American Exchange National Bank v. Thuemmler

94 Ill. App. 622, 1900 Ill. App. LEXIS 714
Appellate Court of Illinois·Decided May 10, 1901·Published

Opinion

Mr. Justice Freeman

delivered the opinion of the court.

Appellee sued to recover the proceeds of a draft for $1,000, which was sent to appellant for collection by the South Side Savings Bank of Milwaukee. The latter bank had overdrawn its account with appellant and the amount of the draft when collected was applied toward making good such overdraft.

The material facts are stipulated. Appellee had received the draft in payment of an insurance policy upon her husband’s life. It was payable to her order and drawn upon the National Bank of Commerce of St. Louis, Mo. She took it July 19, 1893, to the South Side Savings Bank of Milwaukee, indorsed it in blank, and left it, not as a deposit, but for collection only. Appellee had no account with said bank, and was told to call for the money the following Saturday. Said bank indorsed the draft, “ Pay A. L. Dewar, Cashier, or order, for account South Side Savings Bank, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; John B. Koetting, Cashier,” and sent it the same day to appellant with a letter stating that it was inclosed “ for collection and credit.” The next day, July 20th, appellant received the draft and without crediting it to the Milwaukee bank forwarded it by mail “ for collection ” to its St. Louis correspondent, which—July 21st—collected the amount from the drawee, credited appellant with the proceeds, and so advised the latter by letter of that date. That letter was received by appellant the morning of July 22d, before opening its doors for business, and the amount was then credited to the account of the Milwaukee bank, which had, however, finally suspended the night before. It appears the Milwaukee bank at the close of business July 20th had overdrawm its account with appellant $3,602.39, and that at the close of business the next day—July 21st—the overdraft had increased to $4,124.06, more than a thousand dollars, which increase was permitted by appellant partly, it is claimed, in reliance upon the proceeds of the draft in controversy. This overdraft was reduced upon appellant’s books to $3,724.06, the morning of July 22d, by crediting the Milwaukee bank, which had then closed its doors, with the amount of the draft in controversy as aforesaid. The South Side Savings Bank of Milwaukee having failed, as above stated, to open its doors for business that morning, was shortly thereafter placed in the hands of a receiver for the purpose of winding up its affairs.

Appellant’s counsel asked the court at the close of the plaintiff’s evidence, and again at the close of all the evidence, to instruct the jury to find the issues for the defendant, both of which requests were refused. It is urged that in these refusals the court erred.

It is conceded that appellant, so far as the evidence shows, had no actual notice up to the time it credited the proceeds of its collection upon its own books, to the account of the Milwaukee bank, that the latter was not the owner of the draft. .But it is also undisputed that the Milwaukee bank was not such owner, and received the draft from appellee, not for deposit, but for collection only. It appears that appellant did not, immediately upon its receipt,' credit the draft to the Milwaukee bank, but merely sent it to appellant’s St. Louis correspondent for collection. This course was not, for some reason, pursued with other remittances from the Milwaukee bank received at or about the same time, which were credited at once and without waiting for their collection. The evidence tends to show also that appellant did not rely wholly upon this $1,000 draft as a reason for allowing the overdrafts by the Milwaukee bank, but rather upon securities with a face value of over fifty thousand dollars deposited with it as collateral by the said South Side Savings Bank. Objection was made to the admission of this evidence, but we regard it as competent and material, bearing directly upon appellant’s claims, that overdrafts were allowed upon the faith of the draft belonging to appellee. It was .properly submitted for the jury’s consideration. These overdrafts, both before and after appellant received the draft in question for collection, exceeded the amount of the latter several times over. An overdraft of $10,000 was paid the morning of July 22d. It was for the jury to determine from the evidence whether or not these were allowed merely on the faith, of the collection of a single thousand dollar draft, which had not itself been treated as subject to appellant’s appropriation.

The Milwaukee bank had ceased to do business and closed jts doors, not to re-open them, the night before appellant credited its account with the proceeds of this draft. It had failed before the collection of the draft was reported to appellant from St. Louis, and while appellant was simply acting as an agent for its collection. Appellant did not appear to consider itself as entitled nor wish to become its owner. No relation of debtor and creditor, so far as the draft in controversy was concerned, had been established between said Milwaukee bank, before its failure, and appellant’s. The failure o| the Milwaukee bank at once terminated appellant’s agency. There had been not even a provisional credit of the draft to the Milwaukee bank, and it was too late then, at least, for appellant to change its relationship as agent for collection, to that of a mere debtor to the suspended bank for the money collected, in order to offset the latter against its own claims. First National Bank v. Bank of Monroe, 33 Fed. Rep. 408 (412); Fifth Nat. Bank v. Armstrong, 40 Fed. Rep. 46 (49). See also, Com. Bank of Penn. v. Armstrong, 148 U. S. 50 (57).

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American Exchange National Bank v. Thuemmler, 94 Ill. App. 622, 1900 Ill. App. LEXIS 714 (Ill. Ct. App. 1901).

94 Ill. App. 622 (American Exchange National Bank v. Thuemmler) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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