FMB Bancshares, Inc. v. Trapeza CDO XII, Ltd. (In re FMB Bancshares, Inc.)

517 B.R. 361, 2014 Bankr. LEXIS 3670
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, M.D. Georgia
DecidedAugust 29, 2014
DocketNo. 14—70716—jtl
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 517 B.R. 361 (FMB Bancshares, Inc. v. Trapeza CDO XII, Ltd. (In re FMB Bancshares, Inc.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, M.D. Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
FMB Bancshares, Inc. v. Trapeza CDO XII, Ltd. (In re FMB Bancshares, Inc.), 517 B.R. 361, 2014 Bankr. LEXIS 3670 (Ga. 2014).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

JOHN T. LANEY, III, Chief Judge.

This matter is before the Court on Debt- or, FMB Bancshares, Inc.’s, Motion to Dismiss the Involuntary Chapter 7 Petition (the “Motion”) filed by Trapeza CDO XII, LTD (“Trapeza”). The Court heard oral arguments on the Motion on July 30, 2014, in Valdosta, Georgia. Appearing at the hearing were counsel and representatives of the Debtor, Trapeza, Wilmington Trust Company, Farmers and Merchants Bank, and the FDIC. At the conclusion of the hearing, the Court took the matter under advisement. The Court has carefully considered all the pleadings and briefs, the parties’ oral arguments, and the applicable statutory and case law. For the reasons set forth below the Court will deny the Debtor’s Motion to Dismiss.

Background

The Debtor, FMB Bancshares, Inc. (“FMB Holdco”) is a Georgia “bank holding company” headquartered in Lakeland, Georgia. FMB Holdco was formed in 1984. As a “bank holding company” it is subject to the supervision and regulation of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve”) and the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance (the “Commissioner”). Farmers and Merchants Bank (the “Bank”), is a full service community bank headquartered in Lakeland, Georgia. The Bank was founded in 1907 and has a total of six branches, all of which are located in Georgia. The Bank has approximately $566,000,000 in total assets, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of FMB Holdco. Like FMB Holdco, the Bank is also subject to regulation by the Federal Reserve and the Commissioner. In addition, the Bank is also subject to regulation by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the “FDIC”).

Trapeza is a corporate entity incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. Trapeza’s relationship with FMB Holdco is the result of Trapeza’s investment in FMB Preferred Trust I (“FMB Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust that is also a subsidiary of FMB Holdco. Trapeza’s investment in FMB Trust arises out of its ownership of $12,000,000 of the FMB [365]*365TruPS.1 Wilmington Trust Company (the “Trustee”) is trustee under the Amended Trust Agreement entered by FMB Holdco in connection with the creation of FMB Trust and the issuance of the FMB TruPS.

i. Overview of TruPS

Federally insured banks and their holding companies, such as the Bank and FMB Holdco, are required to maintain certain minimum levels of “Tier 1” capital. These levels are mandated and overseen by the FDIC and the Federal Reserve. TruPS were created as a way for bank holding companies to access Tier 1 capital at attractive rates by issuing very long-term, deferrable, interest-only securities with equity like features. To achieve favorable tax treatment, a bank holding company does not issue the TruPS directly. Instead, a bank holding company forms a wholly-owned trust subsidiary, and that trust issues preferred equity securities— the TruPS — to investors. Concurrent with the issuance of the TruPS, the subsidiary trust purchases junior subordinated notes issued by the bank holding company.

The notes constitute the sole asset of the subsidiary trust. The terms of the TruPS mirror the terms of the junior subordinated notes, whereby the bank holding company is to make payment of principal and interest to the subsidiary trust pursuant to the notes, and the trust in turn uses those funds to make payments to the holders of the TruPS. The bank holding company then invests the funds from the sale of the junior subordinated notes in its operating bank in order to maintain the required minimum level of Tier 1 capital. An important feature of the junior subordinated notes, and consequently the TruPS, is an absolute right of the obligor to elect to defer all payments on the notes for up to five consecutive years.2 This payment deferral period is designed to allow the holding company and subsidiary bank to withstand any economic recessions or misfortune they may face during the long life of the junior subordinated notes.

ii Structure of FMB Trust.

The FMB Trust was formed in 2006 by FMB Holdco and Wilmington Trust Company (the “Trustee”).3 The FMB Trust was created in order to facilitate FMB Holdco’s access to capital via TruPS. To that end, FMB Trust issued securities to investors in the amount of $12,000,000— the FMB TruPS. The proceeds from the sale of the FMB TruPS were then paid to FMB Holdco by FMB Trust. In exchange, FMB Holdco issued unsecured junior subordinated deferrable interest notes (“the Notes”) in favor of the FMB Trust. The Notes were issued pursuant to the terms of the Junior Subordinated Indenture (the “Indenture”). The principal amount of the Notes is $12,000,000 with a maturity date set in 2036. Under the terms of the Indenture, FMB Holdco is to pay interest each quarter to FMB Trust, and in turn FMB Trust is to pay dividends each quarter to the holders of the FMB TruPS. As with all TruPS, FMB Holdco [366]*366and FMB Trust are permitted to defer interest payments for up to five years, during the term of the Notes.

Trapeza acquired all of the FMB TruPS issued by FMB Trust. Accordingly, the FMB TruPS entitles Trapeza to receive quarterly distributions from FMB Trust. However, Trapeza’s right to receive payments is subject to FMB Holdco’s right to defer interest payments to FMB Trust under the terms of the Indenture. In addition, Trapeza’s right to receive distributions from FMB Trust is guaranteed by FMB Holdco pursuant to the terms of a guaranty agreement entered between FMB Holdco and the Trustee.

Hi. Economic Decline and Prompt Corrective Action

Like many financial institutions, the Bank experienced the adverse impact of the financial recession that struck this country. Beginning in 2008 the Bank saw a drastic decrease in its revenues. In fact, in 2009 the Bank experienced a net loss of approximately $13,600,000.4 As a result, the Bank was pushed to the brink of collapse. For that reason the Bank has operated for the last five years subject to a federally mandated rehabilitation program known as “Prompt Corrective Action.” The Bank’s participation in this program is ongoing and will continue until the Bank and FMB Holdco are considered financially sound by their federal regulators. As part of its participation in the Prompt Corrective Action program, the Bank is required to maintain a minimum capital cushion and if it fails to do so it is subject to increased monitoring and restrictions. Pursuant to Prompt Corrective Action the Bank is currently prohibited from making any distributions to FMB Holdco.

As a bank holding company, rather than an FDIC insured bank, FMB Holdco is not directly subject to Prompt Corrective Action, but it is still subject to regulation by the Bank’s regulators via the “source of strength doctrine,” which is codified at 12 U.S.C. § 1831o-l and 12 CFR 225.4(a) of the Federal Reserve’s regulations. Essentially, the “source of strength” doctrine requires that FMB Holdco support the Bank’s obligation to increase its capital cushion to minimally required levels. On November 11, 2009, as part of its support obligation, FMB Holdco was required to enter into a written agreement (the “Federal Reserve Agreement”) with the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and the Commissioner.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
517 B.R. 361, 2014 Bankr. LEXIS 3670, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fmb-bancshares-inc-v-trapeza-cdo-xii-ltd-in-re-fmb-bancshares-inc-gamb-2014.