Alcock v. Small Business Administration (In Re Alcock)

157 B.R. 23, 93 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 6207, 22 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 1084, 93 Daily Journal DAR 10674, 1993 Bankr. LEXIS 1149, 1993 WL 316171
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedApril 20, 1993
DocketBAP No. EC-92-1649-AJM, Bankruptcy No. 986-00522, Adv. No. 990-0067
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 157 B.R. 23 (Alcock v. Small Business Administration (In Re Alcock)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the Ninth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Alcock v. Small Business Administration (In Re Alcock), 157 B.R. 23, 93 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 6207, 22 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 1084, 93 Daily Journal DAR 10674, 1993 Bankr. LEXIS 1149, 1993 WL 316171 (bap9 1993).

Opinion

OPINION

ASHLAND, Bankruptcy Judge:

The guarantors Charles and Bette Alcock appeal the order of the bankruptcy court *25 allowing the claim of the lender, the Small Business Administration (“SBA”). The bankruptcy court found that the SBA’s claim against Alcock was not affected or barred under California Commercial Code §§ 3606, 9504, or California Civil Code § 2819. We affirm.

STATEMENT OF THE FACTS

On September 27, 1983' Top Pac Growers and Shippers, a California tomato packing and shipping corporation, borrowed $600,-000 from Crocker Bank through a note guaranteed by the SBA for 75% of the amount due. Top Pac borrowed an additional $500,000 line of credit on the same day. The SBA and Crocker were partially secured by a deed of trust on the real property at the plant location. Crocker and the SBA agreed in writing that the SBA would have the first deed of trust to the real property while Crocker retained the second deed of trust. Crocker and the SBA were also secured by a perfected security interest in the equipment and by the guaranties of several parties, including Al-eock. The guarantors were not secured by any interest. The plant was appraised at a value of $973,000, with the property valued at $320,000 and the equipment at $653,000. The guaranties were signed on September 27, 1983. As part of the agreement to obtain the line of credit, the SBA agreed to subordinate their interest in the real property on September 29, 1983 and retain first priority interest in the equipment. The SBA approved the lien priority switch stating that they were effectively collateralized by the interest in the equipment and by the net worth of the guarantors.

Top Pac defaulted on the loan in the spring of 1984. SBA honored its 75% guaranty of the note as requested by Crocker and Crocker retained a 25% interest in the equipment and first priority in the land. The note covering the equipment was then assigned to the SBA, including the collateral documents.

In March of 1985, Crocker foreclosed on the real property, pursuant to their first priority lien. The SBA declined any interest in the property. Since the real property no longer belonged to Top Pac, only the equipment and the guaranties remained as collateral for the balance of the note. On March 28, 1985, Crocker Bank purchased the real property for $130,000 at a trustee’s sale.

In January of 1985, Crocker put the president of Top Pac in touch with a broker, Mr. Emilio Lemeni, to facilitate a sale of the equipment. Top Pac and Lemeni reached an agreement which included the following terms: 1) an up front payment of $5,000 (which was given by Lemeni upon acceptance of Top Pac’s counteroffer); 2) a 50% payment of sale price ($94,000 less $5,000) upon the disassembling of equipment; and 3) final payment upon the loading of the rail car with the equipment.

Although the equipment had not been disassembled, Lemeni sent three interim payments of $5,000, $15,000 and $20,000 between late July and December of 1985. The first payment was made to Top Pac, the rest were made to Crocker because Crocker sent a letter to Lemeni on August 16, 1985 detailing the deal and instructing Lemeni to make all future payments jointly payable to Crocker and Top Pac and to deliver them to Crocker. The letter indicates that copies were sent to Top Pac and all of the guarantors. The last payment of $20,000 was returned for insufficient funds.

In that same month, the SBA wrote to Crocker Leasing Equipment, acknowledging Crocker Leasing’s first lien on part of Top Pac’s equipment. The SBA’s ac-knowledgement was based on documents sent to them by Crocker Leasing in February of 1985, including a Lease Commitment and a Financial Statement showing Crocker Leasing’s legal ownership of the equipment. The SBA also stated that $5,000 of the money received thus far would be applied toward that lien and consequently was given to Crocker Leasing.

Sometime between December of 1985 and March of 1986, the equipment was disassembled and removed from the Top Pac premises. It is not clear from the record who allowed the removal, nor who *26 took the equipment. Top Pac’s letter of March 25, 1986 indicates that the equipment is in Lemeni’s possession. The total dollar value received for the equipment was $25,000 ($5,000 up front and two interim payments totalling $20,000). Consequently, there remained a $69,000 ($94,000 less $25,000) deficiency between the value of the equipment under the contract and the amount of money received.

Top Pac sent a letter, date stamped March 25, 1986 (presumably the date of receipt), to Mr. Zayachek of Crocker Leasing Equipment, who was also the new loan officer in charge of the entire loan. Top Pac makes reference to money Top Pac owed Crocker Leasing for equipment that had been leased from Crocker Leasing. The president of Top Pac then states that the equipment has not been sold, that Lem-eni is the selling agent for Top Pac and that he (the president) is doing his best to sell the equipment through Lemeni. It is not clear if Top Pac was referring to all the equipment or only to the equipment that was leased. Mr. Zayachek, however, later sent a letter to the SBA indicating that Top Pac was referring to all of the Top Pac equipment.

Mr. Alcock, a guarantor, filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy on March 10, 1986. The SBA filed a claim for the deficiency on the Top Pac loan, in the amount of $507,016, guaranteed by Alcock. Subsequently Al-cock filed an action to bar the SBA’s claim on April 17, 1990. Alcock argued that the SBA violated California Commercial Code §§ 3606, 9504, and California Civil Code § 2819 through the impairment of the SBA’s interests and not meeting various duties as prescribed by the statutes. On December 4, 1991, Alcock and the SBA submitted proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law. The bankruptcy court adopted the findings of the SBA and signed the order on June 1, 1992. This appeal followed.

ISSUES

Whether the lenders, without the consent of the guarantors, impaired the value of the security, or suspended their rights and remedies under their notes and deeds of trust through the switch in lien priority.

Whether the lenders needed the consent of the guarantor, and if so, whether the lack of consent to the impairment effectively relieves the guarantor of his obligation.

Whether the lenders or the debtor conducted the sale of secured collateral and whether it was done in a commercially reasonable manner with notice to the guarantors of the collateral sale.

Whether failure to give notice to the guarantors or conduct the sale properly effectively discharges the obligation of the guarantors.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

Findings of fact by a bankruptcy court are set aside only if clearly erroneous. FRBP 8013; In re Dant & Russell, Inc., 951 F.2d 246, 250 (9th Cir.1991). Conclusions of law by a bankruptcy court are reviewed de novo. In re Kristal, 758 F.2d 454, 455 (9th Cir.1985).

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157 B.R. 23, 93 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 6207, 22 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 1084, 93 Daily Journal DAR 10674, 1993 Bankr. LEXIS 1149, 1993 WL 316171, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/alcock-v-small-business-administration-in-re-alcock-bap9-1993.