setoff

Definition 1

Banking: Bank's legal right to seize a borrower's any account balance (except a sub-account balance) in the same bank to apply it toward the borrower's any loan in arrears, or in anticipation of a default. In some jurisdictions (such as the US), this right is not applicable to consumer and credit card loans.

Definition 2

Commerce: Debtor's legal right to reduce the creditor's claim by the amount the creditor (claimant) owes to the debtor.

Definition 3

Litigation: Counterclaim by a defendant against the plaintiff on the basis of a transaction that is different from the one on which the plaintiff's claim is based. In legal terminology it is called equitable right to setoff.