Baskes v. Federal Sav. and Loan Ins. Corp.

649 F. Supp. 1358, 55 U.S.L.W. 2382, 1986 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16397
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedDecember 16, 1986
Docket85 C 9608
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 649 F. Supp. 1358 (Baskes v. Federal Sav. and Loan Ins. Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Baskes v. Federal Sav. and Loan Ins. Corp., 649 F. Supp. 1358, 55 U.S.L.W. 2382, 1986 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16397 (N.D. Ill. 1986).

Opinion

ORDER

BUA, District Judge.

The matter before this court concerns defendant’s motions to dismiss and for summary judgment on Counts I and II of plaintiff’s complaint. For the reasons stated herein, defendant’s motions are granted.

This case arises out of a dispute between the plaintiff, Roger Baskes (“Baskes”), and the defendant, Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation (“FSLIC”), concerning insurance claims on two $100,000 certificates of deposit issued by and deposited with Empire Savings and Loan Association of Mesquite, Texas (“Empire”). As the issues raised by the parties focus on the validity and application of certain FSLIC recordkeeping rules, this court will briefly review relevant statutory and regulatory provisions impacting on the parties’ claims before turning to a discussion of the facts in this case.

I. BACKGROUND

In 1932, Congress created the Federal Home Loan Bank System to assist in the financing of the purchase and construction of homes. The system is administered by the Federal Home Loan Bank Board (“Board”) which exercises administrative powers over thrift and mortgage institutions. Through the enactment of the Home Owners’ Loan Act (“HOLA”) and the National Housing Act (“NHA”), Congress vested the Board with authority to regulate and supervise federally insured savings and loan associations to ensure the soundness of their operations for the protection of depositors, creditors and general public. HOLA, 12 U.S.C. § 1464 et seq.; NHA, 12 U.S.C. § 1724 et seq. The Board also operates and directs the FSLIC, which insures the accounts of eligible institutions. 12 U.S.C. §§ 1437, 1725(a), (c) and 1730(k)(l).

Pursuant to HOLA and NHA, the Board maintains broad discretion and exclusive authority to appoint, ex parte and without notice, a conservator or receiver to take over the affairs of a federally insured savings and loan if, in the opinion of the Board, the association (1) is insolvent, or (2) has substantially dissipated its assets and earnings due to illegal or unsound practices, or (3) is in an unsafe or unsound condition to transact business. See 12 U.S.C. § 1464(d)(6)(A); 12 U.S.C. § 1729. If an insured savings and loan is believed insol *1360 vent, the Board is authorized to appoint the FSLIC as receiver. 12 U.S.C. § 1464(d)(6)(A); 12 U.S.C. §§ 1724(b), (c). Acting in the appointed capacity of receiver, the FSLIC has broad authority to operate such an association, merge it with another association, proceed to liquidate its assets, or make such other disposition of the matter as it deems appropriate. 12 U.S.C. § 1729(b).

In the event of a default by an insured institution, the FSLIC in its corporate capacity is required to make payment on each insured account pursuant to 12 U.S.C. § 1728(b). In § 1728(a), Congress authorizes the FSLIC to develop and adopt regulations to define terms and to create classifications and exceptions for determining the extent of insurance coverage provided under § 1724(b).

Section 1724(b) states in relevant part:

funds held in a fiduciary capacity, when invested in an insured institution, shall be insured in an amount not to exceed $100,000 for each trust estate, and notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter, such insurance shall be separate from and additional to that covering other investments by the owners of such trust funds or the beneficiaries of such estates.

Pursuant to this congressional directive, the Board, as operating head of the FSLIC, adopted recordkeeping rules for determining whether deposited funds are insurable under principles applying to trust accounts. These recordkeeping rules are set forth in 12 C.F.R. § 564.2(b) and state:

(1)The account records of the insured institution shall be conclusive as to the existence of any relationship pursuant to which the funds in the account are invested and on which a claim for insurance coverage is founded. Examples would be trustee, agent, custodian or executor. No claim for insurance based on such a relationship will be recognized in the absence of its disclosure on such records.
(2) If the account records of an insured institution disclose the existence of a relationship which may provide a basis for additional insurance, the details of the relationship and the interests of other parties in the account must be ascertainable either from the records of the association or the records of the account holder maintained in good faith and in the regular course of business.
(3) The account records of an insured institution in connection with a trust account shall disclose the name of both the settlor (grantor) and the trustee of the trust and shall contain an account signature card executed by the trustee. 1

The purpose of these regulations is to prevent post-default creation of separate trust accounts which would fraudulently increase insurance coverage and to provide the FSLIC with quick access to information necessary to settle insurance claims in an expedient fashion. See 50 Fed.Reg. 19,188 (1985). The signature card requirement set forth in subsection (3) was added by the Board due to the fact that separate insurance coverage afforded trusts was more likely to be abused than insurance afforded other account relationships. Id.

Applying the foregoing regulations to insurance claims on funds allegedly held in a fiduciary capacity, the FSLIC maintains the policy that each of the recordkeeping requirements must be shown to exist before a trust account will be recognized for purposes of insurance coverage. Id. In the case where the institutions’ records do not contain the information and/or documents required under 12 C.F.R. § 564.2(b), the FSLIC allows the claiming party to show by clear and convincing evidence that the recordkeeping requirements were in fact met.

II. FACTS

In December of 1983, $100,000 was wired to Empire from another banking institution to be placed in an account for the benefit of *1361 the U, SZ and JB trusts.

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Bluebook (online)
649 F. Supp. 1358, 55 U.S.L.W. 2382, 1986 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16397, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/baskes-v-federal-sav-and-loan-ins-corp-ilnd-1986.