United American Life Insurance Company v. Willey

444 P.2d 755, 21 Utah 2d 279, 1968 Utah LEXIS 640
CourtUtah Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 4, 1968
Docket11086
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 444 P.2d 755 (United American Life Insurance Company v. Willey) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Utah Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United American Life Insurance Company v. Willey, 444 P.2d 755, 21 Utah 2d 279, 1968 Utah LEXIS 640 (Utah 1968).

Opinions

ELLETT, Justice:

The respondents, as plaintiffs, brought suit on five notes and to foreclose various mortgages securing them. This appeal involves the counterclaim to one of the notes. The facts are not in dispute.

[281]*281The stock of Horizon Investment Corporation is wholly owned by Mr. and Mrs. Willey, and these three are the appellants.

The Willeys organized Horizon for the purpose of constructing a country club. They put some of their own money into the venture and borrowed $270,000 from Zions First National Bank, hereafter called Zions. More money was needed, but Zions would not lend any more unless appellants would get a written commitment from some responsible financial organization whereby the organization would agree to purchase the note and mortgage upon demand from Zions. There was no requirement made as to who would give the commitment other than that it would be a responsible financial organization, and the Willeys were left to their own devices to secure it. They employed their own agents, one of whom had formerly worked for United American Life Insurance Company, a corporation, hereafter referred to as United American. An agreement was made whereby United American was to give the commitment to Zions for a loan in the amount of $450,000, a part of which would be used to pay off the $270,000 debt already due and owing to Zions. Out of the remainder, the appellants were to pay $9,000 to United American for giving the commitment. This would be two per cent of the face of the loan. This fee was known to Zions and was paid to United American by Zions out of the increased loan. There was a side agreement between appellants and United American whereby the appellants would deposit with United American $45,000 in cash to be returned to appellants with interest if United American did not have to buy the $450,000 note and mortgage. It further provided that if Zions did call upon United American to take the note and mortgage pursuant to the commitment, then United American was to keep the $45,000 deposited as its own unless appellants could refinance the matter in some way so as to avoid having United American buy the note and mortgage.1 This side agreement was not known to Zions, and appellants sent their check to United American after they had received the money from the increased loan.

The note required payments of interest at eight per cent per annum to be made to Zions monthly from date (February 24, 1965) to and including December 15, 1965, and thereafter payments were to be made quarterly in the amount of $11,250 together with interest. The appellants paid nothing on the note, and after about one year Zions called upon United American to honor its commitment. The appellants did not other[282]*282wise refinance the loan, and United American paid Zions and is now the holder and owner of the note and mortgage.

The only defense offered by appellants is that the loan is usurious. If it is, then appellants would not be chargeable with interest and could recover three times the amount paid as interest (none).

Both appellants and respondents moved for summary judgment. Respondents relied solely upon the testimony of Mr. Willey given by deposition. Appellants relied on the pleadings and a legal argument. The trial court denied appellants’ motion for a summary judgment but granted that of the respondents. This appeal followed.

The note in question provided that upon default of payment of principal or interest, such unpaid amounts would draw interest at 10 per cent, which is the highest rate allowed by law in such cases. Sec. IS — 1—2, U.C.A.19S3.

In determining the question of usury, one must consider the agreement as it existed at its inception. If the promise is to pay interest at a rate which is greater than that allowed by law on the money actually loaned, the contract is usurious. However, if the borrower pursuant to his promise can discharge the loan by paying only the amount borrowed together with interest totaling not more than 10 per cent per year, the contract is not usurious. This is true even though the borrower promises to pay a greater rate of interest in case of default. See 91 C.J.S. Usury § 11 b.

Courts should be alert to examine carefully any suspicious transaction to determine whether the contract is in its entire aspect usurious. All of the surrounding circumstances existing at the time of the making of the agreement must be taken into consideration. If there is a promise tO' pay a contingent sum which would make the agreement usurious, it still would not be usurious if the contingency is one which is under the control of the borrower. On the other hand, if the borrower cannot comtrol the contingency, then the contract would be usurious if the amount promised! to be paid as interest is greater than that allowed by law. The contingency must be a part of the agreement with the lender in order to taint the transaction with usury. See 91 C.J.S. Usury § 11 c.

The entire transaction between the borrower and the lender may be encompassed in more than one agreement so long as all agreements form parts of the over-all agreement to lend the money. For instance, the promise to make a payment of a commission or bonus to the lender or to his agent would render the transaction usurious if the interest promised to be paid together with the bonus or commission amounts to more than the lawful rate of interest. See 91 C.J.S. Usury § 43 d.

[283]*283An agreement otherwise proper is not rendered usurious by the payment of, or promise to pay, a commission by the borrower to his own agent even if such commission alone or in conjunction with the interest promised to the lender exceeds the lawful rate. See cases annotated in 52 A.L.R.2d 710.

The case of McCall v. Smith, 184 Wash. 615, 52 P.2d 338 (1935) is in point. Here Smith promised to pay his broker $75 if the broker could secure a loan of $1,000 from a lender. In addition to paying $75, Smith agreed to pay eight per cent interest to the lender, and the two sums exceeded the lawful rate of interest in the State of Washington. The defendant raised the defense of usury to the suit brought on the note and mortgage. The court at page 340 of 52 P.2d said:

The answer to this question depends upon whether Quinn-Smith Company was acting as a broker or agent for appellants in securing the loan, or whether it acted either as a principal in loaning its own money to them, or else as agent for the lender, or for both the lender and the borrower. If it acted solely as the broker for appellants, it had the right to charge the commission, otherwise it did not.

In the instant case a simple note and mortgage bearing eight per cent interest was signed by the appellants. This is the only agreement made with Zions. There was no other arrangement made except that United American had given a commitment to buy the note and mortgage if demand to do so was made by Zions. In addition thereto, the borrowers (appellants herein) had it in their own control to withdraw the money deposited with United American together with interest thereon by the simple expedient of refinancing the loan in some manner so as to avoid the necessity for United American to honor its commitment.

United American was induced to make the commitment at the instance and request of the appellants’ agents.

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United American Life Insurance Company v. Willey
444 P.2d 755 (Utah Supreme Court, 1968)

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Bluebook (online)
444 P.2d 755, 21 Utah 2d 279, 1968 Utah LEXIS 640, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-american-life-insurance-company-v-willey-utah-1968.