Trust Estate

60 Pa. D. & C.2d 758, 1973 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 391
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County
DecidedMarch 9, 1973
Docketno. 1197 of 1971
StatusPublished

This text of 60 Pa. D. & C.2d 758 (Trust Estate) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Trust Estate, 60 Pa. D. & C.2d 758, 1973 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 391 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1973).

Opinion

SILVERSTEIN, J„

This matter comes before me on petition by the executor of the Estate of Hyman Trust, deceased, asking that Provident National Bank restore $8,196.91 to the checking account of the estate of Hyman Trust, deceased. [759]*759The facts were submitted by stipulation and are essentially as follows:

On December 10, 1970, Hyman Trust entered into a consumer credit loan with Provident National Bank, receiving from the bank $4,700 and agreeing to repay $4,935 in monthly installments. The proceeds of the loan were deposited in Provident account no. 508-426-1, which was the account used by Hyman Trust for his insurance agency business (hereinafter referred to as the “Hy Trust Agency Account.”) The loan agreement had been signed by Hyman Trust, individually.

On October 13, 1970, Hyman Trust received a $5,000 cash advance on his Provident Master Charge Account, which was deposited in the Hy Trust Agency account on the same date.

At his death, Hy Trust owed Provident $8,196.91, consisting of $3,592.80 on the consumer credit loan and $4,604.11 on the Master Charge. The balance in the Hy Trust Agency account was $12,018.69.

On February 10, 1971, immediately following the death of Hyman Trust, Evelyn Lotman, who had a power of attorney to draw checks on the Hy Trust Agency account, presented a check payable to herself and drawn on the agency account in the sum of $11,380. Provident had no knowledge of the death of Hyman Trust and honored the check.

Thereafter, letters of administration were granted to Richard J. Trust in the Estate of Hyman Trust, deceased. Richard Trust opened an estate account at Provident National Bank and the funds withdrawn by Evelyn Lotman were deposited in the estate account together with other miscellaneous estate funds.

On March 9, 1971, Provident National Bank charged the estate checking account for the money [760]*760owed to it by decedent and deducted the same from the account without notice to the administrator. Thereafter, Provident discovered that it had overcharged the account by $384.13 and returned that sum to the account.

Subsequently, Hyman Trust’s will was discovered, letters testamentary were granted to Isadore W. Trust and the letters of administration were revoked. Counsel for the executor made demand on Provident to restore the moneys which it had charged the estate account to the account. Provident rejected the demand on the grounds that it had exercised a legitimate right of setoff, and the executor filed the petition which is the subject of this opinion.

The sole question for determination is whether Provident National Bank properly exercised a right of setoff under the foregoing facts.

It appears from audit papers submitted with the executor’s account, which is being audited concurrently with the determination of the issues presented in the petition, that the estate is hopelessly insolvent.

Further, it was agreed that all of the money in the “Hy Trust Agency” account was solely that of decedent and was not being held up by him as trustee for any of his clients.

The right of setoff which arises under the Defalcation Statute, 1705, 1 Sm. L. 49, sec. 1, 12 PS §601, permits parties with cross claims to setoff the obligations owing to each other. In Pennsylvania, a debtor may setoff the debt owed. to it by a decedent against the claim of his personal representative for moneys owed even though decedent’s estate is insolvent: Light v. Leininger, 8 Pa. 403 (1849); Gaugler Estate, 42 D. & C. 2d 453 (O.C. Montgomery, 1967). A bank may setoff the balance due it on decedent’s notes [761]*761against the balance remaining in decedent’s checking account at death: Gaugler, supra; cf. Southwark National Bank v. Beck, 98 Pa. Superior Ct. 213 (1930).

There is, however, a limitation on the bank’s right to setoff. A bank may setoff a debt owed it by a decedent against decedent’s account only if the debt has matured at the time of death: Bosler v. Exchange Bank, 4 Pa. 32 (1847). Accord, Kurtz v. County National Bank, 288 Pa. 472 (1927). The theory is that where there are two obligations which have matured, there is only one debt, the difference between the two claims.

Petitioner appears to concede on page 10 of his brief that there existed a right of setoff at the time of the death of Hyman Trust. However, in an earlier portion of the brief, petitioner urges that no right of setoff existed because the agreements were insufficient to establish a lien on decedent’s bank account and the debts were not matured at the death of Hyman Trust.

As to the first contention, it is clear that the parties agreed that Provident look to the “Hy Trust Agency” account as security for its loans even though no specific reference is made to it in the agreement. The Consumer Credit Loan Agreement contained the following language:

“As collateral security for the payment of this or any other liability of the undersigned due or to become due or hereafter contracted for, directly or indirectly, the undersigned has deposited with Bank the following described property:

“The collateral security and any securities or other after-acquired property of the undersigned which may hereafter be deposited with or come into the [762]*762possession of Bank shall be applicable to secure the payment of this or any past or future indebtedness of the undersigned to Bank, and for this purpose Bank is hereby given a lien on and a security interest in all thereof.” (Italics supplied.)

Similarly, the Provident/Master Charge Retail Installment Credit Agreement provided:

“11. Provident is hereby given a security interest in goods purchased with Credit Card and in all of Cardholder’s property now or hereafter in Provident’s possession to secure payment of any present or future obligation or liability which Cardholder may have to Provident.” (Italics supplied.)

Whether the language of the agreements created an actual lien upon decedent’s bank account need not be decided. No actual lien need be created for the right of set-off to accrue. All that need be shown is a matured claim by each party: Hicks Administratrix v. National Bank of Northern Liberties, 168 Pa. 638 (1895); Light v. Leininger, supra. In the case of a bank account, all a depositor possesses is the right to demand and receive the amount on deposit.

The real question, therefore, is whether Provident held a matured debt at the time of decedent’s death. Petitioner does not dispute that the Master Charge debt was due and payable at decedent’s death. He does contend that the Consumer Credit Loan debt was not matured at death because it was due and payable “at the option of Bank.”

The specific language of the agreement is as follows:

“The undersigned agree that in the event of . . . (c) the death of any of the undersigned . . . , the unpaid balance hereunder shall, at the option of Bank, immediately become due and payable without any notice or demand, and Bank shall have all the [763]*763rights and remedies herein provided in case of default.” (Italics supplied.)

Petitioner argues that the agreement gives the bank only an option to declare the debt immediately due and payable at death and thus prevents the debt from being matured at death.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Webb Estate
138 A.2d 435 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1958)
Kurtz v. County National Bank
136 A. 789 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1927)
Southwark National Bank v. Beck
98 Pa. Super. 213 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1929)
Bosler's Administrators v. Exchange Bank
4 Pa. 32 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1846)
Light v. Leininger
8 Pa. 403 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1848)
Hicks v. National Bank
32 A. 63 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1895)
Estate of Kern
35 A. 231 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1896)
Girard Trust Co. v. Harrington
23 Pa. Super. 615 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1903)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
60 Pa. D. & C.2d 758, 1973 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 391, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/trust-estate-pactcomplphilad-1973.