Texas Bank & Trust in Wichita Falls v. Helmcamp

506 S.W.2d 667, 1974 Tex. App. LEXIS 2178
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 1, 1974
DocketNo. 17479
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 506 S.W.2d 667 (Texas Bank & Trust in Wichita Falls v. Helmcamp) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Texas Bank & Trust in Wichita Falls v. Helmcamp, 506 S.W.2d 667, 1974 Tex. App. LEXIS 2178 (Tex. Ct. App. 1974).

Opinion

OPINION

LANGDON, Justice.

Jack F. Helmcamp and W. E. (Bill) Bur-ford were co-trustees of funds held in a joint checking account at Texas Bank & Trust in Wichita Falls, Texas. Helmcamp sued the Bank for Burford’s wrongful use of the joint account funds. An agreed statement of facts was filed and the Bank moved for a summary judgment. The motion for summary judgment was overruled and judgment was rendered for plaintiff from which the Bank has appealed.

On appeal the appellant contends that the trial court erred (1) in assessing plaintiff’s alleged loss against defendant because W. E. (Bill) Burford, not defendant, caused such loss; (2) in rendering judgment for plaintiff because neither Burford’s acts nor [668]*668his knowledge of his wrongful use of the joint checking account funds is imputed to the Bank; (3) in failing to grant defendant’s motion for summary judgment; (4) that there is no basis in law under the agreed statement of facts to render judgment for plaintiff; (5) that the statement in the trial court’s judgment to the effect that W. E. (Bill) Burford issued a debit memorandum against the account of Bur-ford-Helmcamp Trust is an incorrect statement of fact because the agreed statement of facts shows the entry was made by “LP” not W. E. (Bill) Burford; and (6) that the trial court’s conclusion that because the Bank failed to deposit the entire amount of a check from Scheinman, Hochstein and Trotta to the Burford-Helmcamp Trust, the Bank is liable to the plaintiff for the balance of the check is an improper application of the controlling law under the stipulated facts. Exhibit No. 9 to the Agreed Statement of Facts shows that the bank was only authorized to deposit $4,657.05 of the check proceeds. The Bank had no right of control over the remaining proceeds of the check and W. E. (Bill) Burford as co-trustee was authorized to take the funds.

We reverse and render. •

A summary of the facts contained in the Agreed Statement of Facts is set forth in the paragraphs next following:

“At all times pertinent to this litigation William E. Burford and Jack F. Helmcamp had an oral agreement to acquire securities for the benefit of their children, ■. . . . Under this agreement Mr. Burford and Mr. Helmcamp were to borrow funds at the City National Bank of Wichita Falls, Texas, for the purpose of investing in various securities. . . . Mr. Burford was to handle all buying and selling of the securities, but Mr. Helmcamp could advise as to what securities he felt should be acquired, and the two men did from time to time discuss what securities to buy and sell.
“In late December of 1964 a checking account was opened at Texas Bank and Trust Company in Wichita Falls with an initial deposit being a dividend check and the signature either of Mr. Burford or Mr. Helmcamp was sufficient to withdraw funds from the account or otherwise control the account.
“At all times pertinent to this litigation Texas Bank and Trust in Wichita Falls did not have trust powers, and William E. Bur-ford was acting individually in any trust capacity which appeared. Mr. Helmcamp and Mr. Burford did not expect Texas Bank and Trust in Wichita Falls to exercise control over Mr. Burford as to how he handled the agreement existing between him and Mr. Helmcamp. At no time were any documents or other writings transmitted either to City National Bank or Texas Bank and Trust in Wichita Falls setting out the terms of the oral agreement between the two individuals.
“At all times pertinent to this litigation Mr. Burford and Mr. Helmcamp did carry out their agreement by buying and selling certain securities and during said period, Mr. Burford was president of Texas Bank and Trust in Wichita Falls, and Mr. Helm-camp was a director of Texas Bank and Trust in Wichita Falls.”

It is apparent that Burford abused his position as trustee by using some of the joint checking account funds for his personal gain. The agreed statement of facts reflects that, “On or about May 13, 1965, a debit memorandum in the amount of $5,-633.00 was charged to the account of Helm-camp and Burford. . . . the joint checking account opened in January of 1965, . the debit memorandum . covered a draft from Eppler, Guern, and Turner, Inc., to cover purchases of securities by William E. Burford for his own use and benefit. In connection with this transaction a credit memorandum was issued to the William E. Burford Investment account in the amount of $5,633.00 to cover the aforementioned draft, . . . (Exhibit No. 7). All of these transactions took place after the joint checking account mentioned [669]*669above was opened in Texas Bank and Trust in Wichita Falls.

“On or about March 3, 1966, a check payable to Burford and Helmcamp Trust in the amount of $11,157.05 from Scheinman, Hochstin and Trotta, Incorporated, was received by William E. Burford and of that amount $4,657.05 was deposited to the Bur-ford-Helmcamp account. . . . The remaining $6,500.00 was not credited to nor used for the benefit of William E. Burford and Jack F. Helmcamp under their agreement. All of these transactions took place after the joint checking account referred to above was opened.”

In the case of Wichita Royalty Co. v. City Nat. Bank of Wichita Falls, 127 Tex. 158, 89 S.W.2d 394, 400 (1935) the Texas Supreme Court held that a bank is liable for a trustee’s wrongful acts concerning a trust account only “ '. . . if the bank has notice or knowledge that a breach of the trust is being committed by an improper withdrawal of funds, or if it participates in the profits or fruits of the fraud, . . . ” This rule of law was reaffirmed by the Supreme Court in Quanah, A. & P. Ry. Co. v. Wichita State Bank & Trust Co., 127 Tex. 407, 93 S.W.2d 701, 705 (1936).

The Bank did not, “participate in the profits or fruits of the fraud,” and no one at the Bank besides Burford knew there was an oral agreement between Burford and Helmcamp or had knowledge that Bur-ford used any of the monies contrary to the agreement.

Helmcamp contends that the Bank is liable because Burford’s knowledge of his improper use of the funds as co-trustee should be imputed to the Bank as Burford was its president and a member of the Board of Directors.

This is not a viable complaint because notice to an officer of a bank received outside the scope of his duties as a bank officer is not imputed to the bank. Amarillo Nat. Bank v. Harrell, 159 S.W. 858 (Amarillo, Tex.Civ.App., 1913, error ref.); Guaranty State Bank v. Bland, 189 S.W. 546 (Beaumont, Tex.Civ.App., 1916, no writ hist.); O’Brien v. First State Bank & Trust Co., 241 S.W. 556 (San Antonio, Tex.Civ.App., 1922, error dism.).

Helmcamp stipulated that Burford was acting in his individual capacity in handling the trust funds. It is therefore obvious that Burford did not represent the Bank as co-trustee on the account. He represented himself and Helmcamp. The scope of a bank president’s duty does not include his capacity as co-trustee of an account to furnish funds for the education, maintenance and support of his children and the children of a co-trustee.

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