First Security Bank of New Mexico, N.A. v. Pan American Bank

215 F.3d 1147, 2000 WL 791805
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
DecidedJune 20, 2000
Docket98-2073, 98-2091
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 215 F.3d 1147 (First Security Bank of New Mexico, N.A. v. Pan American Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
First Security Bank of New Mexico, N.A. v. Pan American Bank, 215 F.3d 1147, 2000 WL 791805 (10th Cir. 2000).

Opinion

BRISCOE, Circuit Judge.

First Security Bank (First Security) appeals the district court’s entry of summary judgment in favor of Pan American Bank (Pan American), and the court’s assessment of liability on three counterclaims. Pan American cross-appeals the district court’s calculation of damages. We reverse the entry of summary judgment in favor of Pan American and the judgments in favor of 1st State Investment Co. (1st State) and John P. McGovern Foundation (McGovern).

I.

On August 3,1994, Beatrice Stonebanks, in the name of her business “Benjamin, Maxwell & Co. Corp.,” opened a business savings account at First Security. She was assigned account number 033015363 and she designated the account “Jumbo CD Account.” On the day Stonebanks opened the account, Pan American wired $495,000 to First Security. The wire described the beneficiary as First National Bank (First Security’s former title) and identified the account number as 033015363. Pan American believed it was purchasing a CD from First Security, not that it was transferring funds to Benjamin *1151 Maxwell which in turn would purchase the CD.

First Security receives and processes wires by means of a semi-automated wire processing system denominated “WireN-et,” which itself interfaces with FedWire, the Federal Reserve Bank’s wire system. An incoming wire is received by WireNet and a hard copy of the wire instructions is automatically printed. Without human interaction, WireNet verifies that the beneficiary account number identified in the wire instructions matches a valid account number at First Security. WireNet ignores any named beneficiary listed in the wire instructions. When a wire is received, a First Security employee removes the hard copy of the wire from the printer, goes to his or her computer terminal, and generates a copy of the wire on a monitor by striking a key on the computer keyboard. The employee types in a department code and then strikes two keys on the keyboard. If the account number identified in the wire matches a valid First Security account number, WireNet accepts the wire when the last key is struck. An error message is displayed if the system does not accept the wire. After a wire is processed, a bank employee customarily places a courtesy call to the beneficiary, advising that the wire has been received and the funds have been credited to the beneficiary’s account.

It is not disputed that Bobby Quintana accepted the Pan American wire and credited the account. Although he had no actual recollection of the wire, he conceded in his deposition that his handwritten initials in the corner of the wire indicated he had processed it. Quintana did not make the courtesy call to Stonebanks because he could not find a phone number for the account. He took the hard copy of the wire to Nancy Abeyta, his supervisor, who telephoned the branch office where Stone-banks had opened the account and asked an employee of that office to inform the account holder that $495,000 had been wired and deposited into the account.

On November 8, 1994, 1st State wired $99,000 to First Security. The wire identified the beneficiary as “1st State Investment Jumbo CD” and account number 033015363. On November 9, McGovern wired $99,000 to First Security. The wire identified the beneficiary as “John P. McGovern Foundation” and account number 033015363. Both 1st State and McGovern believed they were purchasing CDs directly from First Security. Curtis Garcia, an employee of First Security, received both wires, credited the account, and made courtesy calls to Stonebanks.

On November 29, First Security became aware of the fraudulent scheme. It immediately froze Stonebanks’ accounts, filed an interpleader action under 28 U.S.C. § 1335, and deposited $305,877.12 (the cumulative amount of Stonebanks’ accounts with First Security) with the Registry of the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico. All of the adverse claimants (Pan American, 1st State, and McGovern) filed counterclaims against First Security under N.M. Stat. Ann. § 55-4A-207, which governs a bank’s liability when a wire transfer misdescribes a beneficiary. Under the statute, if a bank has actual knowledge that the wire identifies two different beneficiaries (one by name and a different one by account number), the originator of the wire may have a right to recover from the bank. The adverse claimants here charged that First Security had actual knowledge that the wires identified different beneficiaries but processed the wires and released the funds to Stonebanks without further inquiry.

After discovery, the parties filed cross-motions for summary judgment. The district court entered summary judgment in favor of Pan American on its counterclaim against First Security. The court ruled that First Security had actual knowledge that the Pan American wire identified two different beneficiaries. The court based its ruling on Quintana’s deposition testimony that he knew only savings accounts began with “0” (here, the account number *1152 in question was 033015363) and a bank (First National Bank, First Security’s former title, was the named beneficiary) could not have a savings account. The court denied 1st State’s and McGovern’s summary judgment motions, finding material issues of fact remained. After a bench trial, the district court found First Security had actual knowledge that the 1st State and McGovern wires identified different beneficiaries. The court reasoned First Security obtained such knowledge when Garcia made the customary courtesy calls.

II.

Rights and liabilities for payment orders, or wire transfers, are governed by Article 4A of the Uniform Commercial . Code, codified in New Mexico at N.M. Stat. Ann.' § 55-4A-101 et seq. Article 4A was crafted with the express purpose of creating — in an age of increasing automation-inflexible rules of liability for wire transfer disputes. See id. § 102, Official Comment (stating that a “deliberate decision” was made to “use precise and detailed rules to assign responsibility”). Such bright-line rules are necessary so that parties to the millions of annual wire transfers may “predict risk with certainty, ... insure against risk, ... adjust operational and security procedures, and ... price funds transfer services appropriately.” Id.

Section 55-4A-207 governs liability when a wire transfer misdescribes a beneficiary. A misdescription occurs when a wire identifies a beneficiary by name and account number and the name and account number identify different persons or entities. In these circumstances, liability of a beneficiary’s bank is dependent on whether the bank, with actual knowledge of the conflict, paid the order to a person not entitled to receive the funds.

(b) If a payment order received by the beneficiary’s bank identifies the beneficiary both by name and by an identifying or bank account number and the name and number identify different persons, the following rules apply:
(1) Except as otherwise provided in Subsection (c), if the beneficiary’s bank does not know that the name and number refer to different persons, it may rely on the number as the proper identification of the beneficiary of the order.

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Bluebook (online)
215 F.3d 1147, 2000 WL 791805, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/first-security-bank-of-new-mexico-na-v-pan-american-bank-ca10-2000.