Republic Ins. Co. v. Cunningham

62 S.W.2d 339, 1933 Tex. App. LEXIS 972
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 8, 1933
DocketNo. 2853
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 62 S.W.2d 339 (Republic Ins. Co. v. Cunningham) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Republic Ins. Co. v. Cunningham, 62 S.W.2d 339, 1933 Tex. App. LEXIS 972 (Tex. Ct. App. 1933).

Opinion

HIGGINS, Justice.

The Home Fire Insurance Company was a fire insurance company incorporated under the laws of Arkansas. Becoming insolvent, it was placed in the hands of a receiver on November 24, 1930, by a court of that state.

For several years prior thereto it had been engaged in business in Texas, and on January’ 3, 1931, A. P. Cunningham was appointed receiver in this state by a district court of Dallas county.

For the years 1928, 1929, and 1930 the eom-[340]*340pany had filed qualification bonds as required by articles 4925 and 4926, R. S., with the American Surety Company as surety.

In the receivership suit in Dallas county the surety company filed an interpleader bringing in the various claimants under the bonds, and sought to have its liability thereunder determined and satisfied. It tendered into court $52,566.63, admitted to be due upon the three bonds.

Among those so impleaded are the Republic Insurance Company and the Fidelity Union Insurance Company, insurance corporations incorporated under the laws of Texas; also certain compress companies also incorporated under the laws of this state.

The Republic and Fidelity Insurance Companies were doing business in this and other states, writing fire, windstorm, and other forms of insurance.

These two companies had entered into written agreements with the I-Iome Company, termed cession treaties or agreements, whereby they reinsured certain of their risks with the Home Company. These agreements were in writing and executed by the executive officers of the respective companies. The risks were reinsured upon the basis of a division of the premiums.

No policies of reinsurance or other separate contracts were entered into between the companies covering the various reinsured risks, but the reinsurance records were kept by bookkeeping entries in the respective home office's of the companies based upon the terms of the cession treaties.

In 1929 and 1930 the Home Company issued to the various compress companies tornado or windstorm policies of insurance covering property in Texas owned by said companies. These policies were executed by said insurance company through the A. B. Banks Agency, an agency for it in Little Rock, Ark., duly authorized by said insurance company to execute such policies. None of these policies was executed, signed, or countersigned for said insurance company by any duly licensed and authorized agent or agency of said company in this state, although said insurance company had duly authorized and licensed agents and agencies in Texas.

None of the compress companies, prior to securing said policies of insurance, made affidavit that it was impossible to secure such insurance through a Texas agent or agency authorized to do business in the state of Texas, as contemplated by article 5058, R. S.

The premiums upon these policies were paid to the Home Company by the respective companies in whose favor they were issued.

The form of the qualification bonds is as follows:

“State of Texas, County of Travis
“Know All Men by These Presents: That pursuant to the requirements of the laws of the State of Texas,-, a corporation, the same being a fire insurance company incorporated under the laws of-and having its domicile at-(and hereinafter called Principal), ás principal, acting by and through-, its president, and-, its Secretary, who are thereunto by it duly authorized, and - a corporation, incorporated under the laws of - and having its domicile at-, and having legal authority to do business in the State of Texas (and hereinafter called Surety) as surety, acting herein by and through - and -, who are thereunto by it duly authorized, are held and firmly bound unto-Chairman, Board of Insurance Commissioners of the State of Texas, and his successors in office, in the full and just sum of-Thousand ($-) Dollars, for the payment of which at Austin in Travis County, Texas, well and truly to be made, said Principal and said Surety hereby jointly and severally firmly bind themselves and their successors and assigns, respectively.
“This bond shall be subject to successive suits by citizens of the State of Texas so long as any part of the same shall not be exhausted, and the same shall be kept in force and unimpaired until all claims of any and all citizens of the State of Texas arising out of any and all obligations of said Principal shall have been fully satisfied.
“In the event said Principal shall become insolvent or cease to transact business in the State of Texas at any time when it has outstanding any policies or policy of insurance in favor of any citizens or citizen of the State of Texas, or upon property in the State of Texas, the Chairman, Board of Insurance Commissioners of the State of Texas, and his successors in office, shall have the power and authority, after having given ten days’ notice to the officers of said Principal or any Receiver in charge of said Principal’s property and affairs, to contract with any other insurance company transacting business in the State of Texas for the assumption and reinsurance by it of all the insurance risks in the State of Texas of such Principal, which contracts shall also provide for the assumption by such reinsuring company of all outstanding and unsatisfied lawful claims then outstanding against such Principal; and in the event of said Chairman, Board of Insurance Commissioners, or any of his successors in office, making any such contract, and if the same shall be approved as reasonable by the Governor and by the Attorney General of the State of Texas, such reinsuring company shall be entitled to recover from said makers, of this bond, and thereon, in a suit or in suits [341]*341to be instituted in Travis County, Texas, tbe amount of tbe premium or compensation so agreed upon for suph reinsurance.
“However, tbe condition of tbe above and foregoing obligation is sucb that if the above designated and bounden Principal shall well and truly pay all its lawful obligations to any and all citizens of the State of Texas, arising out of any policy or policies, contract or contracts, issued by said Principal during tbe year ending February -, 19-, for which tbe certificate of authority to do business in Texas has been or shall be issued to it, and also any and all sums of money for reinsurance for which said Principal may be or become liable under the foregoing terms and provisions of this instrument, said obligation shall thereupon become and be null, and void ; otherwise, to be and remain in full force and effect.”

The impleaded Republic and Fidelity Companies presented claims against the Plome Company and the receiver for unearned premiums and fire losses on risks written in 1928, 1929, and 1930, covering property in Texas and other states, which risks had been re-insured in the Home Company under the cession treaties. The fire losses occurred prior to the cancellation of the reinsurance by the insolvency of the Home Company and receivership.

The impleaded compress companies presented claims for the unearned premiums upon the policies in their favor above mentioned.

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Related

Opinion No.
Texas Attorney General Reports, 1981
Cunningham v. Republic Insurance
94 S.W.2d 140 (Texas Supreme Court, 1936)
Earle v. Holman
61 P.2d 1242 (Oregon Supreme Court, 1936)
American Surety Co. of New York v. Martinez
73 S.W.2d 109 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1934)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
62 S.W.2d 339, 1933 Tex. App. LEXIS 972, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/republic-ins-co-v-cunningham-texapp-1933.