Storthz v. Commercial National Bank

631 S.W.2d 613, 276 Ark. 10, 1982 Ark. LEXIS 1350
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedApril 19, 1982
Docket81-236
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 631 S.W.2d 613 (Storthz v. Commercial National Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Storthz v. Commercial National Bank, 631 S.W.2d 613, 276 Ark. 10, 1982 Ark. LEXIS 1350 (Ark. 1982).

Opinion

Jeff Starling, Special Chief Justice.

This case is on appeal to this court pursuant to Rule 29. This is a suit filed in circuit court by appellee to secure a judgment against the appellants on two promissory notes. The appellants filed an answer and a counterclaim. Prior to the scheduled trial by jury, the appellee filed a motion for summary judgment which was granted by the trial court thereby affirming the relief prayed for in the appellee’s complaint and dismissing the counterclaim of the appellants.

In April, 1974, appellants obtained an agreement from First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Little Rock to advance to appellants the sum of $459,000.00 for the construction of the Renaissance Condominium project.

In July, 1974, First Federal refused, for internal reasons, to make the loan. Appellants’ attorney made demand upon First Federal to honor its commitment for the loan. In an effort to avoid litigation, Charles Johnston, President of First Federal, arranged with appellee for appellee to provide appellants with the financing for the project.

Appellee subsequently made the loan to appellants based upon an oral commitment from Mr. Johnston whereby he agreed that he would personally commit a limited amount of collateral to appellee should there be a default on the part of appellants and any loss to the bank on its loan to appellants.

On August 14, 1974, appellee loaned appellants $459,000.00 which was evidenced by appellants’ promissory note with interest thereon at ten percent (10%) per annum, payable semi-annually. This promissory note was secured by a construction mortgage on the condominium project. This promissory note was extended on several occasions with the final extension becoming due on August 9, 1978.

In June, 1976, appellants obtained from appellee an additional loan in the amount of $83,000.00 for the purpose of completing the interior decorations of the project units. This indebtedness was also evidenced by appellants’ promissory note with interest at the rate of ten percent (10%) per annum. This promissory note was also extended on several occasions with the final extension also becoming due on August 9, 1978.

On October 25, 1978, Mr. Johnston, as trustee, assigned to appellee a promissory note in the amount of $108,666.67 secured by a lien retained in a warranty deed. Subsequently, a $49,000.00 certificate of deposit was substituted by Mr. Johnston for the above mentioned promissory note. Thereafter, on August 6,1980, a $27,000.00 cashier’s check purchased by Mr. Johnston and made payable to appellee was substituted for the $49,000.00 certificate of deposit.

Appellants were unaware of the personal verbal commitment between Mr. Johnston and the appellee and the amount of the collateral pledged and substituted until the fall of 1978.

Prior to the two promissory notes becoming due on August 9, 1978, appellants attempted several accomodations with appellee, namely, urging appellee to accept the project units, which were the mortgaged collateral, in cancellation of the indebtedness owed by appellants to appellee. Appellee refused.

On August 9, 1978, the amounts due and owing pursuant to the two promissory notes were unpaid and in default.

On January 16, 1979, appellee filed suit in circuit court seeking judgment against appellants on the two promissory notes in the amount of $151,561.91, together with accrued interest from and after August 9, 1978, until paid, costs and attorneys’ fees.

Appellants filed their verified answer and counterclaim denying certain material allegations in the appellee’s complaint, raising affirmative defenses, alleging deceit and seeking judgment against appellee in the sum of $350,000.00 and punitive damages in the sum of $700,000.00 and for penalties as provided by federal law for usurious transactions.

On or about July 31, 1980, appellee cashed the $27,000.00 cashier’s check of Mr. Johnston.

The case was set for jury trial on February 10, 1981. On February 2, 1981, appellee filed its motion for summary judgment which was submitted on the pleadings, depositions, affidavit of Charles Johnston and brief of the appellee.

On February 9, 1981, the motion for summary judgment was heard by the trial court. On the same day, appellants filed a first amended answer and counterclaim alleging that the $27,000.00 collateral received by appellee from Mr. Johnston should be credited against appellants’ indebtedness.

The trial court granted appellee’s motion for summary judgment in the amount of $151,561.91 with accrued interest from August 9, 1978, until paid, as prayed for in appellee’s complaint. The trial court specifically found that the $27,000.00 collateral received by appellee from Mr. Johnston was not a credit against the indebtedness owed by appellants to appellee. From a granting of that motion, appellants bring this appeal.

Appellants argue the following points for reversal on appeal to this court.

I. The trial court erred in granting summary judgment because genuine issues of material fact remain to be determined by the jury:
A. Whether the bank charged or collected usurious interest so that the penalty of federal law should be applied.
B. Whether the bank applied the credit from the collateral provided by Charles Johnston correctly to appellants’ note.
C. The amount that the defendants owe to the bank.
II. The trial court erred in dismissing the counterclaim of the defendants against the bank because the counterclaim states a cause of action for deceit or misrepresentation through concealment of the guaranty of Charles Johnston or First Federal Savings and Loan, raising material issues of fact which can only be decided by the jury.
Each point shall hereafter be discussed.

It is well-settled that summary judgment should be granted only when a review of the pleadings, depositions and other filings reveal that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Rule 56, Arkansas Rules of Civil Procedure.

First, appellants contend that appellees’ collection of interest on a semi-annual basis pursuant to a promissory note “with interest from date until maturity at the rate of ten percent per annum . . payable semi-annually” is usury in that such collection allows the appellee to utilize appellants’ interest payment money for six months and that the income appellee earns on the mid-year payment of interest constitutes additional interest thereby making the note usurious.

It is clear from a reading of the cases that a note obligation at maximum interest requiring quarterly or semi-annual payments of interest, with or without principal, does not render the transaction usurious. Pellerin Laundry Machinery Sales Company v. Hogue, 219 F. Supp. 629 (D.C. W.D. Ark. 1963). One simply needs to reflect upon the common everyday situation in which a debtor borrows money for six months at maximum interest.

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Bluebook (online)
631 S.W.2d 613, 276 Ark. 10, 1982 Ark. LEXIS 1350, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/storthz-v-commercial-national-bank-ark-1982.