Astoria Federal Savings & Loan Ass'n v. United States

72 Fed. Cl. 712, 2006 U.S. Claims LEXIS 251, 2006 WL 2455772
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedAugust 22, 2006
DocketNo. 95-468C
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 72 Fed. Cl. 712 (Astoria Federal Savings & Loan Ass'n v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Federal Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Astoria Federal Savings & Loan Ass'n v. United States, 72 Fed. Cl. 712, 2006 U.S. Claims LEXIS 251, 2006 WL 2455772 (uscfc 2006).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER ON DEFENDANT’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

WHEELER, Judge.1

In this Winstar-related case, the Court has before it Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment on Plaintiffs Damages Claims. Defendant filed this motion on July 22, 2003, accompanied by extensive Proposed Findings of Uncontroverted Fact, and a two-volume Appendix (603 pages) of documentary evidence. On September 17, 2003, Plaintiff filed its Opposition to Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment on Damages, along with detailed objections to many of Defendant’s Proposed Findings of Uncontroverted Fact. Plaintiff also submitted its own two-volume Appendix (648 pages) of documentary evidence. In June 2005, the parties filed supplemental briefs with the Court, followed by oral argument on July 21, 2005. In a February 21, 2003 stipulation, Defendant agreed to the existence of a contract with the acquiring thrift institution, and to the Government’s breach of that contract, as alleged in Count I of Plaintiff’s Complaint. This stipulation established liability in Plaintiffs favor. The case is at the damages phase to determine the amount of Plaintiffs recovery.

Of greatest clarity from the parties’ filings is the conclusion that many genuine issues of material fact exist. This is a fact-intensive case in which Plaintiff should be afforded the opportunity to prove its damages. While Defendant has identified a number of potential weaknesses in Plaintiff’s claims, the Court cannot say at this stage that Defendant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. All of Plaintiffs damages claims have some legal basis if the requisite proof can be shown. Accordingly, for the reasons explained in greater detail below, Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment on Damages is DENIED.

Background2

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, high interest rates impacted the nation’s thrift savings and loan industry. The cost to a thrift of retaining and obtaining new deposits became substantially higher than the rate of return on long-term, fixed-rate mortgages. The high interest rates precipitated a financial crisis in the thrift industry. Compl. ¶ 12. Due to the negative spread between the thrift industry’s cost of funds and the return on assets, many thrift institutions whose deposits were insured by the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation (“FSLIC”) began to experience significant financial losses. FSLIC’s insurance fund was faced with the potential for huge losses in claims by depositors of these troubled or insolvent thrifts. Id. ¶ 13.

Under the National Housing Act of 1934, as amended, Congress granted authority to FSLIC to facilitate, “in its sole discretion” and “upon such terms and conditions as the Corporation may determine,” the merger of a [714]*714failing FSLIC-insured thrift institution into a financially sound FSLIC-insured thrift institution. See 12 U.S.C. § 1724 et seq. (repealed 1989). Such terms and conditions included providing financial and other assistance to the healthy institution that preserved the Government’s funds, so long as the cost of FSLIC’s assistance did not exceed the expense that would have been incurred in liquidating the failing institution and paying the insurance claims on the depository accounts. Compl. ¶ 14.

Faced with a large number of faffing thrift institutions, the Federal Home Loan Bank Board (“FHLBB”) adopted and implemented a policy in the early 1980s of requiring insolvent or troubled thrift institutions to merge into financially sound acquiring institutions. In many “supervisory” mergers, FSLIC exercised its authority under the National Housing Act to provide assistance to induce financially sound institutions to acquire by merger insolvent or troubled thrifts. Compl. ¶ 15. One form of assistance, allowed under the “purchase method” of accounting, was to identify the recorded or book value of the assets and liabilities of the acquired thrift institution and adjust it to fair market value. Any excess in the cost of the acquisition, including liabilities assumed by the acquirer, over the fair market value of the acquired assets could be separately recorded as “goodwill.” Id. ¶ 17. Goodwill recorded in connection with a supervisory merger was known as “supervisory goodwill.” Id. ¶ 18. The merged institution could record supervisory goodwill on its balance sheet as an asset. The ability to include supervisory goodwill as capital for purposes of satisfying FHLBB’s minimum capital requirements was essential to inducing healthy acquirer institutions to merge with insolvent or troubled thrifts. Id. ¶ 19.

Suburbia Federal Savings & Loan Association (“Suburbia”) was a federally chartered mutual association founded in 1935 as Lynbrook Federal Savings and Loan Association, headquartered in Garden City, New York. Suburbia operated through branch offices located in Nassau and Suffolk County, New York. Beginning in September 1981, the Federal Home Loan Bank Board of New York identified Suburbia as a “problem institution.” Plaintiffs Appendix (“Pltfs App.”) at 22. In 1982, Suburbia had a net loss of approximately $16.4 million, and in 1983, a net loss of approximately $8.2 million. Compl. ¶ 22. As of June 30, 1984, Suburbia had an adjusted net worth of negative $55.0 million. Pltfs App. at 6. Due to Suburbia’s impaired financial condition, Federal regulators determined that some action was needed. Continued inaction might have resulted in Suburbia’s insolvency.

Suburbia searched for a merger partner or investor to make a significant capital infusion, but none could be found. Pltfs App. at 30-31. FSLIC held a bidders’ conference for Suburbia on December 20, 1982. Four New York-based savings institutions submitted proposals to acquire Suburbia at a cost to the FSLIC ranging from $17.9 million to $33.9 million, but these proposals were not pursued. By 1984, as Suburbia’s operating losses mounted, FSLIC concluded that soliciting additional bids on Suburbia was not likely to result in less costly proposals. Id. at 23.

On February 17, 1984, FHLBB advised the Suburbia Board of Directors that the bank’s “debilitated capital position ... [was] a matter of serious supervisory concern.” Compl. ¶ 24. FHLBB noted that Suburbia’s “viability will depend upon its ability to obtain a significant capital infusion, and (or) continued regulatory assistance.” Id.

In April 1984, Suburbia and Fidelity New York, F.A. (“Fidelity”) submitted a merger proposal to regulators under the Voluntary Assisted Merger Program (“VAMP”). Fidelity was founded in 1924 as Floral Park Cooperative Savings & Loan Association, headquartered in Floral Park, Long Island, New York. After a series of name changes, it came to be known as “Fidelity New York, F. S.B.” Pltfs App. at 2. As of June 1984, Fidelity had branch offices in Nassau County and New York City. It had assets of $475.2 million, and a net worth of $21.4 million or 4.5 percent of assets. Id. at 12. The local FHLBB regulators in New York could not approve the Fidelity/Suburbia merger, because it involved accounting forbearances, including supervisory goodwill, which could not be authorized at the district level. Fidelity and [715]*715Suburbia submitted the proposal to the FHLBB and FSLIC in Washington as a request for an assisted supervisory merger. Id, at 23-24.

Fidelity acquired Suburbia on October 31, 1984.

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72 Fed. Cl. 712, 2006 U.S. Claims LEXIS 251, 2006 WL 2455772, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/astoria-federal-savings-loan-assn-v-united-states-uscfc-2006.