Imel v. Commissioner

61 T.C. No. 34, 61 T.C. 318, 1973 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 12
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedNovember 29, 1973
DocketDocket No. 5799-70
StatusPublished
Cited by52 cases

This text of 61 T.C. No. 34 (Imel v. Commissioner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Tax Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Imel v. Commissioner, 61 T.C. No. 34, 61 T.C. 318, 1973 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 12 (tax 1973).

Opinion

Wiles, Judge:

Respondent has determined the following deficiencies in petitioners’ Federal income taxes:

Taxable year Deficiency
1965 _ $3, 364.00
1968 ___ 6, 006. 87

The issues remaining for decision are:

1. Whether a $5,000 loss incurred by petitioner in 1968 on the worthlessness of a debt is allowed as a deduction pursuant to section 166(a),I.R.C. 1954.1

2. Whether the proceeds of a $100,000 loan were used in the trade or business of the borrower so that a $30,000 payment made by petitioner in 1968 in settlement of his liability as a guarantor on such loan is deductible under section 166 (f).

3. Whether section 166 determines exclusively the deductibility of the $30,000 loss that petitioner sustained in 1968 in settlement of his liability.

4. Whether the legal and travel expenses incurred by petitioner in obtaining a settlement of his liability as guarantor of a note are deductible pursuant to section 165 (c) (2).

FINDINGS 03? FACT

Some of the facts have been stipulated and have been found accordingly.

Petitioners are Robert E. Imel (hereinafter referred to as petitioner) and Nancy J. Imel, husband and wife who resided in Pampa, Tex., at the time of the filing of the petition herein. They filed a joint Federal income tax return for the taxable years 1965 and 1968 with the district director of internal revenue in Dallas, Tex.

Since 1960 petitioner has been vice president and trust officer of the Citizens Bank & Trust Co. of Pampa, Tex., in which bank he also holds a minority stockholder interest. The value of petitioner’s investment interest in the Pampa bank was approximately $50,000 in 1965 and approximately $80,000 in 1968. The petitioner received salaries from the Pampa bank in the amounts of $15,492 in 1965 and $21,200 in 1968. His duties at the Pampa bank include building up new business, collecting notes, making bond investments, and dealing with the Federal Reserve. Petitioner in the course of carrying out his duties as a bank officer has made personal loans to certain individuals and corporations, which loans the bank could not make. Between 1965 and 1968, he made seven or eight ABC oil payment loans. On March 1, 1968, he made a $86,000 loan to Midwest Chemical Co., which loan was evidenced by a note. In 1965 petitioner’s interest income from these loans was $2,621. He also received interest income in 1966 and 1967. The purpose of making these loans was to build up business for petitioner himself and to induce potential customers to deposit funds in the Pampa bank.

On August 1,1965, petitioner made a $5,000 loan evidenced by a note to W. E. Pritchett, petitioner’s stepfather-in-law. Pritchett’s purpose for borrowing these funds was to secure an option to buy stock in Capital Life Insurance Co. Pritchett had been in the insurance business since 1948 when he was employed by Farmers Insurance Group Co. in Arkansas. He became district manager for Farmers Insurance Group Co. in 1949 and later became their sales and claims manager in Arkansas. He remained in this position for 14 years. As the result of conversations with a fraternity group, Pritchett in 1959 devised a life insurance policy that superimposed an endowment feature so that fraternity brothers would be permitted to assign this endowment to their fraternity and not affect their rights under the policy. Pritchett offered to let Farmers Insurance Group Co. market this policy but that company decided not to enter into such a program.

After approaching several other insurance companies with this promotion idea, Pritchett entered into an agreement with Washington Independent Life Insurance Co. As a result of this agreement Pritchett became a stockholder and an executive vice president of that company. He left Washington Independent Life Insurance Co. about a year later because they did not have adequate funding to handle the program of marketing his new policy.

After having several meetings with members of certain fraternity groups, Pritchett decided to start his own company to market his policy. He decided to purchase a small insurance company which had an old charter because such a charter was necessary before the company would be admitted into several States and before the stock could be marketed publicly. He attempted to purchase an insurance company in Manhattan, Kans., and finally purchased a company in Columbia, Mo. After the other shareholders of this company found out that he had purchased the controlling interest, Pritchett was faced with shareholder dissent. The dissenting shareholders offered to buy Pritchett’s stock at a price that would produce a $10,000 profit for him. Pritchett agreed to sell his stock to the shareholders.

