Interest on Security Deposits

"Where's my interest?" demanded Barbara when the automobile leasing company representative handed here a check returning her security deposit. "Interest?" the man replied. "That's right," she said. "You held that money for three years while I had the lease. You must have made money with it, and the law says I'm entitled to that money." The finance company management sent Barbara a letter refusing to pay her interest and stating that the sums were commingled with other security deposits, and that there was no agreement under the terms of the lease agreement requiring them to pay her any interest. At that point Barbara instituted a suit against the auto finance company claiming that the deposit was collateral, that the company was required by the Uniform Commercial Code to hold that collateral separately from other collateral, and that she would be entitled to the interest earned over the three-year period. Does Barbara have a case? . . . (to read the remainder of this article, please log in below.)