Fidelity Investment Co. v. Hale

510 P.2d 1236, 212 Kan. 321, 1973 Kan. LEXIS 523
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedJune 9, 1973
DocketNo. 46,827
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 510 P.2d 1236 (Fidelity Investment Co. v. Hale) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fidelity Investment Co. v. Hale, 510 P.2d 1236, 212 Kan. 321, 1973 Kan. LEXIS 523 (kan 1973).

Opinion

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Harman, C.:

This is a declaratory judgment action challenging as to plaintiff the application and validity of the trufh-in-lending act (K. S. A. 1972 Supp. 16-801, et seq.), particularly that part requiring annual payment of a fee based on volume of business (16-808 [g] [2]). At issue is liability for fees for the years 1969 through 1973, inasmuch as the act has now been repealed and superseded effective January 1, 1974, by enactment of the uniform consumer credit code (SB 18) at the 1973 legislative session.

Plaintiff is a mortgage banker engaged in the real estate loan business. Defendants are the state consumer credit commissioner and the register of deeds of Sedgwick county. The latter was named in the proceeding because of his duty under our mortgage registration act (K. S. A. 79-3102).

The case was submitted for decision upon the following stipulation:

[322]*322“STIPULATION OF FACT
“1. That the Fidelity Investment Company, a corporation, plaintiff herein, is a mortgage banker in the business of making loans secured by real estate mortgage including purchase money mortgages and first mortgages for purposes other than purchase money.
“2. The Consumer Credit Commissioner of the state of Kansas, a defendant herein, seeks to levy a tax or fee upon the plaintiff under the authority of K. S. A. 1970 Supp. 16-808 based on the volume of noncommercial loans made to individuals by the plaintiff.
“3. That eighty per cent (80%) of such amounts paid to the Consumer Credit Commissioner are used to enforce the Kansas Truth-in-Lending Act as to individuals coming under the act who are ‘non-licensees,’ and twenty per cent (20%) is paid into the state general revenue fund.
“4. The eighty per cent (80%) which the Consumer Credit Commissioner seeks to extract from the plaintiff will not all be spent in policing and regulating the activities of the plaintiff but will all be spent in enforcing the act as to all non-licensees.
“5. Plaintiff is not specifically exempted from K. S. A. 1970 Supp. 16-801 et seq. (Truth-in-Lending Act)
“6. The Truth-in-Lending Act is enforced as to banks, savings and loan associations and credit unions by their respective state commissions, but such lenders are not subject to the volume fee.
“STIPULATIONS AS TO ISSUES OF LAW
“1. Whether K. S. A. 1970 Supp. 16-801 et seq. applies to the plaintiff.
“2. Is the money to be paid under K. S. A. 1970 Supp. 16-808 a fee or a tax.
“3. Does the provision that twenty per cent (20%) of monies collected be paid into the state general revenue fund void the assessment as a revenue collection measure attempted under a police power.
“4. If it is a tax, is it a tax on the privilege of doing business or is it a property tax on the mortgage.
“5. If it is a mortgage tax, is the statute void as violating Article 11, Section 1 of the Constitution of the state of Kansas.”

The trial court concluded the truth-in-lending act was applicable to plaintiff, that the charge contained in 16-808 (g) (2) was a fee for regulatory services and not a revenue raising measure or tax, and the provision for payment into the state general revenue fund of twenty per cent of the fees did not void the assessment as a revenue measure attempted under guise of the state’s police power. The trial court further concluded that in view of these rulings it became unnecessary to decide the remaining issues presented in the stipulation.

From judgment rendered on the foregoing, plaintiff has appealed.

Appellant challenges the act’s applicability to the type of loan [323]*323business it conducts on the ground such activity is not a “consumer” type loan as contemplated by the act. It asserts that as a mortgage banker it has no influence upon or control over the particular sales of real estate involved; that it makes loans to persons who already are the owners of the real estate at the time the loan is made, and also makes purchase money mortgages to those who have previously entered into a purchase contract with the owner of the property. It argues that in the first situation the borrower may have owned the property for years, either from purchase or inheritance, and the transaction has none of the attributes of a “consumer” type loan. In the latter instance — purchase money loans — the argument is the purchase phase of the transaction between the property owner and the purchaser has already been terminated before it as lender enters the picture, again an activity not contemplated by the act as one of consumer type. It contends the purpose of the act is to protect the consumer at the time of sale, that it is not a party to any sale contract, and furthermore, most mortgage bankers function as brokers only and within a thirty to sixty day period assign their mortgages to institutional lenders such as large insurance companies. Upon oral argument we are told by appellant’s counsel that its loans primarily are upon residential property.

Our truth-in-lending law was enacted in 1969 and now appears as a part of K. S. A. 1972 Supp. Article 8. We turn to examination of pertinent parts. Section 802 provides:

“Findings and declaration of purpose. The legislature finds that economic stabilization would be enhanced and the competition among the various financial institutions and other firms engaged in the extension of consumer credit would be strengthened by the informed use of credit. The informed use of credit results from an awareness of the cost thereof by consumers. It is the purpose of this Part to assure a meaningful disclosure of credit terms so that the consumer will be able to compare more readily the various credit terms available to him and avoid the uninformed use of credit.”

Section 803 sets forth the following definitions:

". . . .
“(c) The term person’ means a natural person or an organization.
“(d) The term ‘credit’ means the right granted by a creditor to a debtor to defer payment of debt or to incur debt and defer its payment.
“(e) The term ‘creditor’ refers only to creditors who regularly extend, or arrange for the extension of, credit for which the payment of a finance charge is required, whether in connection with loans, sales of property or services, or otherwise. The provisions of this act apply to any such creditor, irrespective of his or its status as a natural person or any type of organization.
[324]*324“(f) The term credit sale’ refers to any sale with respect to which is extended or arranged by the seller. . . .
“(g) The adjective ‘consumer,’ used with reference to a credit transaction, characterizes the transaction as one in which the party to whom credit is offered or extended is a natural person, and the money, property or services which are the subject of the transaction are primarily for personal, family, household or agricultural purposes.
“(h)

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Related

Attorney General Opinion No.
Kansas Attorney General Reports, 2002

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Bluebook (online)
510 P.2d 1236, 212 Kan. 321, 1973 Kan. LEXIS 523, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fidelity-investment-co-v-hale-kan-1973.