Title 12Banks and BankingRelease 119-73

§5385 Orderly liquidation of covered brokers and dealers

Title 12 › Chapter CHAPTER 53— - WALL STREET REFORM AND CONSUMER PROTECTION › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER II— - ORDERLY LIQUIDATION AUTHORITY › § 5385

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

When the Corporation becomes the receiver for a covered broker or dealer, it must appoint the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) to act as trustee to liquidate that firm under the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 (15 U.S.C. 78aaa et seq.). SIPC must quickly file for a protective decree in a federal district court under sections 78u or 78aa of title 15, and the court must accept and immediately issue that decree. The "filing date" for claims is the date the Corporation is appointed receiver. SIPC will handle claims and liquidate assets kept in the receivership under the 1970 Act, and will decide and pay claims that arose on or before the filing date. SIPC’s powers under the 1970 Act apply except for assets or liabilities that the Corporation transfers to any bridge financial company. The Corporation keeps its separate powers to set up or run a bridge financial company, move assets and liabilities, enforce or repudiate contracts, and take related actions under section 5390. Rights under qualified financial contracts are governed only by section 5390. No court may stop the Corporation from using its receiver powers, and claims against the Corporation are limited to money damages and handled as set out in subsection (e) and section 5390. Customer property, customer name securities, net equity claims, and recoveries under the 1970 Act must not be reduced or delayed. Customer obligations must be promptly met by SIPC, the Corporation, or a bridge company in a way at least as good as if the firm had been liquidated under the 1970 Act without the Corporation’s appointment, using the appointment date as the filing date. SIPC will allocate customer property under section 8(c) of the 1970 Act (15 U.S.C. 78fff–2(c)), and all other claims follow the priorities in section 5390(b). The Commission and the Corporation, after consulting SIPC, must issue rules to carry out these duties.

