Austin's Estate

44 Pa. D. & C. 249, 1942 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 490
CourtPennsylvania Orphans' Court, Fayette County
DecidedJanuary 7, 1942
Docketno. 42
StatusPublished

This text of 44 Pa. D. & C. 249 (Austin's Estate) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Orphans' Court, Fayette County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Austin's Estate, 44 Pa. D. & C. 249, 1942 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 490 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1942).

Opinion

Matthews, P. J.,

2. Carter Ice Cream Company Mortgage

The unpaid principal of this mortgage was $45,000 at the time it was acquired by the trust department. No instalment was overdue at that time. Funds of this trust amounting to $25,000, of the Elizabeth A. Shaw trust amounting to $10,000, and of the St. Peter’s Episcopal Church Trust amounting to $10,000, all created under testator’s will, were invested in this mortgage. Thereafter, during 1928, 1929, and 1930 the sum of $13,000 was paid on account of principal, all of which payments were applied in reduction of the participation of this trust. At insolvency interest had been paid to September 30, 1931.

The mortgagor is a corporation engaged in the manufacture and sale of ice cream. The mortgaged property consists of certain lots of land situate in the City of Uniontown, Fayette County, Pa., “together with all the machinery, equipment, trucks, cabinets, containers, ice machines and refrigerators of the Carter Ice Cream Company, or appurtenant to its plant”. So far as the record shows, no appraisal of the property was made at or about the date of the mortgage or at the time the same was transferred to the trust department. Even though the investment was made prior to the Act of April 26, 1929, P. L. 817, the trustee could not properly lend more than a reasonable proportion of the value of the mortgaged premises. There was [251]*251an appraisement by American Appraisal Company on December 16, 1930, and after the consolidation of the banks, at the sum of $125,000, of which amount approximately $67,000 is the stated value of the real estate, but this appraisal was made at the instance of the mortgagor for fire insurance purposes. Such appraisals are usually at replacement values and not at fair market values. Then, too, there is no evidence as to the qualifications of the appraiser and, objection to the offer of the written appraisal having been made, the objection should have been sustained and such appraisal excluded.

The appraisement of witnesses as presented by the receiver shows the property to have been of the fair market value of $47,500. This sum includes the land at $2,500, buildings at $12,000, machinery and equipment at $20,200, trucks at $2,800 and ice cream cabinets at $10,000. Exceptants’ witnesses appraise the land at $2,100, buildings at $6,000 and machinery at $14,000, or a total of $22,100.

While machinery and equipment placed in an industrial establishment for permanent use and necessary to the operation of the plant become fixtures and a part of real estate (Commonwealth Trust Company of Pittsburgh v. Harkins et al., 312 Pa. 402), yet we cannot approve such property as security for trust funds where, as here, such a large proportion of the value is in such machinery and equipment. The right of the mortgagee to maintain a lien on automobile trucks and on ice cream cabinets in the possession of customers scattered over the entire trade area is questionable, to say the least. It is a well-known fact that all machinery and equipment depreciates much more rapidly than buildings. It wears out and must be replaced. It is hazardous to invest trust funds on the security of such property. Too much depends on the success of the business enterprise rather than on the inherent value of the real estate. Under all of the facts [252]*252submitted, including, of course, the fact that the mortgage was purchased from the commercial department of the bank, we are of the opinion that the investment was imprudent. We also believe that, from all the evidence submitted, the sum of $22,100 represents the fair market value of the property as of the date of insolvency and we so find. The beneficiaries of the trust desire to retain the participation, and therefore, the apparent loss on the whole mortgage is the difference between $32,000 and $22,100 or $9,900. This trust is entitled to 12/32nds of the loss or $3,712.50, with which amount the bank should be surcharged: Brooke’s Estate, 321 Pa. 529. No taxes were delinquent at insolvency, and, in this instance, no further surcharge will be made as to costs of foreclosure.

5. Laura R. King Mortgage

This property was appraised by E. A. Hibbs on November 25, 1924, at the sum of $12,000. The appraisement was made more than a month prior to the date of the mortgage, but it was sufficiently current to justify a loan on the strength of it. On the basis of this appraisal, the security was ample. On July 29,1929, and after the indebtedness became due, J. IT. Lynn appraised the property at $7,500 and made notation on the appraisal “ask for reduction”.

The commercial department held a judgment against the mortgaged property entered December 16, 1929, at no. 147, December term, 1929, for the sum of $4,336.93, with interest from December 13, 1929, the lien of which judgment was junior to the lien of the mortgage. On August 7, 1931, writ of execution was issued by the bank at no. 153, June term, 1931, E. D., and placed in the hands of the sheriff, in virtue of which writ the real estate described in the mortgage was sold on September 22,1931, to The National Bank of Fayette County for the sum of $74.25, being the [253]*253sheriff's costs. This sale did not divest the lien of the mortgage and the property remained subject thereto. In due time the sale was confirmed and a deed was executed and delivered to the bank. It is not in dispute that the bank acquired the property as an asset of the commercial department, and not as fiduciary for the 19 trust estates holding participations in this mortgage. The bank paid from its commercial department $460.01, which amount included costs of the sheriff’s sale and taxes. The property had been sold by the county treasurer for delinquent taxes and it was necessary to redeem the same.

It will be observed that, shortly after this property was acquired at sheriff’s sale, the Comptroller of the Currency took possession of the bank. The account filed by the receiver at no. 1669 in equity shows that certain rental was received for the period extending from May 12, 1933, to December 25, 1939, and that the receiver has a balance in his hands of $1,267.34. The receiver proposes to amend this account by claiming an additional credit for the sum of $460.01, the costs and taxes paid by the commercial department, and then to relinquish any equity the bank, as such, may have in the property.

When the bank sold the property at sheriff’s sale, it was its duty to decide whether there was any equity in it for the liquidation of its judgment lien. The bank did decide that there was an equity. It proceeded on its judgment and not on the trust department mortgage. It paid the costs- and taxes and purchased the property for the commercial department. Thereupon, it became the duty of the bank to pay the underlying mortgage. A trustee cannot hold in one hand a mortgage for the benefit of his trust, and in the other hand the legal title to the mortgage property for the benefit of himself. This is definitely self-dealing. He may desire to retain the property for an advantageous sale for his personal benefit, yet it may be his duty to the [254]*254trust to sell it. Certainly, when he does retain it under such circumstances and a loss to the trust occurs, he should be chargeable with it.

The receiver’s witnesses fixed the value of the property at $4,400, and those of exceptants at $3,125. We find nothing in the record to corroborate either figure or to indicate which amount more nearly represents the actual fair value.

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Related

Commonwealth Tr. Co. of Pbg. v. Harkins
167 A. 278 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1933)
Brooke's Estate
184 A. 54 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1936)
Bradley's Appeal
89 Pa. 514 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1879)

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Bluebook (online)
44 Pa. D. & C. 249, 1942 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 490, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/austins-estate-paorphctfayett-1942.