Hewitt v. Community & Southern Bank

751 S.E.2d 513, 324 Ga. App. 713, 2013 Fulton County D. Rep. 3717, 2013 WL 6017427, 2013 Ga. App. LEXIS 917
CourtCourt of Appeals of Georgia
DecidedNovember 14, 2013
DocketA13A1433
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 751 S.E.2d 513 (Hewitt v. Community & Southern Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hewitt v. Community & Southern Bank, 751 S.E.2d 513, 324 Ga. App. 713, 2013 Fulton County D. Rep. 3717, 2013 WL 6017427, 2013 Ga. App. LEXIS 917 (Ga. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

McFADDEN, Judge.

David Hewitt filed a lawsuit against Community & Southern Bank, alleging breach of contract and other claims based on a loan [714]*714agreement. Community & Southern answered and counterclaimed to enforce a promissory note. The trial court granted summary judgment to Community & Southern as to Hewitt’s claims and as to the bank’s counterclaim. Hewitt appeals. Because there exist no genuine issues of material fact, we affirm.

On appeal of the grant or denial of a motion for summary judgment, this court conducts a de novo review of the law and the evidence. Further, to prevail at summary judgment under OCGA § 9-11-56, the moving party must demonstrate that there is no genuine issue of material fact and that the undisputed facts, viewed in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party, warrant judgment as a matter of law.

Aquanaut Diving and Engineering v. Guitar Center Stores, 324 Ga. App. 570, 571 (1) (751 SE2d 175) (2013) (citations and punctuation omitted).

So viewed, the record shows that in September 2006, West Georgia National Bank agreed to open a line of credit for Hewitt in the maximum principal amount of $6 million. A commitment letter set forth the terms of the loan, specifically providing that the loan had a maturity of “Twelve (12) months.” A promissory note perfecting West Georgia’s security interest in the loan likewise had a term of 12 months. First National Bank of Georgia, as successor-in-interest of West Georgia, agreed to renew, extend and modify the loan several times between October 2007 and April 2009. The last renewal included an April 29, 2009 promissory note with a six-month maturity date of October 29,2009. Hewitt failed to repay the loan in full by that date.

On January 29, 2010, First National was closed by the comptroller of the currency, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) as receiver. The FDIC subsequently sold, transferred and assigned certain of First National’s assets, including the loan to Hewitt, to Community & Southern Bank. Community & Southern made a written demand to Hewitt for payment of the amounts due under the note.

Hewitt then instituted the instant action against the bank, claiming, among other things, that the initial 2006 loan commitment was supplemented by an oral agreement to give the loan a five-year term. In granting summary judgment to the bank on Hewitt’s breach of contract claim, the trial court noted that the loan commitment plainly set forth a twelve-month term, not a five-year term, and that Hewitt’s claim of terms different from those in the written agreement was barred by the federal D’Oench, Duhme doctrine. This appeal followed.

[715]*7151. D’Oench, Duhme doctrine.

Hewitt argues that the trial court erred in relying on the D’Oench, Duhme doctrine because it applies only to the FDIC and not to subsequent assignees like Community & Southern. The argument is without merit.

The doctrine arises from the United States Supreme Court’s decision inD’Oench, Duhme & Co. v. Fed. Deposit Ins. Corp., 315 U. S. 447 (62 SCt 676, 86 LE 956) (1942), and “protects bank depositors and federal guarantors of banks by prohibiting reliance on any agreements which are not of record and which would have the effect of misleading creditors or the public authority.” Fed. Financial Co. v. Holden, 268 Ga. 73, 74 (485 SE2d 481) (1997) (citation omitted). Under the doctrine, “oral agreements between debtors and failed banks will not be enforced against banking authorities.” Id. (citation and punctuation omitted). Moreover, “[i]ts protection extends not only to the federal guarantor, but to assignees such as [Community & Southern] .” Id. (citation omitted). Thus, contrary to Hewitt’s argument, the trial court did not err in ruling that the doctrine applies in the instant case to protect the assignee bank from breach of contract claims based on purported agreements not of record. See also First Union Nat. Bank of Fla. v. Hall, 123 F3d 1374, 1379 (III) (B), n. 8 (11th Cir. 1997) (“The D’Oench, Duhme doctrine has been expanded to protect entities to whom the FDIC, acting in its capacity as receiver of failed banks, has transferred assets formerly belonging to a failed bank.”).

