Tootle-Lacy National Bank v. Bank of Scandia
Tootle-Lacy National Bank v. Bank of Scandia
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
The action was one by the Tootle-Lacy National Bank of St. Joseph, Mo., against the receiver of the failed bank of Scandia, Kan., to establish a preferred claim upon the assets of the Scandia bank. Preference was denied, and the St. Joseph bank appeals.
Depositors in the Scandia bank gave checks on their accounts,
The letter of the St. Joseph bank which transmitted the checks to the Scandia bank was as follows:
“We enclose for collection and immediate return in St. Joseph, Chicago or New York exchange, as listed below.”
The St. Joseph bank says the Scandia bank was agent for the St. Joseph bank, to collect the checks, and so the Scandia bank occupied a fiduciary relation to the St. Joseph bank. Granted, but that did not entitle the St. Joseph bank to a preference.
The letter of the St. Joseph bank transmitting the checks to the Scandia bank for collection negatived the idea that the proceeds of the checks, when collected, were to be treated as a trust fund. The Scandia bank was directed to make return by exchange, drawn on its own credit with another bank. The proceeds of collection became part of the general assets of the Scandia bank, and the claim of the St. Joseph bank upon those assets was simply that of a general creditor. The principle was recognized and applied in the case of Colorado & S. Rly. Co. v. Docking, 124 Kan. 48, 257 Pac. 743, and is supported both by reason and authority. (Annotation 90 A. L. R. 28, IV, a and b.) In the case of Peoples State Bank v. Burlington State Bank, 128 Kan. 274, 277 Pac. 39, cited by the St. Joseph bank, the direction of the forwarding bank was “for returns.” In the present case the direction was, in effect, “Use the money collected as your own and send us your draft on your St. Joseph, Chicago, or New York correspondent, for the amount.”
The St. Joseph bank says the Scandia bank violated instructions with reference to designated method of return, which was by St.
The judgment of the district court is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Tootle-Lacy National Bank of St. Joseph, Missouri v. The Bank of Scandia, Charles W. Johnson, Receiver
- Status
- Published