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HomeCommercial CodeDiv. 8Ch. 5§ 8504 Securities Intermediary Asset Maintenance

§ 8504 Securities Intermediary Asset Maintenance

Commercial Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 8504 Securities Intermediary Asset Maintenance

Key Takeaways

  • •If a company holds investments (like stocks) for others, it must keep enough of those investments to cover what it owes to its customers.
  • •The company can't use those investments as collateral for a loan unless the customer agrees.
  • •The company can follow its own agreement with the customer or, if there's no agreement, it must be careful and follow normal business rules to keep the investments safe.
  • •This rule doesn’t apply to certain companies that handle their own special types of deals.

Example

You give your stocks to a bank to hold for you.

The bank must keep your stocks safe and can’t use them for its own loans unless you say it’s okay. If the bank loses your stocks, it has to give you new ones or pay you back.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 8504 Securities Intermediary Asset Maintenance

(a) A securities intermediary shall promptly obtain and thereafter maintain a financial asset in a quantity corresponding to the aggregate of all security entitlements it has established in favor of its entitlement holders with respect to that financial asset. The securities intermediary may maintain those financial assets directly or through one or more other securities intermediaries. (b) Except to the extent otherwise agreed by its entitlement holder, a securities intermediary may not grant any security interests in a financial asset it is obligated to maintain pursuant to subdivision (a). (c) A securities intermediary satisfies the duty in subdivision (a) if it does either of the following: (1) The securities intermediary acts with respect to the duty as agreed upon by the entitlement holder and the securities intermediary. (2) In the absence of agreement, the securities intermediary exercises due care in accordance with reasonable commercial standards to obtain and maintain the financial asset. (d) This section does not apply to a clearing corporation that is itself the obligor of an option or similar obligation to which its entitlement holders have security entitlements. (Added by Stats. 1996, Ch. 497, Sec. 9. Effective January 1, 1997.)

Last verified: January 23, 2026

Key Terms

securities intermediaryfinancial assetsecurity entitlementsentitlement holdersdue carereasonable commercial standards

Related Statutes

  • § 8506 Securities Intermediary Duties
  • § 8511 Priority Of Security Entitlements
  • § 8505 Securities Intermediary Payment Duties
  • § 8507 Securities Intermediary Compliance Duty
  • § 8508 Securities Intermediary Duties

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Commercial Code. Section 8504.
View Official Source