Debtor Definition & Meaning

A debtor may attempt to fraudulently convey a piece of property to avoid having it seized. State laws seek to prevent this type of property transfer. Many states have adopted the Uniform Fraudulent Conveyances Act or its successor, the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act. Guggenheim Credit Services committed $35 million in debtor-in-possession financing to Basic Energy, which the company plans to use to support it through the bankruptcy and acquisition process.

In the case that a company offers supplies or services and will accept payment at a later time, they are acting as a creditor. Nearly every business is both a creditor and a debtor, since businesses extend credit to their customers, and pay their suppliers on delayed payment terms.

Some of these companies offer a program whereby high credit card balances and loans are combined and substantially reduced, and the debtor would make a single payment to said company. Being a debtor is not restricted to an individual, as in business there is also company debt. Many companies’ heavily invest into accountancy and rely on insolvency solutions to prevent debt from being left aside. A proof of claim is a form submitted by a creditor in order to receive money from a debtor who has filed for bankruptcy.

Debtor Definition

Creditors commonly seek to create a lien on a debtor’s property through a judicial process of lien creation, which is governed by state law. Once a lien has been created state statutory law governs how the lien is executed against the debtor’s property. The sale of property subject to a lien to satisfy the debt is also governed by state statutory law. Federal and state statutes, and the Federal Consumer Credit Protection Act also limit the type of property that can be used to satisfy a debt. Except in certain bankruptcy situations, debtors can choose to pay debts in any priority they choose. But if one fails to pay a debt, they have broken a contract or agreement between them and a creditor.

First are those who have a lien against a particular piece of property. This property must be used to satisfy the debt to the lien-creditor before it can be used to satisfy debts to other creditors. A lien may arise through statute, agreement between the parties, or judicial proceedings. If a creditor has a priority his debt must be paid when the debtor becomes insolvent before other debts. For example, Congress has granted priority to debts owed the Federal government. The final type of creditor is one who has neither a lien against the debtor’s property or is the subject of a statutory priority. In the U.S., debtors’ prisons were relatively common until the Civil War era, at which time most states started phasing them out.

Legal Definition Of Debtor

Default occurs when the debtor has not met its legal obligations according to the debt contract, e.g.- it has not made a scheduled payment, or has violated a covenant in the debt contract. Default may occur if the debtor is either unwilling or unable to pay its debt. This can occur with all debt obligations including bonds, mortgages, loans, and promissory notes. A debtor is also known as a borrower when the term used in relation to a loan. Beijing has gradually allowed more defaults, but none by a debtor as big as Evergrande. In 2005, Congress passed the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act, which greatly limited debtor companies’ ability to give out executive and worker retention bonuses without a bankruptcy judge’s blessing.

The money owed by debtors is not recorded as income, but rather an asset, such as note or account receivable. Any interest or fees charged by the creditor, however, is recorded as income for the creditor and an expense for the debtor. For the creditor, the money owed to them is considered an asset. In some cases, money owed by a debtor can be an account receivable or note receivable if it’s a loan. Covenants are unheard of when granting trade credit. An entity that extends credit is in the business of selling goods or services, and only engages in the extension of credit as an ancillary function. It may be necessary to extend credit simply to be competitive in the marketplace.

• For example, Congress has granted priority to debts owed the Federal government.
• Garnishment allows a creditor to collect part of a debt to satisfy the obligation.
• The debtor agrees to pay the debt over a three-year period.
• With mortgages, the home (in this case Sally’s home) is used as collateral for the loan.
• In a situation where there is a possibility, but not a probability, of a liability, there is no liability to record.
• According to numbers released on March 31, 2013 by the U.S.

Garnishment allows a creditor to collect part of a debt to satisfy the obligation. Replevin allows a creditor to seize goods, such as a security interest, that he or she has a property interest in, to satisfy the debt. Receivership involves the appointing of a third party by a court to dispose of the debtor’s property in order to satisfy the debt.

Debtor And Creditor

Bankruptcy is a legal proceeding for people or businesses that are unable to repay their outstanding debts. Creditors may have other recourse if there’s collateral, such as repossession, or they can take debtors to court for garnishments.

• Once a lien has been created state statutory law governs how the lien is executed against the debtor’s property.
• The concept can apply to individual transactions, so that someone could be a debtor in regard to a specific supplier invoice, while being a creditor in relation to its own billings to customers.
• If you borrow from a bank to buy a car, you are a debtor.
• Real creditors are banks or finance companies with a legal contract.
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• A lien may arise through statute, agreement between the parties, or judicial proceedings.

Businesses and large institutions can also be debtors, and even countries are often debtors. If a developing country borrows money from a wealthier one, the borrower is a debtor. The process of debt collection may be impeded by exemption laws, which provide that certain property of the debtor may not be seized and sold in order to discharge a debt. These exemptions include sums of money, life insurance, and parcels of land. For the most part, debts that are business related must be made in writing to be enforceable by law. If the written agreement requires the debtor to pay a specific amount of money, then the creditor does not have to accept any lesser amount, and should be paid in full. If Sally defaults on the loan the bank can take possession of the property and sell it to recoup their money owed.

