Ginther-Davis Center, Ltd. v. Houston National Bank

600 S.W.2d 856, 1980 Tex. App. LEXIS 3324
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 17, 1980
Docket17676
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 600 S.W.2d 856 (Ginther-Davis Center, Ltd. v. Houston National Bank) 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
Ginther-Davis Center, Ltd. v. Houston National Bank, 600 S.W.2d 856, 1980 Tex. App. LEXIS 3324 (Tex. Ct. App. 1980).

Opinion

PEDEN, Justice.

Mr. Fergus Ginther and Mr. Don Davis, owners and mortgagors of a 14.4009 acre tract improved with apartments, appeal from the denial of a temporary injunction sought to prevent a mortgage foreclosure sale of the property by Houston National Bank. On September 30, 1977, the appellants had executed a $5,000,000 note and deed of trust evidencing a loan by the bank in that amount to refinance an existing obligation. The note was, initially, due on September 30,1982, but on June 5,1979, the parties negotiated a new loan for $500,000, executed a note and deed of trust to secure its payment, executed an agreement stating that the appellants were in default on the $5,000,000 note, and advanced its maturity date to December 1, 1979.

The appellants’ points of error are that the trial court abused its discretion in denying their request for a temporary injunction because they showed (1) that the bank wrongfully prevented them from timely satisfying their obligation to it and (2) that the obligations on which foreclosure was sought were not due and payable because *859 the June 5,1979, deed of trust was procured by duress and fraud and the $5,000,000 note was not in default when foreclosure was threatened. We affirm.

The $5,000,000 note executed on September 30, 1977, bore interest at the rate of 9¾ percent per annum, payable quarterly beginning November 1, 1977. It expressly provided that failure to pay any installment of principal or interest when due or failure to perform any of the agreements contained in the accompanying deed of trust would give the holder of the note the option to accelerate the maturity and institute foreclosure proceedings. The makers expressly waived notice, protest, and presentment. Payment of the note was secured by a deed of trust that granted to the trustee a power of sale in the event of default; it also provided that upon default the holder of the note had the right to take possession of the apartment complex, manage it, and apply the net rental profits to satisfaction of the debt. Appellants also executed a collateral assignment of the lease in favor of the bank as additional security in the event of default.

The fourth document executed on September 30, 1977, was a loan agreement between appellants and the bank. It provided that notwithstanding the 9¾ per cent interest rate specified in the promissory note, appellants agreed to pay interest at a specified variable rate which was dependent on the prime rate charged by the bank to its responsible commercial and industrial borrowers. The purpose of the $5,000,000 loan was stated to be for financing or refinancing of improved property. The agreement required appellants to make certain prepayments of interest at the beginning of each loan year, the amount of the prepayments to be determined by the bank by estimating the amount by which the accrued interest for that year would exceed the cash flow to be generated from operation of the property.

The appellants made the required prepayment of interest for the loan year 1977-1978, and there is no evidence that they failed to pay all of the interest due that year. The testimony regarding pre-payment of interest for the second year, however, is disputed. When asked if the advance payment was made, appellant Fergus Ginther replied “Yes, sir. Presumably.” He stated that a bank officer had informed him that |he appellants had on deposit with the bank $87,000 in “excess monies,” but he did not know whether an interest pre-payment deposit was actually made. William J. Barton, the development manager of the apartment project, and James R. Franer, a bank officer, testified that no prepaid interest deposit was made for the second loan year.

The interest payments due November 1, 1978, and February 1, 1979, were not made until December 29, 1978, and April 4, 1979, respectively, but there is no evidence that the bank took steps to accelerate the note or foreclose on the property. Appellants made no direct payment of the interest installment due on May 1, 1979. In late April and early May of 1979, appellants met several times with officers from the bank. Mr. Franer testified that the appellants were told that the bank expected the May payment to be made and that if it was not made the bank would institute legal proceedings. Mr. Robert Waters, appellants’ attorney at that time, was present at some of the meetings. He testified that the bank officers advised the appellants that legal action would ensue if the note was not brought current.

On May 21, 1979, the bank exercised its right to take possession of the property. The tenants were directed to pay rent directly to the bank.

As we have noted, the appellants executed a second series of documents on June 5. One of these was a reinstatement and extension agreement which modified the original note. The agreement first stated that appellants were in default and that the original note had been accelerated. It went on to modify the prior arrangement, changing the maturity date of the loan to December 1, 1979, and requiring monthly interest payments.

*860 Appellants also executed a promissory note for $500,000 payable to the bank with interest at the rate of 10½ per cent per annum payable in monthly installments. The principal of the loan was to be furnished to appellants in a series of advances as provided in an accompanying supplemental loan agreement. All sums of principal so advanced were due and payable on or before December 1, 1979. Failure to pay any installment of either the $5,000,000 note as modified or the $500,000 note or failure to perform any of the covenants expressed in any of the documents securing either note constituted default and gave the holder the right to accelerate maturity. In addition, the note contained a provision whereby the appellants waived notice of default, election to accelerate maturity, demand, presentment, and protest. The second note was secured by a second deed of trust covering essentially the same property as the first, and it also granted to the trustee the power of sale.

Appellants also executed a supplemental loan agreement, which specified the terms and purposes of the advances of principal. First, $285,781.68 was to be advanced for the purchase of an outstanding personal note of Fergus Ginther, payment of the due and unpaid interest on the $5,000,000 note, and reimbursement for the bank’s expenses in enforcing its rights. Future advances of principal were to be made to pay the interest accruing on both the $5,000,000 and $500,000 notes that would not be covered by the net rentals collected by the bank from the apartment tenants. The loan agreement also specified the conditions which would result in default on the $500,000 loan. These included failure to make any payment on either the $5,000,000 or the $500,-000 note, failure to perform any covenant in any of the documents securing or pertaining to either note, the occurrence or discovery of any event or condition which would adversely affect timely payment, and a good faith belief by the bank that the prospect of timely payment was impaired. Upon default, the bank was given the option to accelerate both notes without notice to the appellants.

The apparent purpose of the new arrangement as set up in the June 5 documents was to give the appellants time to find a buyer for the property so they could realize enough from the sale to pay off the interest and principal on both notes.

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600 S.W.2d 856, 1980 Tex. App. LEXIS 3324, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ginther-davis-center-ltd-v-houston-national-bank-texapp-1980.