§ 668.161 Scope and institutional responsibility.

(a) General.

(1) This subpart establishes the rules under which a participating institution requests, maintains, disburses, and otherwise manages title IV, HEA program funds.

(2) As used in this subpart—

(i) Access device means a card, code, or other means of access to a financial account, or any combination thereof, that may be used by a student to initiate electronic fund transfers;

(ii) Day means a calendar day, unless otherwise specified;

(iii) Depository account means an account at a depository institution described in 12 U.S.C. 461(b)(1)(A), or an account maintained by a foreign institution at a comparable depository institution that meets the requirements of § 668.163(a)(1);

(iv) EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) means a transaction initiated electronically instructing the crediting or debiting of a financial account, or an institution's depository account. For purposes of transactions initiated by the Secretary, the term “EFT” includes all transactions covered by 31 CFR 208.2(f). For purposes of transactions initiated by or on behalf of an institution, the term “EFT” includes, from among the transactions covered by 31 CFR 208.2(f), only Automated Clearinghouse transactions;

(v) Financial account means a student's or parent's checking or savings account, prepaid card account, or other consumer asset account held directly or indirectly by a financial institution;

(vi) Financial institution means a bank, savings association, credit union, or any other person or entity that directly or indirectly holds a financial account belonging to a student, issues to a student an access device associated with a financial account, and agrees with the student to provide EFT services;

(vii) Parent means the parent borrower of a Direct PLUS Loan;

(viii) Student ledger account means a bookkeeping account maintained by an institution to record the financial transactions pertaining to a student's enrollment at the institution; and

(ix) Title IV, HEA programs means the Federal Pell Grant, Iraq-Afghanistan Service Grant, TEACH Grant, FSEOG, Federal Perkins Loan, FWS, and Direct Loan programs, and any other program designated by the Secretary.

(b) Federal interest in title IV, HEA program funds. Except for funds provided by the Secretary for administrative expenses, and for funds used for the Job Location and Development Program under 20 CFR part 675, subpart B, funds received by an institution under the title IV, HEA programs are held in trust for the intended beneficiaries or the Secretary. The institution, as a trustee of those funds, may not use or hypothecate (i.e., use as collateral) the funds for any other purpose or otherwise engage in any practice that risks the loss of those funds.

(c) Standard of conduct. An institution must exercise the level of care and diligence required of a fiduciary with regard to managing title IV, HEA program funds under this subpart.