In Re Miraj and Sons, Inc.

192 B.R. 297, 28 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 1287, 1996 Bankr. LEXIS 158, 1996 WL 74168
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, D. Massachusetts
DecidedFebruary 16, 1996
Docket19-10894
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 192 B.R. 297 (In Re Miraj and Sons, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, D. Massachusetts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Miraj and Sons, Inc., 192 B.R. 297, 28 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 1287, 1996 Bankr. LEXIS 158, 1996 WL 74168 (Mass. 1996).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OF DECISION

HENRY J. BOROFF, Bankruptcy Judge.

Before the Court for determination is an objection filed by Miraj & Sons, Inc. (the “Debtor”) to four (4) Proofs of Claim filed by The Cadle Company (“Cadle”) totaling $2,198,869.70. The claims arise from moneys *300 borrowed by the Debtor in connection with the Debtor’s purchase from the Bank for Savings of certain condominium units in Townsend, Massachusetts. The objection is framed in the context of the hearing on confirmation of the Debtor’s Plan of Reorganization (the “Plan”). Feasibility of the Plan depends on a determination that the Cadle claim does not exceed the sum of $950,000.00. The following constitute findings of fact and conclusions of law, pursuant to Fed. R.Bank.P. 7052.

I. Facts

In or about 1990, the Bank for Savings (the “Bank”) was the owner of eighty-four condominium units located in the Pine Ridge Condominium in Townsend, Massachusetts (the “Units”). The Bank had acquired the Units after foreclosure of a mortgage with respect to an unrelated party. In its efforts to liquidate the Units, an agent for the Bank approached a certain Mirajuddin Ahmed (“Ahmed”) 1 offering to sell to Ahmed certain of the Units for investment. Ahmed expressed interest in buying the Units from the Bank, having previously successfully consummated other real estate transactions of a similar type.

Ahmed’s investment strategy was to form the Debtor to acquire the Units, with financing supplied by the Bank. He then planned to have the Debtor do minor repairs, rent the Units and eventually sell them to end users (preferably the tenants) in order to repay the Bank and earn a profit. The investment plan was obviously wholly dependent on the ability of end users to finance their acquisition of the Units from the Debtor. However, end user financing was problematic as only 2 out of the 120 units in the total project were then owner occupied. Under Fannie Mae guidelines, qualification for the financing of a condominium unit purchase then required that 70% of the total units be owner occupied. Absent the ability of end users to obtain financing, the Debtor would be forced to retain the Units as rental property. Such a retention was not desired by the Debtor, nor was it financially feasible. With this problem in mind, Ahmed decided to offer to purchase certain Units from the Bank, but only if the Bank would agree to provide financing both to the Debtor to be formed and to the end users to whom the Debtor would market the Units.

On or about August 23, 1990, Ahmed offered to purchase seventy of the Units (the “First Offer”) for the sum of $1,757,000, contingent on the Bank providing financing to the Debtor and end loan financing to the end users of those seventy units. The Bank and Ahmed engaged in extensive negotiations over the end loan financing. However, on September 6,1990, the Bank finally accepted the Offer. The Bank then prepared a Commercial Loan Workout Request, dated October 11, 1990 (the “First Loan Request”), which provided in part: “The Bank will also provide the same financing rate to qualified borrowers who will be purchasing condos from the [Debtor]....” 2 The First Loan Request bears a stamp which reads “Voted by Board of Investment 10/12/90.” The minutes of the October 12, 1990 meeting of the Bank’s Board of Trustees reflect its approval of the loan, but do not specifically mention the end loan financing.

The Bank then prepared a commitment letter, dated October 24, 1990 (the “First Commitment Letter”), which provided that “the Bank shall provide financing to qualified buyers who are purchasing the condominium units ... from [the Debtor].” On November 15, 1990, Ahmed executed a Purchase and Sale Agreement for the seventy Units. The Purchase and Sale Agreement incorporated by reference the First Commitment Letter. The Bank executed the Purchase and Sale Agreement on November 26,1990.

The closing of the sale of the seventy Units occurred on November 28, 1990, at which time the following relevant transactions occurred:

*301 (1) The First Commitment Letter was amended to add Miraj and Sons, Inc. (which had been incorporated five days earlier) as a party and set forth an amended loan repayment schedule. The First Commitment Letter, as amended, was init-ialled by all of the parties, including the Bank.
(2) A Commercial Loan Summary, prepared by the Bank, and dated November 28, 1990 (the “First Loan Summary”), was executed by the Debtor and witnessed by the Bank’s counsel. The First Loan Summary specifically referred to the Bank’s obligation to provide end loan financing.
(3) The Debtor executed and delivered to the Bank a variable rate promissory note, dated November 28, 1990 (the “First Note”), in the original principal amount of $1,581,300; as well as a mortgage, security agreement, and assignment of rents.
(4) The Debtor executed and delivered to the Bank an additional fixed rate promissory note, dated November 28, 1990 (the “Second Note”), in the original principal amount of $95,000 (as a working capital loan to refurbish the purchased Units); as well as a mortgage, security agreement, and assignment of rents. 3

After the closing, the Bank’s counsel prepared and tendered to the Bank for its records, a “loan bible,” which contained among other things, the First Commitment Letter, the First Loan Summary, and the First Note.

In early 1991, the Debtor decided to purchase more Units from the Bank. Pursuant to an Offer to Purchase dated January 8, 1991 (the “Second Offer”), the Debtor offered to buy seven additional Units. The Second Offer provided for “closing terms to be the same as previous 70 unit transfer.” The Bank’s Loan Committee held meetings on April 5, 1991 and April 19, 1991 on the Second Offer. During these meetings, the Loan Committee voted to approve a $157,500 purchase money loan to the Debtor, but there was no specific mention of end loan financing. The minutes of the April 23, 1991 meeting of the Bank’s Board of Trustees reflect its approval of the loan, but do not specifically mention end loan financing.

The Bank then prepared a Workout Loan Request, dated July 12, 1991 (the “Second Loan Request”), which provided in part “The Bank will also provide the same financing rate to qualified borrowers who will be purchasing said condos from the [Debtor].... ”

The Bank prepared a commitment letter, dated July 16, 1991 (the “Second Commitment Letter”), which stated “the Bank shall provide financing to qualified buyers who are purchasing the condominium units ... from [the Debtor]_” The July 23, 1991 minutes of the Bank’s Board of Trustees reflect its approval of the loan, but do not specifically mention end loan financing. On July 30, 1991, the Debtor executed a Purchase and Sale Agreement for the seven additional Units which incorporated by reference the terms of the Second Commitment letter.

The Second Loan Request was stamped with two stamps.

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Related

In re Blackstone Financial Holdings, LLC
573 B.R. 1 (D. Massachusetts, 2017)
Federal Deposit Insurance v. S.A.S. Associates
44 F. Supp. 2d 781 (E.D. Virginia, 1999)
In Re Miraj and Sons, Inc.
201 B.R. 23 (D. Massachusetts, 1996)
Colman v. Wendover Funding
89 F.3d 849 (Tenth Circuit, 1996)

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192 B.R. 297, 28 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 1287, 1996 Bankr. LEXIS 158, 1996 WL 74168, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-miraj-and-sons-inc-mab-1996.