SRS Capital Funds, Inc.

CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. New York
DecidedApril 13, 2022
Docket8-20-72883
StatusUnknown

This text of SRS Capital Funds, Inc. (SRS Capital Funds, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
SRS Capital Funds, Inc., (N.Y. 2022).

Opinion

UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK ---------------------------------------------------------X In re: Case No. 20-72883-reg SRS CAPITAL FUNDS, INC., aka SRS CAPITAL FUNDS 2 LLC, Chapter 7 aka SRS CAPITAL FUNDS II, LLC, aka SRS CAPITAL LLC,

Debtor. ---------------------------------------------------------X MEMORANDUM DECISION DENYING MOTION TO COMPEL ABANDONMENT This matter comes before the Court on the motion, pursuant to § 554(b) of the Bankruptcy Code1 by Aharon and Jennifer Ungar (the “Ungars”), to compel the abandonment of certain property held by the chapter 7 trustee, Allan B. Mendelsohn (“Trustee”). The Ungars argue that approximately $62,000 held in two of the Debtor’s bank accounts (the “Account Funds”) at the time of the commencement of this bankruptcy case are not property of the estate under § 541. The Ungars argue these accounts were established for their benefit in accordance with the terms of a so-called Syndication Participation Agreement (the “Agreement”) entered into by them with the Debtor. As such the Ungars argue that the estate, as a matter of law, has only bare legal title to the accounts and they alone hold the equitable interest in the Account Funds which requires the estate to abandon all claims to them. In support of their argument, the Ungars reference the Debtor’s Statement of Financial Affairs, which identifies the Account Funds as property held for the Ungars. They also point to the Agreement which provides that the Account Funds “are the property of Participant and shall be held for the benefit of Participant[.]” See Agreement § 4.2, ECF No. 111-1. Additionally, the

1 All statutory references in this Decision are to the Bankruptcy Code, 11 U.S.C. § 101 et seq. Ungars argue, testimony provided during a § 341 examination of the Debtor’s principal, Spencer Silverman (“Mr. Silverman”), generally supports a finding that the Account Funds are their property. See Transcript of 341 Meeting of Creditors (Dec. 8, 2020), ECF No. 132.

The Trustee opposes the motion on the grounds that the Agreement is not, in fact, a true participation agreement but rather is a disguised loan, or alternatively a security. Therefore, the Trustee argues the Ungars have neither legal nor equitable rights to the Account Funds. The Trustee argues the Account Funds are outside the scope of an exception in § 541(d) for certain types of property in which the Debtor holds legal title but not an equitable interest. Further, even if the Ungars did hold true loan participations with the Debtor, the Trustee argues that the Ungars have failed to meet their burden under § 554(b) to trace the Account Funds to the purported loan participations.

The sole issue before the Court is whether the Ungars’ interest in the Account Funds is as a matter of law sufficient to satisfy the statutory exception found in § 541(d) such that the subject funds are not property of the estate and must be abandoned by the Trustee. It is undisputed that the Debtor holds legal title to the Account Funds. What is at issue is what rights the Ungars have to the funds. In analyzing this question the Court reviewed the purported Participation Agreement as well as other relevant parts of the record. The Ungars attempt to characterize the Agreement as one where they acquired a direct interest in a loan where the Debtor was the lender

and a third party was the borrower. In a traditional participation agreement the Account Funds would constitute the proceeds of loans originated by the Debtor but in which the Ungars owned a fractional share. This is so because a true loan participation would have resulted in a sale to the Ungars of a fractional interest in specific loans originated by the Debtor. However, the Court finds the Ungars did not in fact purchase a participating interest in the underlying loans. Rather the Ungars acquired a right as set forth in the Agreement to share not directly in the underlying loans but rather in the economic gain or loss of the Debtor. The Ungars have failed to meet their burden of proving that the Account Funds are in fact the proceeds of a true loan participation. On that basis alone, the Court finds that the Account Funds are not excepted from property of the estate under § 541(d) and should not be abandoned at this time.

That leaves open the question: What was the financial arrangement between the Debtor and the Ungars? Assuming there was no true participation arrangement (i.e., sale), there are in this Court’s view two remaining alternatives: a loan or sale of a security. Although these two alternatives have been briefed and analyzed by the parties, the Court will not make any determination today other than that the Agreement was not a true participation and therefore the Account Funds are not excepted from property of the estate under § 541(d).

FACTS The Debtor was in the business of financing merchant cash advances. Transcript of 341 Meeting of Creditors (Dec. 8, 2020), ECF No. 132, at 13. An involuntary bankruptcy petition was filed against the Debtor on September 4, 2020, and the Court entered an order for relief on

October 28, 2020. The Trustee was appointed on November 2, 2020. Thereafter, on July 20, 2021, the Ungars filed the instant Motion to Compel Abandonment of the Account Funds. I. The “Syndication Participation Agreement”

The Ungars entered into the Agreement with the Debtor on March 2, 2017 to “co-invest” in various merchant cash advances, revenue based financings, or loans with business borrowers under terms and conditions in the “sole discretion” of the Debtor. Agreement, “Where As” Clause A, B. With the Debtor as “Lead” and the Ungars as “Participant,” the Debtor was authorized “to decide (i) whether or not [the Ungars] will co-invest in a Funding Agreement and (ii) how much of the [Ungars’] Investment shall be allocated to each Funding Agreement in which [the Debtor] elects [the Ungars’] to co-invest. Agreement § 2.2. The Ungars understood “that there are several risks related to co-investment including, but not limited to: (a) the risk that [the Ungars] may lose some or all of [their] Participation Amount and/or Participant Investment;

(b) the risk that the Client’s [i.e., borrower’s] cash flow and assets may not be sufficient to recover the investment amount nor will result in any profit there from; (c) the risk that there may be no guarantee or collateral on the funded amount; and (d) the fact that [the Ungars’] investment may be an unsecured obligation of the Client.” Id. § 3A.1.4. In the event that the borrowers failed to make good on the various types of credit agreements, “only [the Debtor] has the right to seek and engage in legal recourse against the Client to enforce the terms of any agreements.” Id. § 3A.1.8. Notably, the Ungars warranted and represented that they were “accredited investor[s]” as defined by Rule 501 under the Securities Act. Id. § 3A.1.1. While the agreement was for a 12- month term and renewed automatically, id. § 7.1, Ex. A, the “average loan duration is about four

(4) months” id. § 3B.1.6. The exact breakdown in the distribution of payments from the various credit products entered into at the Debtor’s sole discretion is unclear from the Agreement. The Debtor was only to take a “small share of each deal.” Id. § 3B.1.3. The Ungars in turn were to be paid a monthly “Participation Payment” within 15 days of the month associated with proceeds from the credit products. Id. § 4.2. The Agreement defines “Participation Payment” as “the product of the Funding Agreement Proceeds, multiplied by the Participant Percentage. Id. § 1.23. “Funding

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