Understanding Debtors

If Alpha Company lends money to Charlie Company, Alpha takes on the role of the creditor, and Charlie is the debtor. Similarly, if Charlie Company sells goods to Alpha Company on credit, Charlie is the creditor and Alpha is the debtor.

In bankruptcy law, someone who files a voluntary bankruptcy petition, or against whom an involuntary bankruptcy petition gets filed. S — the primary source of revenue for debt-collection agencies — have at least temporarily been in a better position to pay their debts. A person who is in debt or under financial obligation to another . In Egypt, a debtor pledged their repayment on the dead body of a loved one. The term debtor comes from the word debt, which originated from the French word dette, which came from the Latin word debere, meaning to owe. For example, consider Sally, looking to take out a mortgage to buy a home.

Generally, most oral and written agreements for the repayment of consumer debt – debts for personal, family or household purposes secured primarily by a person’s residence – are enforceable. A debtor or debitor is a legal entity that owes a debt to another entity. The entity may be an individual, a firm, a government, a company or other legal person. When the counterpart of this debt arrangement is a bank, the debtor is more often referred to as a borrower. As well, family or friends can also be considered creditors if they’ve lent money, considered a personal creditor. Real creditors are banks or finance companies with a legal contract. Creditors make money off debtors by charging fees or interest.

When To Record A Debt

If the debt is in the form of a loan from a financial institution, the debtor is referred to as a borrower, and if the debt is in the form of securities—such as bonds—the debtor is referred to as an issuer. Legally, someone who files a voluntary petition to declare bankruptcy is also considered a debtor. A creditor is an entity or person that lends money or extends credit to another party. A debtor is an entity or person that owes money to another party. Thus, there is a creditor and a debtor in every lending arrangement. The relationship between a debtor and a creditor is crucial to the extension of credit between parties and the related transfer of assets and settlement of liabilities.

Debt collectors cannot threaten debtors with jail time, but courts can put debtors in jail for unpaid child support or taxes. Debtor-creditor law governs situations where one party is unable to pay a monetary debt to another.

Other Words From Debtor

She has been an investor, entrepreneur, and advisor for more than 25 years. James Chen, CMT is an expert trader, investment adviser, and global market strategist. He has authored books on technical analysis and foreign exchange trading published by John Wiley and Sons and served as a guest expert on CNBC, BloombergTV, Forbes, and Reuters among other financial media.

• Khadija Khartit is a strategy, investment, and funding expert, and an educator of fintech and strategic finance in top universities.
• A debtor or debitor is a legal entity that owes a debt to another entity.
• A debtor may attempt to fraudulently convey a piece of property to avoid having it seized.
• An entity that extends credit is in the business of selling goods or services, and only engages in the extension of credit as an ancillary function.
• States also regulate debt collection through statute.
• Creditors are the ones that extend credit to debtors.

Debtors can be individuals or companies and are referred to as borrowers if the debt is from a bank or financial institution. Debtors can also be someone who files a voluntary petition to declare bankruptcy. Debtors cannot go to jail for unpaid consumer debts.

Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Please add a reason or a talk parameter to this template to explain the issue with the article. WikiProject Business may be able to help recruit an expert. Khadija Khartit is a strategy, investment, and funding expert, and an educator of fintech and strategic finance in top universities.

If the debt is backed by collateral, such as mortgages and car loans backed by houses and cars, the creditor can attempt to repossess the collateral. In other cases, the creditor may take the debtor to court in an attempt to have the debtor’s wages garnished or to secure another type of repayment order. Debtors are often called borrowers if the money owed is to a bank or financial institution, however, they are called issuers if the debt is in the form of securities. Debtors are individuals or businesses that owe money, whether to banks or other individuals. We borrow money to buy houses or cars, to attend college, or to tide us over when we’re between jobs.

A person or firm that owes money; one in debt; one who owes a debt. In a situation where there is a possibility, but not a probability, of a liability, there is no liability to record. This means that the person or entity to which the event applies is not considered a debtor until such time as the liability becomes probable and it is possible to estimate the amount of the loss. Lien against the debtor’s property, which will permit a local official or law-enforcement officer to seize the property, sell it at public auction, and use the proceeds to discharge the debt . Imprisonment of the debtor is a practice no longer followed.

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However, the courts can send debtors to jail for unpaid taxes or child support. Debtors and creditors can be individuals or businesses. For the most part, individuals and companies are debtors who borrow money from banks or other financial institutions. Creditors, which can be any individual or company, are often thought of as banks. Non-bankruptcy debtor-creditor law arises mainly from state statutory and common law. Tort law, such as defamation, provides a means for state courts to limit private means of debt collection. States also regulate debt collection through statute.

The debtor agrees to pay the debt over a three-year period. According to numbers released on March 31, 2013 by the U.S. Federal Reserve Board, household debt has passed the $11 trillion mark in the United States. Student loan debt will also soon pass the trillion-dollar mark.