State Bank of Sleepy Eye v. Krueger

405 N.W.2d 491, 3 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 1145, 1987 Minn. App. LEXIS 4343
CourtCourt of Appeals of Minnesota
DecidedMay 12, 1987
DocketC7-86-2065
StatusPublished

This text of 405 N.W.2d 491 (State Bank of Sleepy Eye v. Krueger) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Minnesota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State Bank of Sleepy Eye v. Krueger, 405 N.W.2d 491, 3 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 1145, 1987 Minn. App. LEXIS 4343 (Mich. Ct. App. 1987).

Opinion

OPINION

LESLIE, Judge.

Appellant, State Bank of Sleepy Eye, now called Americana Bank of Sleepy Eye, initiated an action for repossession of a combine and related equipment owned by Michael A. Krueger, a debtor with the bank. Respondent Norwest Bank of Redwood Falls, Klossner Agricultural Credit Corporation, and Klossner State Bank were named defendants because of filed financing statements identifying them as secured parties in the combine.

Debtor Krueger filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and an automatic stay was imposed on appellant’s action. A bankruptcy court order subsequently lifted the stay and the combine was voluntarily returned to appellant and respondent banks upon completion of the 1985 harvest. Krueger paid $6,000 into an escrow account for his use of the combine pending resolution of the security interest dispute between the two primary lender banks.

Appellant and respondent both moved for summary judgment and appeared at trial on March 10, 1986, stipulating to the facts as stated in appellant’s March 3, 1986 legal brief. Klossner did not appear and had in fact previously subordinated its security interest in the disputed combine to appellant’s.

Appellant State Bank of Sleepy Eye conceded that respondent Norwest Bank of Redwood Falls had a first priority security interest in the combine to the extent of $14,000. Yet, appellant claimed it had a second priority security interest to the extent of $18,500, while respondent claimed it had a second priority security interest in the combine to the extent of $34,062. The trial court found Norwest Bank of Redwood Falls’ security interests to be prior in right to that of State Bank of Sleepy Eye and granted summary judgment. State Bank of Sleepy Eye Appeals. We affirm.

FACTS

On February 17, 1978 Michael A. Krueger entered into a security agreement with respondent Norwest Bank of Redwood Falls. In return for production financing, Krueger gave Norwest a security interest in “[a]ll equipment of Debtor, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, including but not limited to * * * [a]ll farm equipment, including but not limited to machinery, tools and motor vehicles, whether now owned or hereafter acquired.” While the collateral was to secure “each and every debt liability and obligation of every type and description which Debtor * * * at any time hereafter owe[s] to Secured Party,” the security agreement did not obligate Norwest to make any future advance. Norwest then advanced operating funds to Krueger. On February 21, 1978 Norwest filed a financing statement on this transaction covering among other things “[a]ll farm equipment, including but not limited to machinery, tools, and motor vehicles.”

On October 2, 1979 Krueger borrowed $79,871 from respondent Norwest to purchase a combine. Norwest obtained a purchase money security interest in the combine at that time which was perfected by the previously filed February 21, 1978 financing statement.

Beginning in March of 1982 Klossner Agriculture Credit Corporation and Kloss-ner State Bank made several operating loans to Krueger. Klossner filed a financing statement that month detailing its relationship with Krueger and naming various farm equipment as collateral for the operating loans. At the time of this filing all of Krueger’s outstanding debt with Norwest had been paid off except the balance due for the purchase money obligation on the combine Krueger had purchased in October *493 of 1979. Six months later, on September 13,1982, Norwest filed a continuation of its February 1978 financing statement concerning Krueger.

