Financing statement

What financing statement means

Put simply, financing statement is part of the working vocabulary of a civil case. The short definition above covers the usual meaning. Still, a specific rule, statute or contract can give it a narrower meaning. For that reason, check how it is used in your own documents.

Where financing statement comes up

The term is used across many kinds of cases. For example, you may see it in pleadings, motions and court orders. To see it in context, browse the motions and procedures library or the Learn the Law topics.

How to research the term

To research financing statement, begin with the rule, statute or contract where the word is used. Each one can give it a slightly different meaning. Then compare that text with how courts in your area have applied it. Also check the local rules of your court, since they can add requirements. If your case is in state court, the state rules control. So start with our state procedures guide to find them. In the end, always confirm that the source you rely on is current.

You can read the current federal court rules online for free.

Related legal terms

• Fiduciary: a person who must act in another's best interest, such as a trustee or agent.
• Final judgment: a judgment that ends the litigation on the merits and leaves nothing for the court to do but execute it. Most appeals can be taken only from final judgments.
• Foreclosure: the legal process by which a secured creditor sells real property securing a debt after a default, under state law.
• Forward flow agreement: a contract under which a seller agrees to sell, and a buyer to buy, receivables on a recurring schedule on terms set in advance.

Why precise terms matter

Legal words often look like everyday words, but they can carry a precise meaning. Because of that, a small misreading can change how you understand a deadline, a duty or a right. Our glossary keeps each definition short and links it to the procedures where it matters.