THIS SECTION WAS REPEALED IN THE 2001 REGULAR SESSION, BY ACT 2001-481, EFFECTIVE JAN. 1, 2002.
(1) A financing statement must be filed to perfect all security interests except the following:
(a) A security interest in collateral in possession of the secured party under Section 7-9-305;
(b) A security interest temporarily perfected in instruments, certificated securities, or documents without delivery under Section 7-9-304 or in proceeds for a 20-day period under Section 7-9-306;
(c) A security interest created by an assignment of a beneficial interest in a trust or a decedent's estate;
(d) A purchase money security interest in consumer goods; but filing is required for a motor vehicle required to be registered; and fixture filing is required for priority over conflicting interests in fixtures to the extent provided in Section 7-9-313;
(e) An assignment of accounts which does not alone or in conjunction with other assignments to the same assignee transfer a significant part of the outstanding accounts of the assignor;
(f) A security interest of a collecting bank (Section 7-4-208) or arising under the article on sales (see Section 7-9-113) or covered in subsection (3) of this section;
(g) An assignment for the benefit of all the creditors of the transferor, and subsequent transfers by the assignee thereunder;
(h) A security interest in investment property which is perfected without filing under Section 7-9-115 or Section 7-9-116.
(2) If a secured party assigns a perfected security interest, no filing under this article is required in order to continue the perfected status of the security interest against creditors of and transferees from the original debtor.
(3) The filing of a financing statement otherwise required by this article is not necessary or effective to perfect a security interest in property subject to:
(a) A statute or treaty of the United States which provides for a national or international registration or a national or international certificate of title or which specifies a place of filing different from that specified in this article for filing of the security interest; or
(b) The following statutes of this state: any certificate of title statute covering automobiles, trailers, mobile homes, boats, farm tractors or the like, and any central filing statute; but during any period in which collateral is inventory held for sale by a person who is in the business of selling goods of that kind, the filing provisions of this article (Part 4) apply to a security interest in that collateral created by him as debtor; or
(c) A certificate of title statute of another jurisdiction under the law of which indication of a security interest on the certificate is required as a condition of perfection (subsection (2) of Section 7-9-103).
(4) Compliance with a statute or treaty described in subsection (3) is equivalent to the filing of a financing statement under this article, and a security interest in property subject to the statute or treaty can be perfected only by compliance therewith except as provided in Section 7-9-103 on multiple state transactions. Duration and renewal of perfection of a security interest perfected by compliance with the statute or treaty are governed by the provisions of the statute or treaty; in other respects the security interest is subject to this article.
(5)(a) The filing provisions of this article also do not apply to a security interest in personal property or fixtures of a utility which is created by a mortgage or other security agreement which also covers real property situated in the State of Alabama and which has been filed for record in accordance with the laws of Alabama governing mortgages of real property. Such security interest shall be perfected by such filing, whether such filing shall have been accomplished before or after February 1, 1982; and such security interest shall be and remain effective, both as to the personal property or fixtures covered by the security interest at the time that it is perfected and as to personal property or fixtures which may subsequently be covered by the security interest under any after-acquired property provision of the mortgage or other security agreement creating the security interest, as long as such mortgage or other security agreement shall remain in effect, without the necessity for any refiling under the provisions of this article.
(b) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (a) of this subsection (5), security interests in personal property or fixtures of a utility are subject to Sections 7-9-401(5) and 7-9-403(6).
Last modified: May 3, 2021