Harrison State Bank v. First National Bank

218 N.W. 92, 116 Neb. 456, 1928 Neb. LEXIS 135
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 13, 1928
DocketNo. 25520
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 218 N.W. 92 (Harrison State Bank v. First National Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Harrison State Bank v. First National Bank, 218 N.W. 92, 116 Neb. 456, 1928 Neb. LEXIS 135 (Neb. 1928).

Opinion

Thompson, J.

Appellant brought this suit in the district court for Douglas county to recover judgment for the sum of $1,685.79, with interest, against the appellee First National Bank of Omaha, and for equitable relief against it and other appellees. Judgment was entered in favor of each appellee, and the action dismissed at appellant’s costs, to reverse which it appeals.

For the sake of brevity, the parties to this suit will be designated herein as follows: Appellant as plaintiff; First National Bank of Omaha as defendant; First National Bank of Harrison as Harrison National Bank; Ralph S. Pryce, receiver, who was succeeded during the trial by Harry Hall, as receiver; Sióux National Bank of Harrison as Sioux Bank.

As a basis for the equitable relief sought, the plaintiff alleged, in substance: That the Harrison-National Bank and the plaintiff were situate at Harrison, Nebraska; that it was customary between them to meet on the afternoon of each day, in one or the other of the banks, to clear such day’s business as between them, which was done by totaling the respective amounts of checks paid by the one for the other, and each giving to the other its check for the sum of such respective totals, drawn on its correspondent bank, in which it had deposited money for that purpose; that such custom was by each of the payees, as to the checks herein involved, relied upon, as was well known to each of the correspondent banks; that by reason thereof [458]*458the respective checks in suit were each an equitable appropriation pro tanto of the funds so held by the bank on which it was drawn and that such fund to that extent was not affected by the insolvency of the Harrison National Bank, nor subject to offset on other of its indebtedness owing to the depository bank.

The facts leading to this deduction on the part of plaintiff were each and all denied by the defendant. Without entering into a discussion as to the effect of the federal statute regulating the priority of liens in the distribution of the assets of an insolvent national bank, and the construction given to such statute by the courts of the United States as evidenced by the conclusion reached in First Nat. Bank of Chicago v. Selden, 120 Fed. 212, and Cook County Nat. Bank v. United States, 107 U. S. 445, and other cases, it is sufficient to say that the evidence adduced as reflected by the record does not sustain the plaintiff’s allegations, but on the contrary reveals the following pertinent facts: That the plaintiff and defendant banks are corporations organized under the law, for the purpose, and located, as by their respective names indicated, and were operating as such at the dates covered by the transactions here receiving our consideration. However, the Harrison National Bank became and was insolvent on and prior to the 4th day of February, 1924, and at the close of business on February 2, 1924, closed its doors, and by order of the comptroller of the currency, owing to such insolvency, such doors were never reopened. On the 12th day of February, 1924, a receiver was duly appointed to wind up its affairs, in pursuance of which its assets were sold as hereinafter indicated. In the course of its business the Harrison National Bank had as its correspondent bank the defendant, wherein it kept a reserve account subject to check or draft in the ordinary course of business, and plaintiff had as its correspondent the Live Stock National Bank of Omaha (hereinafter referred to as Live Stock Bank), in which it kept a deposit similar to that of the Harrison National Bank. Pláintiff and the [459]*459Harrison National Bank, as was their usual practice, met on the afternoon of each day, by and through their respective representatives, and each gave to the other a draft (called by plaintiff a check) for the full amount of clearances for that day on its correspondent bank. In pursuance of this practice, on February 1, 1924, the Harrison National Bank executed by its assistant cashier and delivered to plaintiff a draft drawn on defendant for $475.30, payable to J. L. Gerlach, plaintiff’s cashier, and for the plaintiff’s use and benefit; and on the same day and at the same time J. L. Gerlach, as such cashier of plaintiff, executed and delivered to the Harrison National Bank a draft on the Live Stock Bank for $1,975.26, the same being the amount due from plaintiff to such Harrison National Bank for the day’s business. On the following day the Harrison National Bank executed by its assistant cashier and delivered to plaintiff a draft drawn on defendant for $1,210.49, payable to J. L. Gerlach, cashier of plaintiff, and ■ for the latter’s use and benefit; and on the same day and at the same time J. L. Gerlach, as plaintiff’s cashier, executed and delivered to the Harrison National Bank a draft drawn on the Live Stock Bank for $2,462.78, which was the amount then due the Harrison National Bank from plaintiff on such day’s business. The two drafts held by the Harrison National Bank were forwarded to defendant to be collected and credited by it to the deposit account of the sending bank. The two drafts held by plaintiff were forwarded to the Live Stock Bank for collection and credit to plaintiff’s deposit account. The Live Stock Bank, however, was first to present its two drafts to defendant for payment, which it did on February 4,1924. Payment thereof was refused by defendant, for the reason that the Harrison National Bank had closed its doors to business under the order of the comptroller of the currency, owing to its insolvency, and further that defendant had been so notified. These two drafts were duly protested for the above indicated reasons, and form the basis of this action. On the next day defendant presented the two drafts which plaintiff [460]*460had given to the Harrison National Bank to the Live Stock Bank and received payment therefor, which funds were by defendant placed on deposit to the credit of the Harrison National Bank in its account with defendant. A year or more prior to the receipt of such last named item the Nebraska National Bank of Omaha had been organized, and in due course of business the Harrison National Bank had become indebted to it in the sum of $25,000, or over, and had secured such indebtedness by placing with such credit- or as security collateral consisting of notes and mortgages of the value of at least $40,000. After making such $25,-000 loan and receiving the collateral, the Nebraska National Bank became insolvent, was taken charge of by the comptroller of the currency, and in the course of the liquidation of its assets, and about three months prior to the transactions here in question, the note evidencing this indebtedness of $25,000 together with the collateral securing the same, had been sold and delivered, by and through the orders of such comptroller, to the defendant, for a consideration that is unquestioned in this case. Shortly after receiving payment of the two drafts from the Live Stock Bank, the defendant' offset the amount then on deposit in its bank to the credit of the Harrison National Bank, to wit, $20,952.51, by crediting the same on the note secured by such collateral (which note was then past due), and subsequently other amounts were so collected and credited by defendant. These transactions were reported to the receiver of the Harrison National Bank, which reports, under the direction of the comptroller of the currency, were in all things approved.

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Bluebook (online)
218 N.W. 92, 116 Neb. 456, 1928 Neb. LEXIS 135, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/harrison-state-bank-v-first-national-bank-neb-1928.