Home Building & Loan Assn. v. Hester
Home Building & Loan Assn. v. Hester
Concurring Opinion
concurring specially. I concur in the judgment because I think there was an interest insurable here because of the relationship voluntarily and fully assumed by the bank and the person to be insured.
Opinion of the Court
This case is here on certiorari to the Court of Appeals. A statement of the allegations of the petition will be found in the decision of that court in Hester v. Home Building & Loan Assn., 95 Ga. App. 321 (98 S. E. 2d 58), and need not be repeated in detail here. It appears from a copy of the deed from Mrs. Hill to Hester, attached to the petition as an exhibit, that she conveyed the property to him, “subject to a deed to secure debt made by the grantor to the Home Building & Loan Asso., said deed being recorded in Deed Book ,85, page 471, on July 21, 1951, Troup County records.” “A recital in a conveyance that the deed is made subject to a specified loan against the property is not an agreement to assume and pay the encumbrance. There must be words importing a promise to pay the debt, in order to render the grantee personally liable.” National Bondholders Corp. v. Parris, 190 Ga. 513 (1) (9 S. E. 2d 741). See also Alsobrook v. Taylor, 181 Ga. 10 (181 S. E. 182). Here
As held above, the Loan Association had no insurable interest in the life of Hester which would authorize it to obtain and maintain a policy of insurance on his life, but it is a well-established rule that a person has an insurable interest in his own life, and may take out a policy of insurance on his life and may name anyone he desires as his beneficiary. Clements v. Terrell, 167 Ga. 237 (145 S. E. 78, 60 A. L. R. 969); Gulf Life. Ins. Co. v. Davis, 52 Ga. App. 464, 466, supra; Wimbush v. Lyons, 203 Ga. 273 (46 S. E. 2d 138). It is conceded by counsel for the Loan Association that a bank may act as agent for another, and upon this question see Farmers & Merchants Bank v. Winfrey, 89 Ga. App. 122 (78 S. E. 2d 818), and cases there cited. In Minter v. Ga. Piggly-Wiggly Co., 185 Ga. 116 (194 S. E. 176), it is held that, where one undertakes to procure insurance for another, and is guilty of fraud or negligence in his undertaking, he is liable for loss or damage to the limit of the amount of the agreed policy. The amended petition, therefore, stated a cause of action for damages due to a breach of a contract to procure insurance. Farmers & Merchants Bank v. Winfrey, supra; Bell v. Fitz, 84 Ga. App. 220 (66 S. E. 2d 108). The trial court erred in sustaining a general demurrer thereto. For the reasons above stated, we cannot follow the opinion of the Court of Appeals, but we do agree to the judgment rendered by that court reversing the judgment of the trial court.
Judgment affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- HOME BUILDING & LOAN ASSOCIATION OF LAGRANGE v. HESTER, Administratrix
- Cited By
- 17 cases
- Status
- Published