Plаintiff Jacob C. Pongetti, the trustee of the estate of Larson C. Locklin, appeals the district court’s order affirming the bankruptcy court’s dismissal of his complaint requesting the court to avoid defendant General Motors Acceptance Corporation’s purchase money security interest in a vehicle purchased by Locklin and to declare the vehicle the property of Locklin’s estate. We reverse.
I
On May 4,1990, Larson C. Locklin, apparently an Alabama resident, bought a new 1990 GMC Safari Van from Mitchell Buick, Pontiac, GMC Truck, Inc. (“Mitchell Buick”), a dealer in Mississippi. He agreed to pay $18,300 for the van, plus a finance charge of $4,945.44, for a total of $23,245.44, payable in forty-nine equal monthly installments. Locklin and Mitchell Buick executed a retail installment contract, granting the dealer a purchase money security interest in the van. Mitchell Buick then assigned the contract and security interest to General Motors Acceptance Corporation (“GMAC”).
The same day, Locklin took possession of the van from Mitchell Buick, and also received a number of documents, inсluding the manufacturer’s certificate of origin, which is necessary to obtain a certificate of title in Alabama. On May 9, Locklin applied for an Alabama certificate of title with the Tuscaloosa license commissioner (“the commissioner”) in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. On May 18, the commissioner prepared a titled remittance advance and mailed it, along with various required documents, to the Alabama Department of Revenue (“the department”) in Montgomery, Alabama. The department received these documеnts on May 21, seventeen days after Locklin bought and received the van. More than two weeks later, the department issued a certificate of title showing Locklin as owner and GMAC as lienholder.
On May 23, two days after the department received the documents, Locklin, asserting that he was a Mississippi resident, filed a Chapter 7 petition for bankruptcy in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Mississippi. Jacob C. Pongetti, the trustee for Locklin’s estate, filed a complaint against GMAC in bankruptcy court requesting the court to avoid GMAC’s security interest in the van, and declare the van the property of Locklin’s estate. The trustee asserted that the court must avoid the lien because it was not “perfected on or before 10 days after the debtor receives possession of such property....” 11 U.S.C. § 547(c)(3)(B). The bankruptcy court rejected this argument, ruling that GMAC perfected its security interest under § 32-8-61 of the Alabama Code when Lock-lin delivered the required documents to the local license commissioner five days after he received possession of the van. The district court affirmed.
On appeal, the trustee contends that the district court erred by refusing to apply the plain meaning of the phrase “delivery to the department” in § 32-8-61. In reply, GMAC asserts that the district court was correct, but also suggests two alternative grounds for upholding the court’s judgment. First, GMAC contends that the twenty-day grace period set forth in § 32-8-61 preempts the ten-day period provided by § 547(c)(3)(B), and that the trustee cannot avoid the security interest because the required documents were delivered to the department itself in seventeen days. Second, GMAC maintains that the trustee cannot avoid the security interest because it can shelter the property under the contemporaneous exchange exception in § 547(c)(1).
II
We review findings of fact for clear error and legal conclusions
de novo. McFarland v. Leyh (In re Texas Gen. Petroleum Corp.),
Ill
The trustee argues that the district court misconstrued the phrase “delivery to the department” in § 32-8-61 as meaning either delivery to the department itself or delivery to a designated agent of the department, rather than just delivery to the department itself.
A trustee can avoid a purchase money security interest (also called an enabling loan) if it can show that this security interest does not meet one of the requirements of § 547(c)(3). The parties do not dispute that the security interest here meets the four requirements of § 547(c)(3)(A). 1 Rather, they disagree whether the security interest satisfies the demand in § 547(e)(3)(B) that it “[be] perfected on or before 10 days after the debtor receives possession of such property.”
To determine if the security interest is perfected, we turn to state law.
2
Palmer v. Radio Corp. of Am.,
(a) Unless excepted by this section, a security interest in a vehicle for which a certificate of title is required by the terms of this chapter is not valid against creditors of the owner or subsеquent transferees or hen-holders of the vehicle unless perfected as provided in this article.
(b) A security interest is perfected by the delivery to the department of the existing certificate of title, if any, an application for a certificate of title containing the name and address of the lienholder and the date of his security agreement and the required fee. It is perfected as of the time of its creation if the delivery is completed within 20 days thereafter, otherwise, as of the time of the delivery.
