Moran v. Young

18 S.W.2d 323, 179 Ark. 678, 1929 Ark. LEXIS 147
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedJune 3, 1929
StatusPublished

This text of 18 S.W.2d 323 (Moran v. Young) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Moran v. Young, 18 S.W.2d 323, 179 Ark. 678, 1929 Ark. LEXIS 147 (Ark. 1929).

Opinion

Humphreys, J.

Charles Young instituted suit against A. E. Moran, in the chancery court of Arkansas County, Northern District, to rescind an executory contract for the purchase of the west half of section 15, township 3 south, range 5 west, in said county, and to recover escrow deposits made 'by him pursuant thereto, upon the alleged ground, amongst others, that appellant had breached the contract by failing-to procure a loan for him on said land from a State Land 'Bank for the term' of thirty-three years, under its amortization plan, to be secured by a mortgage thereon, which would contain a provision allowing appellee to retire the full amount or any part of the loan on any interest-paying date after the first year up to the fifth year by paying a bonus of one-half of one per cent, plus the amount of interest due at the time.

A. E. Moran filed an answer and cross-complaint, admitting that the contract for the sale and purchase of the land deposited in escrow included a provision requiring him to procure said loan embracing the alleged repayment clause, but alleging full and complete compliance therewith, and praying for a specific performance of the contract.

The cause was submitted upon the pleadings and testimony, which resulted in a decree dismissing Charles Young’s complaint for the want of equity, and for a conditional specific performance of the contract in favor of appellant on his cross-complaint, from which each party has appealed in so far as the decree is adverse to him.

The agreement was entered into on the 2d day of April, 1927, at which time the New England Securities Company of Kansas City, Missouri, was the owner and holder of a mortgage against the entire section of land for $20,000, one-half of which was to be paid out of money Moran was to borrow for Young from said State Land Bank, in order to obtain a release of the west half of said section from the mortgage owned by the New England Securities Company. The escrow contract for the sale and purchase of the west half of said section provided that, in the event Moran could not borrow enough money from said State Land Bank to pay as much as $10,000 on the mortgage of the New England Securities Company, he would apply such amounts as he was able to borrow thereon, and would pay the balance himself and take a note or notes and mortgage from Young on the west half of said section to secure the amount paid by him. The total consideration which Young was to pay Moran for the west half of said section was $35,000, $10,000 of which amount was to be paid by Young’s assumption of one half of the mortgage owned by the New England Securities Company, which he was to pay out of the money to be borrowed from the State Land Bank upon a new mortgage executed by him to it. This undertaking on the part of Moran was incorporated in the escrow contract in the following language:'

“Vendor (A. E. Moran) agrees to secure for purchaser (Charles Young) a State Land Bank loan on the land herein described and hereby sold, said loan to be for the customary term of thirty-three years on the amortization plan, and to be for as great an amount as can be procured through the State Land Bank or Joint Stock Land Bank. It is understood that the interest rate is not to exceed six per cent., and that one per cent, is to be paid on the principal of the loan each year, and that said mortgage shall contain a clause therein whereby purchaser herein shall be granted the privilege of retiring the full amount or any part of the loan on any interest-paying date after the fifth year, or shall have the privilege of retiring the full amount or any part of the loan on any interest-paying date after the first year up to the fifth year by paying a bonus of one-half of one per cent, plus amount of interest due at that time. It is understood that, in the event the loan is made by the State Land Bank or Joint Stock Land iBank, the proceeds of such loan are to be applied on the indebtedness of $10,000, which purchaser herein assumes, and agrees to pay to the New England Securities Company as here-inbefore specified. In the event that the proceeds of such loan shall not he sufficient to retire the full amount of the $10,000 indebtedness due the New England Securities Company (and interest on same, if any due at that time), then in that event vendor agrees to pay to New England Securities Company the amount still due them over and above the amount applied on the indebtedness due by purchaser, and purchaser agrees to execute his note to vendor for the amount so paid by vendor, said note to be due and payable on or before the first day of January, 1931, and to be secured by the same mortgage securing the payment of the three notes of $2,000 each due in 1928, 1929, and 1930, respectively, and bear the same rate of interest.”

The deeds, cheek, stock, etc.,' provided for in the escrow contract were deposited with the People’s National Bank of Stuttgart, to await the inspection of the Mississippi land, the investigation of the stock in the Armour Packing 'Company, the mortgage on the Colorado land, and the procurement of a loan from a State Land Bank by Moran, and the examination and approval of an abstract of title to the west half of said section of land by Young.

On May 2, 1927, A. E. Moran applied to the Southwest Joint Stock Land Bank, located at Little Bock, Arkansas, for a loan of $10,000 on the west half of said section, in accordance with his undertaking in the escrow contract. On May 27 following be was notified that the executive committee of the bank had declined to grant the loan. The declination was based upon the fact that the appraiser’s report indicated that the proposed purchaser of the farm was perhaps a trader or speculator, and nonresident of the State, and not a practical rice farmer. The letter to Moran conveying this information intimated that the committee would be inclined to look on the loan with favor if the title should remain in him. and the farm should have his personal supervision. Subsequently Moran must have informed Young the loan had been declined 'by the Southwest Joint Stock Land Bank, for, in a letter written by Young to Moran on July 20, Young made the following reference to the matter:

“In regard to that loan, I don’t know as it makes any difference to me if they don’t want to make it. Don’t know as I care if I don’t go in debt any more, and if you would just as soon drop the trade, it will be all right with me. You could maybe sell it now for a little more money.”

At a later date, it does not appear just when, Moran had an interview with some of the officials of the Southwest Joint Stock Land Bank concerning the loan, and obtained from them an application for the loan to be signed by Charles Young. This application contained the following clause with reference to the terms and repayment of the loan:

“For a loan of $10,000 for a term of 33 years, with interest at the rate of 6 per cent, per annum, the principal and interest to be payable semi-annually on the amortization plan, according to the amortization table prescribed by the Federal Farm Loan Board, with the privilege of paying additional amounts, or the whole amount of the debt, on any installment date after five years from the date of the loan.”

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Bluebook (online)
18 S.W.2d 323, 179 Ark. 678, 1929 Ark. LEXIS 147, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/moran-v-young-ark-1929.