Brazosport Bank of Texas v. Oak Park Townhouses

837 S.W.2d 652, 1992 Tex. App. LEXIS 980, 1992 WL 76376
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 16, 1992
DocketC14-90-00267-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 837 S.W.2d 652 (Brazosport Bank of Texas v. Oak Park Townhouses) 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
Brazosport Bank of Texas v. Oak Park Townhouses, 837 S.W.2d 652, 1992 Tex. App. LEXIS 980, 1992 WL 76376 (Tex. Ct. App. 1992).

Opinion

OPINION

DRAUGHN, Justice.

Brazosport Bank of Texas appeals an adverse judgment in its suit against Oak Park Townhouses, Flournoy, and others, not parties to this appeal, to collect monies owed pursuant to a promissory note executed by Oak Park and guaranteed by Flournoy. Appellant raises eight points of error challenging the trial court’s construction of Tbx.Rev.Civ.Stat.Ann. art. 342-508, the jury findings of breach of fiduciary duty, the trial court’s actions during jury deliberations, and the award of attorney’s fees to Flournoy. We reverse the trial court’s judgment.

By letter dated February 24, 1983, appellant advised the Oak Park Townhouses General Partnership (“Oak Park”) of the bank’s approval of a loan to Oak Park in the principal amount of $690,000.00 at an interest rate of ten percent (10%) per an-num. One of the terms of this letter was that Oak Park was to agree to pay the bank a “non-refundable commitment fee equal to $35,000.00 as consideration for the issuance of this commitment for Lender holding funds available to Borrower until such funds are needed to be drawn against.” This paragraph further stated that this fee was “in addition to the interest payable by Borrower....” Jim Truck, the current President of Brazosport Bank, testified that this commitment fee was part of the “interest rate scenario for this loan.” However, Truck later admitted that this fee was a fee charged for making the loan.

*655 Under the terms of this loan, the bank had the option, at any time after the second annual anniversary, upon sixty days notice, to declare the note immediately due and payable. The bank declared the note due on March 15, 1985. The bank renewed the loan at 12% interest with a 2% fee, or a fee of $13,641.44, of which the bank collected only $13,400.00. Oak Park defaulted on this loan and the bank accelerated the note and demanded the full amount. Upon ap-pellees’ failure to pay, Brazosport Bank filed suit to collect the amount due. Appel-lees filed an answer and counterclaim against the bank alleging the bank charged and collected unlawful loan fees, breached the duty of good faith, breached its fiduciary duty, and committed fraud, usury, breach of contract, negligence, negligent infliction of emotional distress, and violations of the DTP A. At the beginning of trial, appellees stipulated that the bank was entitled to recover on the note subject to appellees’ counterclaims and affirmative defenses and, thus, appellees were allowed to open and close by the trial court.

In response to jury question 5, the jury found the $35,000.00 fee was a charge for the making of the loan. In response to question 6, the jury found the $13,400.00 fee was for the renewal of the loan. Based on these jury findings, the trial court held that appellees had established a violation Tex.Rev.Civ.Stat.Ann. art. 342-508, and thus, rendered judgment that Brazosport had committed usury.

In point of error one, appellant claims the trial court erred in overruling Brazos-port’s motion for judgment on the verdict relating to Oak Park’s usury claim. In point of error two, appellant contends the trial court erred in overruling Brazosport’s motions for directed verdict and motion for judgment n.o.v. on Oak Park’s usury claim because there was no evidence that the loan fees were not authorized by law and because Brazosport established as a matter of law that the loan fees were authorized. In its third point of error, appellant claims the trial court erred in entering judgment for Oak Park on its usury claim because art. 342-508 does not preclude Brazosport from charging interest. We address these points together.

Question 5 inquired whether the $35,-000.00 fee charged by Brazosport Bank was for “(1) the making of the loan; or (2) for services rendered in connection with the making of the loan; or (3) for the purpose of committing BRAZOSPORT BANK OP TEXAS to make the loan at some future date.” The jury found that the $35,000.00 fee was a fee for making the loan. Similarly, jury question 6 asked whether the $13,-400.00 fee was a charge for “(1) the renewal of the loan to OAK PARK; or (2) for services rendered in connection with the making of the loan; or (3) for the purpose of committing BRAZOSPORT BANK OP TEXAS to make the loan at some future date.” The jury found the $13,400.00 fee was a fee for the renewal of the loan.

Based on these jury answers, the trial court made the following findings in its final judgment: (1) that the two fees violated Tex.Rev.Civ.Stat.Ann. art. 342-508; (2) that Brazosport had collected interest in the amount of $175,146.29; and (3) that the collection of such interest in addition to a loan fee constitutes the collection of interest in excess of that allowed by law since art. 342-508 expressly provides that when a loan fee is charged it shall be in lieu of all interest, and as a result, the statutory penalties for usury are applicable. Based on these findings, the trial court awarded Oak Park three times the interest collected by Brazosport as a penalty for usury and declared a forfeiture of any and all unpaid principal and interest sought by Brazos-port.

Appellant argues that the only findings that would have supported the judgment would have been findings that the two fees were for services rendered in connection with the making of the loan. We agree. At the time of the loan transactions in question art. 342-508 provided:

No bank shall charge or collect any loan fee or any other charge, by whatever name called, for the granting of a loan unless authorized by law. Provided, however, a bank may require an applicant for a loan or discount to pay the *656 cost of any abstract, attorney’s opinion or title insurance policy, or other form of insurance, and filing or recording fees or appraisal fee. Expenses necessary or proper for the protection of the lender, and actually incurred in connection with the making of the loan may be charged. In all loan transactions in which the amount loaned is $100.00 or more and the loan period is one month or more, a bank may charge any borrower the reasonable value of services rendered in connection with the making of any loan, including the drawing of notes, the taking of acknowledgements and affidavits, the preparation of financial statements, and the investigation or analysis of the financial responsibility of the borrower or any endorser, surety or co-signer in an amount agreed upon, but not to exceed $15.00 for each loan transaction, which shall be in lieu of all interest and other charges which could otherwise be collected in connection with the loan.

Act of June 10, 1977, 65th Leg., R.S., ch. 370, § 1, 1977 Tex.Gen.Laws 1003, amended by Act of June 16, 1989, 71st Leg., R.S., ch. 1196, § 5,1989 Tex.Gen.Laws 4884 (current version at Tex.Rev.Civ.Stat.Ann. art. 342-508 (Vernon Supp.1992)). This statute prohibits banks from charging fees for the granting of a loan unless the fees are authorized by law. Interest is an authorized charge and is not a violation of art. 342-508. See Tex.Rev.Civ.Stat.Ann. art. 5069-1.01 — 1.12 (Vernon 1987) (defining interest as “compensation allowed by law for the use or forbearance or detention of mon-ey_”). Bona fide commitment fees are also authorized charges as a fee for the purchase of an option permitting the borrower to enter into a loan in the future. Gonzales County Sav. & Loan Ass’n v. Freeman,

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Related

Brazosport Bank of Texas v. Flournoy
985 S.W.2d 281 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1999)
Oak Park Townhouses v. Brazosport Bank of Texas, N.A.
851 S.W.2d 189 (Texas Supreme Court, 1993)
Twyman v. Twyman
855 S.W.2d 619 (Texas Supreme Court, 1993)

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Bluebook (online)
837 S.W.2d 652, 1992 Tex. App. LEXIS 980, 1992 WL 76376, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brazosport-bank-of-texas-v-oak-park-townhouses-texapp-1992.