Applicant or borrower. All persons or organizations, individually or collectively, applying for or receiving insured or guaranteed loan or grant assistance from or through Rural Development. Referred to as recipient.

Assistance. Loans or grants made, insured or guaranteed, or serviced by Rural Development.

Associates. All persons with whom an employee has a business or close personal association or immediate working relationship.

Business association. Business relationship between those with an identity of financial interest; including but not limited to a business partnership, being an officer, director, trustee, partner or employee of an organization, or other long-term contractual relationship.

Close personal association. Social relationship between unrelated residents of the same household.

Close relatives. The spouse, relatives and step-relatives of an employee or the employee's spouse, including Grandmother, Grandfather, Mother, Father, Aunt, Uncle, Sister, Brother, Daughter, Son, Niece, Nephew, Granddaughter, Grandson, and First Cousin.

Conflict of interest. A situation (or the appearance of one) in which one could reasonably conclude that a Rural Development employee's private interest conflicts with his or her Government duties and responsibilities, even though there may not actually be a conflict.

Employee. All Rural Development personnel, including gratuitous employees and those negotiating for or having arrangements for prospective employment, except as otherwise specifically stated. For the purposes of this instruction only, the term also refers to county or area committee members, elected or appointed, and to closing agents who, although they are not employees, have a special relationship to Rural Development and therefore should be subject to these provisions.

Immediate working relationship. A relationship between a subordinate and a supervisor in a direct line, or between co-workers in the same office. For the purposes of this subpart, the relationships among a County Supervisor and members of the local County Committee are immediate working relationships.

Members of family. Blood and in-law relatives (such as by marriage or adoption) who are residents of the employee's household.

Recipient. One who has applied for or received Rural Development financial assistance in the form of a loan or grant. See definition of applicant or borrower.