonableness.
    (a) Whether a time for taking an action required by the Uniform Commercial Code is reasonable depends on the nature, purpose, and circumstances of the action.
    (b) An action is taken seasonably if it is taken at or within the time agreed or, if no time is agreed, at or within a reasonable time.
(Source: P.A. 95‑895, eff. 1‑1‑09.)

    (810 ILCS 5/1‑206)(from Ch. 26, par. 1‑206)
    Sec. 1‑206. Presumptions. Whenever the Uniform Commercial Code creates a "presumption" with respect to a fact, or provides that a fact is "presumed", the trier of fact must find the existence of the fact unless and until evidence is introduced that supports a finding of its nonexistence.
(Source: P.A. 95‑895, eff. 1‑1‑09.)

    (810 ILCS 5/1‑207)(from Ch. 26, par. 1‑207)
    Sec. 1‑207. (Blank).
(Source: P.A. 95‑895, eff. 1‑1‑09.)

    (810 ILCS 5/1‑208)(from Ch. 26, par. 1‑208)
    Sec. 1‑208. (Blank).
(Source: P.A. 95‑895, eff. 1‑1‑09.)

    (810 ILCS 5/1‑209)(from Ch. 26, par. 1‑209)
    Sec. 1‑209. (Blank).
(Source: P.A. 95‑895, eff. 1‑1‑09.)