F.D.I.C. v. Warmann

859 S.W.2d 948, 1993 WL 317762
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedAugust 24, 1993
DocketNo. 61952
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 859 S.W.2d 948 (F.D.I.C. v. Warmann) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
F.D.I.C. v. Warmann, 859 S.W.2d 948, 1993 WL 317762 (Mo. Ct. App. 1993).

Opinion

PER CURIAM.

This is an appeal from an order for summary judgment entered by the Circuit Court of St. Louis County. Appellants, Floyd C. Warmann and Stephen C. Bradford, assert on appeal that genuine issues of material fact exist which preclude the entry of summary judgment and further, that affidavits submitted by First Exchange Bank of St. Louis (Bank) in support of its motion for summary judgment fail to controvert all of appellants’ allegations. Respondent, F.D.I.C., contests these allegations and raises a jurisdictional defense claiming the courts of this state no longer have jurisdiction over the case because Bank is currently in FDIC receivership. We find that the Missouri State Courts do have continuing jurisdiction and affirm the judgment of the trial court.

I. Facts

On April 11,1991, Bank filed suit against appellants seeking a deficiency judgment against appellant Warmann’s promissory note, dated March 28, 1989, for $1,050,-000.00 in principal; appellant Bradford’s promissory note, dated March 28, 1989, for $1,050,000.00 in principal; appellant War-mann’s promissory note, dated December 10, 1990, for $64,922.39 in principal; appellant Bradford’s separate promissory note, dated December 10, 1990, for $143,854.50; and appellant Warmann’s guarantee of $52,162.25 of Bradford’s debt. On March 28, 1989, appellants executed a deed of trust on land owned by the two of them in the City and County of St. Louis in the sum of $2,100,000.00. On April 2, 1991, Bank purchased the property at a foreclosure sale for $1,600,000.00.

In June 1991, appellants filed their answer which included counterclaims.

On November 7, 1991, Bank filed its motion for summary judgment. On November 18, 1991, a hearing was held on Bank’s motion for summary judgment. At the hearing, appellants were granted leave and additional time to file suggestions in opposition to the motion. The trial court directed in its November 18 order that the motion for summary judgment would be taken upon the filing of the briefs.

On December 16, 1991, appellants submitted an amended answer and counterclaims along with their suggestions in opposition to Bank’s motion for summary judgment. Appellants filed no affidavits in opposition to Bank’s motion for summary judgment. On December 27, 1991, Bank filed a reply in support of its motion for summary judgment. The motion for summary judgment was taken as submitted per the court’s order of November 18.

On January 16,1992, at a conference, the trial court ordered Bank to prepare an order granting summary judgment in favor of Bank. On January 28, 1992, appellants submitted a motion to file their affidavits and their second amended answer, which contained alleged affirmative defenses and counterclaims, along with a motion urging the court to reconsider the motion for summary judgment. The court in a separate order denied said motion. On the same date, the court granted leave for appellants to file their amended answer and counterclaims and then granted Bank’s motion for summary judgment. The summary judgment order provided that appellant War-mann owed $459,299.12 and appellant Bradford owed $487,850.59.

On February 3, 1992, Bradford and War-mann filed Bradford’s affidavit. On February 11, 1992, appellants filed a motion for rehearing and reconsideration. On April 30, 1992, the trial court denied the motion for rehearing. On May 1, 1992, appellants filed a notice of appeal with the trial court. On May 7, 1992, Bank was determined by the Commissioner of Finance of the State of Missouri to be insolvent and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) was appointed as Bank’s receiver pursuant to 12 U.S.C. section 1821(c)(2)(A)(ii).

Additional facts will be developed as necessary.

[950]*950II. Jurisdiction

Before reaching the merits of the appeal, it is necessary to consider respondent’s reservations regarding the continuing jurisdiction of the state courts to hear this matter in light of Bank’s receivership status. As noted above, the case at bar was reduced to final judgment and notice of appeal was filed in the trial court before Bank entered receivership. The narrow question we address here is whether, once a bank enters receivership with the FDIC, the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction over prereceivership claims which divests the state court system of jurisdiction to hear claims that were initiated in state court prior to receivership.

Respondent’s point, raised for the first time on appeal, challenges the subject matter jurisdiction of both the trial and appellate court to hear this case. “The only issues that are inherent and remain in every appeal are questions concerning subject matter jurisdiction and the sufficiency of the pleadings to state a claim upon which relief can be granted or a legal defense to a claim.” Grippe v. Momtazee, 696 S.W.2d 797, 798 (Mo. banc 1985); Rule 84.13. Thus, respondent’s jurisdictional defense is properly before this court.

In order to better understand respondent’s contention, a brief overview of the recent law concerning banks in FDIC receivership is useful. In 1989, the United States Congress enacted the Financial Institutions Reform and Recovery Enforcement Act (FIRREA). Pub.L. No. 101-73, 103 Stat. 183 (1989). FIRREA was enacted in response to the numerous financial problems experienced by the savings and loan industry in recent years. FIRREA’s purpose was to regulate and remedy, through numerous, comprehensive provisions, problems with the previously existing regulatory scheme. See Rosa v. Resolution Trust Corporation, 938 F.2d 383, 388 (3d Cir. 1991) (citing H.Rep. No. 101-54(1), 101st Cong., 1st Sess. 291-312, reprinted in 1989 U.S.Code Cong. & Admin.News 86, 87-108 (detailing history and purposes of FIR-REA)). One of FIRREA’s purposes was to form a new corporation, known as the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC), to administer the affairs of failed thrift institutions. Id.; 12 U.S.C. § 1811 note (West 1989). The RTC took over the functions of the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation (FSLIC) with respect to handling failed savings and loan institutions.

As part of the new regulatory scheme under FIRREA, the FDIC coordinates the administrative claims procedure in which claimants are required to submit their claims before seeking judicial review. See Marquis v. Federal Deposit Ins. Corp., 779 F.Supp. 6, 7 (D.N.H.1991) (describing the administrative claims procedure). After claimants have exhausted their administrative claims, the statute specifies that a claimant may seek administrative review of a claim or, alternatively, may file an action in the proper federal court. 12 U.S.C. § 1821(d)(6)(A)(ii). During the pendency of the administrative process, all claims against the financial institution are suspended. The statute, however, specifies that pre-receivership claims, which are suspended during the administrative process, may be continued after that process is complete. Id. On this basis, we believe, pre-receivership actions filed in state court are properly continued after receivership.

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Bluebook (online)
859 S.W.2d 948, 1993 WL 317762, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fdic-v-warmann-moctapp-1993.