Dominguez v. Federal Deposit Insurance

90 F.R.D. 595, 1981 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17991
CourtDistrict Court, D. Puerto Rico
DecidedJune 11, 1981
DocketCiv. No. 80-1720 (PG)
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 90 F.R.D. 595 (Dominguez v. Federal Deposit Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Puerto Rico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dominguez v. Federal Deposit Insurance, 90 F.R.D. 595, 1981 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17991 (prd 1981).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

PEREZ-GIMENEZ, District Judge.

The present case is submitted on the basis of stipulation of facts, documents, the translated transcript of plaintiff’s deposition, and legal memoranda. Plaintiff filed a motion submitting his case on the basis of the brief filed by Manuel de Jesús, defendant in Civil Case No. 80-0074.

Only procedural and slightly factual differences exist between the present case and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation v. Manuel de Jesús Vélez, 514 F.Supp. 829. Plaintiff, Luis Dominguez, commenced this action for declaratory judgment in the Superior Court of Puerto Rico on July 24, 1979, and defendant filed a petition for removal to this Court, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1446, which was granted. Subsequently, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation1 in its corporate capacity, filed its answer and counterclaim against plaintiff. In both cases the FDIC is trying to collect on promissory notes in the principal amount of $25,-000 which it acquired from the FDIC as Receiver of Banco de Ahorro de Puerto Rico [597]*597(hereinafter referred to as the Bank), pursuant to the provisions of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, particularly 12 U.S.C. § 1823(e).

Both Messrs. Luis Domínguez and Manuel de Jesús Vélez alleged the existence of an agreement to the effect that the notes would not be collected until redemption by the Bank of $25,000 in debentures owned by each one of them which had been pledged as collateral security for the loans, and in both cases the FDIC, in its corporate capacity, attacked the validity and enforceability of the alleged agreements.

One of the principal issues presented in FDIC v. Manuel de Jesús Vélez, which is the only issue presented in the case herein, concerns the validity and enforceability of the alleged agreement.

From the evidence submitted by the parties we make the following findings:

Banco de Ahorro de Puerto Rico, a banking institution organized under the provisions of the Savings Bank Act of Puerto Rico, 7 L.P.R.A. 1001-1046, had insured its deposits with the FDIC in accordance with the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, 12 U.S.C. § 1811, et seq. The Bank was closed on September 5, 1978, after the Secretary of the Treasury determined that it was insolvent. The FDIC was tendered appointment as receiver of the Bank under 7 L.P.R.A. 1031(a), and the FDIC accepted said appointment, pursuant to 12 U.S.C. § 1821(e). Said appointment provided for the purchase of some of the assets and assumptions of deposit liabilities by another bank. The assets not accepted by the assuming bank can be bought by the FDIC in its corporate capacity. As Receiver, the FDIC entered into transactions with the FDIC in its corporate capacity, as authorized by the Secretary of the Treasury of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and approved by the order of the Superior Court of Puerto Rico, dated September 5, 1978. Plaintiff’s note was among the assets purchased by the FDIC from the Receiver of the Bank.

Plaintiff, a member of the Board of Directors of the Bank from the year 1967 until his resignation in April 26, 1976, was the owner of twenty five debentures issued by the Bank, with a face value of $1,000 each, which were due and payable on April 15,1976. The minutes of the April 26,1976, meeting of the Board of Directors reflect the discussion of the Bank’s precarious condition and the Secretary of the Treasury’s suggestion that redemption of the debentures be postponed until April 15, 1981. A letter dated June 24, 1976, signed by the President of the Bank, Héctor Ceinós, oh which plaintiff relies, provided that the loan would not be called for payment until redemption of plaintiff’s debentures, the maturity of which had been extended to April 15, 1981, and further provided, that the debentures were pledged as collateral security for the loan, and that in spite of a 7V2% interest bn the loan, plaintiff would only be liable for payment of interest to the extent of interest paid by the Bank on the debentures, at 6%. The alleged agreement was never discussed, approved or ratified by the Board of Directors or the Bank’s loan committee. Nor did it ever form part of the Bank’s official records.

On June 24, 1976, the Bank issued two checks in the sum of $22,500 and $2,500, and plaintiff delivered the debentures to the Bank as collateral security for the loan. Plaintiff did not pay interest on his obligation except for certain sums deducted by the Bank from his savings account. Banco de Ahorro paid interest on the debentures until April 1978.

The promissory note provided for payment on June 24, 1977. Since the FDIC considered the debentures securing the obligation to be of no value, it decided to enforce collection of the loan.

The loan arrangements involved in this case and in FDIC v. Manuel de Jesús Vélez pursued the same purpose even though the transactions involved were slightly different. Therefore, we are in accord with Judge Gierbolini’s conclusion in FDIC v. Manuel de Jesús Vélez that the arrangement and agreement, evidenced in this case by the letter of June 24, 1976, “was a subterfuge to circumvent legal and contractual [598]*598impediments to redemption of the debentures. 7 L.P.R.A. 1017(b) and 12 U.S.C. 1828(i)(l).”

The Court makes the following conclusions of law:

Legal and contractual limitations precluded payment of the debentures or even their acceptance as security. The Savings Bank Act and the Federal Deposit Insurance Act expressly prohibit the retirement of capital debentures without the prior consent of the FDIC or their acceptance as security.

7 L.P.R.A. 1017(a): “Capital debentures cannot be acquired by the bank nor accepted as security of any kind.”

12 U.S.C. § 1828(i)(l): “No insured state nonmember bank (except a District Bank) shall, without the prior consent of the corporation, reduce the amount or retire any part of its common or preferred stock, or retire any part of its capital notes or debentures.”

These prohibitions were incorporated into the debenture certificate, plus the debentures further provided for the subordination of payment in the event of insolvency to the prior payment of the Bank’s depositors and general creditors. Under the laws of Puerto Rico, 31 L.P.R.A. 3372, and as a matter of federal policy, the alleged agreement which had for its objective the prepayment of plaintiff’s debentures may not contravene law, morals or public order. As such, the agreement was void ab initio. See 31 L.P.R.A., Sections 4 and 3432; Serra v. Salisian Society, 84 PRR 322 (1960), and neither the President of the Bank nor the Board of Directors had any authority to approve or ratify said agreement.

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Related

Federal Deposit Ins. Corp. v. Rivera-Arroyo
645 F. Supp. 511 (D. Puerto Rico, 1986)

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Bluebook (online)
90 F.R.D. 595, 1981 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17991, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dominguez-v-federal-deposit-insurance-prd-1981.