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What is authority coupled with an interest?

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agency Portrait of Hugo de Groot (Hugo Grotius), oil on panel by the workshop of Michiel Janszoon van Mierevelt, 1631; in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

In the context of agency law, an "authority coupled with an interest" refers to a specific legal situation where an agent holds a proprietary interest in the subject matter of the agency itself.1

Typically, a principal maintains the power to revoke an agent's authority at any time. However, when an agent possesses authority coupled with an interest, this power of revocation is restricted. This occurs when the agent has part ownership in the property or asset being disposed of and holds the power to dispose of the principal's remaining interest in that same asset.1

Because this authority is granted for the purpose of effectuating a security or protecting the agent's own interest, it cannot be revoked by the principal without the agent’s consent.1