Powers v. Woolfolk

111 S.W. 1187, 132 Mo. App. 354, 1908 Mo. App. LEXIS 547
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 29, 1908
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 111 S.W. 1187 (Powers v. Woolfolk) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Powers v. Woolfolk, 111 S.W. 1187, 132 Mo. App. 354, 1908 Mo. App. LEXIS 547 (Mo. Ct. App. 1908).

Opinion

ELLISON, J.

Plaintiff’s action is based on a negotiable promissory note for fifteen hundred dollars. He obtained judgment in the trial court, less $132, which was allowed by that- court as a credit, the circumstances of which we need not state since plaintiff is not complaining.

There was a private banking house in Clinton, Missouri, known under the name of Salmon & Salmon, which did a general banking business. The bank Avas practically under the exclusive management arid control of T. M. Casey, Avho Avas its cashier. • The plaintiff made a time deposit Avith the bank of $10,000 at five per cent interest and as evidence thereof received a certificate of deposit. He aftenvards concluded he could get a higher rate of interest by loaning the money to individual borroAvers and so expressed himself to Casey. The latter told him that the bank could not pay a higher rate, but that he Avould get him a note payable on demand for the amount and accrued interest, being $11,100, bearing seven per cent, signed by his father, G. M. Casey, himself and one of the Salmons, payable to Salmon & Salmon and by them endorsed to plaintiff, notice and protest waived. This was satisfactory to plaintiff.

Aftenvards G. M. Casey became knoAvn to be insolvent and failed in business, and plaintiff began to demand payment of his note from T. M. Casey, Avho, as already stated, Avas manager of the bank and who had also signed the note individually. The latter stated to plaintiff that if he Avould not press for payment he would turn over to him notes of the bank as collateral so as to make the note as good as it Avas before G. M. Casey’s failure. This was done and these collateral notes were endorsed by the bank, through T. M. Casey, [358]*358to plaintiff, who put them in his private box along with the principal note. This box was kept locked by plaintiff and placed by him in the bank’s vault. Afterwards T. M. Casey said to plaintiff that the collateral notes would be falling due from time to time and that he would like for plaintiff to let him have them when payment would be offered and that he would give him other collateral in their place. Plaintiff had no objection to this, provided the substituted collateral was satisfactory to him. In pursuance of this several substitutions were made, plaintiff putting the new ones in his box.

In January, 1905, defendant gave the note in suit to the bank, for $1,500. In April thereafter Casey gave to plaintiff this note (endorsed by him for the bank) as collateral to be substituted for some then received from plaintiff. Plaintiff took the note and placed it in his box. Afterwards, on June 10, 1905, after banking hours, defendant having a check on the bank for $1,000 and not knowing that his note had been transferred to plaintiff, went into the bank and said to the paying and receiving teller “I want to pay you $1,000 on that note of mine. Get the note.” The teller replied that it was locked up. Defendant then stated to him that he was going away and that “I want to leave this check with you to pay on that note.” The teller then made a memorandum to that effect. It was stated that Casey heard this conversation and we will assume that he did. A few days thereafter, on the 21st of June, 1905, the bank failed and its doors were closed.

1. The first question is did T. M. Casey as general manager and cashier of the bank have authority to transfer the note in controversy to the plaintiff as collateral security for the note of eleven thousand and one hundred dollars held by plaintiff. The law is well settled that a cashier having the general charge and [359]*359management of a bank bas authority to transfer the bank’s paper as collateral security for the bank’s debts. [Sloan v. Bank, 158 Mo. 431, 438, 439; Bank v. Hughes, 62 Mo. App. 581, 582.]

