First National Bank of Dalton v. Browning Tufters, Inc. (In Re Browning Tufters Inc.)

3 B.R. 487, 1980 Bankr. LEXIS 5353
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Georgia
DecidedApril 3, 1980
Docket19-51653
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 3 B.R. 487 (First National Bank of Dalton v. Browning Tufters, Inc. (In Re Browning Tufters Inc.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
First National Bank of Dalton v. Browning Tufters, Inc. (In Re Browning Tufters Inc.), 3 B.R. 487, 1980 Bankr. LEXIS 5353 (Ga. 1980).

Opinion

ORDER

HUGH ROBINSON, Bankruptcy Judge.

This case came before the Court on “Motion for Summary Judgment as to Defendant’s Counterclaims” filed by Plaintiff on August 14, 1979. The Court, having considered the briefs and other documents submitted by the parties regarding this motion and the pleadings on file, makes the following decision:

FINDINGS OF FACT

1. On March 14, 1978 the First National Bank of Dalton (hereinafter referred to as “Plaintiff”) completed a loan transaction with Browning Tufters Co., Inc. (hereinafter referred to as “Debtor”) whereby *489 Plaintiff loaned Debtor $550,000. The purpose of the loan was to consolidate several then existing obligations of Debtor owing to various creditors.

2. Said loan was guaranteed in part by the United States Small Business Administration (hereinafter referred to as the “S.B. A.”).

3. The loan was secured by Debtor’s business furniture, fixtures, machinery and equipment. Plaintiff perfected its security interest in the aforementioned property by filing a financing statement on March 16, 1978.

4. The S.B.A. guaranty was secured by real estate owned by Tommy Paul Browning, the President and sole shareholder of Debtor.

5. From the loan proceeds the sum of $377,184.54 was paid to Tuftco Sales Corp. as payment of an existing debt; $98,525.17 was paid to C.I.T. Corp. as payment of an existing debt and $74,290.29 was retained by Debtor as working capital.

6. At the time this loan was made Debt- or was indebted to Plaintiff on a promissory note dated February 27, 1978. Plaintiff extended this note for a period of 51 days from February 27, 1978.

7. Plaintiff alleges that Joseph Sheppard, an officer of Plaintiff, received assurances from Mr. Browning that this debt would be paid from other corporate and personal funds and would be paid on request. Mr. Browning denies making such representations.

8. On March 29, 1978 Debtor made a payment of approximately $73,000.00 to Plaintiff which was accepted by Plaintiff as payment in full of the February 27, 1978 note.

9. Plaintiff alleges that said payment was voluntarily made. Debtor contends that Plaintiff coerced payment of this debt by refusing to honor checks drawn by Debt- or after March 14, 1978 and prior to March 29, 1978 on Debtor’s account with Plaintiff. Debtor further contends that the alleged refusal to honor the aforementioned checks occurred after the proceeds of the loan of March 14, 1978 had been deposited in Plaintiff.

10. Debtor filed a petition under Chapter XI of the Bankruptcy Act on January 10, 1979.

11. On April 5, 1979 Plaintiff filed a “Reclamation Petition.”

12. Debtor filed an “Answer and Counterclaim” on May 8, 1979. Count I of the counterclaim alleges that the obligation incurred by Debtor on the Note and Security Agreement executed March 14, 1978 constitutes a fraudulent transfer under Section 67(d)(2)(a), (b) or (c) of the Bankruptcy Act. Count II of the counterclaim alleges that as a result of Plaintiff’s demand for payment of the February 27,1978 promissory note on March 29, 1978, Debtor was unable to pay its debts as they matured and was forced to sell some of its property at distress prices in order to pay its debts and to generate working Capital.

13. On August 14, 1979 Plaintiff filed a “Motion for Summary Judgment as to Defendant’s Counterclaims.”

APPLICABLE LAW

It is Debtor’s position that the obligation incurred by Debtor by the execution of the promissory note and security agreement on March 14, 1978 is a fraudulent transfer within the meaning of Section 67(d)(2)(a), (b) or (c) of the Bankruptcy Act, 11 U.S.C. § 107(a), (b), (c), in that it occurred within one year prior to the filing of the bankruptcy petition: (1) without fair consideration and Debtor was thereby rendered insolvent; or (2) without fair consideration by Debtor while engaged in business for which the property remaining in its hands was an unreasonably small capital; or (3) without fair consideration by Debtor who intended to incur or believed that it would incur debts beyond its ability to pay as they matured.

If fair consideration is given for property transferred by a debtor within one year prior to the filing of a bankruptcy petition there is no fraudulent transfer within the meaning of Section 67(d)(2)(a), *490 (b) or (c) of the Bankruptcy Act. In re King Porter, 446 F.2d 722 (5th Cir. 1971).

The presence or absence of fair consideration is a question of fact. De Aragon v. Chase Manhattan Bank, 457 F.2d 263 (1st Cir. 1972); Mayo v. Pioneer Bank & Trust Company, 270 F.2d 823 (5th Cir. 1959), cert. denied, 362 U.S. 962, 80 S.Ct. 878, 4 L.Ed.2d 877 (1960). Two things must be present in order to make a finding of fair consideration: good faith on the part of the transferee and an exchange of property that is a fair equivalent of the property transferred by the debtor. Section 67(d)(1)(e) of the Bankruptcy Act, 11 U.S.C. § 107(d)(1)(e); In re Southern Land Title Corp., 474 F.2d 1033 (5th Cir. 1973).

A finding of good faith on the part of the transferee depends on whether the transaction in question carries the earmarks of an arms-length bargain. Bullard v. Aluminum Company of America, 468 F.2d 11 (7th Cir. 1972). The record in the case indicates that Plaintiff had engaged in several loan transactions with Debtor before entering into the loan agreement of March 14, 1978. There is no evidence that Plaintiff acted in bad faith with regard to this loan transaction, and the loan agreement of March 14, 1978, appears to be the result of an arms length bargain.

The Court must now examine this transaction to determine if the $550,000.00 loaned to debtor was the fair equivalent of the property in which Plaintiff was given a security interest. In making this determination the Court adopts the test formulated in Inland Security Company, Inc. v. Estate of Kirshner, 382 F.Supp. 338, 347 (W.D.Mo. 1974). There the Court said:

“When property is transferred or an obligation incurred for the purposes of security, it is only necessary that its value be not disproportionately large as compared with the amount of the advance or the secured debt.”

The record in this case contains no evidence of the value of the business furniture, fixtures, machinery and equipment which secure the loan of March 14, 1978.

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Bluebook (online)
3 B.R. 487, 1980 Bankr. LEXIS 5353, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/first-national-bank-of-dalton-v-browning-tufters-inc-in-re-browning-ganb-1980.