2023 Texas Statutes › Utilities Code › Title 2 - Public Utility Regulatory Act › Subtitle B - Electric Utilities › Chapter 41 - Electric Cooperatives and Competition › Subchapter D. Market Participation and Securitization › Section 41.159. Security Interests; Assignment; Commingling; Default

Sec. 41.159.  SECURITY INTERESTS; ASSIGNMENT; COMMINGLING; DEFAULT.  (a)  Securitized property does not constitute an account or general intangible under Section 9.106, Business & Commerce Code.  The transfer, sale, or assignment, or the creation, granting, perfection, and enforcement of liens and security interests in securitized property are governed by this section and not by the Business & Commerce Code.  Securitized property shall constitute property for all purposes, including for contracts securing securitized bonds, regardless of whether the securitized property revenues and proceeds have accrued.
(b)  A valid and enforceable transfer, sale, or assignment, or lien and security interest, as applicable, in securitized property may be created only by a financing order and the execution and delivery of a transfer, sale, or assignment, or security agreement, as applicable, with a financing party in connection with the issuance of securitized bonds.  The transfer, sale, assignment, or lien and security interest, as applicable, shall attach automatically from the time that value is received for the securitized bonds and, on perfection through the filing of notice with the secretary of state in accordance with the rules prescribed under Subsection (d), shall be a continuously perfected transfer, sale, and assignment, or lien and security interest, as applicable, in the securitized property and all proceeds of the property, whether accrued or not, shall have priority in the order of filing and take precedence over any subsequent judicial or other lien creditor.  If notice is filed before the 10th day after the date value is received for the securitized bonds, the transfer, sale, or assignment, or security interest, as applicable, shall be perfected retroactive to the date value was received.  Otherwise, the transfer, sale, or assignment, or security interest, as applicable, shall be perfected as of the date of filing.
(c)  Transfer, sale, or assignment of an interest in securitized property to an assignee shall be perfected against all third parties, including subsequent judicial or other lien creditors, when the financing order becomes effective, transfer documents have been delivered to the assignee, and a notice of that transfer has been filed in accordance with the rules prescribed under Subsection (d).  However, if notice of the transfer has not been filed in accordance with this subsection before the 10th day after the delivery of transfer documentation, the transfer of the interest is not perfected against third parties until the notice is filed.
(d)  The secretary of state shall implement this section by establishing and maintaining a separate system of records for the filing of notices under this section and prescribing the rules for those filings based on Chapter 9, Business & Commerce Code, adapted to this subchapter and using the terms defined in this subchapter.
(e)  The priority of a lien and security interest perfected under this section is not impaired by any later modification of the financing order under Section 41.157 or by the commingling of funds arising from securitized charges with other funds, and any other security interest that may apply to those funds shall be terminated when they are transferred to a segregated account for the assignee or a financing party.  If securitized property has been transferred to an assignee, any proceeds of that property shall be held in trust for the assignee.
(f)  Securitized bonds shall be secured by a statutory lien on the securitized property in favor of the owners or beneficial owners of securitized bonds.  The lien shall automatically arise on issuance of the securitized bonds without the need for any action or authorization by the electric cooperative or the board.  The lien shall be valid and binding from the time the securitized bonds are executed and delivered.  The securitized property shall be immediately subject to the lien, and the lien shall immediately attach to the securitized property and be effective, binding, and enforceable against the electric cooperative, its creditors, their successors, assignees, and all others asserting rights therein, regardless of whether those persons have notice of the lien and without the need for any physical delivery, recordation, filing, or further act.  The lien is created by this subchapter and not by any security agreement, but may be enforced by any financing party or their representatives as if they were secured parties under Chapter 9, Business & Commerce Code.  On application by or on behalf of the financing parties, a district court in the county where the electric cooperative is domiciled may order that amounts arising from securitized charges be transferred to a separate account for the financing parties' benefit.
(g)  The statutory lien is a continuously perfected security interest and has priority over any other lien, created by operation of law or otherwise, that may subsequently attach to that securitized property or proceeds thereof unless the owners or beneficial owners of securitized bonds as specified in the trust agreement or indenture have agreed in writing otherwise.  The statutory lien is a lien on the securitized charges and all securitized charge revenues or other proceeds that are deposited in any deposit account or other account of the servicer or other person in which securitized charge revenues or other proceeds have been commingled with other funds.
(h)  The statutory lien is not adversely affected or impaired by, among other things, the commingling of securitized charge revenues or other proceeds from securitized charges with other amounts regardless of the person holding those amounts.
(i)  The electric cooperative, any successor or assignee of the electric cooperative, or any other person with any operational control of any portion of the electric cooperative's system assets, whether as owner, lessee, franchisee, or otherwise, and any successor servicer of collections of the securitized charges shall be bound by the requirements of this subchapter and shall perform and satisfy all obligations imposed under this subchapter in the same manner and to the same extent as did its predecessor, including the obligation to bill, adjust, and enforce the payment of securitized charges.
(j)  If a default or termination occurs under the securitized bonds, the financing parties or their representatives may foreclose on or otherwise enforce their lien and security interest in any securitized property as if they were secured parties under Chapter 9, Business & Commerce Code, and on application by the electric cooperative or by or on behalf of the financing parties, a district court in the county where the electric cooperative is domiciled may order that amounts arising from securitized charges be transferred to a separate account for the financing parties' benefit, to which their lien and security interest shall apply.  On application by or on behalf of the financing parties, a district court in the county where the electric cooperative is domiciled shall order the sequestration and payment to them of revenues arising from the securitized charges.
Added by Acts 2021, 87th Leg., R.S., Ch. 950 (S.B. 1580), Sec. 1, eff. June 18, 2021.