Foster v. Colonial Assurance Co.

668 A.2d 174, 1995 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 512
CourtCommonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedJuly 14, 1995
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 668 A.2d 174 (Foster v. Colonial Assurance Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Foster v. Colonial Assurance Co., 668 A.2d 174, 1995 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 512 (Pa. Ct. App. 1995).

Opinion

SMITH, Judge.

Before the Court are the objections filed by Royal Bank of Canada (Royal Bank) to the claim evaluation issued by Cynthia M. Maleski, Insurance Commissioner of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as Statutory Liquidator (the Liquidator) of Colonial Assurance Company (Colonial).1 Royal Bank, as a loss payee, filed a $2,013,286.04 claim against Colonial for the residual value of two Helicopters pursuant a policy of insurance (Policy) issued by Colonial to now defunct Spanno Corporation (Spanno), a corporation engaged in the business of appraising aircraft for third parties. The Liquidator evaluated the claim at zero because the bank’s failure to satisfy its contractual obligations with Beneficial Finance Leasing Corporation (Beneficial), also a loss payee under the Policy, precludes the bank’s claim for benefits.

I.

Royal Bank filed its objections arguing that it satisfied all of the material contractual obligations required by the Policy and the Agreements of Appraisal and Sale of Aircraft referred to in the Policy; and even assuming that it failed to satisfy any relevant contractual obligation, Royal Bank conferred a benefit upon Colonial and the Liquidator by safeguarding and marketing the Helicopters, offsetting any damage the Liquidator may allege. The Liquidator petitioned this Court for a hearing pursuant to Section 541(b) of the Act of May 17, 1921, P.L. 789, commonly known as the Insurance Department Act (Act), as amended, 40 P.S. § 221.41(b). At the request of counsel for the parties, the Court agreed to waive the appointment of a hearing referee as authorized by Section 221.41(b) and instead to decide the matter based upon the following stipulated statement of the issues and facts.2

STATEMENT OF THE ISSUES

1. Is the claim of Royal Bank barred by reason of the Memorandum and Order and Judgment of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York referred to in paragraph 32 of the Stipulation of Facts set forth [below] and set forth as Exhibit Q to the Schedule of Exhibits?

2. Is the claim of Royal Bank barred by reason of Royal Bank’s settlement of its action with Beneficial referred to in paragraph 33 of the Stipulation of Facts set forth [below]?

3. Did coverage under the Policy and Certificates lapse on April 27, 1984 by virtue of Section 521 of the Insurance Department Act (40 P.S. § 221.2 [sic])?

4. Is Royal Bank entitled to interest on its claim?

STIPULATION OF FACTS

1. Colonial was an insurance company, organized under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

2. Spanno Corporation (“Spanno”) was a corporation, and engaged in the business [177]*177of appraising aircraft and other personal property for third parties (the “clients”) pursuant to Appraisal and Sale Agreements under which Spanno established depreciation schedules of the appraised future values of such property and agreed to sell the appraised assets so that the clients would realize not less than the appraised future values.

3. On or about June 1, 1981, Colonial issued Master Contract CGL 227798 to Spanno for residual value insurance, under which Colonial agreed to pay on behalf of Spanno to the clients any loss (as defined therein) arising from a sale of insured property. On or about November 19, 1981, the Policy was amended by endorsement of the same date (the policy and endorsement are hereinafter jointly referred to as the “Policy”). A copy of the Policy is annexed as Exhibit A to the Joint Stipulated Schedule of Exhibits (“Schedule of Exhibits”) submitted herewith.

4. The Policy, through separate certificates (Nos. SP-00008-A through G and SP-00009-A through G) (the “Certificates”), insured to Beneficial Finance Leasing Corporation (“Beneficial”) and Royal Bank as loss payees the residual value of two Sikorsky S-61N helicopters (serial Nos. 61492 and 61722) (the “Helicopters”). Each of the Certificates had identical terms, except as to the amount and depreciation schedule. The total appraised future value of both Helicopters on December 1, 1986 under the Certificates is $4.7 million. A copy of one of the Certificates with the corresponding endorsement of December 4,1981 adding Royal Bank as a loss payee is annexed as Exhibit B to the Schedule of Exhibits.

5. Agreements of Appraisal & Sale of Aircraft were entered into on or about December 4, 1981 between Spanno and Beneficial with respect to each of the Helicopters (the “Agreements of Appraisal & Sale”). Copies of the Agreements of Appraisal & Sale are annexed as Exhibits C and D to the Schedule of Exhibits. The terms of each are identical except for the reference to the Helicopter to which each pertains, the fee paid, the schedule of equipment in Exhibits A and the Depreciation Schedules in Exhibits B to the Agreements of Appraisal & Sale.

6. Beneficial obtained the said residual valúe insurance with respect to the Helicopters in connection with a sale and leaseback transaction involving the Helicopters in late November, 1981.

7. In that transaction, Royal Bank loaned, pursuant to two loan agreements, a total of $7.7 million (the “Loans”) to 104464 Canada Ltd. (“Canada Ltd.”), a shell corporation owned by E.F. Hutton Leasing, to finance the purchase of the two Helicopters from Okanagan Helicopters Ltd. (“Ok-anagan”).

8. At the same time Canada Ltd. purchased the Helicopters from Okanagan and gave chattel mortgages on the Helicopters to Royal Bank.

9. As part of these transactions, pursuant to two leases dated November 28,1981 (the “Leases”), Canada Ltd. leased the Helicopters back to Okanagan. Each Lease was for a term of sixty months, ending on November 30,1986. The Lease payments coincided with the scheduled Loan payments of Canada Ltd. to Royal Bank under the Loan Agreements. Canada Ltd. assigned these Lease payments to Royal Bank as partial repayment of the Loans.

10. The Loan Agreements between Royal Bank and Canada Ltd. provided that, at the end of the five year Leases, the remaining principal balance of the Loans totalling $4.7 million would fall due in two lump sum balloon payments.

11. As part of these interrelated transactions and as security for non-payment of the Loans, Beneficial, pursuant to two Takeout Agreements dated December 4, 1981 (the “Takeout Agreements”), guaranteed to Royal Bank the Lease payments by Okanagan and also agreed that at the expiration of the Leases at the end of November, 1986, Beneficial would purchase the remainder of the Loans from Royal Bank for the balloon payments of $4.7 million and assume ownership of the Helicopters. The Takeout Agreements, copies of which are annexed as Exhibits E and F to the [178]*178Schedule of Exhibits, are identical to each other, except for references to the Helicopter to which each pertains.

12. Beneficial received $565,000 as a fee in exchange for entering into the Takeout Agreements.

13. After paying Royal Bank the $4.7 million balloon payments and taking title of the Helicopters at the end of the two Lease terms, Beneficial expected to sell the Helicopters and reimburse itself from the sale proceeds for the $4.7 million balloon payments. Any excess would be pocketed by Beneficial along with $565,000 fee it had received at the time the transaction closed in 1981.

14.

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Bluebook (online)
668 A.2d 174, 1995 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 512, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/foster-v-colonial-assurance-co-pacommwct-1995.