Steinhardt Group Inc. v. Citicorp

126 F.3d 144, 1997 WL 570538
Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit·Decided September 12, 1997·No. No. 96-7757·Published·Cited by 16 cases

Opinion

MANSMANN, Circuit Judge.

In this appeal, we are asked to decide whether a highly structured securitization transaction negotiated between Citicorp and an investor in a limited partnership constitutes an “investment contract” as that term is defined by the Supreme Court in SEC v. W.J. Howey Co., 328 U.S. 293, 66 S.Ct. 1100, 90 L.Ed. 1244 (1946). Examining the economic reality of the transaction as a whole, we conclude that the limited partner retained pervasive control over its investment in the limited partnership such that it cannot be deemed a passive investor under Howey and its progeny. Accordingly, we find the securitization transaction here does not constitute an investment contract. We will, therefore, affirm the judgment of the district court.

I.

This case comes before us on review of the district court’s order granting the Citicorp Defendants’ motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim under Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6). When reviewing such an order, we are required to accept as true the factual allegations in the complaint. D.R. v. Middle Bucks Area Vocational Technical School, 972 F.2d 1364, 1367 (3d Cir.1992) (citation omitted); Ransom v. Marrazzo, 848 F.2d 398, 401 (3d Cir.1988). In considering a rule 12(b)(6) motion, “a court may consider an undisputably authentic document that a defendant attaches as an exhibit to a motion to dismiss if the plaintiff’s claims are based on the document.” Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. v. White Consolidated Industries, Inc., 998 F.2d 1192, 1196 (3d Cir.1993) (citations omitted). Thus, the facts as set forth in the amended complaint and the relevant portions of the defendants’ exhibits1 are summarized below.

A.

The controversy here arises out of alleged violations of sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, 15 U.S.C. §§ 78j(b), 78t(a), and 78t(b), and Rule 10b5, 17 C.F.R. § 240.10b-5 involving the “securitization” of a pool of delinquent residential mortgage loans (“Mortgage Loans”) and real estate owned by Citicorp as a result of foreclosed loans (“REO”).2 The plaintiffs are The Steinhardt Group Inc. (“Steinhardt Group”) and C.B. Mtge., L.P. (“C.B.Mtge.”). The Steinhardt Group is a Delaware investment firm with its main office in New York City. C.B. Mtge., an affiliate of the Steinhardt Group, is organized as a Delaware limited partnership and holds a 98.79% interest as a limited partner in the Bristol Oaks, L.P. (“Bristol” or “Partnership”). Together, the Steinhardt Group and C.B. Mtge. are collectively referred to as “Steinhardt.”

[146]*146Bristol Oaks is a limited partnership formed under the laws of the state of Delaware for the express purpose of creating an investment vehicle for issuing debt and equity securities to investors. Bristol is made up of one general partner, BGO, Inc. (1% ownership interest), and two limited partners, C.B. Mtge., L.P. (98.79% ownership interest), and OLS, Inc. (.21% ownership interest).

The Citicorp Defendants are comprised of Citibank, N.A., a national banking association, Citicorp North America, Inc. (“CNAI”), Citicorp Securities, Inc. (“CSI”), Citicorp Mortgage, Inc. (“CMI”), and Citicorp, which controls either directly or indirectly the other Citicorp Defendants. With the exception of Citibank, all of the Citicorp Defendants are organized under the laws of the state of Delaware.

Also named as a defendant in this action is BGO, Inc. (“BGO”), a Texas corporation and the general partner of Bristol. BGO is 100% owned by Ontra, Inc. (“Ontra”). Bristol contracted with Ontra to provide loan servicing, loan workouts, REO sales, and oversight of these asset types to the Partnership. The claims against BGO concern its refusal of Steinhardt’s demand that BGO file suit on behalf of the Partnership against the Citicorp Defendants.

Named as nominal defendants are Bristol and BHT Limited, L.P. (“BHT”), a Delaware limited partnership, which is owned 99% by Bristol. Not parties to this lawsuit are OLS, Inc., an Ontra affiliate owning a .21% limited partner interest in Bristol and BHT, Inc., an Ontra affiliate and 1% general partner in BHT Limited, L.P.

The fraudulent conduct alleged in the amended complaint arises out of a severe financial crisis faced by Citicorp during the early 1990’s. With bad loans and illiquid assets threatening the very existence of the nation’s then-largest banking institution, Citicorp was looking for a way to extricate itself from its financial problems. The securitization transaction was thus conceived by Citicorp to remove the nonperforming assets from its financial books and replace them with cash.

In essence, the securitization required Citicorp to create an investment vehicle — a limited partnership ultimately named Bristol Oaks, L.P. — that would issue both debt securities, in the form of nonrecourse bonds, and equity securities, in the form of partnership interests, to investors. Bristol would acquire title to the nonperforming Mortgage Loans and REO properties and would retain Ontra, Inc. to manage and liquidate the assets. Then Bristol would obtain bridge financing from Citibank and CNAI; shortly thereafter, CSI would securitize and underwrite a public offering of bonds and other debt securities to pay off the bridge financing. All of the investors’ money was to be paid to Bristol and become the capital of that investment vehicle. The return on these investments was to come from the same pool of assets.

During late 1993 and the first half of 1994, representatives of CSI made a series of written and oral presentations to the Steinhardt Group in which they described returns of 18% or more annually by investing in Bristol. Throughout these presentations and in other meetings and telephone discussions, Citicorp explained how it had created the proprietary “Citicorp Non-Performing Loan Model” (the “Pricing Model”), based on its own past experience, intimate knowledge of the assets at issue, and the valuation of such assets. Citicorp represented the Pricing Model to be an accurate means of pricing the Mortgage Loans and REO properties in the portfolio and of providing the Steinhardt Group with the promised 18% or greater returns. In particular, Citicorp represented to the Steinhardt Group that no institution in America had more experience in single-family residential mortgages, or more knowledge about the process of collecting on defaulted mortgage loans. ■ Moreover, Citicorp touted not only its longstanding reputation in the banking industry, but also how the assumptions in the Pricing Model were firmly grounded upon Citicorp’s own unparalleled experience and expertise.

A series of factual assumptions lies at the core of the Pricing Model.

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Steinhardt Group Inc. v. Citicorp, 126 F.3d 144, 1997 WL 570538 (3d Cir. 1997).

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Steinhardt Group Inc. v. Citicorp
126 F.3d 144 (Third Circuit, 1997)