Grimes Savings Bank v. McHarg

236 N.W. 418, 213 Iowa 969
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedMay 5, 1931
DocketNo. 40599.
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 236 N.W. 418 (Grimes Savings Bank v. McHarg) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Grimes Savings Bank v. McHarg, 236 N.W. 418, 213 Iowa 969 (iowa 1931).

Opinion

Per Curiam.

This is the third appearance of this cause in this court. The former appeals are reported in 197 Iowa at 1393, and 204 Iowa at 322.

The appellee sues on three promissory, notes aggregating the principal sum of $5000. The notes were made payable to “myself.” The original notes were given for subscriptions to stock- in the Associated Packing Company. The notes were endorsed to the appellee, who claims to be a holder in due course.

I. Upon this appeal the appellant contends that the *971 court erred in refusing to sustain the appellant’s motion for a directed verdict and for judgment notwithstanding the verdict, on the ground that, as contended by appellant, the record affirmatively shows, that the appellee is not the real party in .interest and hence has no right to prosecute this action.. This contention of the appellant arises out of -the following state of facts. The notes in suit were executed in 1919 and became the property of the appellee bank some time prior to. April 10, 1920. On said last-named date certain of the stockholders and trustees of the appellee entered into a certain written contract which was discovered in the minute book of the appellee bank. Said written instrument recites “that it is possible that certáin notes now owned by said bank may be delayed in payment partially on account of company to which some of these were given being now in the hands of a receiver, and it being the earnest desire of each of the undersigned that the surplus and undivided’ profits of the Grimes Savings Bank be maintained 'unimpaired pending the collection of any of these notes-if payment is delayed or suit is necessary. That as a means of protection and safety and to be prepared for any delay or emergency that might be occasioned by the non-payment of said notes, the undersigned have this day deposited -with W. J. Stewart as Trustee, notes, certificates-of deposit or other first-class securities as follows:” (describing securities).

The agreement further provides: “Should it be deemed necessary or desirable to charge off from the books of said Grimes Savings Bank any of the notes as above referred to, then said W. J. Stewart, Trustee' shall deposit' with said bank the desired amount of notes,' certificate of deposit or securities deposited with him as Trustee as herein stated and shall receive from said bank the note or security so charged off and shall have same assigned to him as trustee. Steps shall be taken to colléct said notes either by the Grimes Savings Bank or by said Trustee and all proceeds shall be applied in cancellation of said note or security of the parties hereto sold and delivered to said Grimes Savings Bank and for which the said note or security is taken in exchange. # * * the whole purpose and intention of this agreement and procedure being to maintain the capital and surplus of said bank intact and to provide emergency paper that shall act as a safety valve if needed; the intention and understanding *972 that each of the parties hereto shall eventually be protected and saved from loss of said bank if at all possible, and that if any loss whatever should occur, it shall be prorated jointly among the signers hereto in proportion tb the amount so deposited with said Trustee as hereinbefore stated.”

In said minute book there was also found a copy of a letter purporting to be written by the cashier of said bank to- the ■ superintendent of banking, dated January 3, 1921, which said letter is in part as follows:

“In accordance with the instructions of The Banking Department dated September 17, 1920, in which was enumerated a list of notes which were more than six months past due, the directors of The Grimes Savings Bank in meeting assembled have satisfied all the notes in the following manner:
“$10,900 was covered by charging undivided profits and $20,000 covered by delivery of certificates of deposit in the amount of $15,000 and notes of Wm. F. Channon and Ray L. Channon in the amount of $5,000 to The Grimes Savings Bank. Said $20,000 representing deposit by A. B. Shawver.”

Said letter contains a list of the notes which it recites were so ‘ ‘ charged off, ’ ’ and it appears from the record that the notes involved in this suit were included among those referred to in said letter.

An officer of the bank, among other things, testified as follows :

“Q. What was done with the three notes, Exhibits ‘A,’ ‘B’ and ‘C,’ after they were charged out of the current assets of the bank? A. We hold them, trying to collect them. Q. Who holds them? A. The bank itself, it is the property of the bank just the same. * * * They were not assigned, they are the property of the bank. If they should be collected we might receive the benefit and we might not. Q. Who would determine that? A. The banking department.”

This action was commenced on August 26, 1920. Just what entries, if any, were made in the books of the bank with respect to the disposition of "the notes in suit does not clearly appear from the record. Appellant places great reliance upon the statement in the letter of the bank officer to the superintendent of *973 banking to the effect that the notes in suit had been “charged off.. ” It is the contention of the appellant that when the parties furnished the money under the contract of guaranty, and the bank “charged off” the notes out of its current assets, it deprived the appellee of title to said notes and hence of being the real party in interest to further prosecute said action.

The difficulty with appellant’s contention at this point is twofold: .(1) It does not appear that the bank parted with title to said notes. It did receive cash and securities from certain officers who had agreed to maintain the capital and surplus of the bank “as a means of protection and safety,” and who thus performed their contract. But there is no evidence in the record that the title to said notes passed from said bank or that it ceased to be the'owner of the same, even though, in the language of the officer in his letter to the superintendent of banking, the notes were “charged off” as current assets of the bank. But (2), aside from this, the appellee was entitled to prosecute the action which had already been begun in its name against the appellant.

Code section 10991 is as follows:

‘ ‘ No action shall abate by the transfer of any interest therein during its pendency, and new parties may be brought in, as may be necessary.”

This statute is directly applicable to such a situation as is disclosed in the instant case. This statute has come down from the Code of 1851 in somewhat varied form.

In Emerson v. Miller, 115 Iowa 315, we construed this statute and said:

“It has been repeatedly held that the transfer of an interest in an action pending does not necessitate the substitution of a new party for the one in whose name the action has been commenced. ”

In Mayo v. Halley, 124 Iowa 675, it appeared that the plaintiff in said action, during its pendency assigned said action to her attorney. We 'said:

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Related

Grimes Savings Bank v. McHarg
276 N.W. 781 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1937)

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236 N.W. 418, 213 Iowa 969, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/grimes-savings-bank-v-mcharg-iowa-1931.