What is the Shelter Principle - Section 2-403(1)?

The shelter principle offers additional protections for buyers of collateral from other consumers. Basically, this equitable principle states that a good faith purchaser of property acquires all of the rights that the transferor of that property. The shelter rule will provide the purchaser with a claim of interests that may be superior to a previously perfected secured creditor. The shelter principle is broader than the BYOC and UCC 9-320 protections. It protects consumer and non-consumers who purchase collateral from a buyer in the ordinary course. Further, it protects the buyer in situations where the secured party has filed a security interest covering the collateral, which is outside of the scope of 9-320.

Example: Suppose Biz, LLC purchases a good used personally by a consumer, Tom. The good was subject to a perfected security interest as inventory in the hands of the seller, Seller, Inc., when it was originally sold to Tom. Tom, as a consumer, would have taken the item free and clear of the security interest in the inventory. When Tom later sells the item to Biz, LLC, the shelter principle is the only rule to protects it. Biz, LLC does not qualify as a purchaser in the ordinary course and is not protected as a consumer under UCC 9-320. Biz, LLC, as a subsequent purchaser or transferee of that collateral from the buyer, receives all of Toms rights in the collateral. As such, Biz, LLC takes the collateral free and clear of the original security interest. It does not matter whether Seller, Inc., filed a financing statement to perfect the security interest.

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