Ag Credit, ACA v. Walton (In Re Walton)

165 B.R. 610, 1994 Bankr. LEXIS 391, 1994 WL 114346
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Ohio
DecidedMarch 2, 1994
Docket19-50471
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 165 B.R. 610 (Ag Credit, ACA v. Walton (In Re Walton)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ag Credit, ACA v. Walton (In Re Walton), 165 B.R. 610, 1994 Bankr. LEXIS 391, 1994 WL 114346 (Ohio 1994).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER EXCEPTING DEBT FROM DISCHARGE AND DENYING DISCHARGE

WALTER J. KRASNIEWSKI, Bankruptcy Judge.

This matter is before the Court on Ag Credit ACA’s (“Bank”) complaint to deny William J. and Joyce D. Walton (the “Wal-tons”) a discharge pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 727(a)(2)(A) and (a)(3). The Bank also seeks to except a $700,000 loan (the “Loan”) from the Bank to the Waltons from discharge pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(2)(B). The Court finds that the Loan should be excepted from discharge. The Court further finds that the Waltons should be denied a discharge.

FACTS

On December 30, 1991, Joyce D. Walton (“JDW”) filed a voluntary petition under chapter 7 of title 11. Joyce Walton’s husband William J. Walton (the “Debtor”) filed a voluntary petition under chapter 7 of title 11 on February 10, 1992. These cases were *612 consolidated on the Waltons’ request on March 13, 1992, and all further entries docketed in Case No. 92-30440.

Exception of Debt From Discharge Under 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(2)(B)

The Bank argues that the Loan should be excepted from discharge because the Wal-tons provided the Bank with materially false financial information in obtaining the Loan upon which the Bank reasonably relied in extending the Loan. At trial, the Bank provided statements of financial condition signed by the Waltons which lists certain apartments that the Waltons purported to own (the “Apartments”) at the time of the Loan. See Plaintiffs Exhibits 5, 6, 7. The Bank also provided a “Balance Sheet” for the Apartments which was supplied to the Bank by the Waltons. See Plaintiffs Exhibit 4. This balance sheet lists 1983 net income for the Apartments of $37,399.17 and January, 1984 income of $4,304.55. The Debtor admits that the Waltons never owned the Apartments.

The Waltons obtained the Loan from a predecessor of Ag Credit. The Court shall hereinafter refer to both Ag Credit and its predecessor as the Bank.

The Bank presented the testimony of several current and former Bank employees in support of its complaint to except the Loan from discharge.

Alice Beers (“Beers”), an employee of the Bank, testified that prior to the Loan, the Waltons had “always been good borrowers”.

Beers testified that, at the time of the Loan, the Bank calculated a borrower’s loan eligibility as the borrower’s “income reserve”. The borrower’s income reserve is calculated as the borrower’s gross income minus certain expenses minus machinery replacement costs. Beers testified that it was the Bank’s policy that a borrower could not obtain a loan if the borrower’s income reserve was less than 10% of gross income.

Brad Thibaut (“Thibaut”), a former employee of the Bank, testified that he was a loan officer trainee at the Bank at the inception of the Loan.

Thibaut testified that William Walton (the “Debtor”) sought a loan from the Bank for $700,000 in January of 1984. Thibaut further testified that the Bank requested and received further financial data from the Debt- or, as the initial financial data which the Debtor provided was inadequate. See Plaintiffs Exhibit 9. Thibaut testified that the financial data which the Bank requested from the Debtor was typical of that which was requested from other borrowers.

At trial, Thibaut stated that the Debtor orally represented that he owned the Apartments. Thibaut further testified that, in response to the Bank’s inquiry, the Debtor provided the Bank with a “Balance Sheet” for the Apartments which listed income for 1983 from the Apartments as $37,399.17. See Plaintiffs Exhibit 4.

Thibaut testified, consistent with Beers’ testimony, that the Bank determined a borrower’s loan eligibility based upon the borrower’s “income remainder”. The “income remainder” was calculated as gross income minus certain expenses minus machinery replacement costs. Thibaut testified that borrowers who had an income remainder of less than 10% of gross income were not recommended for a loan.

Thibaut testified that the Bank calculated the Waltons’ income remainder as 11.5% of gross income based upon the data provided by the Waltons, including the income figure provided for the Apartments which were purportedly owned by the Waltons.

Thibaut testified that if the Waltons’ income remainder had been calculated without consideration of the income from the Apartments, the income remainder would have approximated 3.4%. Thus, Thibaut testified that if the financial data provided by the Waltons had not included the income figure for the Apartments, he would not have recommended approval of the Loan.

Thibaut also testified that at the time that the Bank was considering extending the Loan to the Waltons it was not the Bank’s policy to conduct title searches on property which did not represent collateral for a loan, such as the Apartments. According to Thi-baut, the loan to appraised value ratio and the debt to asset ratio for the Loan were *613 within the policy guidelines established by the Bank.

The Bank also provided the testimony of Steven Lemke (“Lemke”) who was the president of a Bank affiliate and a loan officer for the Bank at the time the Bank extended the Loan.

Lemke testified that the Debtor discussed his purported ownership of the Apartments with Lemke in some detail at the Debtor’s home prior to the closing of the Loan. Lemke testified that he had visited the Wal-tons’ home after the Debtor expressed concerns with the level of disclosure required by the Bank to process the Waltons’ loan application. Although Lemke testified that the Loan was discussed during this meeting, Lemke stated that the primary purpose of his visit to the Walton home was to “mend fences” with the Debtor who had several loans with the Bank.

Lemke further testified that the Debtor represented that he owned 100% of the Apartments. Lemke stated that he did not recall the Debtor mentioning any contingencies with regard to his purported ownership of the Apartments.

Lemke further corroborated the testimony of Beers and Thibaut as to the “income remainder” calculation performed by the Bank at the time of the Loan.

In deciding whether to extend the Loan, Lemke testified that he relied upon the financial data provided by the Debtor to the Bank including the “balance sheet” for the Apartments and the Waltons’ statements of financial condition. See Plaintiffs Exhibits 4, 5, 6, 7. Lemke testified that the loan to asset value ratio and the Waltons’ debt to asset ratio were within the policy limits set by the Bank. Lemke testified that if the Bank had calculated the Waltons’ “income remainder” without the purported income from the Apartments, he would not have recommended that the Loan be extended.

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Bluebook (online)
165 B.R. 610, 1994 Bankr. LEXIS 391, 1994 WL 114346, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ag-credit-aca-v-walton-in-re-walton-ohnb-1994.