Eventually Pritchett entered into an agreement with Lloyd G Hobbs who was the principal stockholder of Capital Investors Life Insurance Co. (hereinafter referred to as Capital Investors). Pritchett made an arrangement whereby he would buy 75 percent of the stock of the company. Pritchett would pay $4 per share for the stock in this company. The agreement also provided that Capital Investors would pay a salary to Pritchett and that he would receive an override on the policies in force. In addition he was to receive incentive stock bonuses based upon the policies issued. Pritchett and another individual put up $25,000 to acquire an option to purchase the stock in accordance with the agreement with Hobbs.

At this time the stock market for life insurance stock declined such that Pritchett had difficulty finding additional investors and he had to put up an additional $25,000 to hold his option. At this time he contacted petitioner regarding the $5,000 loan discussed previously. The petitioner agreed to make the loan to Pritchett because he foresaw the possibility of becoming a director of Capital Investors and because he thereby would be able to control where the company’s funds would be deposited.

Still in need of more funds to close the agreement with Hobbs, Pritchett contacted National American Life Insurance Co. (hereinafter referred to as National American) in Baton Eouge, La., regarding a “take-out” letter for a $100,000 loan. National American agreed to give him a “take-out” letter because they were going to service the policies for Pritchett and were going to reinsure Capital Investors. National American would also offer their facilities in other States to sell Pritchett’s policy and allow him to buy back that insurance once Capitol Investors became qualified to do business in additional States.

Pritchett attempted to borrow additional funds from the City National Bank of Fort Smith, Ark. (hereinafter referred to as City National Bank), on the strength of the “take-out” letter from National American. City National Bank, however, told him that in addition to the “take-out” letter he would have to obtain three additional signatures on the note. Pritchett again approached the petitioner who agreed to sign the note. Pritchett used the proceeds of the loan from City National Bank to purchase stock in Capital Investors, the name of which was subsequently changed to National Fraternity Life Insurance Co. (hereinafter referred to as National Fraternity).

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

Related

Rutter v. Comm'r
2017 T.C. Memo. 174 (U.S. Tax Court, 2017)
Hatcher v. Comm'r
2016 T.C. Memo. 188 (U.S. Tax Court, 2016)
Cooper v. Comm'r
2015 T.C. Memo. 191 (U.S. Tax Court, 2015)
Langert v. Comm'r
2014 T.C. Memo. 210 (U.S. Tax Court, 2014)
Heinbockel v. Comm'r
2013 T.C. Memo. 125 (U.S. Tax Court, 2013)
Scallen v. Comm'r
2002 T.C. Memo. 294 (U.S. Tax Court, 2002)
HAJIYANI v. COMMISSIONER
2001 T.C. Summary Opinion 183 (U.S. Tax Court, 2001)
Melvyn L. Bell v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue
200 F.3d 545 (Eighth Circuit, 2000)
Melvyn L. Bell v. CIR
Eighth Circuit, 2000
Bell v. Commissioner
1998 T.C. Memo. 136 (U.S. Tax Court, 1998)
Baker v. Commissioner
1995 T.C. Memo. 385 (U.S. Tax Court, 1995)
Serot v. Commissioner
1994 T.C. Memo. 532 (U.S. Tax Court, 1994)
Carraway v. Commissioner
1994 T.C. Memo. 295 (U.S. Tax Court, 1994)
Ringger v. Commissioner
1991 T.C. Memo. 613 (U.S. Tax Court, 1991)
Brooks v. Commissioner
1990 T.C. Memo. 259 (U.S. Tax Court, 1990)
Taylor v. Commissioner
1989 T.C. Memo. 331 (U.S. Tax Court, 1989)
McMonagle v. Commissioner
1988 T.C. Memo. 370 (U.S. Tax Court, 1988)
Ruppel v. Commissioner
1987 T.C. Memo. 248 (U.S. Tax Court, 1987)
Smith v. Commissioner
1984 T.C. Memo. 361 (U.S. Tax Court, 1984)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
61 T.C. No. 34, 61 T.C. 318, 1973 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 12, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/imel-v-commissioner-tax-1973.