St. Paul Trust & Savings Bank v. Olson

198 N.W. 468, 50 N.D. 883, 1924 N.D. LEXIS 43
CourtNorth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedApril 17, 1924
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 198 N.W. 468 (St. Paul Trust & Savings Bank v. Olson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering North Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
St. Paul Trust & Savings Bank v. Olson, 198 N.W. 468, 50 N.D. 883, 1924 N.D. LEXIS 43 (N.D. 1924).

Opinion

Nuessle, J.

Plaintiff and respondent brought this action to foreclose certain collateral claimed to have been given to it by the defendant Jourgen Olson as security on account of a loan of $75,000. This collateral consisted of bank stocks, second (commission) mortgages, and deeds to North Dakota lands. The defendant Olson resisted the foi-eclosure for the alleged reason that the deeds were not given to the plaintiff as security for the loan in question; alleged that the deeds had been wrongfully retained and recorded by the plaintiff, and counterclaimed for damages occasioned to the defendant by reason of such recording. The trial court found for the plaintiff, ordered judgment in [886]*886its favor for $89,878, the amount claimed, and costs, and for the foreclosure of the deeds in question as mortgages, and dismissed the counterclaim. Judgment was entered accordingly.' From this judgment the defendant Jourgen Olson appealed, demanding a review of the entire case and a trial de novo thereof in this court.

The appellant specifies numerous errors, but in his briefs and on oral argument grounded his case upon two propositions only; first, that the deeds, the foreclosure of which was prayed by the respondent, were not security for the loan in question and were held and recorded by the respondent as such without the consent and against the demands of the appellant; and second, that the court erred in dismissing the counterclaim for damages. No question, is raised as to the amount of the judgment; and the appellant concedes, and we think rightly, that if the first proposition above set out he decided adversely to his contention, and the holding of the trial court be affirmed in that regard, that it necessarily follows that the action of the trial court in dismissing the counterclaim was proper, and the second proposition advanced on this appeal must fall. We will, therefore, first give attention to the proposition that the deeds were not security for the debt for which judgment was ordered, and that they were held and recorded by the respondent as such without the consent and against the demands of the appellant. This proposition is concerned with and depends upon matters of fact rather than matters of law.

It appears from the record that the respondent hank is a corporation engaged in the banking business in the city of St. Paul, Minnesota. The appellant Jourgen Olson is a resident of Minot, North Dakota, and has for many years been engaged in the banking and investment business. lie prospered in that business, and at the time of the transactions involved here was rated as a very wealthy man, the owner of much property, including a great deal of North Dakota land. In May, 1921, appellant was desirous of obtaining a loan. He had long been acquainted and friendly with Grant Van Sant, an officer of the respondent bank. He entered into negotiations with respondent through Van Sant with the purpose of floating a bond issue secured by his North Dakota real estate. Some preliminary negotiations were had. Van Sant advised that he thought the bond issue could he floated. Appellant deposited $150 with the plaintiff to cover the preliminary ex[887]*887pense attendant upon an inspection of the lands. Before they could be, inspected, however, appellant advised that he desired to hold off the transaction. A few days thereafter he went to St. Paid, saw Van Sant and negotiated a short time loan with the respondent in the amount of $75,000 payable in six months, with interest at eight per cent to be ■paid in advance. Concerning the matters thus far stated, there is no dispute. The dealings relating to the matters out of which this suit arises were had in the main between Olson and Van Sant. Both concede that- at the time the loan was made Olson furnished as collateral security therefor bank stock of a par value aggregating something over $100,000 and second mortgages on real estate of the face value of $75,000. Olson also executed and delivered to respondent deeds to some seven thousand acres of North Dakota farm land. He contends that these deeds were delivered to and were to be .held by the respondent only in connection with the proposed bond issue. Van Sant, who received the deeds for the respondent, contends that the deeds were executed and delivered as further collateral security for the $75,000 loan, and not in connection with the proposed bond issue. Out of this difference between these parties grew this action.

On the trial of the cause in the district coiirt, both Olson and Van Sant were called as witnesses, and testified before the court. Olson testified that the deeds in question were given in connection with the ’bond issue in May; that they had nothing to do with the short time loan; that such loan was completed about June 10th; that Olson was interested in numerous banks in North Dakota and Minnesota; that there was an arrangement between him and Van Sant whereby the respondent bank was to be- used as a reserve bank by Olson’s institutions, and $60,000, reserve of such institutions, was to be carried in the respondent bank; that a written memorandum to this effect was signed; that Olson’s banks deposited accordingly; that shortly thereafter there was an examination of the respondent bank by a bank, examiner; that inadvertently such written agreement was disclosed to such examiner; that such examiner protested the arrangement; that it then appeared that the respondent bank was not a proper reserve bank, and could not be used as such; that the examiner learned of the fact that the deeds in question were held by the respondent; that he insisted that they be placed of record; that Van Sant came to Minot to [888]*888see Olson, witli reference to the matter, and asked that he be permitted to place them of record; that Olson advised that his credit would be injured if that were done, and insisted that under no circumstances should they be placed of record; that at .the time the $75,000 loan was made, he demanded the return of such deeds, but was put off by Van Sant, who promised to return them later, but failed and refused to do so; that subsequently and without Olson’s knowledge, such deeds were placed of record; that Olson did not learn of such fact until advised by the bank examiner of North Dakota on October 20th; that his credit was injured by reason of the recording of the deeds, and he was unable to pay the $75,000 loan when the same matured; that subsequently an arrangement was entered into whereby it was renewed; that during all of this time the bond issue negotiations were continuing, and for that reason the deeds were permitted to remain with the respondent.

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Related

St. Paul Trust & Savings Bank v. Olson
202 N.W. 472 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1924)

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Bluebook (online)
198 N.W. 468, 50 N.D. 883, 1924 N.D. LEXIS 43, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/st-paul-trust-savings-bank-v-olson-nd-1924.