Coast-to-Coast Financial Corp. v. United States

53 Fed. Cl. 241, 2002 U.S. Claims LEXIS 190, 2002 WL 1924915
United States Court of Federal Claims·Decided August 7, 2002·No. No. 95-525C·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

OPINION

BRUGGINK, Judge.

This is a Winstar-related1 case. Plaintiffs also assert a claim arising out of the “Guarini” legislation which eliminated certain tax benefits unique to acquisitions of federally-insured savings and loans. On April 18, 2002, we granted summary judgment in favor of plaintiffs Coast-to-Coast Financial Corporation (“CTC”) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”), as receiver for Superior Bank, FSB (“Superior”), with respect to their claim that the passage of the Guarini legislation constituted a breach of contract. Coast-to-Coast Fin. Corp. v. United States, 52 Fed.Cl. 352 (2002). Familiarity with the facts set out in that opinion is assumed. Presently pending is defendant’s motion to dismiss the identical claim of the remaining plaintiffs, Coast Partners (“Partners”) and UBH. For the reasons set out below, defendant’s motion is granted.

BACKGROUND

Two groups of investors contributed capital to make the transaction in this case possible: Alvin Dworman and associated persons and organizations (“Dworman Family Interests”) and Jay Pritzker and associated persons and organizations (“Pritzker Family Interests”). Together, they formed CTC for [243]*243the specific purpose of acquiring Old Lyons, a failing thrift. To complete the transaction, the Dworman Family Interests capitalized UBH with real estate and cash to contribute to CTC, with UBH receiving fifty percent of CTC’s stock in return. The Pritzker Family Interests capitalized Partners with real estate and cash for the same purpose.

Under the terms of the transaction, CTC proposed to acquire a failing thrift, Lyons Savings Bank, a Federal Savings Bank, Hinsdale, Illinois (“New Federal”), which had merged with Old Lyons and which would ultimately become Superior Bank. CTC proposed to invest $42.5 million in New Federal to acquire 100 percent of its common stock, with the capital for the acquisition to be funded by the Dworman and Pritzker Family Interests.

A December 27, 1988 Federal Home Loan Bank Board (“FHLBB”) “S Memorandum” describes the proposed borrowings, which would take place in three “applications.” In the first application, CTC proposed to incur $45 million of indebtedness, funded by NCNB National Bank, Charlotte, North Carolina. The collateral for $25 million of the indebtedness was to be contributed by Partners. The collateral included the following: (1) a first leasehold mortgage on the Hyatt Wilshire in Los Angeles; (2) a first lien security interest in all property owned by the borrower and used in connection with the Hyatt Wilshire; (3) a collateral assignment of the Hyatt Wilshire lease of the land and building to the Hyatt Corporation; and (4) a pledge of CTC stock by Partners.

UBH was to contribute the collateral for the remaining $20 million. The collateral included the following: (1) a first priority assignment of the lease to Lee National Corporation for a multi-residential/eommercial project in San Francisco; (2) an assignment of Adco Folsom’s net proceeds from condominium sales; and (3) a pledge of CTC stock by UBH. In return for their contributions, Partners and UBH were to receive stock in CTC.2

In the second application, Partners proposed to incur indebtedness of $1 million, funded by “the grandchildren of A.N. Pritzker.” The loan proceeds were to be “down-streamed” to CTC as contributed capital.

In the third application, UBH proposed to incur indebtedness of up to $1.5 million, funded by Lee National Corporation, the owner of UBH. The loan proceeds were also to be “downstreamed” to CTC as contributed capital.

In December 1988, CTC acquired New Federal. At the time of CTC’s acquisition of the thrift, Partners and UBH each owned half of CTC’s stock. Superior became CTC’s wholly owned subsidiary.

On December 30,1988, FHLBB issued five resolutions concerning this transaction. Resolution No. 88-1552P approved the merger of Lyons into New Federal and CTC’s acquisition of the thrift’s stock. It also required CTC to enter into an “Assistance Agreement” (the “Agreement”) and a “Voting and Disposition Rights/Dividend Agreement” (the “Voting Agreement”) with FSLIC. It further required CTC, Partners, UBH, and CTC Trust to enter into a “Profit-Sharing Agreement” with FSLIC. Each of these documents was dated December 30, 1988.

The preamble to the Assistance Agreement states that it was entered into “by and among” CTC, New Federal, and the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation (“FSLIC”). These three entities were also the only signatories to the Agreement. Section 26 of the Agreement, entitled “Entire Agreement, Severability,” states:

This Agreement, together with any interpretation or understanding agreed to in writing by the parties, constitutes the entire agreement between the parties and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings of the parties in connection with it, excepting only the Stock Purchase [244]*244Agreement and any resolutions or letters concerning the Transaction or this Agreement issued by [FHLBB or FSLIC] in connection with the approval of the Transaction and this Agreement, provided, however, that in the event of any conflict, variance or inconsistency between this Agreement and the Stock Purchase Agreement or any other agreement entered into by [CTC] in connection with the Transaction, the provisions of this Agreement shall govern and be binding on all parties insofar as the rights, privileges, duties, obligations and liabilities of [FSLIC] are concerned.

(Paragraph designation omitted).

The Agreement also contains a “Sole Benefit” provision, section 29, which states:

It is the intention of the parties that this Agreement, the assumption of obligations and statements or responsibilities under it, and all of its conditions and provisions are for the sole benefit of the parties hereto and for the benefit of no other person. Nothing expressed or referred to in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give any person other than the parties hereto any legal or equitable right, remedy, or claim under, or in respect to, this Agreement or any of its provisions.

FSLIC’s obligations under the Agreement were conditioned upon several things, including “[t]he capitalization of [New Federal] by [CTC] with cash in an amount equal to forty-two million, five hundred thousand dollars ($42,500,000)” and FSLIC’s receipt of a copy of CTC’s corporate resolutions authorizing the execution and delivery of the “Stock Purchase Agreement, this Agreement and any other agreements or instruments executed by [CTC] ....”§ 2.

The preamble to the Profit-Sharing Agreement states that it was entered into “by and among” CTC, Partners, UBH, New Federal, and FSLIC. It also collectively refers to CTC, Partners, and UBH as the “Acquirers.” In its “Recitals” section, it states that “a condition to the FSLIC’s obligations under the Assistance Agreement is the execution of and continued compliance with this Agreement by the Acquirers.”

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Coast-to-Coast Financial Corp. v. United States, 53 Fed. Cl. 241, 2002 U.S. Claims LEXIS 190, 2002 WL 1924915 (uscfc 2002).

53 Fed. Cl. 241 (Coast-to-Coast Financial Corp. v. United States) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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