Borg-Warner Acceptance Corp. v. Wolfe City National Bank

544 S.W.2d 947, 21 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. (West) 631, 1976 Tex. App. LEXIS 3453
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 14, 1976
Docket19039
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 544 S.W.2d 947 (Borg-Warner Acceptance Corp. v. Wolfe City National Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Borg-Warner Acceptance Corp. v. Wolfe City National Bank, 544 S.W.2d 947, 21 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. (West) 631, 1976 Tex. App. LEXIS 3453 (Tex. Ct. App. 1976).

Opinion

CLAUDE WILLIAMS, Chief Justice.

Borg-Warner Acceptance Corporation (Borg-Warner) brought this action in the district court against Wolfe City National Bank (Wolfe City) for actual and exemplary damages because of alleged wrongful conversion of property. This appeal is by Borg-Warner from a take-nothing judgment against it rendered by the trial court following trial without a jury. Appellant urges that the judgment should be reversed and rendered in its favor because the trial court erred as a matter of law in deciding that Borg-Warner take nothing. Alternatively, it asks that the cause be remanded because of the impossibility of obtaining a statement of facts and because the trial court refused to issue findings of fact and conclusions of law. After reviewing the briefs and considering stipulations of counsel, we have concluded that the principal issue to be decided is which party had priority of security interest in the property involved. We hold that Borg-Warner had priority of security interest in the collateral and, accordingly, reverse the trial court’s judgment and remand the same for further proceedings.

Since the parties agree that the essential facts in this case are undisputed, we find it unnecessary to address the question concerning the inability to secure a statement of facts and the failure on the part of the trial court to file findings of fact and conclusions of law.

It is undisputed in the parties’ briefs and oral argument that on March 31, 1972, Borg-Warner executed a security agreement with Lloyd E. Nations and O. H. Nations, individually and d/b/a Nations’ David Brown Tractor Company, of which Lloyd E. Nations was the sole proprietor, to secure loans made by Borg-Warner to Nations for the purchase of inventory to be used in the business. On April 26, 1972, Borg-Warner filed a financing statement under the name of Lloyd Eddie Nations with the Secretary of State pursuant to *950 Tex.Bus. & Comm.Code Ann. § 9.401 (Vernon Supp.1976). Borg-Warner also notified the other known creditors of the security interest it was taking in the inventory.

On January 18, 1974, Wolfe City advanced money to Lloyd E. Nations, d/b/a Nations’ Tractor Company, for the purchase of inventory. Wolfe City took a security interest in each of the items purchased and filed financing statements covering them in the office of the County Clerk of Lamar County, Texas, on January 21, 1974. However, Wolfe City did not file copies of the financing statements in the office of the Secretary of State.

The last payment made by Lloyd Nations to Borg-Warner was on May 6, 1974, leaving a balance due and owing. In December, 1974, Wolfe City took possession of the inventory, and although Borg-Warner requested its return, Wolfe City disposed of it by sale. On December 11, 1975, a trial was held before the court, and judgment was subsequently entered for Wolfe City and against Borg-Warner.

The principal question presented is which party has priority of security interest in the collateral involved. The primary thrust of Wolfe City’s argument is that it executed a purchase-money security interest in the collateral in which Borg-Warner did not have a perfected security interest since the financing statement previously filed by Borg-Warner did not contain a provision which gave notice to other creditors of an “after-acquired property” clause. Wolfe City does not deny that Borg-Warner’s prior security agreement contains an “after-acquired property” clause. Tex.Bus. & Comm.Code Ann. § 9.108 (Vernon Supp. 1976) provides that when a secured party gives value to the debtor, the secured party may take a security interest in collateral acquired after the execution of the agreement if the collateral is acquired either in the ordinary course of the debtor’s business or under a contract of purchase made pursuant to the security agreement within a reasonable time. Thus, a security agreement may provide that collateral, whenever acquired, shall secure all obligations covered by the security agreement. Tex.Bus. & Comm.Code Ann. § 9.204(a) (Vernon Supp. 1976). We recognize that a security interest attaches in accordance with Tex.Bus. & Comm.Code Ann. § 9.203 (Vernon Supp. 1976), when there is an agreement that it attach, value is given by the secured party, and the debtor has rights in the collateral. However, the secured party must still file a financing statement covering the inventory collateral with the Secretary of State in order to perfect the interest and to establish a priority over other secured creditors. Tex.Bus. & Comm.Code Ann. §§ 9.303 and 9.401 (Vernon Supp.1976). The purpose of the filing of the financing statement is to give notice to all creditors that a security interest may have been perfected in certain collateral. Tex.Bus. & Comm.Code Ann. § 9.402, comment 2 (Vernon 1968).

