Tolar v. Bankers Trust Sav. & Loan Ass'n

363 So. 2d 732
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 27, 1978
Docket50642
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 363 So. 2d 732 (Tolar v. Bankers Trust Sav. & Loan Ass'n) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Tolar v. Bankers Trust Sav. & Loan Ass'n, 363 So. 2d 732 (Mich. 1978).

Opinion

363 So.2d 732 (1978)

Harold G. TOLAR and Nell F. Tolar
v.
BANKERS TRUST SAVINGS & LOAN ASSOCIATION, State Farm Fire & Casualty Company, National General Insurance Company, and Citizens Bank of Columbia, Mississippi.

No. 50642.

Supreme Court of Mississippi.

September 27, 1978.
Rehearing Denied November 15, 1978.

*733 Emory E. Morgan, Columbia, for appellant.

Bacon, Smith & Jernigan, Robert B. Henderson, E. Frank Goodman, William A. Bacon, Watkins & Eager, Velia Ann Mayer, William M. Dalehite, Jr., Wise Carter Child Steen & Caraway, Jackson, for appellees.

Before SMITH, WALKER and BOWLING, JJ.

BOWLING, Justice, for the Court:

This cause originated in the Chancery Court of the First Judicial District of Hinds County. Appellee and cross-appellant, Bankers Trust Savings & Loan Association, filed its bill of complaint against State Farm Fire & Casualty Insurance Company, National General Insurance Company, the Citizens Bank of Columbia, and Harold G. Tolar and Nell F. Tolar. Later an intervention was permitted by Stuart Robinson, trustee in a deed of trust given by defendants, the Tolars, to complainant, Bankers Trust Savings & Loan Association. The purpose of the suit was to collect as mortgagee on policies of fire insurance allegedly covering the Tolar residence, and to foreclose the deed of trust and collect any balance due the complainant after any collection under the fire insurance policies.

All defendants filed cross-bills of complaint. Each insurance company contended that the other's policy covered the loss and that its policy was not in force, for the reasons hereafter set out, at the time of the fire that destroyed the Tolar's residence. The defendants, Harold G. Tolar and Nell F. Tolar contended that policies of fire insurance issued by both insurance company defendants were in force and proceeds were owed them as insureds thereunder. Citizens Bank of Columbia contended that it was entitled to payment of eighty percent of the indebtedness owed it by the Tolars; that this obligation was assumed by Bankers Trust Savings & Loan Association under a subordination agreement at the time of the original transaction.

The loan to the Tolars from Bankers Trust Savings & Loan Association was for *734 the purpose of constructing a residence on approximately 82 acres of land about seventeen miles north of Columbia, Mississippi. Citizens Bank of Columbia agreed to advance partial interim financing for the construction. There was then an agreement between Bankers Trust Savings & Loan Association and the local bank that the Bank's note and deed of trust under its loan would be subordinated to that of Bankers Trust. A condition of the subordination agreement was that the Loan Association would guarantee payment of eighty percent of any balance of the debt owed the bank.

Simultaneously, with the conclusion of the loan agreement, the Tolars purchased a policy of ordinary fire insurance in the principal amount of $16,000 from appellee National General Insurance Company. The loan transactions and the securing of the insurance policy were handled by the local manager of Bankers Trust Savings & Loan Association of Columbia. At all times, before, during and subsequent to the transactions involved in this cause, both Bankers Trust Savings & Loan Association and National General Insurance Company were wholly owned by Bankers Trust Company — the top executives being the same for all three companies. The local manager, in addition to being manager of the local office of Bankers Trust Savings & Loan Association, was the duly licensed agent for National General.

In April, 1974, the Tolar residence that had been constructed with the loan funds from Bankers Trust, was damaged by a flood from the adjacent Pearl River. The amount of this damage is rather hazy throughout the record made at the trial. Water rose inside the house approximately eighteen inches and remained there about twenty-four hours. Because of the damaged house, the Tolars temporarily moved to another residence in Columbia. From then until August, 1974, the Tolars, or certain members of the family, stayed in the damaged home for varying periods of time. During this period of time the Tolars applied for a disaster loan from the Small Business Administration. It is admitted that this was a fraudulent application. A letter was secured from an alleged expert to the effect that the home was a total loss in the amount of $35,000. The application itemized all items of furniture that were, according to the application, completely destroyed in the flood. It was alleged that the damage amounted to over $95,000. The Small Business Administration denied the Tolars' application for the loan for financial reasons, not knowing at that time that the application was fraudulent. On August 19, 1974, the residence, together with whatever was in it, was completely destroyed by fire.

On August 14, 1974, the Tolars went to the place of business operated by Cavin, the local manager for Bankers Trust and National General, for the dual purpose of talking about the loan payments which then were in default and the securing of additional insurance on the residence and contents. There was no coverage on the contents under the National General policy. Cavin agreed to wait until October to give the Tolars a chance to catch up on the house payments. He would not agree to increase the fire insurance on the property. There was a discussion, as later we will set out in more detail, regarding the securing of other insurance by the Tolars. On the same day they went to the local office of Elmo Harrison, agent for State Farm Fire & Casualty Company, for the purpose of securing additional or other fire insurance. The conversations among these people resulted in the Tolars completing an application for fire insurance on the residence in the amount of $20,000 and on the contents in the amount of $10,000. Harrison immediately issued a binder under a comprehensive dwelling policy. As a result of their discussion, the policy was to name Bankers Trust Savings & Loan Association as loss-payee mortgagee under the terms of the policy. Harrison called Cavin and verified that his company, Bankers Trust Savings & Loan Association, had a deed of trust on the property.

The trial in the chancery court was held on July 7, 1975. On December 15, 1975, the trial court rendered an opinion finding that both insurance companies had policies that were in full force and effect at the time of *735 the fire, and ordered payment to the insureds and the mortgagee. On February 28, 1977, the court withdrew its opinion and rendered another opinion on May 10, 1977. In this opinion, the chancellor held that the policy of National General had been cancelled and was not in force as to either the insureds or the mortgagee at the time of the fire. He held that the policy of State Farm was in force as to the mortgagee but that the insureds were not entitled to recover. His decree of September 12, 1977, was that the complainant was entitled to a judgment against State Farm to the extent of the coverage of $20,000. The court adjudicated that as of May 16, 1977, the debt owed the complainant was $23,296.90, with interest running at the rate of $3.75 per day.

The court found in its decree that State Farm was entitled to be subrogated to the rights of Bankers Trust Savings & Loan Association against all its debtors in the transaction. The decree held that Citizens Bank of Columbia was entitled to receive the sum of $2,450.05 under its subordination agreement with the complainant.

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