Easley v. First National Bank

200 S.E. 603, 172 Va. 94, 1939 Va. LEXIS 224
CourtSupreme Court of Virginia
DecidedJanuary 9, 1939
DocketRecord No. 2010
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 200 S.E. 603 (Easley v. First National Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Easley v. First National Bank, 200 S.E. 603, 172 Va. 94, 1939 Va. LEXIS 224 (Va. 1939).

Opinions

Eggleston, J.,

delivered the opinion of the court.

The main question involved in this litigation is whether the First National Bank of Lynchburg has the right to hold as collateral security for the total individual indebtedness of Charles B. Easley to it, certain shares of stock, the property of A. Horsley Easley, which were originally deposited with the bank as collateral security for a loan of $11,000 made by the bank to Charles B. Easley.

The suit was instituted by A. Horsley Easley in the Circuit Court of the city of Lynchburg, and was transferred [97]*97to the Circuit Court of Amherst county, where it proceeded until the entry of a final decree adverse to the complainant and from which this appeal has been taken.

The pertinent facts are these: Just prior to October 1, 1923, Charles B. Easley was desirous of purchasing fifty-five shares of stock of the Craddock-Terry Company, which had been offered to him at $200 per share. In order to make this purchase it was necessary that he borrow $11,000. Not having sufficient securities of his own, in addition to the stock to be purchased, to deposit as collateral for the loan, he approached his brother, A. Horsley Easley, who agreed to “see him through” or “help him out” on the loan.

On October 1, 1923, Charles B. Easley, who was then a director in the First National Bank of Lynchburg, called upon E. P. Miller, the president of the bank, asked for a loan of $11,000, explained its purpose, and told Miller of A. Horsley Easley’s willingness to furnish the necessary collateral to secure it. Pursuant to a telephone call A. Horsley Easley came to the bank, went to his lockbox in the vault and produced two stock certificates, one for one hundred shares of Norfolk & Western Railway Company common stock, and the other for fifty shares of Northern Pacific Railway Company common stock, each standing in the name of “Andrew H. Easley.” He showed these certificates to Miller and was assured that the stocks were of ample value to secure the loan. Thereupon the Norfolk & Western certificate was endorsed in blank in pencil, “A. H. Easley,” and the Northern Pacific certificate was endorsed in blank in ink, ‘“Andrew H. Easley.” Both signatures were witnessed in pencil by Charles B. Easley and J. D. Owen, the latter being the cashier of the bank.

Subsequently, in 1930, there was attached to each certificate of stock a blank assignment, each signed in ink, “Andrew H. Easley,” and witnessed in ink by an officer of the bank. This was due to the fact that some question had arisen as to the manner in which the certificates had been previously endorsed or witnessed, and is, we think, of no particular significance.

[98]*98Having endorsed the certificates A. Horsley Easley placed them on Miller’s desk, at which both Miller and Charles B. Easley were sitting, and left the bank. Nothing was said by any of the parties at this conference as to what form of note was to be used, how Tong it should run, or how it should be curtailed. Nothing was said as to whether these stocks might or might not be used to secure any other indebtedness of Charles B. Easley to the bank. Nor does it appear that there was any express understanding between A. Horsley Easley and Charles B. Easley as to any of these matters.

After A. Horsley Easley had left the bank Charles B. Easley signed the usual collateral form of note which had been in use by the bank for some thirty-odd years. We shall later deal with the provisions of this particular note. Suffice it to say for the present that both of the Easley brothers were familiar with its provisions, since they had been frequent borrowers at the bank and had often signed notes containing the identical stipulations.

The original note was dated October 1, 1923, and matured on April 1, 1924. The description of the collateral pledged therewith, namely, the two railway stocks and the fifty-five shares of Craddock-Terry Company stock, was written in the note.

The note was renewed for successive periods of six months and was curtailed from time to time. On April 1, 1925, it had been reduced to $3,500. Thereafter it was continued at this amount until April 1, 1927, when it was consolidated with another note of Charles B. Easley for $2,500, which had been made in October, 1926, and for the payment of which the same collateral had been pledged. There were several renewals of the consolidated note of $6,000, and later the bank loaned Charles B. Easley additional sums. Each time the railway stocks were pledged as security therefor. By October 17, 1936, Charles B. Easley’s indebtedness, with accumulated interest, had increased to $23,666.36, represented by a single note for that amount, due on April 7, 1937, and secured by the Norfolk & Western stock, the Northern Pacific stock and other collateral.

[99]*99During the previous ten or twelve years the Easley brothers had been borrowing considerable sums from the bank, both individually and jointly. At the time of the institution of this suit, in February, 1937, in addition to the above note of Charles B. Easley, the bank held the individual note of A. Horsley Easley for $30,123, and the joint note of the two brothers for $36,217.34. These notes were likewise the result of consolidated loans and were secured by various items of collateral which had been pledged and re-pledged as the debts increased.

In the meantime, on February 10,1936, A. Horsley Easley, who was then in Wytheville on business, wrote the president of the bank asking the latter’s advice as to making a sale of the “rail stocks I loaned Charlie.” The president replied that it was probably advisable to sell these stocks, but that in the event of a sale the proceeds would be applied by the bank first to the payment of Charles B. Easley’s personal note of $22,241.55, maturing the following April 7th, and the balance to the joint note of Charles B. Easley and A. Horsley Easley.

To this letter A. Horsley Easley promptly replied, denying the right of the bank to hold said stocks for anything beyond the balance due on the original loan of $11,000. During the succeeding months several letters were exchanged between A. Horsley Easley and the president of the bank, in which each reasserted his position with reference to the bank’s holding the collateral as security for the total individual indebtedness of Charles B. Easley.

A. Horsley Easley testified that the president’s letter to him of February 11, 1936, was the first intimation he had that the bank was holding his railway stocks to secure any indebtedness of Charles B. Easley other than the balance due on the original loan of $11,000. He further testified that during the intervening period of more than twelve years he had made no inquiry of the bank as to the status of the original loan which the bank had made to his brother, —as to whether the loan had been curtailed or paid, or as [100]*100to what had become of his valuable railway stocks which had been deposited as security therefor. According to his further testimony he made no inquiry of his brother as to the status of the loan until December, 1935, when he was told that it had been reduced to $7,000. And this, by the way, was incorrect as the note had been reduced to half that amount.

In December, 1936, A. Horsley Easley wrote the bank ■ offering to pay the balance due on the original note of $11,-000, to secure which the railway stocks had originally been pledged, provided it would return the stocks to him.

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Bluebook (online)
200 S.E. 603, 172 Va. 94, 1939 Va. LEXIS 224, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/easley-v-first-national-bank-va-1939.