Thus, if Borg-Warner, in fact, executed a security agreement with an after-acquired property clause and also gave sufficient notice in its financing statement filed with the Secretary of State that there was a security agreement concerning after-acquired property, Wolfe City’s security interest would be inferior with one possible exception. If Wolfe City acquired a purchase-money security interest in inventory, it would have priority over all conflicting security interests in that inventory, except a prior purchase-money security interest, if it adequately perfected its security interest at the time Nations received possession of the inventory and gave notification in writing to all holders of conflicting security interests who had previously filed financing statements covering the same inventory. Tex.Bus. & Comm.Code Ann. § 9.312 (Vernon Supp.1976). Since there is no contention by Wolfe City that an “after-acquired” property clause is not included in Borg-Warner’s security agreement, our only concern is whether Borg-Warner’s financing statement was sufficient to notify other creditors of an after-acquired property clause. The description of the collateral in the financing statement is as follows:

*951 All inventory of goods including, without limitation, commercial, vehicular, recreational, household, professional, industrial, musical or farm goods and all parts, accessories and other goods used or intended to be used in conjunction with any of the foregoing, (emphasis added)

We believe that the phrase “all inventory” was sufficient to give other creditors notice that Borg-Warner had perfected a security interest in not only the inventory possessed by the debtor at the time of execution of the security agreement but also inventory acquired thereafter until the debt was paid. National Cash Register Co. v. Firestone, 346 Mass. 255, 191 N.E.2d 471, 474-75 (1963); American National Bank & Trust Co. v. National Cash Register Co., 473 P.2d 234 (Okl.1970); Maryland National Bank v. Porter-Way Harvester Mfg. Co., 300 A.2d 8 (Del.Supr.1972); cf. Beneficial Finance Co. v. Van Shaw, 476 S.W.2d 772

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

Related

Franklin National Bank v. Boser
972 S.W.2d 98 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1998)
Community National Bank v. Moyer
836 P.2d 1198 (Court of Appeals of Kansas, 1992)
In Re Kelton Motors, Inc.
117 B.R. 87 (D. Vermont, 1990)
Borg-Warner Acceptance Corp. v. Tascosa National Bank
784 S.W.2d 129 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1990)
Opinion No.
Texas Attorney General Reports, 1987
Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion
Texas Attorney General Reports, 1987
A. Wolfson's Sons, Inc. v. First State Bank of Corpus Christi
697 S.W.2d 753 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1985)
National Bank v. West Texas Wholesale Supply Co.
714 F.2d 1316 (Fifth Circuit, 1983)
In Re McBee
20 B.R. 361 (W.D. Texas, 1982)
Whirlpool Corp. v. Bank of Naperville
421 N.E.2d 1078 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1981)
Chapman Parts Warehouse, Inc. v. Guderian
609 S.W.2d 317 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1980)
A. E. Nelson & Co. v. Haggetts Sport Shop, Inc.
418 A.2d 1273 (Supreme Court of New Hampshire, 1980)
Durham v. Uvalde Rock Asphalt Co.
599 S.W.2d 866 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1980)
Kimbell Foods, Inc. v. Republic National Bank
557 F.2d 491 (Fifth Circuit, 1977)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
544 S.W.2d 947, 21 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. (West) 631, 1976 Tex. App. LEXIS 3453, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/borg-warner-acceptance-corp-v-wolfe-city-national-bank-texapp-1976.