Federal Deposit Insurance v. General Investments, Inc.

522 F. Supp. 1061, 1981 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18005
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Wisconsin
DecidedSeptember 18, 1981
Docket78-C-234
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 522 F. Supp. 1061 (Federal Deposit Insurance v. General Investments, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Wisconsin primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Federal Deposit Insurance v. General Investments, Inc., 522 F. Supp. 1061, 1981 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18005 (E.D. Wis. 1981).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

WARREN, District Judge.

In this civil action, plaintiff Federal Deposit Insurance Company seeks payment on two promissory notes from General Investments, Inc. and Ray H. Dittmore. The first promissory note has a face amount of $135,-600.00, $47,969.69 of which allegedly remains unpaid (“the $47,969.69 note”). The second promissory note has a face amount of $511,000.00, all of which allegedly remains unpaid (“the $511,000.00 note”). FDIC, which is seeking collection in its corporate capacity pursuant to 12 U.S.C. § 1819, has moved for summary judgment. In addition, FDIC, as receiver of American City Bank (American), seeks summary judgment dismissing the third party actions filed by the defendants against it.

I. Background

Before resolving the pending motions, the Court will briefly discuss the parties involved in this action and undertake a review of the events surrounding the creation of the notes in controversy.

A. Parties involved.

Defendant Dittmore is president and principal shareholder of Universal Telephone Incorporated (UTI), a company he founded in about 1960. FDIC alleges Dittmore is liable on the two promissory notes as a guarantor.

Defendant General Investments, Inc. (GII), under a different name, was originally a subsidiary of UTI. Sometime in the late 1960’s, UTI sold it to Harold Townsend, who was at that time a UTI employee. Townsend remained as president of GII until his death in March of 1978. At that time, Richard G. Froemming purchased GII and became its president. Froemming also is Dittmore’s assistant at UTI. FDIC alleges GII is liable as debtor on the two promissory notes.

*1063 FDIC is not the original creditor on the two notes. The notes were entered into by GII and American in 1973 and 1974. However, on October 21, 1975, the Comptroller of the Currency declared American insolvent and terminated its powers and existence as a national banking association. Immediately thereafter, the FDIC was appointed receiver for American. On that date the receiver, pursuant to an order of this Court, entered into a contract providing for the sale of certain assets of American, including the promissory notes in question, to the FDIC, in its corporate capacity, pursuant to 12 U.S.C. § 1823.

B. The $47,969.69 note.

The origins of the $47,969.69 note date back to 1969 when a Mr. Harold Meister pledged, inter alia, 54,630 shares of $1.00 par value Series AA Convertible Preference Special Stock of UTI with American in order to obtain a $2,500,000.00 loan. UTI guaranteed the loan and, in addition, pledged as collateral shares of Continental Bank stock it had purchased from Meister.

On June 1, 1971, Meister satisfied his indebtedness with American by releasing to the bank certain real estate and all his rights, title and interest in the 26,747 shares of UTI AA preferred stock still held by the bank as collateral.

On January 4, 1972, GII purchased the 26,747 shares of UTI stock from American for $863,523.00. In order to purchase the stock, GII borrowed the purchase price of the stock from the bank. GII pledged the UTI stock as collateral for the loan. In addition, UTI executed a limited guarantee for the loan and pledged as collateral an $863,253.00 certificate of deposit. The note and all renewals specifically provided the dividends on the pledged stock would be applied on the loan.

On January 2, 1973, UTI paid American $546,653.00 toward satisfaction of .Gil’s $863,253.00 indebtedness thereby reducing the amount owed to American on the first note to $316,600.00.

On June 28,1973, GII, UTI and American entered into an agreement in which UTI’s guarantee on the loan was canceled and replaced by Dittmore’s personal guarantee of “the balance of Gil’s loan up to a maximum of $316,600.00 or balances as they may be reduced.” In the agreement, GII gave Dittmore an option to buy any part or all of the UTI stock pledged to American. The agreement also stated that the dividends on the preference stock were to be paid to American to pay the interest and principal on the loan.

In October of 1973, GII reduced its indebtedness to $135,600.00 and executed a new note. Finally, in November of 1973, GII further reduced the amount outstanding to $47,969.69 and Dittmore executed a new guarantee.

C. The $511,000.00 note.

The history of the second note is nearly as convoluted as the history of the first note. In July of 1972, GII borrowed $500,-000.00 from Colonial Bank & Trust of Chicago to purchase 11,644 shares of American Bankshares Corporation stock from Dittmore. The note pertaining to this loan was executed on July 11, 1972 and was guaranteed by Dittmore.

The July, 1972, note was renewed on several occasions by Colonial before being discharged in April of 1973 with the proceeds of a new loan in a like amount from American. That note was renewed once by American. In July, 1973, the American loan was discharged by a new loan from First National Bank of Waukesha (Waukesha). In September, 1973, the Waukesha loan was discharged and replaced by a new loan from Suburban Bank and Trust Co. of Oak Park, Illinois (Suburban). In March 1973, the Suburban note was discharged by a new Colonial note. In May, 1974, the note to Colonial was purchased by American. That note was then discharged and replaced by the $511,000.00 note sued upon.

The American note purchased from Colonial was not paid at maturity on June 19, 1974. According to FDIC, American extended the note to August 19, 1974 on July 5, 1974.

*1064 The defendants contend that during a meeting on July 3, 1974, Harold Erickson, the president of American, met with Dittmore and Townsend and “stated that he [Erickson] had decided to reduce Gil’s indebtedness on the $511,000 [note] by approximately $400,000 and to charge no more interest on the balance, but he could not give a final figure until his internal auditors reviewed the credit and the reserves.” (GIFs brief in opposition to summary judgment, p. 7.) No written agreement memorializing the write-down was ever executed. In addition, in an October 13, 1975 letter to Dittmore, Townsend informed Dittmore that American City Bank would renew $547,000.00 of GIFs note on a 20-year amortization level payment basis at $4,575.33 per month which included payments for interest. The letter further stated that the amount of GIFs notes at American City Bank was $558,969.69. Dittmore acknowledged his agreement with Townsend’s letter by signing it October 14, 1975.

D. Later Activity.

As stated earlier, American was declared insolvent on October 21, 1975. On November 11, 1975, the FDIC contacted GII requesting prompt attention to the loans. On January 21, 1976, Townsend informed James Hudson, liquidator for the FDIC, that GII would attempt to liquidate its obligations as follows:

(a) As GII receives the $4,575.33 monthly proceeds from Ray H.

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Bluebook (online)
522 F. Supp. 1061, 1981 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18005, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/federal-deposit-insurance-v-general-investments-inc-wied-1981.