Schell v. Equitable Loan & Investment Ass'n of Sedalia

51 S.W. 406, 150 Mo. 103, 1899 Mo. LEXIS 74
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedMay 30, 1899
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 51 S.W. 406 (Schell v. Equitable Loan & Investment Ass'n of Sedalia) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Schell v. Equitable Loan & Investment Ass'n of Sedalia, 51 S.W. 406, 150 Mo. 103, 1899 Mo. LEXIS 74 (Mo. 1899).

Opinion

ROBINSON, J.

This is a suit in equity instituted* in the Greene Circuit Court by the plaintiff, a borrowing stockholder, against the Equitable Loan & Investment Association of Sedalia, a building and loan association organized under article IX, chapter 21, Revised Statutes 1879, to cancel and declare satisfied two certain deeds of trust on lot four in Kelley’s addition to Springfield, Missouri, given to secure loans obtained by plaintiff from said association. On the hearing in the circuit court the issues were found for the plaintiff and a decree rendered that said deeds of trust be canceled and for naught held, and that plaintiff recover of defendant his costs expended therein; from which judgment defendant appealed.

The petition, after stating that defendant is a building and loan association organized under the statutes of this State, in substance alleges that on the 20th day of March, 1889, being the owner of the real estate in question, and desirous of borrowing $800 with which to build a dwelling house on said premises, and the further sum of. [107]*107$200 for tbe purpose of making certain other improvements thereon, the plaintiff was solicited to take five snares of stock in the association, on the assurance that the association would loan him s'aid sums of money upon his securing such loans by a pledge of his shares and a deed of trust upon his Springfield real estate; thereupon he took and subscribed for five shares of stock in the association; that on April 17,1889, the defendant loaned the plaintiff from its accumulated assets the sum of $800, plaintiff giving his note therefor, whereby he obligated himself to pay the sum in one hundred monthly payments of $12 per month; that afterwards, on April 12, 1890, he borrowed of said association the further sum of. $200, and gave his note promising to pay - the last named sum in one hundred monthly payments of $3 per month; that the loans and obligations assumed in relation thereto were secured by a pledge of plaintiff’s five shares of stock and the two deeds of trust in question. _ It was further alleged that both deeds of trust and the notes secured thereby contained the following provision, to wit: “The payment of said monthly sum of-dollars for the full period of said one hundred months, and fines and penalties, shall entitle each of said shares of stock to redemption by said association, at the par value of $200 each, and the said shares so entitled to redemption shall at the end of said one hundred months be taken and canceled by said association in full satisfaction of the obligation, and of the deed of trust to secure the same; in consideration of the said redemption of the said stock and the satisfaction of this obligation and said deed of trust, at said end of one hundred months, I hereby waive and release all further right, interest and benefit in or to the profits and earnings of said association, and hereby transfer and assign same to said association.” The petition further alleged that plaintiff had fully complied with all of the terms and conditions of said deeds of trust and the obligations secured thereby, and paid all monthly dues, instal-[108]*108ments and premiums, as therein required, for the full period of one hundred months; and that thereupon plaintiff had requested the defendant company to cancel his pledged shares, and acknowledge satisfaction of said deeds of trust, or to execute and deliver to him a sufficient deed of release therefor, the costs,and charges for executing same having been tendered to the defendant therefor, to do which, however, the association has refused, and the plaintiff prays that the defendant be required so to do, and that said deeds of trust be adjudged satisfied, 'and for general relief.

The answer of defendant, after admitting the incorporation of defendant company and the execution of the note3 and deeds of trust, in substance averred that while the face or par value of plaintiff’s shares of stock was $200 each, yet said shares would not be worth their face value until by the payment of dues thereon as provided by the law governing building and loan associations, together with the profits, they would have earned $200 per share; that under the law governing building and loan associations, and the by-laws of the association, the advancement so made to the plaintiff was upon the full estimated or maturity value of his shares of stock, with the understanding that plaintiff should continue to pay the monthly dues on said shares until they had earned or become worth the sum of $200 per share, and should also pay the association interest upon the amount so advanced until such time as said shares should mature, together with the sum bid for preference and priority of loan. It was further averred that the provision in the obligations secured by the deeds of trust sought to be released, to the effect that the shares of stock pledged to secure the loans in question should mature and be entitled to redemption at the par value of $200 at the epd of one hundred months and then canceled and satisfied, should be construed as an estimated period at which said [109]*109stock should reach its par value, and not an absolute guarantee'that it would so mature; and that if such provisions can be construed as a guarantee that plaintiff’s shares should be worth their full par value within the one hundred months period, then such stipulation is violative of the principle of mutuality between the shareholders and beyond the powers of the association.

The defendant further averred that all of the shares of stock held by the non-borrowing members of the association contained a provision that such shares should also mature and be redeemed at the expiration of one hundred months from the date thereof, and that it would be utterly impossible to carry out such provisions as to all of the members of the association for the reason that such shares would not, at the expiration of the one hundred months period, have earned the full sum of $200 per share; and that if the provision in the deeds of trust sought to be released, providing that the deeds of trust should be released at the end of> one hundred months, provided the dues, interest and penalties on plaintiff’s pledged shares should have been fully paid up to thatpe-riod, should be enforced, the plaintiff would thus acquire an undue preference and an inequitable advantage over the free shareholders and the other members of the association holding shares with like provisions as to the period of maturity; that the shares of stock so pledged by plaintiff had not matured, but had only earned, and were only worth the sum of $141.14 per share; that it was impossible to carry out the agreement.to mature plaintiff’s stock within one hundred months, and also mature the shares of the free shareholders containing a similar agreement touching the time of maturity.

The plaintiff replied by a general denial.

It appears from the record in this case that plaintiff has complied with all the terms and conditions of the obligations entered into by him at the time the loans in question were [110]*110made, and paid all monthly instalments, dues and premiums as therein required for the full period of one hundred months. His pledged shares of .stock, however, have not matured, being only worth, at the time this suit was instituted, $141.14 per share; and if the decree of the court below is sustained and Said deeds of trust released there will be a resulting loss on-each share of $56.86,. which will fall upon the free shareholders.

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

Related

Federal Savings & Loan Ass'n v. Baxter
1939 OK 289 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1939)
State Ex Rel. Wagner v. Farm & Home Savings & Loan Ass'n
90 S.W.2d 93 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1936)
Gary v. Verity
74 S.W. 161 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1903)
Reitz v. Hayward
73 S.W. 374 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1903)
Vandergrif v. Swinney
59 S.W. 71 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1900)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
51 S.W. 406, 150 Mo. 103, 1899 Mo. LEXIS 74, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/schell-v-equitable-loan-investment-assn-of-sedalia-mo-1899.