The district court first determined that the ten-day grace period mandated by 11 U.S.C. § 547(c)(3)(B) preempts the twenty-day grace period set forth in § 32-8-61. However, it then decided that the security interest was perfected five days after Locklin took possession of the van when he delivered the required documents to the commissioner, and that thus the trustee could not avoid it. The court reasoned that the commissioner had “apparent authority to accept the documents for the ultimate purpose of perfecting a security interest” because § 32-8-34 made сounty commissioners of licenses “designated agents” of the department and because the commissioner “held himself out as an official involved in both licensing and perfection.” The court also noted that it did not think that the Alabama legislature intended to “punish a party acting in good faith for the transgressions of a negligent public officer.”
As an initial matter, we determine that the district court’s finding that the commissioner “held himself out as an official involved in ... perfection” is clearly erroneous. The bankruptcy court never made such a finding, and thеre is nothing in the record that supports it.
Next, we determine whether the district court erred in its legal analysis. While sev
*439
eral eases applying Alabama law touch on § 32-8-66, none applies it in the specific context presented by this case. The Alabama Supreme Court, though, has implied that it believes .that courts should be especially careful not to “tinker” with the statute that contains this provision, the Alabama Uniform Certificate of Title and Antitheft Act (“the act” or “the statute”), Ala.Code § 32-8-1
et seq.
In
Hill v. McGee,
[a]n attempt to do “justice at the palace gate” by carving out one or more exceptions to the exclusive procedures set forth in the certificate of title аct will have some appeal in a given case; however, the proliferation of such exceptions by the courts of this state could lead to chaos in the marketplace which existed prior to 1973. Such tinkering would be harmful and confusing to consumers, lenders and dealers alike.
Id. Thus, we must turn to the interpretation of words of § 32-8-66 themselves.
“The starting point in every case involving a construction of a statute is the language itself.”
Greyhound Corp. v. Mt. Hood Stages, Inc.,
Section 32-8-61(b) refers to “delivery to the department.” Section 32-8-2—entitled “[definitions” — defines “department” as “[t]he department of revenue of this state.”
In terms of design, the act has four articles, two of which pertain here. Article 3 deals with security interests, and contains the language at issue here in § 32-8-61. Article 2 pertains to certificates of title, and includes the language to which the district court referred in interpreting § 32-8-61. In Article 2, for instance, § 32-8-34(a) provides that “[e]ach judge of probate, commissioner of licenses, director of revenue or other county official in this state authorized and required by law to issue motor vehicle license tags shall by virtue of his office be a designated agent of the department.” Section 32-8-34(b) also adds certain dealers as designated agents. Section 32-8-35(a) then requires a vehicle’s owner to apply for the first certificate of title to a “designated agent, on the form the department prescribеs.... ” If the application is for a vehicle bought from a dealer, it must include the “name and address of any lienholder holding a security interest created or reserved at the time of the sale and the date of his security agreement” and “the designated agent shall promptly mail or deliver the application to the department.” Ala.Code § 32-8-35(b). Section 32-8-35(g) provides that “[e]very designated agent within this state shall, no later than the next business day after an application is received by him, forward the same to the department by mail, postage prepaid, with such other evidence of title as may have been delivered to him by the applicant, along with the required fee.... ”
Our examination of the statutory plan makes clear that the district court erred in defining “department” as including “designated agents.” First, the statutory definition of “department” only refers to the department itself, not the department’s agents. We note that the model act upon which the statute is based includes an optional definition for department which includes local officials authorized by the departmеnt to receive documents on their behalf.
3
The Alabama
*440
legislature rejected this optional definition. In addition, in the general title governing motor vehicles and traffic, “department” is defined as “[t]he department of public safety of this state acting directly or through its duly authorized officers and agents.” Ala.Code § 32-1-1.1. If the legislature intended “department” in chapter 8 of title 32 to include designated agents, then one would expect that it would have said so, just as it did in chapter 1 of that title.
Cf. West Virginia Univ. Hosps. v. Casey,
Second, there is no reference to designated agents in this provision nor anywhere else in Article 3. Had the legislature intended designated agents to pay a role in the perfection of security interests — as they do in forwarding applications for certificates of title — we would assume that the legislature at least would have
mentioned
such agents in Article 3.