On June 10,1983 appellant State Bank of Sleepy Eye made a loan advance to Krueger for $35,200. Before the loan itself was actually made appellant obtained a subordination agreement from Klossner by which Klossner’s security interest was made junior to the security interest appellant acquired in Krueger’s possessions. Appellant State Bank of Sleepy Eye also checked with its competitor Norwest Bank of Redwood Falls. Appellant verified that the remaining balance Krueger owed on the purchase money obligation in the combine was then approximately $14,500. Appellant did not obtain a subordination agreement with Norwest nor did appellant purchase Norwest’s- security interest in the combine.

The signed security agreement between Krueger and appellant State Bank of Sleepy Eye gave appellant a security interest in Krueger’s combine. On June 15, 1983 $24,923 of the proceeds of appellant’s loan to Krueger was advanced to Norwest as partial payment of Krueger’s obligation with them. On July 20, 1983 a financing statement running between Krueger and appellant bank was filed. Thus, appellant’s security interest became perfected on that date. At the completion of this transaction, Krueger owed appellant State Bank of Sleepy Eye $35,200, respondent Norwest Bank of Redwood Falls $14,250, and Kloss-ner $124,000, plus interest according to the various loan documents.

On April 13, 1984 Krueger approached respondent Norwest for further financing for 1984 crop operations and received a line of credit up to $140,000 for that purpose on a new note. A new security agreement was entered into granting Norwest a security interest in, among other things, all of Krueger’s equipment. The security agreement also indicated this same collateral was “[a]lso covered by UCC financing Stmt. # 31917 filed in Brown County, dated 2-21-78.” Three days later a further financing statement concerning this transaction was filed.

In the Spring of 1985 Krueger filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Pursuant to an agreement among appellant, respondent and Krueger the bankruptcy court entered an order allowing Krueger to use the combine for the 1985 harvest. The combine was then delivered to the banks, jointly, for liquidation disposition subject to the rights of the two banks. Krueger deposited $6,000 in escrow for use of the combine. The rent and sales proceeds derived from the use and sale of the combine were eventually deposited in a special escrow account which had a balance of $33,419.87 as of October 3, 1986.

The parties stipulated to the facts and proceeded to trial, both moving for summary judgment. Appellant State Bank of Sleepy Eye argued there was a break in the perfected status of respondent Norwest Bank of Redwood Falls’ security interest between respondent’s first and second loans to Krueger, as no value had been given pursuant to Minn.Stat. § 336.9-203(1). Appellant claimed that since respondent was not obligated to make any future loans to Krueger after the first set of loans no value had been given during the period between loans and thus a break in perfection had taken place. Since there was a break in perfection, appellant further argued that under Minn.Stat. §§ 336.9-312(5) and 336.9-312(7) the priority of the second Norwest loan should not be determined from the date of filing of the financing statement for the original loans, but from the date the second loan was actually made. Consequently, appellant claimed respondent had first priority on the amount that remained on the original purchase money security interest in the combine, $14,000, appellant had second priority on the security interest appellant acquired from Krueger after this purchase, $18,500, and respondent had third priority on the second operating loan security interest, $34,062.

Respondent Norwest Bank of Redwood Falls claimed that under the plain language of Minn.Stat.

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

Related

Provident Finance Co. v. Beneficial Finance Co.
245 S.E.2d 510 (Court of Appeals of North Carolina, 1978)
Western State Bank v. Grumman Credit Corp.
564 F. Supp. 9 (D. Montana, 1982)
Household Finance Corp. v. Bank Commissioner
235 A.2d 732 (Court of Appeals of Maryland, 1967)
Betlach v. Wayzata Condominium
281 N.W.2d 328 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 1979)
In Re Rivet
299 F. Supp. 374 (E.D. Michigan, 1969)
James Talcott, Inc. v. Franklin Nat. Bank of Mpls.
194 N.W.2d 775 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 1972)
Thorp Finance Corp. v. Ken Hodgins & Sons
251 N.W.2d 614 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1977)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
405 N.W.2d 491, 3 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 1145, 1987 Minn. App. LEXIS 4343, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-bank-of-sleepy-eye-v-krueger-minnctapp-1987.