In Re Delco Oil, Inc.

365 B.R. 246, 57 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 1373, 62 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 257, 2007 Bankr. LEXIS 998, 2007 WL 879987
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, M.D. Florida
DecidedMarch 21, 2007
Docket3:06-bk-03241-GLP
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 365 B.R. 246 (In Re Delco Oil, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, M.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Delco Oil, Inc., 365 B.R. 246, 57 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 1373, 62 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 257, 2007 Bankr. LEXIS 998, 2007 WL 879987 (Fla. 2007).

Opinion

FINDINGS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

GEORGE L. PROCTOR, Bankruptcy Judge.

This case is before the Court upon the Motion for Relief From Stay filed by Capi-talSource. After hearings held on December 18, 2006 and January 12, 2007, the Court makes the following Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law.

FINDINGS OF FACT

1. Debtor was a motor fuel distributor headquartered in DeLand, Florida. On April 26, 2006, Debtor, as borrower, entered into a Revolving Credit and Security Agreement (the “Credit Agreement”) with CapitalSource Finance LLC (“Capital-Source”). (Debtor’s Ex. 1 [Credit Agreement].)

2. By entering into the Credit Agreement, CapitalSource agreed to make loans and other financial accommodations to Debtor via a revolving facility of up to $18 million. In exchange, Debtor pledged as collateral all of its right, title, and interest in and to, the Debtor’s collections, cash payments, and inventory. (Debtor’s Ex. 1 at § 2.11.) The Credit Agreement required Debtor to maintain its bank accounts with Fifth/Third Bank.

3. In June 2006, unbeknown to Capital-Source, Debtor opened a money market account with Mainstreet Community Bank with a deposit of $500,000 to secure a letter of credit issued by Mainstreet Bank in favor of Valero Energy Corporation. (CapitalSource Ex. 17 Deposition of W. Flowers, p. 28,1. 4-p. 31,1. 3).

4. On October 12, 2006, Debtor also secretly opened a checking account at Mainstreet Bank. (12/8/06 Tr. at 25). Debtor deposited approximately $600,000 into the checking account prior to the filing of the bankruptcy petition. (12/8/06 Tr. at 25).

5. CapitalSource does not have a Deposit Account Control Agreement with respect to the Mainstreet Bank accounts that were secretly opened. (12/ 18/06 Tr. at 47; 1/12/07 Tr. at 28-29).

6. CapitalSource has sufficiently traced the pre-petition deposits into the Main-street Bank account. David Phelps, a consultant for CapitalSource, testified that all the pre-petition deposits into the Main-street account has been traced through bank deposits. (1/12/07 Tr. at 29). Todd Gehrs, an officer of CapitalSource, testified that although he had not personally traced all the deposits into the Mainstreet Bank, as access was not provided by the Debtor, that he could surmise that the origin of the funds came from CapitalSource’s cash collateral that had been improperly diverted. (12/18/06 Tr. at 33).

7. On October 17, 2006, Debtor filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. On November 9, 2006, the Court entered an order denying Debtor’s motion to use CapitalSource’s cash collateral. On December 1, 2006, the case was converted to a Chapter 7 and Aaron Cohen was appointed as the Interim Chapter 7 Trustee. As of the petition date, the Debtor was indebted to Capital-Source under the Credit Agreement in an aggregate principal amount of over seventeen million.

*248 8. CapitalSource has established that the post-petition funds in Debtor’s bank accounts, constitute direct proceeds of its pre-petition collateral without the addition of other estate resources. (12/18/06 Tr. at 44; 1/12/07 Tr. at 20-26).

9. Aaron R. Cohen, as the Interim Chapter 7 Trustee and the Florida Department of Revenue (the “Limited Objectors”) oppose the stay being lifted as to all pre-petition funds in the Mainstreet Bank accounts and to all of Debtor’s post-petition bank deposits.

10. One day prior to the filing of the bankruptcy petition, CapitalSource filed suit against the Debtor in Maryland seeking a temporary restraining order to require Debtor to deposit funds into the Fifth/Third Bank pursuant to the Credit Agreement. (12/18/06 Tr. at 23).

11. The “Limited Objectors” consent to CapitalSource pursuing the Maryland litigation for the limited purpose of foreclosing its lien on collateral as to which the automatic stay is lifted, and for the pur-' pose of liquidating the debt to the limited extent necessary to pursue claims against third party guarantors. The Limited Objectors object to CapitalSource’s pursuit of the Maryland lawsuit for the purpose of determining CapitalSource’s claim to the disputed bank accounts. 1

12. On January 31, 2007, CapitalSource filed an adversary proceeding against the Interim Trustee seeking declaratory relief with respect to CapitalSource’s alleged lien on the Mainstreet Bank accounts and the imposition of an equitable constructive trust.

CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

In assessing whether to lift the automatic stay, pursuant to § 362(g)(1), Capital-Source bears the burden of proof on the issue of Debtor’s equity in the property. The Limited Objectors bear the burden on every other issue. 11 U.S.C.A. § 362(g)(2). The Interim Trustee and Florida Department of Revenue have filed a limited objection to CapitalSource’s Motion for Relief From Stay. Neither Limited Objector asserts that cause does not exist to lift the stay, rather they claim that CapitalSource cannot meet its burden of establishing that the funds maintained in the Mainstreet Bank accounts are traceable collateral of CapitalSource’s loan or “identifiable proceeds” of that collateral.

A. PRE-PETITION MAINSTREET BANK DEPOSITS

The Limited Objectors assert that Capi-talSource’s security interest does not extend to the pre-petition Mainstreet Bank account funds because (1) CapitalSource does not have a signed Bank Account Control Agreement and (2) CapitalSource has not met its burden of establishing which pre-petition deposits constitute identifiable cash proceeds. CapitalSource maintains that the funds in the Mainstreet Bank accounts constitute cash collateral or identifiable proceeds therefrom.

Pursuant to Florida Statutes § 679.312I(2)(a), a signed Bank Account Control Agreement is necessary in order to create a perfected interest in a bank *249 account. Florida Statute § 679.3121(2)(a), provides, in pertinent part:

Except as otherwise provided in § 679.3151(3) and (4) for proceeds:

(a) a security interest in a deposit account may be perfected only by control under s. 679.3141.

The official comment to UCC Revised § 9-312, upon which Fla. Stat.

679.3151(2)(a) is similar, provides in pertinent part:

5. Deposit Accounts. Under new subsection (b)(1), the only method of perfecting a security interest in a deposit account as original collateral is by control. Filing is ineffective, except as provided in Section 9-315 with respect to proceeds. As explained in Section 9-104, “control” can arise as a result of an agreement among the secured party, debtor, and bank, whereby the bank agrees to comply with instructions of the secured party with respect to disposition of the funds on deposit, even though the debtor retains the right to direct disposition of the funds.

Based upon the above, the Limited Objectors maintain that without a control agreement as to the Mainstreet Bank account that CapitalSource cannot establish a prima facie security interest in the pre-petition account.

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365 B.R. 246, 57 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 1373, 62 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 257, 2007 Bankr. LEXIS 998, 2007 WL 879987, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-delco-oil-inc-flmb-2007.