Conceding this statement of the law, defendant makes two distinct claims in avoidance; The first is that the transfer of the note against defendant to the plaintiff by Casey as collateral,, though in the name of the bank, was merely an attempt to transfer the bank’s note as security for his private debt. The statement that the principal note Avas T. M. Casey’s is true, yet it is not the‘whole truth. The note was payable to the bank and it was signed by T. M. Casey’s father and one of the Salmons and by T. M. Casey himself. It was thus, on its face, a note belonging to the bank and the bank substituted it for the certificate of deposit it had given to plaintiff. In other words, the bank took up its certificate of deposit and gave in place thereof one of its notes; afterwards assigning other notes as collateral. While this was securing a note of which T. M. Casey was one of the makers, yet it was not done for him. It was done by the bank through him and for the bank. The transaction was that of the bank, and for the .bank, in order to take up the certificate of deposit issued and owing by the bank.

2. The second claim is that as plaintiff did not take collateral security at the time he accepted the note in place of the certificate of deposit, though he took it afterAvards, he is not a holder of such collateral for value. That is, it is said there was no consideration for the transfer of the note to plaintiff. But considering the new note as, in reality, that of the bank although signed by others, the matter under discussion does not present the question of a consideration. It does not present the question of a promise to do a thing ■ — it is a thing done and the question of consideration for a promise cuts no figure. A man may promise to [360]*360make a gift and 'it cannot be enforced for lack of consideration ; but if he actually makes the gift it is valid. So it ought to be' clear that where a debtor, Avith or without request, voluntarily gives the creditor collateral securities after the indebtedness has been incurred, and the latter accepts them, the transaction is valid between them. It is commonly done and its legality, Ave think, has not been questioned. Therefore, while it is true plaintiff did not take the collateral at the time he surrendered the certificate and took the note in its place, he had á right to accept and hold Avhatever securities the bank aftenvards should choose to let him have, and nó one (except it be creditors) has a right to complain.

3. We may look at the case from another standpoint. The law is that a promise of forbearance, though for an indefinite time, if a reasonable time be given, is a promise on a consideration and binds secondary or additional obligors. [Ballard v. Burton, 64 Vt. 387; Finch v. Skilton, 29 Hun 925; Bank v. Parker, 130 N. Y. 415; Howe v. Taggart, 133 Mass. 284; Robinson v. Gould, 11 Cush. 55; Moore v. McKenney, 83 Me. 80; Calkins v. Chandler, 36 Mich. 319.] Therefore, 1 viewing the matter from the standpoint of the interest of rights of the makers of the note for $11,100, and conceding that something did transpire between plaintiff and the bank and the makers of that note Avhich needed a consideration to support the transfer of the collaterals, such consideration was had in plaintiff’s forbearance.

■ The well-settled rule of law in this State that a surety will be discharged if there is an extension of time without his consent, for a definite period, based on a consideration, is not opposed to what Ave have Avritten. That rule is founded upon equitable principles in favor of the surety and the reason for it does not apply as between the payee and the principal debtbr.' [361]

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Ryan v. Tinker
744 S.W.2d 502 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1988)
Bank of Wyandotte v. Woodrow
394 F. Supp. 550 (W.D. Missouri, 1975)
McChesney v. Herman
176 So. 565 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1937)
Sherlock v. Duck Creek Township
92 S.W.2d 675 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1936)
The University Bank v. Major
83 S.W.2d 924 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1935)
City of Gallatin v. Feurt
50 S.W.2d 1027 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1932)
California Bank v. Daniel
288 P. 7 (Arizona Supreme Court, 1930)
Daniels v. Carr
233 Ill. App. 531 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1924)
Taylor v. Fuqua
219 S.W. 971 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1920)
Mandle v. Horspool
201 S.W. 638 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1918)
Bank of Kirksville v. Sloop
200 S.W. 72 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1917)
Calhoun v. Ainsworth
176 S.W. 316 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1915)
Third National Bank v. St. Charles Savings Bank
149 S.W. 495 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1912)
Scott v. Taylor
63 Fla. 612 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1912)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
111 S.W. 1187, 132 Mo. App. 354, 1908 Mo. App. LEXIS 547, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/powers-v-woolfolk-moctapp-1908.