Haley v. Barclays Bank Delaware (In re Carter)

506 B.R. 83
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, D. Arizona
DecidedMarch 3, 2014
DocketBankruptcy No. 2:12-bk-16174-RJH; Adversary No. 2:13-ap-00412-RJH
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 506 B.R. 83 (Haley v. Barclays Bank Delaware (In re Carter)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, D. Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Haley v. Barclays Bank Delaware (In re Carter), 506 B.R. 83 (Ark. 2014).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANT’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

RANDOLPH J. HAINES, Chief Judge.

On cross-motions for summary judgment, the issues are whether the Debtors’ payments on their credit card within the preference period were made in the ordinary course of business, and the extent to which the Trustee’s preference action is subject to a subsequent new value defense.

Background Facts

Debtors Travis and Mary Carter filed Chapter 71 on July 19, 2012. During the 90 days prior to the petition date, the Debtors paid a total of $10,868.58 on their credit card account with Barclays Bank Delaware. This total amount was paid in four payments: $1,000.00 paid on April 20; $4,868.58 paid on May 4; $2,500.00 paid on June 11; and $2,500.00 paid on June 18.

Trustee filed an adversary proceeding against Barclays Bank seeking to recover the entire $10,868.58 as an avoidable preference. Prior to answering, Barclays Bank sent a letter to the Trustee, accompanied by credit card statements, seeking to demonstrate that all of the payments made within the preference period were within the ordinary course of the Debtors’ prior business with Barclays Bank. The letter also included a chart demonstrating that after each of the allegedly preferential payments was made there were subsequent new charges incurred, except to the extent of $3,093.50. Barclays subsequently filed an answer that asserted the ordinary course defense of § 547(c)(2), the subsequent new value defense of § 547(c)(4), and that the Bankruptcy Court lacks authority to enter final judgment against the Defendant, although admitting that this is a core matter under 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(2)(F).

The Trustee moved for summary judgment seeking avoidance and liability for the full $10,868.58. The Trustee’s motion did not address or even mention the ordinary course and subsequent new value defenses. Barclays filed a joint response to the Trustee’s motion and a cross-motion for summary judgment. Barclays’ cross-motion was supported by a statement of facts that included the Debtors’ payment history for the prior three years, and also the subsequent new value chart. Barclays’ statement of facts summarized these bill[86]*86ing statements as indicating that “[t]he Debtors generally paid either the full amount due or an amount close to it.” The statement of facts also included studies by AARP and TransUnion. The AARP study showed that around 58% of people pay the full balance each month, and the TransUn-ion study estimated that around 42% of cardholders pay the full amount due each month. Barclays’ response to the Trustee’s motion argued that the payments during the preference period were similar to those during the prior three years because they were often for the exact amount billed, and often for the full amount due according to the most recent bill plus amounts that had been incurred since that statement, and that only one of the payments during the preference period was late, and then only by three days, which was also consistent with past practices.

Barclays’ response and cross-motion also stated that “Barclays does not consent to the entry of a final order or judgment against it by this Court,” citing Stem2, and Bellingham,3 The cross-motion also concluded, however, with a single sentence: “Barclays respectfully requests that the Court enter judgment in favor of Barclays, declaring that the Trustee take nothing on his complaint, and dismissing this adversary with prejudice.”

After oral argument on February 24, 2014, the Court took the matter under advisement.

Analysis

Based on the undisputed facts, the Court finds and concludes that there is no material fact dispute that all of the payments during the preference period were made in the ordinary course of business pursuant to § 547(c)(2). The payments were all made when due except for one, and it was only three days late. The payments were for the full balance due, or close to it, and often covered charges that had been incurred after the statement date and prior to the payment. Such payments of the full balance due, or close to it, were entirely consistent with the Debtors’ previous ordinary course of business with the Barclays credit card. They are also consistent with the ordinary course of business in the credit card industry.

The Trustee makes only two arguments that the payments during the preference period were outside of the previous ordinary course. First, the Trustee argues that most of the payments during the preference period exceeded the precise amount of the statement that had been issued, although the Trustee admits that “[presumably, the Debtors were paying off the entire ‘outstanding balance’ during the preference period, which would include additional charges subsequent to the statement being prepared.” Second, the Trustee argues that two of the payments made during the preference period followed the issuance of a single statement, instead of that statement being paid in full by a single payment. In its reply, Trustee argued that similar overpayment of statements, presumably to pay the entire outstanding balance, had been made eleven times in the approximate two-year period preceding the filing. Based on these undisputed facts, there is no material fact dispute that the Debtors’ payments were in the ordinary course of business, both of their own prior business with Barclays and in the industry generally for purposes of § 547(c)(2)(A) and (B). After the BAPC-[87]*87PA amendments, either kind of ordinary course establishes a complete defense.

As an alternative, the Court also finds and concludes that Barclays would be entitled to summary judgment, except to the extent of $3,098.50, because there are no material facts in dispute that Barclays advanced new value after each of the challenged payments. The subsequent new value defense would be available if the ordinary course did not provide a complete defense. Barclays’ chart demonstrates that after each of the challenged payments, subsequent new value was advanced. Although all such subsequent new value was paid for, in the absence of an ordinary course defense those payments of the new value would also be avoidable. Because the payment of the subsequent new values would also be avoidable, the undisputed facts demonstrate that on account of that new value the Debtors did not make an otherwise unavoidable transfer; to the contrary, it made only avoidable transfers (on the assumption the ordinary course defense does not apply). Therefore all of the new value would provide an alternative defense pursuant to § 547(c)(4)(B), except for $3,093.50, and the Trustee’s argument to the contrary simply makes no sense.

In that event, however, Barclays would not be entitled to summary judgment on the remaining preference liability of $3,093.50 on account of the § 547(c)(9) defense. That section provides a defense only if “the aggregate value of all property that constitutes or is affected by such transfer is less than $6,225.” The language of that defense is internally contradictory or at best ambiguous because the term “aggregate” implies a summation of various transfers, while the language “such transfer” implies the defense should be applied on a payment by payment basis.

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Bluebook (online)
506 B.R. 83, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/haley-v-barclays-bank-delaware-in-re-carter-arb-2014.