Title 12 › CHAPTER 53 — WALL STREET REFORM AND CONSUMER PROTECTION › SUBCHAPTER II — ORDERLY LIQUIDATION AUTHORITY › § 5390
When the Corporation is named receiver for a failing covered financial company, it takes control of the company’s books, assets, and legal rights. It can run the business, collect money, sell or transfer assets (including to a temporary “bridge” company it creates), merge or move assets and liabilities without needing consent, hire private contractors, use subpoena power, and work with foreign regulators. The Corporation must pay valid debts if money is available. It must publish notice for creditors to file claims (at least 90 days to file, with follow-up notices 1 and 2 months later) and decide claims within 180 days. If a claimant is denied, they have 60 days to sue in the federal district court where the company’s main office is. Claims about security interests get fast treatment: the Corporation must act within 90 days, and claimants get a short window (30 days) to sue after that decision. The law sets who gets paid first and how the cleanup is funded. Administrative costs come first, then amounts owed to the United States, then certain employee wages (up to $11,725 per person earned not earlier than 180 days before receivership) and related benefit contributions, then other general creditors, subordinated creditors, senior executives’ pay, and finally equity holders. The Corporation can undo recent bad or preferential transfers (within 2 years for fraud, within 90 days or up to 1 year for insider preferences) and can recover improperly paid amounts. The Orderly Liquidation Fund in the Treasury pays costs. The Corporation can issue obligations to the Secretary and then collect risk-based assessments from large financial companies (those with $50,000,000,000 or more in assets) to repay those obligations, generally within 60 months. The Corporation may also seek to recover compensation from senior executives or directors who helped cause the failure for payments they received in the prior 2 years (no time limit if fraud is involved).
Full Legal Text
Banks and Banking, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Legislative History
Reference
Citation
12 U.S.C. § 5390
Title 12, Banks and Banking
Last Updated
Sep 23, 2026
Release point: 119-110