Tecumseh National Bank v. Chamberlain Banking House

57 L.R.A. 811, 88 N.W. 186, 63 Neb. 163, 1901 Neb. LEXIS 347
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 4, 1901
DocketNo. 10,165
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 57 L.R.A. 811 (Tecumseh National Bank v. Chamberlain Banking House) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Tecumseh National Bank v. Chamberlain Banking House, 57 L.R.A. 811, 88 N.W. 186, 63 Neb. 163, 1901 Neb. LEXIS 347 (Neb. 1901).

Opinion

Sedgwick, C.

On the 16th day of October, 1891, the comptroller of the currency, through the hank examiner, closed the doors of the Tecumseh National Bank and took possession of its assets. The embarrassment of the bank was caused by excessive loans to Russell & Holmes, and by discounting a large amount of commercial paper upon which they were indorsers. The firm of Russell & Holmes was composed of James D. Russell, who was a director in the bank, and Charles A. Holmes, who was also a director and was president of the hank. They also held a majority of the stock of the bank. After' the examiner had taken charge of the bank, an effort was made to reopen the bank for business, and the comptroller proposed to allow such action to be taken if Russell & Holmes would pay in cash their direct indebtedness to the bank so as to reduce it to $5,000, the limit allowed by law, and would also satisfactorily secure their indirect liability as indorsers. Russell tk Holmes appear to have still retained the confidence of the people to a considerable extent, and succeeded in obtaining accommodation notes from the farmers and others of their [165]*165business acquaintances, sufficient to enable them to pay to the examiner the amount required to be paid upon their direct indebtedness; and also put up various collateral securities for their liability as indorsers, and among such collaterals the banking stock in question in this suit, which • is seventy-two shares of $100 each of the capital stock of the Chamberlain Banking House of Tecumseh. Charles M. Chamberlain was at the time cashier of the Chamberlain Banking House, defendant, and the defendant Edith R. Chamberlain is his wife. She is also the daughter of James D. Russell of the firm of Russell & Holrhes. Soon after the bank was closed by the examiner she was induced to, and did, assign this stock to the Tecumseh National Bank, and delivered it to her father, who deposited it with the bank as collateral to the indebtedness and liability of Russell & Holmes and the individual members of that firm. The securities being approved by the comptroller, the bank resumed business, but the liabilities of Russell & Holmes to the bank have not been satisfied. This action was brought in the district court of Johnson county to foreclose the lien of the plaintiff bank upon said bank stock so assigned. Upon the trial of the cause in the district court there were'findings and a degree in favor of the plaintiff bank, and the defendants Edith R. Chamberlain and the Chamberlain Banking House have brought ■ the case to this court by appeal.

1. It is contended by the plaintiffs in error that the -transfer of the stock is voidable because Edith R. Chamberlain was induced to assign the same by the misrepresentations of the officers and directors of the bank and the national bank examiner. The trial court made the following finding of fact:

“To obtain the assignment and transfer of said certificate by his daughter, James D. Russell said to her that everything had been straightened up at the bank; that she would not lose the stock; that they simply wanted it for a short time in order to enable Mr. Griffith to make a better showing to the comptroller at Washington; that the [166]*166paper it was to secure had been passed on by the directors, and said to be good, but that in any event, in case the paper was not good, there was other collateral — $30,000 of his and Mr. Holmes’s life insurance; also stock in the banks at Sterling, Elk Creek and Johnson, and stock in the stone quarry company — so hers would not be touched. Similar statements were made by the examiner to her husband, to her brother-in-law, and in the presence of the witness, Mr. Rood; each of whom reported to her what the examiner had said. Edith Russell Chamberlain relied on what her father said to her, and on what her husband, her brother-in-law and Mr. Rood reported to her was said by Mr. Griffith, the examiner, and was thereby induced to make said assignment and transfer of said stock.”

And the following conclusions of law:

“Although James D. Russell was a director of plaintiff bank at the time he made the statements to his daughter, Edith Russell Chamberlain, on which she relied, and which induced her to assign and transfer her said stock, yet as he was then acting for himself alone and not for or on behalf of the plaintiff, his statements, however false and fraudulent they may have been, were not the statements of the plaintiff, nor made in its behalf, and were not binding on plaintiff.

“John M. Griffith, national bank examiner, had no authority to make representations of any kind which could in law bind the plaintiff bank. His powers are defined by the national statutes. Each person dealing with him is bound to know the extent of his authority. His statement to Charles M. Chamberlain, to Clarence K. Chamberlain and in the presence of Rood, which they reported to defendant, Edith Russell Chamberlain, were not binding upon plaintiff bank, were not such as he had power to make, and Avere not such as, though false, Avould give defendant a standing in equity to avoid the said transfer of her said stock to plaintiff.”

It is insisted that the finding of fact is not supported by . the evidence,, and it is argued that because Russell’s inter[167]*167est would be subserved by the bank’s resumption of business, therefore, in the absence of evidence on that point, it can not be presumed that Russell did not represent his bank interest as well as his individual interest. But we think that this position is not well taken. The evidence shows that Russell had borrowed a large amount of money from the bank, and incurred large obligations to the bank by his indorsements, with Holmes, of commercial paper transferred to the bank. It is true that Russell & Holmes were directors of the bank, and as such officers had, with the other three directors, control of the affairs of the bank; but they also had personal individual business with the bank, and in their personal transactions with the bank they could not represent the bank nor participate in such representation. When they incurred obligations to the bank or furnished further securities for existing obligations, they represented only themselves. Some one else acted for the bank. All of the difficulties of the bank arose out of the inability of Russell & Holmes to square themselves with the bank. This they undertook to do. They did not have sufficient funds of their own. It was necessary to call upon their friends. Mr. Russell, after he had-exhausted all other resources, went to his daughter. He asked her to help him, not the bank. She was requested to place her stock so that Mr. Russell could use it as he used his own resources, that is, to regain his standing in the bank, and continue the bank in business. The circumstance that the assignment was direct to the bank, instead of to Russell and by him to the bank, has no significance. She trusted her father with her bank- stock, to be used by him as his own, and,for his own purposes. Mrs. Chamberlain and her advisers knew that Russell was acting for himself in procuring her stock. No doubt, in obtaining this security, he served his “bank interest” as well as his “individ...il interest”; but he represented his individual interest, and the bank in this transaction was; represented' by the other, three directors and not by Russell, as the dealing was directly between Russell and the bank. [168]*168His position in this transaction is not left in doubt by the evidence.

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Bluebook (online)
57 L.R.A. 811, 88 N.W. 186, 63 Neb. 163, 1901 Neb. LEXIS 347, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tecumseh-national-bank-v-chamberlain-banking-house-neb-1901.