Coulter v. First Federal Savings & Loan Ass'n of El Dorado

111 S.W.2d 921, 195 Ark. 100, 1937 Ark. LEXIS 187
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedDecember 6, 1937
Docket4-4774
StatusPublished

This text of 111 S.W.2d 921 (Coulter v. First Federal Savings & Loan Ass'n of El Dorado) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Coulter v. First Federal Savings & Loan Ass'n of El Dorado, 111 S.W.2d 921, 195 Ark. 100, 1937 Ark. LEXIS 187 (Ark. 1937).

Opinion

(thifitN Smith, C. J.

A decree foreclosing a mortgage and giving judgment on the note it secured was rendered against appellants and in favor of appellee by the Union chancery court February 17, 1936, from which no appeal was taken. The decree, based upon a complaint filed December 13, 1935, recites that the defendants (appellants here), executed their note, secured by a mortgage on certain real property, dated July 26, 1934, the note being for $800, payable in monthly installments of $16.24, inclusive of principal and interest at the rate of eight per cent, per annum. The obligation provided that in the event of default in any payment for more than thirty days, the entire indebtedness, at the election of the payee, should become due, with interest at ten per cent.

The chancellor found that a credit of $19.10 ivas due on the indebtedness as of September 22, 1934, leaving a principal balance of $780.90; that no additional payments had been made, and that appellee was entitled to judgment for $780 with interest at 10 per cent, from September 22, 1934, with costs.

It was further found that Mrs. Mattie E. Perdue held a mortgage on the property described in appellee’s mortgage, but that it was inferior to appellee’s security.

The decree shows marginal indorsement as follows: “Received of Boone T. Coulter, the sum of $292.32 on February 26, 1936, and $50 on August 28, 1936, to apply on this decree.” Such indorsement is signed for appel-lee by J. S. Brooks, assistant secretary, and is attested, by the clerk.

Appellant Boone T. Coultef ■ testified that, after final decree had been rendered' by default, he took the matter up with appellee’s agent, John Brinn, endeavoring to effectuate a settlement, and that Brinn told him if he would pay the delinquent installments, court costs, and attorney’s fee, the decree would be set aside. “I issued a check in the sum of $328.17, which brought the matter up to date, including court costs and attorney’s fee. I then prepared a stipulation for dismissal and sent it to Judge Brooks [assistant secretary, and attorney, for appellee]. The stipulation was not signed. I discussed the matter once or twice with Judge Brooks and he raised the contention that it might mean the satisfaction of the judgment if the decree were set aside, and it rocked along until the end of the term, and Brinn came to see me again, and I made a payment of $50. The $50 didn’t bring the payment to date. I again became delinquent and the property sold under the decree, and the record shows the decree was for $790. I contend the sale was irregular; there was something wrong about it. There was some collateral up, but I don’t know where it is. ’ ’

On cross-examination Mr. Coulter testified that the collateral was in the form of notes “to different ones.”

“Q. We told you we would let the decree stand of record so long as you kept the payments up? A. No you didn’t. I told Brinn to get me up á statement of what was due and I would make some adjustment or give him a deed. ... I am about nine months behind. There was a second mortgage to Mrs. Mattie E. Perdue for $70.”

John Brinn, secretary-treasurer, testified that he remembered when the decree of foreclosure was taken; that he did not agree with Mr. Coulter to dismiss the case and set the decree aside.

“Q. Just what agreement, if any, did you have with Mr. Coulter? A. There wasn’t any agreement. Mr. Coulter asked me to get him up a statement of what was due to date, which I did, and which I think amounted to $328.17, which he paid February 26, 1936. There was nothing said about the decree being set aside. After that time (August 28, 1936) he paid $50. I talked with him off and on and he said he was going to try and pay it up; that he would either pay up or give us a deed before it was advertised.”

Brinn further testified that the collateral notes referred to were in his office; that they were being- held for Mrs. Perdue, having- been put up to secure the second mortgage.

J. S. Brooks testified that after the decree was rendered Mr. Coulter went to Brinn and wanted to pay the loan up to date. “Brinn came to me and talked to me about it, and I told him to advise Mr. Coulter that so long as he kept his payments up to date there would be no sale under the decree. Some few days after the decree was taken Mr. Coulter sent over to my office an agreement for me to sign, and I refused to sign it. He paid some over $328, and later paid $50, which is credited on the decree.. Along in the early part of this year [1937] the matter was so delinquent that I, on January 28, wrote him as follows: ‘For the past two weeks I have been trying to get Mr. Brinn to contact you with reference to the delinquent payments to the first Federal Savings & Loan Association, but have been unable to do so. It is apparent that we must proceed to sell this property under our decree, unless you are willing to give us a deed to it, together with the possession of the property. Please telephone me, or let me hear from you by return mail immediately on receipt of this letter, otherwise we will have to proceed without further notice. ’

“On February 9 I wrote him as follows: ‘I again desire to call your attention to your delinquent loan with the First Federal Savings & Loan Association of El Dorado. You will recall that I asked you about this Saturday morning on the ’phone, and that you stated you would give this matter your attention the first of the week. Please let me know about this matter by noon tomorrow, Wednesday; that is, pay the .loan up or give me a deed. Otherwise, the notice of sale of this property will go into the Huttig News on Thursday of this week.’ We did advertise the sale and sold it, and Mrs. Perdue bid it in on her second mortgage. Mr. Coulter said we sold it for too much. The record shows that we bid all that was due, and there is no deficiency judgment.”

On cross-examination Mr. Brooks was asked if he bid all that was due, and replied, “All that was alleged in the complaint.”

“Q. Then.you didn’t have $700 coming and you bid $700, so you bid more than you had the right to bid, and there is some $400 more than was due, and something will have to be done about it. If you bid it in for $700, then there was $400 that should have gone to the property owner — that would be true, wouldn’t it? A. No.”

The property was duly advertised, and the sale was had on March 5, 1937. In his report, the commissioner said: “At such sale so made and had. First Federal Savings & Loan Association of El Dorado bid and offered the sum of $700, and that being the highest bid, the same was struck off and sold to it for that sum, $700.”

Assignments of error are: “(1) That the trial court' erred in refusing to make a finding of fact to the effect that there was an agreement between appellants and appellee to set aside the decree. (2) That the trial court erred in overruling the objections and exceptions of appellants to the confirmation of the sale, and in confirming such sale, over the objections and exceptions of appellants, for the following reasons: (a) Ruth Williams was named by the court in the decree as special commissioner to make the sale, whereas the sale was made by L. B.

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Bluebook (online)
111 S.W.2d 921, 195 Ark. 100, 1937 Ark. LEXIS 187, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/coulter-v-first-federal-savings-loan-assn-of-el-dorado-ark-1937.