See Russello v. United States,
Third, we do not think that the fact that Article 2 alludes to designated agents means that they can be imported into Article 3. The designated agents discussed in Article 2 merely issue motor vehicle license tags and pass on first certificates of title to the department after collecting the required fee and verifying certain information about the vehiclе and the applicant. Section 32-8-34 refers to designated agents as those “authorized and required by law to issue motor vehicle license tags-” It says nothing about perfection. Moreover, § 32-8-35 lists the few ministerial responsibilities of designated agents pertaining to first certificates of title; none of these duties refers to perfection. 4
Other courts have held similarly under comparable statutes. In
Waldschmidt v. Miracle Motors (In re Haynes),
[although the clerks are empowered to receive applications, they are merely conduits to the Motor Vehicle Division. Perfection dates only from the date of receipt and filing by the Motor Vehicle Division. The county clerk’s responsibility is statutorily limited to that of registrar. The responsibility of filing and indexing liens is the exclusive province of the Motor Vehicle Division.
Id.
at 138 n. 8. In
Exchange Bank of Polk County v. Christian (In re Christian),
Fourth, if we read “department” in Article 3 as
including
designated agents, then presumably we would have to read the various provisions in Article 2 the same way (because both share the same statutory definition of “department”). This would lead to absurd results in Article 2; for instance, under § 32-8-35(g), a designated agent would be required to forward a certificate of title application to himself. We must, therefore, reject such a reading.
See American Tobacco Co. v. Patterson,
At the same time, the objects and policies behind the statute show that, with regard to perfecting security interests, the legislature did not intend “department” to mean “the department itself or its designated agents.” The overall plan of the act shows exclusive attention to maintaining records of the identity and ownership of vehicles.
Johnny Spradlin Auto Parts, Inc. v. Cochran,
Lastly, we note that at least two courts have interpreted a Georgia statute very similar to the Alabama one at issue here (the Georgia law required “delivery to the commissioner” rather than “the department”) and reached the same conclusion we do. In
Harris v. General Motors Acceptance Corp. (In re Messer),
Likewise, in
Perkins v. Gilbert (In re Perkins),
*442 Therefore, we find that the district court erred in finding that “delivery to the department” under § 32-8-61 included delivery to the commissioner.
IV
We now consider GMAC’s first alternative ground for upholding the district court.
See J.E. Riley Inv. Co. v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue,
We squarely addressed this issue in
Howard Thornton Ford, Inc. v. Fitzpatrick (In re Hamilton),
V
Next, GMAC claims that the trustee cannot avoid the security interest because the contemporaneous exchange exception in § 547(c)(1) applies. Section 547(c)(1) provides:
(c) The trustee may not avoid under this section a transfer—
(1) to the extent that such transfer was—
(A) intended by the debtor and the creditor to or for whose benefit such transfer was made to be a contemporaneous exchange for new value given to the debtor; and
(B) in fact a substantially contemporaneous exchange....
GMAC claims that the Locklin and GMAC intended their exchange to be contemporaneous. It also asserts that the exchange was substantially contemporaneous even if it occurred outside of the ten-day grace period because this delay can be attributed to the cоmmissioner, not any party.
While § 547(c)(1) deals generally with security interests, § 547(c)(3) applies *443 specifically to purchase money security interests. The question arises, then, whether a purchase money security lender, such as GMAC, which meets all the requirements of the § 547(c)(3) exception save the ten-day perfection mandate, can alternatively shelter under the § 547(c)(1) exception.
This is an issue of first impression in this circuit. We note, however, that all the circuit courts that have considered this matter have held that a purchase money security lender may only shelter under § 547(c)(3), not (c)(1).
Wachovia Bank & Trust Co. v. Bringle (In re Holder),
First, while § 547(c)(3) makes clear that it applies to credit transactions involving purchase money security interests, § 547(c)(1) does not state whether it pertains to such interests. The legislative history of § 547(c)(1), though, suggests that it does not apply to enabling loans. This history reveals that Congress enacted the provision to ensure that purchases by check would not be avoided as preferential.
10
S.Rep. No. 989, 95th Cong., 2d Sess. 88,
reprinted in
1978 U.S.C.C.AN. 5787, 5874; H.Rep. No. 595, 95th Cong., 2d Sess. 373,
reprinted in
1978 U.S.C.C.A.N. 5963, 6329. Second, the main policy behind the ten-day grace period was to create a uniform perfection period for enabling loans.
Davis,
VI
For the foregoing reasons, we REVERSE the judgment of the district court.
Notes
. This provision states that a purchase money security interest must
secure[ ] new value that was—
(i) given at or after the signing of a security agreement that contains a description of such property as collateral;
(ii) given by or on behalf of the secured party under such agreement;
(iii) given to enable the debtor to acquire such property; and
(iv) in fact used by the debtor to acquire such property....
