Fidelity Bank National Ass'n v. Aldrich

998 F. Supp. 717, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21090, 1997 WL 866977
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Texas
DecidedDecember 30, 1997
DocketNo. Civ.A. 3-95-2566-H
StatusPublished

This text of 998 F. Supp. 717 (Fidelity Bank National Ass'n v. Aldrich) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fidelity Bank National Ass'n v. Aldrich, 998 F. Supp. 717, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21090, 1997 WL 866977 (N.D. Tex. 1997).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

SANDERS, Senior District Judge.

Before the Court is Comptroller of the Currency’s Motion To Dismiss Or, In the Alternativé, Motion For Summary Judgment, filed May 2, 1997, and pleadings related thereto.

[720]*720I. BACKGROUND

On February 4, 1994, Fidelity Bank National Association (“Fidelity”) and Interstate National Bank (“Interstate”) executed a Plan of Merger and Acquisition (“Plan”) and a Merger Agreement. Under the Plan, Fidelity agreed to purchase the assets of Interstate and merge all assets into Fidelity, with Fidelity being the resulting bank. The merger was consummated on July 13, 1995, because only twenty-three shareholders representing 68,183 shares of stock (i.e., less than one third of the outstanding stock) voted (according to the alleged dissenting shareholders (“Dissenters”)) either by proxy, or in person before or at a meeting of the shareholders, against the merger between Fidelity and Interstate.1 Following the July 13,1995, merger, Dissenters purported to deliver then-interstate common stock certificates to Fidelity on August 1, 1995. On September 11, 1995, Fidelity advised Dissenters that such delivered shares were not endorsed and that Fidelity did not therefore agree that dissenter’s rights were perfected.

This lawsuit was originally filed by Fidelity in. State District Court which, on October 17, 1995, issued a Temporary, Restraining Order by which Dissenters were restrained from exercising . their dissenting . shareholder rights. Only after removal to Federal Court and this Court’s November 3,1995, refusal to grant a Temporary Restraining Order as requested by Fidelity were Dissenters able to appeal to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”) for an appraisal. Subsequently, Dissenters’ counsel William Odeneal (“Odeneal”) requested, by letter dated November 6, 1995, that the' OCC appraise the dissenters’ shares and, in so doing, determine that they had perfected their rights by-complying with the provisions set forth in- 12 U.S.C. § 215a(b). On December' 22, 1995, Fidelity sent a letter to the OCC alleging that Dissenters had failed to perfect their rights for various reasons. On May 6, 1996, the OCC sent to Odeneal a thorough and detailed letter in support of their conclusion that Dissenters had in fact perfected then-rights and were therefore entitled to an OCC appraisal.2 The OCC issued its appraisal on September 23, 1996, showing a value of $20.74/share.

On November 15, 1996, Fidelity filed its First Amended Complaint adding the OCC as a defendant and seeking a declaratory judgment from this Court that Dissenters did not perfect their rights and, alternatively, requesting this Court to set aside the OCC’s valuation of the shares at issue in this case. Dissenters filed an amended answer and counterclaim, seeking damages for tort, breach of contract, and securities fraud.

On December 2,1996, Fidelity tendered to this Court a cashier’s check for $1,300,662.88 pursuant to the Court’s order granting its motion for interpleader. Fidelity represents this figure to be the amount due to the dissenting shareholders based on the OCC appraisal of $20.74/share from which Fidelity deducts the sum of $1.38 per share which it claims that it has previously paid to Dissenters.3 Such a claim is erroneous, according to Dissenters, because it is based upon an agreement relating to consideration paid to assenting, not dissenting shareholders.

Thus, Dissenters assert that, pursuant to the relevant provisions of the National Banking Act, 12 U.S.C. § 215(a), et seq., the OCC appraisal is reasonable, is not arbitrary and capricious, is final and binding, and that Fidelity should promptly pay the appraisal price per share in the total sum of $1,393,-375.42 to Dissenters without any deduction for allegedly wrongful prior payments.4

[721]*721II. APPRAISAL

A. Standard Under' the Administrative Procedure Act (“APA”), 5 U.S.C. § 706(2) (West 1977), any agency action müst be set aside if the action was “arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with the law or if the action failed to meet statutory, procedural, or constitutional requirements.” See Camp v. Pitts, 411 U.S. 138, 93 S.Ct. 1241, 36 L.Ed.2d 106 (1973). When the issue is whether the OCC has acted within the' limitations imposed upon it by federal law, the standard of review is de novo. Ghiglieri v. Sun World, National Association, 942 F.Supp. 1111, 1114 (W.D.Tex.1996), rev’d on other grounds, 117 F.3d 309 (5th Cir.1997). However, the arbitrary and capricious standard applies to factual controversies. Id.

B. Judicial Review of the OCC’s Methodology The standard of review of the OCC’s appraisal is arbitrary and capricious. Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v. Volpe, 401 U.S. 402, 414, 91 S.Ct. 814, 28 L.Ed.2d 136 (1971). Title 12 U.S.C. Section 215 contains no guidance for the OCC’s appraisal. Thus, the Supreme Court has held that the Court must consider whether the decision was based on a consideration of the relevant factors and whether there has been a clear error of judgment. Id. Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v. Volpe, 401 U.S. 402, 416, 91 S.Ct. 814, 28 L.Ed.2d 136 (1971).

The OCC’s appraisal was done in accordance with the peer group approach and utilized both the investment value and adjusted book value to reach a final figure.5 In arriving at the appraised valúe, the OCC gave a weight of 25% to the adjusted book value and 75% to the investment value. Administrative Record (“AR”) at 20. Market value was determined by the OCC not to be readily available and, therefore, was given no weight. AR at 16.

The Court in Boone v. Carlsbad Bancorporation, Inc., 972 F.2d 1545, 1553 (10th Cir.1992), held that it is not for a reviewing court to tell an administrative agency to delve into new methodology and forge new standards. Thus, the Boone Court supported the peer group approach utilized in this case, stating that market value should not be taken into account when the stock is too thinly traded, or where the market for the stock is not dependable.

The OCC correctly contends that the methodology employed was entirely consistent with the methodology set forth in the OCC’s Banking Issuance on Stock Appraisals and, further, that the OCC provided Fidelity with a detailed analysis in support of the appraisal. (AR 13-28). This Court finds the OCC’s methodology to be reasonable and its supporting explanation to be adequate.

In Berens v. Ludwig, 953 F.Supp.

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Related

Ghiglieri v. Sun World National Ass'n
117 F.3d 309 (Fifth Circuit, 1997)
Citizens to Preserve Overton Park, Inc. v. Volpe
401 U.S. 402 (Supreme Court, 1971)
Camp v. Pitts
411 U.S. 138 (Supreme Court, 1973)
Clarke v. Securities Industry Assn.
479 U.S. 388 (Supreme Court, 1987)
Thomas Jefferson University v. Shalala
512 U.S. 504 (Supreme Court, 1994)
Keeffe v. Citizens and Northern Bank
808 F.2d 246 (Third Circuit, 1986)
Raab v. Villager Industries, Inc.
355 A.2d 888 (Supreme Court of Delaware, 1976)
Berens v. Ludwig
953 F. Supp. 249 (N.D. Illinois, 1997)
Ghiglieri v. Sun World, National Ass'n
942 F. Supp. 1111 (W.D. Texas, 1996)

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Bluebook (online)
998 F. Supp. 717, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21090, 1997 WL 866977, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fidelity-bank-national-assn-v-aldrich-txnd-1997.