Hewitt’s further argument that the doctrine does not apply because the purported five-year term was not merely an oral agreement, but was an express term of the written commitment, is likewise without merit. In support of this argument, Hewitt points to an exit fee clause of the loan commitment, which provided that Hewitt “agrees to pay an exit fee if he decides to finance the loan elsewhere. The fee will start at 1.00% during year one and will decrease by 0.25% each year. The exit fee will be terminated after [Hewitt] has completed four years with [the bank].” Contrary to Hewitt’s argument, this vague language, which fails to identify a specific amount upon which the exit fee percentage is based, does not establish a five-year term for the loan. Rather, it simply attempts to provide some method by which the amount of an exit fee would have been calculated if Hewitt had decided to finance the loan elsewhere. The D’Oench, Duhme doctrine bars “any obligation not specifically memorialized in a written document such that the agency would be aware of the obligation when conducting an examination of the institution’s records.” Baumann v. Savers Fed. Sav. & Loan Assn., 934 F2d 1506, 1515 (IV) (11th Cir. 1991) (citation omitted; emphasis supplied). Here, a five-year term is not specifically memorialized in the loan commitment [716]*716document. Because Hewitt is unable to point to any “documents that clearly manifested the [purported five-year term,]” we find no error in the trial court’s application of the doctrine. Fed. Deposit Ins. Corp. v. McCullough, 911 F2d 593, 601 (V) (11th Cir. 1990) (citation and punctuation omitted).

2. Commitment to issue letter of credit.

Hewitt also asserted a breach of contract claim based on allegations that First National breached a commitment to issue a letter of credit to secure bond financing for a property development. In 2008, First National issued a commitment letter, identifying an entity known as the 205 Gateway Improvement District as the borrower and Hewitt as the guarantor, and setting forth conditions for a subsequent letter of credit. The commitment letter provided that it would “be terminated and become null and void” if the letter of credit was not issued within 45 days. The letter of credit was not issued.

The trial court granted summary judgment to Community & Southern on the claim for breach of the commitment on the grounds that (1) Hewitt was not a party or third-party beneficiary to the commitment; (2) Community & Southern was not a party to the commitment and did not assume any liabilities from that commitment when it purchased First National’s assets from the FDIC; and (3) the commitment terminated by its own terms 45 days after it issued. On appeal, Hewitt challenges only the first ground for the trial court’s ruling, arguing that he was a party or third-party beneficiary of the commitment.

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

Related

In the Interest of G. N. N., a Child (Mother)
Court of Appeals of Georgia, 2025
State v. Devdan Yearwood-Cabbel
Court of Appeals of Georgia, 2024
MICHAEL L. CROWE v. CLAUDE T. SCISSOM
Court of Appeals of Georgia, 2022
In the Interest of C. S., a Child, (Father)
Court of Appeals of Georgia, 2020
In the INTEREST OF I. H. H., a Child.
815 S.E.2d 133 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 2018)
In the INTEREST OF R. S. T., a Child.
812 S.E.2d 614 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 2018)
EARL’S PEARLS, LLC Et Al. v. COBB COUNTY
780 S.E.2d 64 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 2015)
Medical Center of Central Georgia, Inc. v. City of Macon
757 S.E.2d 207 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 2014)
Dennis E. Gravitt v. Bank of the Ozarks
Court of Appeals of Georgia, 2014
Gravitt v. Bank of Ozarks
756 S.E.2d 695 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 2014)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
751 S.E.2d 513, 324 Ga. App. 713, 2013 Fulton County D. Rep. 3717, 2013 WL 6017427, 2013 Ga. App. LEXIS 917, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hewitt-v-community-southern-bank-gactapp-2013.