Hudson United Bank v. Chase Manhattan Bank of Connecticut, N.A.

43 F.3d 843, 1994 U.S. App. LEXIS 36538, 1994 WL 716888
Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit·Decided December 29, 1994·No. 93-5729·Published·Cited by 52 cases

Opinion

43 F.3d 843

63 USLW 2418

HUDSON UNITED BANK, as successor in interest to HUB National
Bank, formerly known as Meadowlands National Bank, Appellant
v.
CHASE MANHATTAN BANK OF CONNECTICUT, N.A.; Consolidated
Asset Recovery Corporation; Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation, in its corporate capacity; Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation, as Receiver for Citytrust.

No. 93-5729.

United States Court of Appeals,
Third Circuit.

Argued July 20, 1994.
Decided Dec. 29, 1994.

Richard W. Mackiewicz, Jr. (argued), Van Borkulo-Nuzzo & Mackiewicz, Union City, NJ, for appellant.

Colleen B. Bombardier (argued), Lawrence H. Richmond, F.D.I.C., Washington, DC, James T. Davis, II, Stephen R. Farber, Brach, Eichler, Rosenberg, Silver, Bernstein, Hammer & Gladstone, Roseland, NJ, for appellee F.D.I.C. as Receiver for Citytrust.

Sheryl L. Newman, McManimon & Scotland, Newark, NJ, for appellee Consolidated Asset Recovery Corp.

Gerald T. Ford, Siff Rosen, Newark NJ, for appellee Chase Manhattan Bank of Connecticut, N.A.

OPINION OF THE COURT

SCIRICA, Circuit Judge.

There are two interrelated issues in this appeal. First, whether the venue provision of the Financial Institution Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 ("FIRREA"), 12 U.S.C. Sec. 1821(d)(6)(A) (Supp. II 1990),1 governs only actions brought against the failed depository institution or whether it also applies to actions against the institution's receiver. Second, whether the claims procedures established in FIRREA, 12 U.S.C. Sec. 1821(d), cover actions against the receiver as well as actions against the failed institution.

This case arises out of the failure of a state bank, Citytrust of Connecticut. Hudson United Bank brought suit in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey against Chase Manhattan Bank of Connecticut, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and Chase's wholly owned subsidiary, Consolidated Asset Recovery Corporation, seeking a declaratory judgment of its rights to certain funds as a result of its participation interest in loans made by the failed bank. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, as receiver for the failed bank, moved to transfer the action to the District of Connecticut under 12 U.S.C. Sec. 1821(d)(6)(A). The district court granted the motion to transfer, holding that the claims procedures applied to actions against the receiver and that a change of venue was required under FIRREA. The court then certified the issue for interlocutory appeal. Hudson United Bank v. Chase Manhattan Bank, NA, 832 F.Supp. 881 (D.N.J.1993). We will affirm.

I.

Plaintiff/appellant Hudson United Bank ("Hudson") is a New Jersey corporation.2 Defendant/appellee Chase Manhattan Bank of Connecticut, NA ("Chase"), is a national association of the state of Connecticut, with offices in Connecticut. Citytrust of Connecticut ("Citytrust"), the failed bank now in receivership, was a state bank licensed in Connecticut. Kleinberg Electric is a New York corporation that was a customer of Citytrust and is now in bankruptcy, allegedly as a result of actions of the defendants. Paul and Carol Kleinberg, the guarantors on the loan, were both New Jersey residents at the time the loan was executed.

In 1987, Citytrust extended to Kleinberg Electric a $1 million term loan and a $1.25 million line of credit. Hudson bought a 63% interest in Kleinberg Electric's term loan as part of a Loan Participation Agreement. In 1991, Citytrust failed and was placed under the control of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation as receiver. Following standard procedure, the FDIC sought a buyer for Citytrust and found Chase, which entered into a Purchase and Assumption Agreement with the FDIC allowing Chase to evaluate Citytrust's assets and "put" any unwanted assets back to the receiver. Chase's subsidiary, Consolidated Asset Recovery Corporation ("CARC"), was to manage (with FDIC supervision) any Citytrust assets that were retained or reacquired by the FDIC.

Sometime after Citytrust's bankruptcy in August 1991 and the start of this new arrangement, Hudson ceased receiving payments for its participation interest in the Kleinberg loan. In addition, the Kleinberg line of credit was terminated, apparently upon the closing of the FDIC's Purchase and Assumption Agreement with Chase. Hudson, 832 F.Supp. at 883. Two months later, Chase "put" the Kleinberg loans back to the receiver, to be managed by CARC.

Hudson claimed it had not been notified of Citytrust's bankruptcy and learned of it only in November 1991 when it inquired about the discontinued loan payments. In January 1992 CARC accelerated the loans, allegedly causing Kleinberg to file for bankruptcy. Even after filing for bankruptcy, Kleinberg continued to make payments to CARC on the Citytrust loans, but CARC allegedly failed to remit to Hudson its full share of those payments. By early 1992 it appeared that Hudson was losing money on the Kleinberg loan. In March 1992, however, Chase deposited $476,176.80 into an account of Hudson's at Chase, and Hudson withdrew that money as payment in full of the loan participation. Chase then decided it had deposited the money by mistake and asked for it back. Hudson responded by seeking a declaratory judgment of its rights to the funds, punitive damages, and litigation expenses. Hudson alleged breach of the Loan Participation Agreement, breach of the duty of good faith, breach of fiduciary duty, and fraudulent concealment. Chase counterclaimed for the return of the money.

After filing its action, Hudson asked the FDIC receiver whether administrative review of its claims was a necessary prerequisite to bringing suit. The FDIC forwarded a claim notice to Hudson, which Hudson filed. The FDIC then disallowed the claim and moved to transfer the case to the District of Connecticut under 28 U.S.C. Sec. 1406(a) (1988)3 and 12 U.S.C. Sec. 1821(d)(6)(A). The FDIC contended that New Jersey was the wrong venue because 12 U.S.C. Sec. 1821(d)(6)(A) specifies that a claimant can only bring suit in the district where the failed depository institution had its principal place of business or in the District of Columbia. Because Citytrust's principal place of business was in Connecticut, the FDIC asserted that the case should be transferred there. Hudson opposed transfer, contending Sec. 1821(d)(6)(A) only refers to claims against the failed depository institution, not to claims based on actions taken by the FDIC after the bank failed, which are actually against the receiver, not the institution. The district court granted the FDIC's motion to transfer and then certified the following question for interlocutory appeal:4Does the venue provision in [FIRREA], 12 U.S.C. Sec. 1821(d)(6) apply to an action which is brought against the receiver for wrongs allegedly committed by the receiver rather than the failed institution?

II.

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Hudson United Bank v. Chase Manhattan Bank of Connecticut, N.A., 43 F.3d 843, 1994 U.S. App. LEXIS 36538, 1994 WL 716888 (3d Cir. 1994).

43 F.3d 843 (Hudson United Bank v. Chase Manhattan Bank of Connecticut, N.A.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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