American Exchange National Bank v. Ulm

54 P. 563, 21 Mont. 440, 1898 Mont. LEXIS 149
CourtMontana Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 18, 1898
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 54 P. 563 (American Exchange National Bank v. Ulm) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Montana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
American Exchange National Bank v. Ulm, 54 P. 563, 21 Mont. 440, 1898 Mont. LEXIS 149 (Mo. 1898).

Opinion

Hunt, J.

— Inasmuch as there was practically no dispute as to the facts of the case, they may be stated as follows: The Merchants’ National Bank of Great Falls, Mont., had an account with the American Exchange National Bank of Chicago at the time that the note in suit was transferred to the plaintiff bank. The Great Falls bank suspended in July, 1898. All of the defendants were directors of the Great Falls Bank, and Will Hanks was its president at the times hereinafter mentioned. In September, 1891, Hanks soliexted a loan for $10,-125 for six months from the plaintiff bank. He offered plaintiff his individual note, and as collateral security a note for the same amount, on six months’ time, signed by the defendants, Rolfe, Ulm, Longeway, Sinclair, Dickey, Clingan and Nathan, and also by R. R. Hotchkiss, D. H. Churchill and C. H. Austin, who were all at that time directors of the Merchants’ National Bank of Great Falls. The Chicago bank was willing to make the loan, but objected to discounting a six-months’ note; so it was agreed that Hanks should, make his individual note for a shorter time, with the agreement that it could be renewed. On September 10, 1891, Hanks forwarded to the Chicago bank his individual note for $10,125, payable to the order of the Chicago bank 40 days after date, and sent therewith a note for the same amount, bearing the same date, payable six months after its date, to the order of the Chicago bank, which note was signed by Hanks, Kolfe, Ulm, Hotchkiss, Longeway, Sinclair, Churchill, Dickey and Clingan. Upon receipt of the note in Chicago, on September 15, 1891, the plaintiff bank discounted Hanks’ note, and placed the full amount to his credit, and took the other note as collateral security, according to the arrangement with Hanks. Upon the same day of the receipt of the notes the Chicago bank received from the Great Falls bank a check drawn by Will Hanks upon the Chicago bank, to the order of George A. Wells, who was [443]*443cashier of the Merchants’■ National. Bank of Great Falls, for the sum of $10,125, which check had been indorsed by Wells to the Chicago bank for account of the Great Falls bank, and which was sent by the Great Falls bank to the Chicago bank for credit to the account of the Great Falls bank. The Chicago bank paid the check by charging the same to the account of Hanks, and crediting the amount to the account of the Great Falls bank. But, however this might have been, it is conceded by the plaintiff that, “in the eye of the law,” the use of the money by Hanks was not for the benefit of the bank, and was therefore a misappropriation of the proceeds of the note. Upon October 23, 1891, Hanks’ note became due, and, according to the understanding originally had, it was renewed by another note for the same amount, payable on demand and in the same form. On March 26, 1892, Hanks delivered to the Chicago bank a new collateral note, and the first was surrendered to him. This new note ran for three months, and was signed by the same parties as the first note, except that Nathan signed in place of Hotchkiss. This note was held by the Chicago bank as collateral security for Hanks’ demand note, until during October, 1892, when Hanks delivered to the Chicago bank a third note as collateral security for his demand note, and the second collateral note was then delivered to Hanks by the bank. Brady signed the third collateral note, and Churchill did not. The Chicago bank held the last-described note as security for Hanks' demand note, and it is the subject-matter of this action.

It also appeared in evidence that Hanks represented to the defendants, who made the first collateral note, that the Great Falls bank, of which they were all directors, needed funds, and that the Chicago bank would discount a note signed by them and the other makers, and that they thereupon signed the note and gave it to Hanks for discounting in the American Exchange National Bank, for the use of the Great Falls bank; that they signed the second note as a renewal of the first, and the third as a renewal of the second; and that they were ignorant of the use to which Hanks had put the three notes, or any [444]*444of them, until after they had made the several payments on the third note which were included in their counterclaim.'-

The defendant Nathan signed the second note upon like representations made by Hanks, and for the same purposes, but in ignorance of the first note. Brady signed the last note upon like representations made by Hanks, and for the same purposes that the other signers had signed the note, and he, too, was ignorant1 of the use to which Hanks put the note until after the payments had been made.

The Chicago bank had no knowledge or notice of the manner in which, or the purposes for which, Hanks obtained the signatures to the collateral notes, or either of them, and no knowledge or notice that said notes, or any of them, were given to Hanks to be discounted for the use of the Great Falls bank, but took the paper in good faith, as security for the money loaned to Hanks, and never knew of the purposes for which the collateralnotes were delivered to Hanks until after it had received all the payments set up by the defendants in their counterclaim.

There was nothing upon the face of the note in suit to indicate to the plaintiff -what the purposes of the makers were in intrusting it to Hanks. It was an ordinary negotiable note, with several makers, in the hands of one maker, who was known to the plaintiff as the president of a bank with which plaintiff dealt in common banking intercourse. “When a note is executed for the purpose of raising money in the market, although made payable to a particular bank or firm, it i’s well understood that this is generally regarded by business men' as rather a formal than a substantial part of the note. If the note were made payable at a particular bank, to the order of the maker, it would be much the same thing. So, too, if made payable to bearer generally. The name of the person to whom the note is payable is mere form. It is understood that it is going into the market as money, and in exchange for money, to any party who will make the discount. If negotiated at the bank, it may pass into other hands the next hour.” (Keith v. Goodwin, 31 Vt. 268.) The rule is,- too, that one who [445]*445signs negotiable paper for the accommodation of another confers authority on the person accommodated to bind him (the accommodation party) in favor of third persons by the issue of the paper. After negotiation, the maker of such paper is bound to the payee, or indorsee, or holder. Respondents can claim no more favorable position than that of accommodation makers.

Let us apply these principles to the actual facts. The note in suit was negotiated for the benefit of the bank, although plaintiff, in ignorance of the real purposes of the note, loaned the money to Hanks. This appears from the evidence, which shows that, after the note was deposited as collateral, Hanks drew a check for the amount of it to the order of Wells, who was cashier, who in turn deposited the amount to the credit of the Great Falls bank, and to whose credit it was duly placed by the Chicago bank. Thereafter Hanks, by a transaction with the cashier of the bank, seems to have obtained the money. The makers of the note were not injured in any way by the act of Hanks in pledging the note in the manner in which he did, for it was not until the amount of the loan was credited to the Great Falls bank that Hanks committed wrong against these defendants. He could have done the same thing if he had discounted the note, and had put the funds directly to the bank’s credit instead of his own.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
54 P. 563, 21 Mont. 440, 1898 Mont. LEXIS 149, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/american-exchange-national-bank-v-ulm-mont-1898.