Full Legal Text

Title 12, §5385

Banks and Banking — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)(1)Upon the appointment of the Corporation as receiver for any covered broker or dealer, the Corporation shall appoint, without any need for court approval, the Securities Investor Protection Corporation to act as trustee for the liquidation under the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 (15 U.S.C. 78aaa et seq.) of the covered broker or dealer.
(2)(A)Upon appointment of SIPC under paragraph (1), SIPC shall promptly file with any Federal district court of competent jurisdiction specified in section 78u or 78aa of title 15, an application for a protective decree under the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 (15 U.S.C. 78aaa et seq.) as to the covered broker or dealer. The Federal district court shall accept and approve the filing, including outside of normal business hours, and shall immediately issue the protective decree as to the covered broker or dealer.
(B)Following entry of the protective decree, and except as otherwise provided in this section, the determination of claims and the liquidation of assets retained in the receivership of the covered broker or dealer and not transferred to the bridge financial company shall be administered under the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 (15 U.S.C. 78aaa et seq.) by SIPC, as trustee for the covered broker or dealer.
(C)For purposes of the liquidation proceeding, the term “filing date” means the date on which the Corporation is appointed as receiver of the covered broker or dealer.
(D)As trustee for the covered broker or dealer, SIPC shall determine and satisfy, consistent with this subchapter and with the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 (15 U.S.C. 78aaa et seq.), all claims against the covered broker or dealer arising on or before the filing date.
(b)(1)Except as provided in this section, upon its appointment as trustee for the liquidation of a covered broker or dealer, SIPC shall have all of the powers and duties provided by the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 (15 U.S.C. 78aaa et seq.), including, without limitation, all rights of action against third parties, and shall conduct such liquidation in accordance with the terms of the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 (15 U.S.C. 78aaa et seq.), except that SIPC shall have no powers or duties with respect to assets and liabilities transferred by the Corporation from the covered broker or dealer to any bridge financial company established in accordance with this subchapter.
(2)The exercise by SIPC of powers and functions as trustee under subsection (a) shall not impair or impede the exercise of the powers and duties of the Corporation with regard to—
(A)any action, except as otherwise provided in this subchapter—
(i)to make funds available under section 5384(d) of this title;
(ii)to organize, establish, operate, or terminate any bridge financial company;
(iii)to transfer assets and liabilities;
(iv)to enforce or repudiate contracts; or
(v)to take any other action relating to such bridge financial company under section 5390 of this title; or
(B)determining claims under subsection (e).
(3)SIPC and the Corporation, in consultation with the Commission, shall jointly determine the terms of the protective decree to be filed by SIPC with any court of competent jurisdiction under section 78u or 78aa of title 15, as required by subsection (a).
(4)Notwithstanding any provision of the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 (15 U.S.C. 78aaa et seq.) to the contrary (including section 5(b)(2)(C) of that Act (15 U.S.C. 78eee(b)(2)(C))), the rights and obligations of any party to a qualified financial contract (as that term is defined in section 5390(c)(8) of this title) to which a covered broker or dealer for which the Corporation has been appointed receiver is a party shall be governed exclusively by section 5390 of this title, including the limitations and restrictions contained in section 5390(c)(10)(B) of this title.
(c)Except as otherwise provided in this subchapter, no court may take any action, including any action pursuant to the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 (15 U.S.C. 78aaa et seq.) or the Bankruptcy Code, to restrain or affect the exercise of powers or functions of the Corporation as receiver for a covered broker or dealer and any claims against the Corporation as such receiver shall be determined in accordance with subsection (e) and such claims shall be limited to money damages.
(d)(1)Notwithstanding any other provision of this subchapter, no action taken by the Corporation as receiver with respect to a covered broker or dealer shall—
(A)adversely affect the rights of a customer to customer property or customer name securities;
(B)diminish the amount or timely payment of net equity claims of customers; or
(C)otherwise impair the recoveries provided to a customer under the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 (15 U.S.C. 78aaa et seq.).
(2)The net proceeds from any transfer, sale, or disposition of assets of the covered broker or dealer, or proceeds thereof by the Corporation as receiver for the covered broker or dealer shall be for the benefit of the estate of the covered broker or dealer, as provided in this subchapter.
(e)Any claim against the Corporation as receiver for a covered broker or dealer for assets transferred to a bridge financial company established with respect to such covered broker or dealer—
(1)shall be determined in accordance with section 5390(a)(2) of this title; and
(2)may be reviewed by the appropriate district or territorial court of the United States in accordance with section 5390(a)(5) of this title.
(f)(1)Notwithstanding any other provision of this subchapter, all obligations of a covered broker or dealer or of any bridge financial company established with respect to such covered broker or dealer to a customer relating to, or net equity claims based upon, customer property or customer name securities shall be promptly discharged by SIPC, the Corporation, or the bridge financial company, as applicable, by the delivery of securities or the making of payments to or for the account of such customer, in a manner and in an amount at least as beneficial to the customer as would have been the case had the actual proceeds realized from the liquidation of the covered broker or dealer under this subchapter been distributed in a proceeding under the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 (15 U.S.C. 78aaa et seq.) without the appointment of the Corporation as receiver and without any transfer of assets or liabilities to a bridge financial company, and with a filing date as of the date on which the Corporation is appointed as receiver.
(2)SIPC, as trustee for a covered broker or dealer, shall satisfy customer claims in the manner and amount provided under the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 (15 U.S.C. 78aaa et seq.), as if the appointment of the Corporation as receiver had not occurred, and with a filing date as of the date on which the Corporation is appointed as receiver. The Corporation shall satisfy customer claims, to the extent that a customer would have received more securities or cash with respect to the allocation of customer property had the covered financial company been subject to a proceeding under the Securities Investor Protection Act (15 U.S.C. 78aaa et seq.) without the appointment of the Corporation as receiver, and with a filing date as of the date on which the Corporation is appointed as receiver.
(g)(1)As trustee for a covered broker or dealer, SIPC shall allocate customer property and deliver customer name securities in accordance with section 8(c) of the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 (15 U.S.C. 78fff–2(c)).
(2)All claims other than those described in paragraph (1) (including any unpaid claim by a customer for the allowed net equity claim of such customer from customer property) shall be paid in accordance with the priorities in section 5390(b) of this title.
(h)The Commission and the Corporation, after consultation with SIPC, shall jointly issue rules to implement this section.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970, referred to in text, is Pub. L. 91–598, Dec. 30, 1970, 84 Stat. 1636, which is classified generally to chapter 2B–1 (§ 78aaa et seq.) of Title 15, Commerce and Trade. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 78aaa of Title 15 and Tables. This subchapter, referred to in text, was in the original “this title”, meaning title II of Pub. L. 111–203, July 21, 2010, 124 Stat. 1442, which is classified principally to this subchapter. For complete classification of title II to the Code, see Tables.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section effective 1 day after July 21, 2010, except as otherwise provided, see section 4 of Pub. L. 111–203, set out as a note under section 5301 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

12 U.S.C. § 5385

Title 12Banks and Banking

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73