Levy v. Chicago National Bank

30 L.R.A. 380, 158 Ill. 88
CourtIllinois Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 11, 1895
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 30 L.R.A. 380 (Levy v. Chicago National Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Illinois Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Levy v. Chicago National Bank, 30 L.R.A. 380, 158 Ill. 88 (Ill. 1895).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Magruder

delivered the opinion of the court:

When appellee filed its claim on September 9, 1893, against the assigned estate in the county court, there had been paid upon the notes, which had been pledged to it as collateral security for its debt, the sum of §66,012.88. This sum consisted of various amounts paid by the makers of the collateral notes at different times between June 3, 1893, the date of the assignment, and September 9,1893, the date of the filing of the claim. Certificates of deposit for the respective sums so paid were issued by appellee to the order of its cashier, and by him deposited in an envelope in lieu of the notes paid, for the purpose of keeping a record of such payments. None of these collections were endorsed on the principal note of the insolvents, Herman Schaffner & Co., or entered on the books of appellee to the credit of the insolvents. But appellee received the money so paid to it, and mingled it with its own funds, and, so, had the use and benefit of it. In addition to this, the principal indebtedness was overdue at the date of the assignment. Such principal indebtedness was evidenced by a note for §100,000.00 dated April 15, 1893, payable on demand to the order of appellee, bearing interest at the rate of six per cent per annum, and signed by Herman Schaffner & Co. This note recited, that there had been delivered to appellee to secure its payment certain collaterals in the shape of notes, etc., and provided that appellee or its assigns might, at any time, after the maturity of the note, sell such collaterals or any part thereof at public or private sale, with or without notice, and apply the proceeds upon the note.

Nothing had been paid upon the notes held as collateral when the assignment was made, but appellee had then, and before that time, the right to sell the collaterals and apply the proceeds upon the note for §100,000.00. If, instead of selling the collaterals, it voluntarily received payments upon them from the makers of them, it is difficult to see why it was not their duty to apply such payments upon the principal note. The amount of their claim on September 9,1893, would then have been the difference between $100,000.00 and $66,012.88, or $33,987.12, instead of the sum of $100,000.00, for which their claim was filed on that day.

The general rule is, that a creditor should credit upon the principal debt whatever he may collect upon the collateral security. (Jones on Pledges, sec. 678). A pledgee, who holds commercial paper as collateral security for the payment of his debt, has no authority, in the absence of a special power for that purpose, to sell the securities upon default of payment at public or private sale. He is bound to hold and collect the same as they become due, and apply the net proceeds to the payment of the debt so secured. (Joliet Iron and Steel Co. v. Scioto Fire Brick Co. 82 Ill. 548; Union Trust Co. v. Rigdon, 93 id. 458; Schouler on Bail. & Cor.—2d ed.—secs. 206, 236). It is true, that, here, a special power was given to sell the collateral notes at public or private sale, but, as that power was not exercised, the duty of applying the money collected from the collaterals to the payment of the principal debt arose out of the fact of the pledge of the commercial paper, independently of the power. Under such circumstances, when payments are made on the notes held as collateral, the law makes the application of such payments to the principal debt, even if the creditor himself does not do so. (Hunt v. Nevers, 15 Pick. 500).

Where a creditor, holding collateral security, files his claim in the county court against the estate of an insolvent who has made an assignment, or in the probate court against the estate of a deceased insolvent debtor, he should credit upon his claim such payments as have been received by him upon his collaterals up to the time of filing proof of his claim, or filing and proving his claim. By “proof” is meant the preliminary proofs which accompany the presentation of the claim, and not the additional proofs made necessary by the filing of objections or exceptions. The amount of the claim, as thus filed by the creditor and supported by his oath or affidavit, is the amount upon which the creditor is entitled to receive dividends from the insolvent estate irrespective of what may be collected from the collaterals thereafter. Such was the decision of this court in Furness v. Union Nat. Bank, 147 Ill. 570. In that case we said (p. 573): “The creditor has a right to prosecute his claim for the full amount against the estate of the deceased debtor in the hands of the administrator, as he had a right to prosecute it for the full amount against the debtor when alive. Of course, this right is subject to the condition that the whole amount of his claim is due to him when he files and proves it. If he has realized upon his collateral before filing and proving his claim, ,he voluntarily parts with the double right secured to him by the law, and can only proceed for what is actually due to him, that is to say, for what remains of his claim after deducting the amount realized from the collateral. * * * But if a creditor, who has filed and proved his claim for the full amount in the probate court, can only be allowed the difference between such amount and the sum thereafter realized by disposing of his col-laterals, there will be a temptation to prolong the litigation and delay the allowance in order that he may be forced to dispose of his collaterals, so that the dividends coming to him may be calculated upon a reduced claim. By such a course of proceeding the secured creditor may be deprived of his right, under the law, to proceed both against the estate and the security until he gets payment in full.”

The Assignment act requires the assignee to give notice of the assignment by publication, and to notify the creditors by mail “to present their claims under oath or affirmation to him within three months,” etc. At the expiration of three months from the time of first publishing notice, he shall report and file with the clerk of the county court a sworn list “of all such creditors of the assignor * * * as shall have claimed to be such, with a true statement of their respective claims.” “Any person interested as creditor or otherwise” may appear within thirty days after filing such report, and file with said clerk “any exceptions to the claim or demand of any creditor’s exhibit as aforesaid.” The clerk is required to give notice thereof to the creditor, and the court shall proceed to hear the proofs and render judgment. (1 Starr & Cur. Stat. pp. 1304, 1305).

It is manifest from the foregoing provisions, that the exceptions are to be filed to the claim as presented under oath to the assignee and reported by him. The question is, whether the amount so claimed is due at thé time when the claim is presented and sworn to. The trial is not merely a trial between the creditor and the debtor, but between the claimant and any other creditor or interested party as to the amount to be allowed as a basis for the calculation of dividends. This necessarily follows from the fact that any person interested as creditor, or otherwise, may except. If the trial should disclose, that the claim as presented and sworn to was unjust as between the creditor and his insolvent debtor either wholly or in part, then of course it would be either wholly or partially disallowed.

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Bluebook (online)
30 L.R.A. 380, 158 Ill. 88, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/levy-v-chicago-national-bank-ill-1895.