First Nat. Bank in Grand Prairie v. H. Hentz & Co., Inc.

498 S.W.2d 478, 13 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. (West) 525, 1973 Tex. App. LEXIS 2743
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedAugust 2, 1973
Docket5259
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 498 S.W.2d 478 (First Nat. Bank in Grand Prairie v. H. Hentz & Co., Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
First Nat. Bank in Grand Prairie v. H. Hentz & Co., Inc., 498 S.W.2d 478, 13 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. (West) 525, 1973 Tex. App. LEXIS 2743 (Tex. Ct. App. 1973).

Opinions

HALL, Justice.

Plaintiff, H. Hentz & Co., Inc., is a licensed securities broker. It brought this action against First National Bank in Grand Prairie (hereinafter “Bank”) to recover $62,248.41. Plaintiff pleaded that it delivered Bank this sum as the proceeds of sales of stock of Medical Development Corporation (hereinafter “MDC”) made by plaintiff while acting as agent and broker for Bank, and that Bank delivered forged stock certificates to plaintiff in settlement of the sales. Plaintiff pleaded other facts which would entitle it to a recovery of that amount from Bank on theories of unjust enrichment, mutual mistake and failure of consideration. , Alternatively, plaintiff sought recovery of $78,687.50, the sum it was allegedly required to expend to purchase valid MDC shares on the open market to satisfy the sales after Bank refused to do so. Additionally, plaintiff sought prejudgment interest.

Bank answered that the stock in question “was pledged at defendant Bank as collateral for a loan to Harry S. Scaling by Harry S. Scaling and John B. Baird”; that Bank was never the owner of the stock; that it never had “the capacity to direct or authorize plaintiff to sell” the shares; that in all transactions complained of by plaintiff it “acted as an intermediary and as such warranted only that the Bank acted honestly and in good faith in the sale of the subject securities” and “this warranty was complied with fully”; that the money received from plaintiff for the sale of the fraudulent stock “was used to pay the note of Harry S. Scaling” with the remainder credited to Scaling’s personal account; and that the bank never received the money “on its own behalf or for its own benefit.” In a third-party claim against Scaling and Baird, Bank alleged that in December, 1970, they “borrowed $60,000 from Bank and delivered to the Bank as collateral for said loan” the MDC stock in question; that Scaling and Baird determined to sell the stock and informed Bank and plaintiff of their wish to do so; that the sale was “accomplished through the Bank’s ‘customer account’ with plaintiff as an accommodation” to Scaling and Baird and without charge to them by Bank; that if the stock certificates were in fact forgeries, then Scaling and Baird, and not Bank, are responsible to plaintiff. Bank sought judgment of indemnity against Scaling and Baird for any recovery awarded plaintiff against Bank.

After a trial without a jury, judgment was rendered January 5, 1973, in favor of plaintiff against the Bank for the sum of $62,248.41, with interest thereon at 6% per annum from February 9, 1971. Judgment in a like amount was rendered in favor of the Bank over and against Scaling and Baird.

In response to motions by both parties, the court filed findings of fact and conclusions of law. From those findings, we glean the following facts: Bank established a securities account with plaintiff which was styled by them “First National Bank of Grand Prairie Customers’ Account.” Beginning about October 1, 1970, and continuing into February, 1971, Bank forwarded various securities to plaintiff from time to time with instructions to sell the same. Plaintiff sold the securities as instructed and remitted the proceeds to Bank. Some of the sales were made by Bank on loan collaterals, and the proceeds [480]*480were applied by Bank in liquidation of the loans. Other such sales effected by plaintiff on instructions from Bank were made pursuant to instructions given by the Bank’s customers to the Bank and the proceeds therefrom may or may not have been used to liquidate collateral for loans owing to the Bank. Plaintiff would confirm each sale made through Bank’s “customer account” by written confirmation to Bank which showed Bank as plaintiff’s customer. Monthly statements of account were regularly sent to Bank by plaintiff showing charges and credits made to Bank’s “customer account.” Bank made no objections to any of these transactions and did not protest any of the confirmations or monthly statements. Bank settled each of the trades in accordance with the terms of the confirmations, until on or about February 11, 1971. On December 29, 1970, Harry S. Scaling borrowed $60,000 from Bank and executed a promissory note therefor. John B. Baird owned two certificates purportedly evidencing 5,000 shares of MDC stock. With Baird’s permission, Scaling “pledged and delivered” the certificates “to the Bank as collateral for the loan.” In the month of January, 1971, “with the consent and authorization of the Bank and Scaling,” plaintiff made sales through Bank’s “customer account” of 4,800 shares of MDC stock “so pledged to the Bank”, for the total net price of $62,248.41. Plaintiff had no knowledge of Baird’s interest in these securities at the time of the sales. As each sale was effected, plaintiff forwarded to Bank, and Bank received and held, copies of confirmations of the sales. Each confirmation expressly provided that the sale was made by plaintiff as broker for the Bank in that particular transaction, and showed Bank as plaintiff’s customer. Bank did not protest or object to the contents of any confirmation within ten days after the receipt thereof.1 On January 8, 1971, Bank, with Scaling’s authorization, delivered two purported certificates of MDC stock to plaintiff in settlement of the sales effected, and to be effected, by plaintiff.2 The certificates were “forgeries and nullities.” However, at the time the certificates were delivered to plaintiff, they appeared regular and negotiable in every respect, and neither Bank nor plaintiff had any notice or knowledge that they were invalid. On or before the settlement date set forth in each sale confirmation, plaintiff remitted to Bank the net proceeds of the sale. Each check and remittance by plaintiff was made payable to the Bank in settlement of the trade. The net proceeds of all of the sales ($62,248.41) was paid by January 26, 1971. Bank retained the proceeds of the sales, applied them in full payment of Scaling’s loan, and deposited the balance above the loan with Bank to the account of Scaling. Rules of Practice of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., required plaintiff to deliver to the purchasing brokers 4,800 valid shares of MDC stock in negotiable and readily transferrable forth not later than February 9, 1971, else the purchasing brokers could buy in such shares on the open market and charge the cost thereof to [481]*481plaintiff. After receiving notice that the certificates were invalid, on February 9, 1971, plaintiff made demand in writing upon Bank to deliver good shares by February 12, 1971. Bank failed to make delivery, and plaintiff then went into the open market, purchased 4,800 shares ‘ of MDC stock at a total cost to plaintiff of $78,687.-50, and delivered those shares to the purchasing brokers in settlement of the sales. Plaintiff was compelled to make the “buy-in” of the valid shares in order to protect itself from claims of the purchasing brokers. The $62,248.41 paid by plaintiff to Bank was paid in reliance upon a mutually mistaken belief by plaintiff and Bank that the two certificates were genuine, validly issued, properly endorsed and readily transferrable certificates. The sole consideration for plaintiff’s payment to Bank of the sum of $62,248.41 was to be the delivery to plaintiff of genuine certificates for 4,800 shares of MDC stock, validly issued, properly endorsed and readily transferra-ble. Bank has been unjustly enriched to the extent of $62,248.41 by reason of the payment of such funds to Bank by plaintiff which has lost the use thereof since February 9, 1971. Bank received no brokerage fees or benefits from the stock sales other than the repayment of the loan to Scaling.

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First Nat. Bank in Grand Prairie v. H. Hentz & Co., Inc.
498 S.W.2d 478 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1973)

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Bluebook (online)
498 S.W.2d 478, 13 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. (West) 525, 1973 Tex. App. LEXIS 2743, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/first-nat-bank-in-grand-prairie-v-h-hentz-co-inc-texapp-1973.