H. C. O'Boyle & Co. v. Cameron

5 Pa. D. & C. 454, 1924 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 156
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Dauphin County
DecidedMay 5, 1924
DocketNo. 35
StatusPublished

This text of 5 Pa. D. & C. 454 (H. C. O'Boyle & Co. v. Cameron) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Dauphin County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
H. C. O'Boyle & Co. v. Cameron, 5 Pa. D. & C. 454, 1924 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 156 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1924).

Opinion

WickershAm, J.,

It appears from the petition of the plaintiff company that it filed with the Bureau of Securities of the Department of Banking, on March 17, 1924, an application for registration as a dealer in securities under the Act of June 14,, 1923, P. L. 779, known as the Securities Act; that on April 7, 1924, the petitioner received a notice from the Department of Banking, dated April 5, 1924, notifying it that its application for registration had been refused because its proposed plan of business was unfair, unjust and inequitable. From the decision of the Bureau of Securities of the Department of Banking the plaintiff company filed the appeal which is now pending.

The Commissioner of Banking did not file an answer, but in lieu thereof a stipulation and facts agreed upon, signed by the Deputy Attorney-General and by counsel for the plaintiff, was filed. The stipulation provides that the following questions shall be submitted to the Court of Common Pleas of Dauphin County in the nature of a case stated, upon an agreed statement of facts, for the disposition of the court. The question to be submitted is substantially as follows:

“Under the Act of June 14, 1923, P. L. 779, is it legal to refuse to register an applicant whose proposed plan of business is to accept orders for the purchase or sale of securities, which orders will be executed through a New York Stock Exchange House not registered as a dealer in securities in Pennsylvania. The New York Stock Exchange House will carry its account with this applicant and not with the individual customers, and will not assume any liability [455]*455to such individual customer. The securities and cash deposited with the applicant by his customers are deposited by the applicant as margin for the applicant’s account with the New York Stock Exchange House.”

The following facts have been agreed upon by counsel for the Secretary of Banking and the plaintiff, as follows:

1. H. C. O’Boyle, trading as H. C. O’Boyle & Company, was a dealer in securities, with his principal office in Elmira, New York, and with a branch office in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. He executed orders for customers by forwarding them to, and buying or selling through, D’Aguero & Company, a member of the Consolidated Exchange of New York. If the customer of H. C. O’Boyle & Company purchased from it on margin, then H. C. O’Boyle & Company purchased from the New York House on margin, using as collateral cash or securities deposited with H. C. O’Boyle & Company as collateral. The securities bought or sold by the New York Consolidated Exchange House and the moneys and securities deposited as margin therefor were carried in the name of H. C. O’Boyle & Company and not in the individual name of the customer of H. C. O’Boyle & Company.

2. D’Aguero & Company filed a petition of voluntary bankruptcy on March 2, 1922, and at the time of such filing it had moneys and securities credited to the account of H. C. O’Boyle & Company, but which were the securities of the customers of H. C. O’Boyle & Company. Such customers were not able to make claim against the assets of the bankrupt estate of D’Aguero & Company, and it was subsequently revealed that the securities and moneys held by D’Aguero & Company in the trading account of H. C. O’Boyle & Company, and belonging to the customers of H. C. O’Boyle & Company, had been fraudulently converted to their own use by D’Aguero & Company. H. C. O’Boyle & Company did immediately file its claim for the total amount of its account, but nothing was recovered on any of the claims filed against the bankrupt estate. The claim filed by H. C. O’Boyle & Company was equal in amount to the total of the claims of the customers of H. C. O’Boyle & Company.

3. Subsequent to the bankruptcy of the Consolidated Exchange House, H. C. O’Boyle, trading as H. C. O’Boyle & Company, was compelled to go into bankruptcy, and in the schedule of assets filed the securities and moneys belonging to his customers are listed as a claim filed by H. C. O’Boyle & Company against the bankrupt estate of the Consolidated Exchange House. Up to this time, a period of over two years, nothing has been received by any of the customers of H. C. O’Boyle & Company from the bankrupt estate of H. C. O’Boyle & Company, nor has H. C. O’Boyle & Company received anything from the bankrupt estate of the Consolidated Exchange House.

4. The new firm of H. C. O’Boyle & Company is a copartnership, composed of Gertrude H. O’Boyle, Jackson G. Wolfe and Harry C. O’Boyle. It filed with the Bureau of Securities of the Department of Banking, on March 17, 1924, an application for registration as a dealer in securities under the Act of June 14, 1923, P. L. 779, known as “The Securities Act.” This application was refused on the ground that the proposed plan of business was unfair, unjust and inequitable.

5. In this partnership the said Jackson G. Wolfe is an active partner on a salary and has an interest of $1500 in it. The balance of the financial interest in the partnership is held by Gertrude H. O’Boyle, wife of H. C. O’Boyle. The capital investment of this partnership, limited to $16,500, is not now impaired.

6. H. C. O’Boyle & Company proposes to execute orders for its customers by forwarding them to the firm of Marks & Graham, which firm is a member [456]*456of the New York Stock Exchange, but is not a registered dealer in securities in Pennsylvania, and to H. G. Einstein & Company, which firm is a member of the New York Curb, but is not a registered dealer in securities in Pennsylvania; and that it will derive its income by charging such customers as it may choose a service and wire charge in addition to the regular charges by Marks & Graham and Einstein & Company. H. C. O’Boyle & Company must be paid for its services in this way because of the regulations of the New York Stock Exchange, which prohibit its members from rebating any part of their commissions to others.

7. The equities of all customers of H. C. O’Boyle & Company are carried on the books of the company in the name of each individual customer, and when they are deposited with Marks & Graham or Einstein & Company, as the case may be, they are carried in one account as equities of H. C. O’Boyle & Company on the books of the New York House. The method of carrying these accounts is similar to the method used by other brokerage houses not members of any exchange.

8. H. C. O’Boyle & Company maintains its margin with Marks & Graham and Einstein & Company with the securities and moneys placed with H. C. O’Boyle & Company to secure the margins of the customer who made sales or purchases of H. C. O’Boyle & Company. Neither Marks & Graham nor Einstein & Company carry either securities or cash for the account of the individual customers of H. C. O’Boyle & Company, and the individuals trading with H. C. O’Boyle & Company have no dealings with Marks & Graham or Einstein & Company and do not know what part of their cash or securities is being held by Marks & Graham or Einstein & Company. All of the customers who have bought or sold on margin have signed the following hypothecation slip and delivered it to H. C. O’Boyle & Company:

“H. C. O’Boyle & Company:
“Gentlemen: I hereby consent that all securities that may be purchased by H. C.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
5 Pa. D. & C. 454, 1924 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 156, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/h-c-oboyle-co-v-cameron-pactcompldauphi-1924.