National Bank of McKeesport v. Saxon

268 F. Supp. 720, 1967 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10569, 1967 Trade Cas. (CCH) 72,130
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedMay 31, 1967
DocketCiv. A. No. 66-199
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 268 F. Supp. 720 (National Bank of McKeesport v. Saxon) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
National Bank of McKeesport v. Saxon, 268 F. Supp. 720, 1967 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10569, 1967 Trade Cas. (CCH) 72,130 (W.D. Pa. 1967).

Opinion

OPINION

WEBER, District Judge.

This matter involves motions for summary judgment on the record filed by both of the within defendants.

The plaintiffs have filed a complaint for declaratory judgment asking, among other things, for injunctive relief to restrain the Comptroller from granting a certificate to operate a branch bank to the defendant Mellon National Bank and Trust Company (Mellon Bank) and injunctive relief against the Mellon Bank from operating such a branch in McKeesport, Pennsylvania.

McKeesport, Pennsylvania, is a community of about 80,000 people located at the confluence of the MonongahelaYoughiogheny Rivers (known as the “Mon-Yough” Region). The Mon-Yough Region has traditionally maintained a separate identity from the nearby Pittsburgh and Allegheny County area, even though McKeesport is located in Allegheny County.

The National Bank of McKeesport, a plaintiff in this action, is a national bank having its principal place of business in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, with several branches in the “Mon-Yough” area. The Peoples Union Bank and Trust Company, another plaintiff in this action, is a state bank organized under Pennsylvania law, having its principal place of business in McKeesport, with branches located in the surrounding “Mon-Yough” area.

Defendants are the Comptroller of the Currency of the United States, a federal officer, and Mellon Bank.

[722]*722The defendant, Mellon Bank, is a national bank, having its principal place of business in Pittsburgh, and according to the plaintiffs, it operates nearly one hundred branches in the surrounding six county area. The affidavit of Reed H. Albig, President of National Bank of Mc-Keesport, indicates that Mellon Bank’s deposits and loans constitute more than fifty percent of deposits and loans in all banks located in the six county area.

After purchasing a certain piece of property in McKeesport, Mellon Bank, on June 8, 1964, applied to the Comptroller of Currency for a certificate to operate a branch office. The Deputy Comptroller, after conference with protesting banks and investigation by his staff, indicated on .December 27, 1965, that a branch certificate would be issued to operate a branch on that property.

The plaintiffs filed the within complaint on February 19, 1966. By agreement of the parties, the proceedings were stayed to allow the Comptroller to conduct further hearings to determine the appropriateness of issuing Mellon Bank such a branch certificate. Hearings were held on May 16 and 17, 1966, and the Comptroller filed further findings on November 25, 1966. In February 1967, the Comptroller indicated that a certificate was to be issued thereby removing the stay in the proceedings of this law suit. As a result of such hearing the plaintiffs now admit that the original allegation of lack of due process in the original administrative proceeding has been disposed of.

The defendants have moved for summary judgment on the record before the Comptroller, asserting that there “is no genuine issue of fact” open to establish that the Comptroller’s decision was arbitrary and capricious.

The defendants argue that the Comptroller’s opinion demonstrates as a matter of law that all of the Pennsylvania requirements for the issuance of a branch bank certificate to Mellon Bank were met in this particular instance. Defendants argue that there was ample evidence presented at the two hearings from which the Comptroller could find that the Mellon Branch would provide a useful public service in McKeesport. The defendants further contend that the determination of a Comptroller in the granting of a branch bank certificate is a discretionary matter and that 5 U.S.C. § 1009 of the Administrative Procedure Act excepts from judicial review “(2) agency action * * * committed to agency discretion.”

The plaintiffs oppose the defendants’ motion on a three-fold basis; one, that the Comptroller failed to consider certain requirements of branch banking under Pennsylvania law as he is obliged to do under 12 U.S.C.A. § 36(c); two, the Comptroller failed to consider overwhelming evidence presented at the hearings which demonstrated that no additional banking services were needed in the McKeesport área; and three, the Comptroller acted capriciously in not considering the effect of Mellon Bank’s opening a branch in McKeesport under the various anti-trust laws.

The guidelines to be followed by the Comptroller in deciding on the appropriateness of granting a certificate to a national bank to operate a branch bank are established by 12 U.S.C.A. § 36 (c). This federal statute requires the Comptroller generally to grant branches to national banks in those instances where the State Banking Authority in the state where the branch is to be located would grant a certificate to a state bank to open such a branch. Behind this statute was a congressional intention to foster a parity between the granting of certificates for branches of national banks and the granting of certificates for branches of state banks. First National Bank of Logan v. Walker Bank & Trust Co., 385 U.S. 252, 261, 87 S.Ct. 492, 17 L.Ed.2d 343 (1966).

The plaintiffs argue that there is an issue of fact as to whether the Comptroller found that this branch bank was needed in McKeesport. The Pennsylvania statute, 7 P.S. §§ 904, 905, requires [723]*723that such a need be established in the area where the branch is to be located before the Pennsylvania authorities grant a state bank a certificate to operate a branch.

While the Comptroller in considering the state requirements when granting a bank a certificate to operate a branch must find that the branch is needed in the community where it is to be located, the Pennsylvania law does not specify how the need for a branch bank is to be determined or how the finding is to be made.

The Court finds that the Comptroller found a need for Mellon Bank’s branch in McKeesport, because of the following language in the Comptroller’s opinion:

“ * * * there is every indication that this competition will promote the public interest rather than have a deteriorating effect upon it.
******
* * * the applicant is well able to sustain the burden incident to the establishment of a new branch and that, accordingly the public interest would be served by approval of Mellon National’s branch application.”

While the Comptroller did not say specifically that he found that the branch was needed under the standards established by Pennsylvania law, the court does not feel that such a finding is necessary in the light of the fact that Pennsylvania establishes no specific standards for their authorities to determine the need for branch banks. The court finds that the Comptroller did find a need for this branch bank in McKeesport and that this was all that was required of him, assuming that all other requirements of the state banking laws were met, as they were in this instance.

The plaintiffs urge that the First National Bank of Logan v. Walker Bank & Trust Co., 385 U.S. 252, 87 S.Ct. 492, 17 L.Ed.2d 343 (1966) controls the present situation.

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Bluebook (online)
268 F. Supp. 720, 1967 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10569, 1967 Trade Cas. (CCH) 72,130, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/national-bank-of-mckeesport-v-saxon-pawd-1967.