Bell Fed. Sav. & Loan Ass'n v. Commissioner

1991 T.C. Memo. 368, 62 T.C.M. 376, 1991 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 417
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedAugust 7, 1991
DocketDocket No. 11822-89
StatusUnpublished

This text of 1991 T.C. Memo. 368 (Bell Fed. Sav. & Loan Ass'n v. Commissioner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Tax Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bell Fed. Sav. & Loan Ass'n v. Commissioner, 1991 T.C. Memo. 368, 62 T.C.M. 376, 1991 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 417 (tax 1991).

Opinion

BELL FEDERAL SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATION AND SUBSIDIARY, Petitioner v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent
Bell Fed. Sav. & Loan Ass'n v. Commissioner
Docket No. 11822-89
United States Tax Court
T.C. Memo 1991-368; 1991 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 417; 62 T.C.M. (CCH) 376; T.C.M. (RIA) 91368;
August 7, 1991, Filed

*417 Decision will be entered under Rule 155.

P, an accrual method taxpayer, is a savings and loan association who made original home mortgage loans to borrowers. P recognized the prepaid interest it received from the loans (points) over an 8-year period using a half-year convention even though the borrowers brought to closing separate funds sufficient to cover both closing costs and points.

Further, P incurred net operating losses (NOLs) during its 1983 and 1984 taxable years. P carried the NOLs back to its 1978 taxable year without recalculating the addition to its bad debt reserve for 1978 to reflect the carried back NOLs.

HELD, absent an agreement between the parties to finance the points, when a borrower brings separate funds to closing sufficient to satisfy closing costs and points, the loan is a nondiscounted loan and P must recognize points it receives in the year the transaction closes.

HELD, further, following our analysis in Pacific First Federal Savings Bank v. Commissioner, 94 T.C. 101 (1990), P is not required to recalculate the addition to its bad debt reserve for the taxable year to which NOLs are carried back.

Joseph D. Ament and Anthony C. Valiulis*418 , for the petitioner.
Erin Collins, for the respondent.
HAMBLEN, Judge.

HAMBLEN

MEMORANDUM OPINION

Respondent determined deficiencies in petitioner Bell Federal Savings and Loan Association and Subsidiary's (hereinafter petitioner) 1978, 1985, 1986, and 1987 Federal income taxes in the amounts of $ 433,512, $ 177,424, $ 87,542, and $ 987,092, respectively. Respondent also determined additions to tax for petitioner's taxable year 1987 under section 6653(a)(1)(A) and (B)1 and section 6661. 2

The issues to be decided are: (1) Whether petitioner may defer the recognition of loan fees (hereinafter points) charged to a borrower*419 in connection with the borrower's financing of residential real estate when the points are paid by the borrower with funds separate from the financing transaction; and (2) whether taxable income, for purposes of computing the addition to bad debt reserve under the taxable income method of section 593(b)(2), must reflect net operating loss (NOL) carrybacks from subsequent years.

Background

This case was submitted with all facts fully stipulated. The facts as stipulated are found accordingly. The stipulation of facts and attached exhibits are incorporated herein by this reference. Numerous concessions have been made by both parties.

Petitioner is a domestic, Federally chartered savings and loan association having its principal place of business at 79 West Monroe Street in Chicago, Illinois, when the petition was filed in this case. For all relevant times herein, petitioner employed the accrual method of accounting and filed consolidated Federal income tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

A. Recognition of Points

One of petitioner's primary functions is the origination of mortgage loans. These mortgage loans include both newly*420 originated loans and refinanced first and second mortgage home loans. In connection with its mortgage loans, petitioner typically charged borrowers loan fees or points paid at the time of the loan closing. Points are an established business practice in the savings and loan industry in petitioner's community. Points are charges for the use of money and are considered prepaid interest in the lending industry. Petitioner does not, in whole or in part, rebate or refund the amount of points to a borrower if a loan is repaid prior to maturity.

In an October 11, 1968, letter to Mr. Lloyd A. Byerhof, an accountant for petitioner, respondent approved petitioner's deferral method for recognizing points over an 8-year life with a half-year convention. As reflected in that letter, petitioner had requested permission from respondent to recognize points as income for Federal income tax purposes as earned by use of a composite basis. Respondent granted such permission based on the fact that petitioner "does not receive cash or a check for the points, and that the loan proceeds are disbursed net to the borrower."

Under these circumstances, respondent granted petitioner permission "to change*421

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Welch v. Helvering
290 U.S. 111 (Supreme Court, 1933)
New Colonial Ice Co. v. Helvering
292 U.S. 435 (Supreme Court, 1934)
Helvering v. Horst
311 U.S. 112 (Supreme Court, 1940)
The Franklin Life Insurance Company v. United States
399 F.2d 757 (Seventh Circuit, 1968)
Schubel v. Commissioner
77 T.C. 701 (U.S. Tax Court, 1981)
Pacific First Federal Sav. Bank v. Commissioner
94 T.C. No. 10 (U.S. Tax Court, 1990)
Life Insurance Co. of Georgia v. United States
650 F.2d 250 (Court of Claims, 1981)
Franklin Life Insurance v. United States
393 U.S. 1118 (Supreme Court, 1969)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1991 T.C. Memo. 368, 62 T.C.M. 376, 1991 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 417, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bell-fed-sav-loan-assn-v-commissioner-tax-1991.