Bankers' Trust Co. v. Arkansas Rice Growers' Co-Operative Ass'n

71 S.W.2d 195, 189 Ark. 138, 1934 Ark. LEXIS 178
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedApril 30, 1934
Docket4-3448
StatusPublished

This text of 71 S.W.2d 195 (Bankers' Trust Co. v. Arkansas Rice Growers' Co-Operative Ass'n) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bankers' Trust Co. v. Arkansas Rice Growers' Co-Operative Ass'n, 71 S.W.2d 195, 189 Ark. 138, 1934 Ark. LEXIS 178 (Ark. 1934).

Opinion

Smith, J.

This cause was tried in the court below upon the following agreed statement of facts:

‘ ‘ Stipulation.
“It is hereby stipulated between the parties hereto, through their respective solicitors, that this cause may be submitted upon the following Agreed Statement of Pacts.
“Agreed Statement of Pacts.
“The Rice Growers’ Co-Operative Association had a general deposit with the Bankers’ Trust Company, and had maintained a general deposit in said bank for sometime prior to the transaction herein complained of, and on October 2,1931, had on deposit $25,084.31, in the form of a general checking account.
“That the Rice Growers’ Co-Operative Association deals in buying and marketing rice and, in making sales of rice, it was its custom to draw drafts on the consignees of the rice, with bills of lading attached, and would deposit these drafts, with the bills of lading attached, in the Bankers’ Trust Company and take credit therefor on its general checking account.
“That the Bankers’ Trust Company, through its officers, suggested to the Rice Growers’ Co-Operative Association that some security or margin he placed with said bank to protect the bank from any losses that might occur by reason of the bank giving immediate credit for such drafts and the consignees failing or refusing to pay the face value of the drafts.
‘‘ That, at the suggestion of the bank, the Rice Growers ’ Co-Operative Association authorized the bank to charge its general checking account with the. sum of $3,000, for the purpose of securing the bank against loss on the draft collections. Thereupon the bank, of its own motion, made out the following charge ticket against the association’s general checking account, to-wit:
“BANKERS’ TRUST COMPANY,
“Little Rock, Ark., October 2, 1931.
“CHARGE
“Arkansas Rice Growers’ Co-Operative Ass’n., “Stuttgart, Ark.
“Covering Certificate of Deposit payable to ‘Ourselves Account Margin'Arkansas Rice Growers’ Co-Operative Assn, drafts.’ $3,000
“Charge made by BB (Signed) BB.
“A copy of this charge ticket was transmitted, in due course, by the bank to the association, and the association accepted and retained the same.
“On the said October 2, 1931, the Bank issued a certificate of deposit, as follows:
“CERTIFICATE OF DEPOSIT.
“Little Rock, Ark., October 2, 1931. No. 3587 “BANKERS’ TRUST COMPANY $3,000
81-25
“Ourselves account margin Arkansas Rice Growers’ Co-Operative Assn, draft has deposited with the Bankers’ Trust Company $3',000 & 00 cts. dollars in current funds, payable to the order of themselves, demand after date with interest to maturity only at the rate of 2 per cent, -per annum, but subject to thirty days’ prior notice of withdrawal and the return of this certificate properly -indorsed. If at the request of the owner hereof and with the consent of said bank this certificate shall be paid before maturity, no interest shall be paid thereon.
“J. L. Spence, Tr.
‘ ‘ Countersigned: ‘ ‘ Assistant Cashier.
“D. Majors. Auditor.
' “Not subject to check.
“On February 27, 1933, the Little Rock Clearing House Association, of which the Bankers’ Trust Company was a member, took action, with the approval of the Governor and the Bank Commissioner, whereby all deposits of the members of the Clearing House Association were forthwith to be restricted, as to withdrawal thereof, so that the only part of any deposit thereafter withdrawable was 5 per cent, or $15, respectively, thereof, whichever was the larger, such action being taken pursuant to § 7 of act 60 of the Acts of Arkansas of 1933. The said restriction of withdrawals was validated by § 1 of act 96 of the Acts of 1933.
“On May 1, 1933, at the .request of the board of directors of the Bankers’ Trust Company, the Bank Commissioner duly took charge of its affairs, for purposes of management, under act 88 of the Acts of 1933. On said May 1, 1933, also pursuant to said act 88, the Bank Commissioner reorganized the said Bankers’ Trust Company by the creation of a new bank at Little Rock, Bankers’ Commercial Trust Company, to which certain of the assets of the Bankers’ Trust Company were sold and transferred, in consideration of Bankers’ Commercial Trust Company assuming 50 per cent, of the then remaining restricted balances of Bankers’ Trust Company’s deposits.
“All drafts of the Rice Growers’ Association for which it had received credit from Bankers’ Trust Company prior to the said May 1, 1933, were paid in full in due course, and the said $3,000 security has ceased to be necessary for the protection of the Bankers’ Trust Company. The Rice Growers’ Association was entitled to withdraw $150, as the 5 per cent, permitted to be withdrawn by the Clearing House Association action, and was furthermore entitled to 50 per cent, of the difference between $3,000 and said $150, by reason of the assumption of Bankers’ Commercial Trust Company 50 per cent, of such difference amounting to $1,425. The Rice Growers’ Association has not, in fact, withdrawn the said $150 or the said $1,425, but both said amounts are available to it, so that the actual amount in controversy in the within suit is $1,425. The failure of the Rice Growers’ Association to withdraw the $150 and the $1,425 assumed by the Rankers’ 'Commercial Trust Company was due to the fact that some of its drafts were, until recently, outstanding.
“It is agreed that the Rice Growers’ Association will not estop itself in this suit by accepting the $150 and $1,425 admittedly available deposit.”
Upon this statement of facts it was ordered and decreed that the claim of plaintiff, Arkansas Rice Growers ’ Co-Operative Association “he and it hereby is allowed as a prior claim (against the Bankers’ Trust Company and Marion Wasson, as Bank Commissioner in charge thereof) in the sum of $1,425, * *

This appeal is from that decree, and appellants state the sole issue in the casé to be whether this $1,425 should be allowed as a common or general claim or should he allowed as a prior claim.

The question presented for decision involves a consideration and construction of a portion of § 1 of act 107 of the Acts of 1927, page 297, which, in our opinion, has previously been so construed as to require the affirmance of the decree here appealed from.

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Bluebook (online)
71 S.W.2d 195, 189 Ark. 138, 1934 Ark. LEXIS 178, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bankers-trust-co-v-arkansas-rice-growers-co-operative-assn-ark-1934.