Realty Loan Corp. v. Commissioner

54 T.C. 1083, 1970 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 135
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedMay 25, 1970
DocketDocket No. 5202-67
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 54 T.C. 1083 (Realty Loan Corp. v. Commissioner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Tax Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Realty Loan Corp. v. Commissioner, 54 T.C. 1083, 1970 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 135 (tax 1970).

Opinion

OPINION

Petitioner contends that the primary assets of its mortgage-servicing business which it sold to S & B were its mortgage portfolio, its name, its going-concern value, and its contracts with Mutual Trust and Bankers Life. Petitioner argues that these intangible assets are capital assets in the nature of goodwill. Bespondent contends that the only asset of any value which petitioner sold to S & B for the $86,500 was the right to receive the future service fees from mortgages which petitioner was servicing at the time of the sale. Bespondent contends that petitioner had no intangible assets in the nature of goodwill or going concern value aside from Holmes’ relationship with builders and realtors and with Mutual Trust and Bankers Life. It is respondent’s position that the employment contract of S & B with Holmes was the consideration for these assets.

Both parties recognize that if all petitioner sold to S & B was its right to receive future service fees from Bankers Life and Mutual Trust the entire gain realized from the sale is ordinary income and that if a substantial portion of the sales price was paid for the right to receive income, the gain applicable to such portion would be ordinary income and not capital gain. Nelson Weaver Realty Co., 35 T.C. 937 (1961), revd. 307 F. 2d 897 (C.A. 5, 1962), the holding of which was specifically rejected and the dissenting opinion of Judge Bives of the Court of Appeals followed in Bisbee-Baldwin Corporation v. Tomlinson, 320 F. 2d 929, 930, 934 (C.A. 5, 1963); Bankers Guarantee Title & Trust Co. v. United States, 418 F. 2d 1084 (C.A. 6, 1969); General Guaranty Mortgage Co. v. Tomlinson, 335 F. 2d 518 (C.A. 5, 1964); and United States v. Eidson, 310 F. 2d 111 (C.A. 5, 1962).

In Bisbee-Baldwin Corporation v. Tomlinson, supra, a case dealing with mortgage-servicing contracts, the court stated at 93N935:

Still, some parts of tbe “bundle” of contractual rights transferred by Bisbee-Baldwin were capital assets. The mortgage correspondent relationships have value in addition to the rights to servicing commissions. It acts as a “feeder” for related businesses, such as insurance and real estate, frequently engaged in by mortgage bankers. The monthly escrow deposits made by the mortgagors considerably enhance the servicing agent’s credit standing. Moreover, as the dissenting opinion in Nelson Weaver recognized, there is a sale of “good will”. The mortgage portfolio of the mortgage banker tends to increase each year as both the mortgagors and the investors look to the mortgaging servicing agent for further funds and further outlets for investment. * * *
* * * The consideration received for the right to earn future servicing commissions must be regarded as a substitute for such future ordinary income. This important part of the bundle of rights sold or exchanged can be separated from the other parts and should be taxed for what it is * * *

See also Hugh H. Hodges, 50 T.C. 428 (1968), in which we allocated a composite price of an insurance business between the amount paid for commissions on renewal premiums on 5-year policies which constituted ordinary income to the seller and the amount paid for the intangible assets which constituted capital gain.

Although S & E was primarily interested in the purchase of the servicing fees to be obtained on mortgages which petitioner was servicing, the evidence shows that it was also desirous of obtaining petitioner’s contacts with Mutual Trust and Bankers Life and the goodwill which petitioner had with individual builders and realtors, and the files relating to mortgages procured through such builders and realtors. The bill of sale as well as the other evidence of record supports the conclusion that S & K was primarily interested in the income that would be generated from the mortgage-servicing business and the major portion of the $86,500 was paid for the mortgage-servicing income. The bill of sale provided that if for any reason except S & E’s fault, any of the contracts which petitioner was servicing at the date of sale were lost or not transferred to S & E within 2 years of the date of purchase of the mortgage-servicing business, petitioner would pay to S & E 1 percent of the principal balance of such accounts lost or' not transferred. Since the remaining balance of the mortgages transferred to S & E at the end of the 2 years would not be less than $7½ million, S <& E was granted a protection up to approximately $75,000 on the amount of the $86,500 which is allocable to future income from servicing fees.

S & E purchased petitioner’s name but used it only once in connection with a loan in process at the time of purchase. Obviously, therefore the name was of little value to S & E. Included in the assets purchased were petitioner’s mortgage files, documents, records, and licenses. These assets had some value to S & E.

On the basis of this record it is difficult to allocate the $86,500 payment between the purchase of future income and the purchase of capital assets. However, since we are of the view that such an allocation is necessary, we will make that allocation on the basis of all the evidence of record.

S & E, for an unspecified number of years after the purchase, received gross servicing fees from the mortgages it took over from petitioner of $40,000. Approximately two-fifths of this amount or $16,000 a year would constitute net income according to the estimate of the officer of S & E who negotiated the purchase. The evidence shows that as the mortgages are paid off and the balances decline the servicing fees and net income from such fees decline. It would not be expected that a person would pay the full price of the income it expected to receive over the lives of the mortgages. Upon consideration of all the evidence, we conclude that S & B paid petitioner $10,000 for its intangible assets and the portion of the gain from the transaction applicable to this $10,000 is capital gain and the remaining portion of the gain is ordinary income.

Eespondent takes the position that petitioner is not entitled to report the portion of the gain from the sale applicable ¡to its sale of its future servicing fees on the installment method.3

Petitioner contends that section 453 applies to all sales except for inventory items. Petitioner points out that section 453, dealing with installment sales, does not require that “property” be a capital asset for a taxpayer to be permitted to elect to use the installment method of reporting income. Petitioner argues that its right to future income from servicing the mortgages under its contracts with the owners, primarily Mutual Trust and Bankers Life, was “personal property” as the term is used in section 453.

In Ann Edwards Trust, 20 T.C. 615 (1953), affd. 217 F. 2d 952 (C.A. 5, 1955), certiorari denied 349 U.S. 905 (1955), we held that the taxpayer’s gain on the sale of fruit on the trees at the time it sold its citrus grove was ordinary income and not capital gain because the fruit was held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business. We further held that even though the gain was ordinary income petitioner was entitled to report the gain on the installment method, stating at page 618:

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

Related

Mingo v. Commissioner
773 F.3d 629 (Fifth Circuit, 2014)
Foy v. Commissioner
84 T.C. No. 4 (U.S. Tax Court, 1985)
First Nat'l Bank v. Commissioner
1975 T.C. Memo. 67 (U.S. Tax Court, 1975)
Realty Loan Corp. v. Commissioner
54 T.C. 1083 (U.S. Tax Court, 1970)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
54 T.C. 1083, 1970 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 135, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/realty-loan-corp-v-commissioner-tax-1970.