Ben Franklin Financial Corp. v. Davis

589 N.E.2d 857, 226 Ill. App. 3d 414, 168 Ill. Dec. 457, 18 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 1037, 1992 Ill. App. LEXIS 307
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedMarch 4, 1992
Docket1—89—3061, 1—90—0095 cons.
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 589 N.E.2d 857 (Ben Franklin Financial Corp. v. Davis) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ben Franklin Financial Corp. v. Davis, 589 N.E.2d 857, 226 Ill. App. 3d 414, 168 Ill. Dec. 457, 18 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 1037, 1992 Ill. App. LEXIS 307 (Ill. Ct. App. 1992).

Opinion

JUSTICE RIZZI

delivered the opinion of the court:

Plaintiff Ben Franklin Financial Corporation brought this action to recover the unpaid principal, interest and attorney fees as the result of the default on a promissory note executed by defendants Terry A. and Valerie Davis (Davis). Defendant Chicago Title & Trust Company is trustee under trust No. 59130 of collateral secured under the note, but is not a party to this appeal. The trial court granted plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment on count I of a multicount second amended complaint and entered judgment in favor of plaintiff and against Davis in the amount of $1,650,000, which included $1,500,000 on the principal of the note and $150,000 pursuant to the provisions of the note in the event of default. The trial court also awarded plaintiff prejudgment interest in the amount of $388,586. On appeal, Davis contends that the trial court erred when it (1) granted plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment when genuine issues of material fact existed as to the propriety of the acceleration of the promissory note; and (2) awarded prejudgment interest for the period between September 6, 1989, and October 10, 1989. We affirm in part, vacate in part and remand.

On January 9, 1984, Davis executed and delivered a promissory note to Ben Franklin Savings and Loan Association in the principal sum of $1,500,000 plus interest at a rate of 15% annually. Under the terms of the note, Davis was required to make monthly interest installment payments of $18,750 commencing on February 1, 1984, through January 1, 1989. The note was secured by a security agreement which was incorporated by reference into the note. The agreement required that Davis deposit $200,000 into an impound account to guarantee the payment of interest on the note. In the event of a default on the note or agreement, Davis would be required to pay “an additional interest sum” of $150,000.

The agreement provided that any failure to perform under the note constituted a default, and that in the event of default, plaintiff could elect to have the principal sum and interest “become at once due and payable, at the place aforesaid, without presentment, demand or notice.” Finally, the agreement provided that modification of the agreement could be made only by express written amendment signed by all the parties.

Davis failed to pay the monthly interest installments due for several months, and by September 1987, Davis owed $56,250 in unpaid interest. On December 15, 1987, Davis was in default for missing the December 1987 interest payment. On January 5, 1988, plaintiff demanded from Davis full payment of the note and the additional interest sum of $150,000. On January 8, 1988, Davis paid the December 1987 interest payment and plaintiff withdrew its demand. This was the last payment made by Davis on the note.

The interest payment for January 1988 remained unpaid, and on January 12, 1988, plaintiff informed Davis that he was again in default. Davis took no action to cure the default, and on January 20, 1988, plaintiff demanded full payment of the note and the additional interest sum of $150,000. On February 3, 1988, plaintiff filed suit against Davis.

On September 6, 1989, the trial court granted plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment on count I of the second amended complaint, and entered judgment in favor of plaintiff and against Davis in the amount of $1,650,000. The summary judgment order granted plaintiff leave to file a petition for attorney fees and prejudgment interest, and provided that the summary judgment order was neither enforceable nor appealable until plaintiff’s petition for attorney fees and prejudgment interest was ruled upon.

On September 25, 1989, plaintiff filed its petition for prejudgment interest, attorney fees, and entry of final judgment on count I of the second amended complaint. Supported by affidavits, plaintiffs petition sought $377,336 in prejudgment interest through September 25, 1989, plus $750 per day thereafter until final judgment was entered. On October 10, 1989, the trial court entered an order stating that there was no just reason to delay enforcement or appeal of the order entered on September 6, 1989. (134 Ill. 2d R. 304(a).) On October 11, 1989, Davis filed a motion to reconsider the October 10, 1989, order.

On December 11, 1989, the trial court ruled on all pending motions. The trial court awarded plaintiff prejudgment interest in the amount of $388,586. The trial court also awarded $19,666 for attorney fees and costs of $3,438, and denied Davis’ motion to reconsider.

Davis first argues that a genuine issue of material fact exists as to whether plaintiff exercised good faith when it demanded payment of the note. Davis relies upon section 1 — 208 of the Uniform Commercial Code (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1987, ch. 26, par. 1—208). Section 1—208 states:

“Option to Accelerate at Will. A term providing that one party or his successor in interest may accelerate payment or performance or require collateral or additional collateral ‘at will’ or ‘when he deems himself insecure’ or in words of similar import shall be construed to mean that he shall have the power to do so only if he in good faith believes that the prospect of payment or performance is impaired. The burden of establishing lack of good faith is on the party against whom the power has been exercised.” Ill. Rev. Stat. 1987, ch. 26, par. 1—208.

It is readily apparent that section 1 — 208 applies to cases involving an option to accelerate at will or a clause commonly known as an insecurity clause. An insecurity clause is a clause often inserted in security agreements and promissory notes which provides that one party or his successor in interest may accelerate payment or performance or require collateral or additional collateral when he deems himself insecure.

In the present case, the demand for full payment of the note was not made pursuant to an option to accelerate at will or an insecurity clause, but rather took place pursuant to a default clause contained within the note which states:

“IF DEFAULT SHALL OCCUR in the payment of principal or interest called for herein, *** it is agreed that at the election of Lender, the principal sum remaining unpaid hereon, together with interest thereon, shall become at once due and payable, at the place aforesaid, without presentment, demand or notice.”

Since the plaintiff did not accelerate the note pursuant to an option to accelerate at will or an insecurity clause, section 1 — 208 is not applicable to the present case. Moreover, the record in this case establishes as a matter of law that plaintiff’s demand for full payment of the note after the default was not the result of lack of good faith by plaintiff. (See Watseka First National Bank v. Ruda (1990), 135 Ill. 2d 140, 552 N.E.2d 775.) Davis was late in making interest payments for much of the last quarter of 1987. Davis was in default in December 1987 for not making the December 1987 interest payment, but then cured the default. Davis was late in making the required interest payment for January 1988.

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589 N.E.2d 857, 226 Ill. App. 3d 414, 168 Ill. Dec. 457, 18 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 1037, 1992 Ill. App. LEXIS 307, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ben-franklin-financial-corp-v-davis-illappct-1992.