. Both of the parties assume Alabama, rather than Mississippi, law applies here.
. See Unif. Motor Veh. Cert. of Title & Anti-Theft Act ("Uniform Act”) Refs. & Annos. (noting that Alabama adopted a version of the’ act in 1973); Unif. Motor Veh. Cert. of Title & Anti-Theft Act *440 § 1 (“[Definitions] ... ‘Department’ means the [Department of Motor Vehicles] of this state. [The term includes a [County Clerk] when authorized by the Department to receive a document [or article] on its behalf.].”) (the bracketed terms are the optional ones).
Moreover, § 32-8-61(b) is a virtually verbatim restatement of § 20(b) of the Uniform Act. Both provisions contain this sentence: “A security interest is perfected by the delivery to the department of the existing certificate of title.... ”
. Designated agents receive applications for first certificates of title from vehicle owners. Ala. Code § 32-8-35(a), (g). They certify that they have physically inspected the applicant’s vehicle, that the vehicle identification number and descriptive data shown on the application are correct, and that they have identified the person signing the application and witnessed the signature. Id. § 32-8-35(d). They collect the required fee from the owner, and send the сompleted application and fee to the department. Id. § 32-8-35(g).
. One court has noted that “[i]t is commercially absurd for a purchaser or creditor to direct inquiries to all county clerks in the state to elicit information concerning a possible outstanding lien. If a prospective purchaser or potential creditor is to determine whether or not a particular motor vehicle is encumbered, the only source of reliable information is the Motor Vehicle Division in Nashville.”
Haynes,
. The Perkins court noted that, in 1994, the Georgia legislature amended the statute in question to state that the legislature originally intended to provide that delivery of the required documents to either the commissioner or a county tag agent was sufficient to perfect the security interest. In other words, the legislature did not change the language of the statute, but rather "amended” its legislative history.
While the 1994 amendment did not apply to the instant case, the court suggested that some future court interpreting the statute would need to determine whether the legislative history of a statute must be contemporaneous with its enactment, and opined that the Supreme Court has given "somewhat contradictory guidance" on this question.
Perkins,
GMAC suggests that this 1994 amendment bolsters its interpretation of the Alabama statute at *442 issue here. However, in the absence of any similar action by the Alabama legislature amending § 32-8-61 (or its legislative history), we find this contention without merit.
. The federal circuit courts are split on this issue. The Ninth Circuit has recently agreed with us.
Fitzgerald v. First Security Bank of Idaho, N.A. (In re Walker),
. We also note that, in 1994, Congress amended § 547(c)(3)(B) to рrovide a grace period of 20 days rather than 10 (this amendment is effective in cases commenced on or after October 22, 1994). Congress intended this amendment to conform bankruptcy practice to the practice in most states of allowing purchase-money security lenders 20 days to perfect their security interest. 4 Lawrence P. King, Collier on Bankruptcy ¶ 547.11 (citing Section by Section Description of H.R. 5116, 140 Cong.Rec. H10767 (daily ed. Oct. 4, 1994)). It is difficult to see why Congress would have passed this amendment if it did not believe that the federal grace period in § 547(c)(3)(B) prevails over conflicting state-law grace periods.
. We must distinguish carefully here between cases involving purchase money security interests and nonpurchase money security interests. In the former, circuit courts have uniformly ruled that lenders who failed to perfect within 10 days may not take advantage of the § 547(c)(1) exception. In the latter, circuit courts have split. One court has suggested that, where a lender does not perfect within 10 days, the lender cannot shelter under § 547(c)(1).
See Ray v. Security Mut. Fin. Corp. (In re Arnett),
Unfortunately, some courts have blurred the distinction betwеen the nature of the security interests in
Holder, Tressler, Davis,
and
Vance
and those in
Arnett
and
Pine Top. See, e.g., Kepler v. Security Pac. Housing Servs. (In re McLaughlin),
. Congress was concerned that a transfer involving a straightforward payment by check might be avoided under § 547(b)(2) as being "for or on account of an antecedent debt.” Technically speaking, a payment by check is a credit transaction; the seller does not receive payment until the check is cleared through the debtor’s bank. Under § 547(c)(1), though, a transfer involving a check — assuming the check is promptly deposited and cleared — will be substantially contemporaneous, and thus may not be avoided.