CURTISS NATIONAL BANK OF MIAMI SPRINGS, APPELLANT,
v.
FRANK E. SOLOMON, APPELLEE
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The court held that requiring a borrower to pay a third party's debt as a condition for a loan renewal or new loan constitutes usurious interest under Florida law.
[1] A loan is usurious when a borrower is required to pay the debt of another as a condition of receiving a new loan, in addition to the stipulated interest, if the total exc…
[2] A lender's intent to violate a usury statute is irrelevant when the lender intentionally engages in conduct that results in the exaction of usurious interest.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceSolomon owed the bank money and sought forbearance. The bank conditioned this forbearance on Solomon paying $8,000 of a defaulted corporate loan for w…
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Following a non jury trial in an action by the appellee against the appellant bank, the court granted judgment for the plaintiff Solomon against the bank for $21,078.54, being double the amount of interest which the court found had been paid by the plaintiff to the bank on a loan which the court found was usurious, in violation of § 687.-03 Fla.Stat., F.S.A.
That section of the statute makes unlawful the reserving, charging or taking, for a loan or advance of money or for forbearance to enforce collection of any sum of money, a rate of interest greater than ten percent per annum either directly or indirectly, by way of commission for advances, discounts, exchange, or by any contract, contrivance or device zuhatever, whereby the debtor is required or obligated to pay a sum of money greater than the actual principal sum received, together with interest at the rate of ten percent. Section 687.04 Fla.Stat., F.S.A., provides that such usurious interest is uncollectible, and that where it has been paid there shall be forfeited “to the party from whom such usurious interest has been reserved, taken or exacted in any way, double the amount of interest so reserved, taken or exacted.”
It is disclosed that in February of 1967 Solomon was indebted to the bank in the amount of $81,018.24 principal and $1,497.-72 interest, secured by a pledge of various stocks owned by Solomon. Previously the bank made a loan of $20,000 to a corporation of which Solomon was a substantial stockholder. After payment of part of that loan the corporation had defaulted on a balance thereof amounting to $15,495.96. Subsequent to that default the bank had requested of Solomon, who was not obligated thereon, that he guarantee the payment thereof. Solomon had refused to do so, and the bank had charged off the unpaid balance of that corporation loan as uncollectible.
The bank had threatened to sell the pledged stock to discharge the Solomon indebtedness, which had matured. When Solomon sought forbearance, and the extension of his loan, the bank was willing to do so only if Solomon would pay $8,000 representing approximately one half of the defaulted loan of the corporation. In compliance therewith, Solomon gave the bank three new promissory notes, each providing for interest at the rate oi 7Y¡% per annum and each payable in six months. One of the notes was for the amount of the princi*477pal of Solomon’s loan, a second note was for the past due interest thereon and the third note was for the $8,000 referred to above. After those notes matured, the bank sold certain of the pledged stock and applied the proceeds in payment of the Solomon note for the past due interest, and his note for payment of $8,000 of the defaulted corporation loan. To protect and regain his remaining pledged securities, Solomon paid the amount due to the, bank on the note covering the principal of his loan as represented by the new note therefor.
The determinative question, on this appeal by the bank from the judgment, is whether the amount representing a debt owed to the lender by another party, which was required by the lender to be paid by the borrower as a condition of the renewal or new loan to the borrower, constituted interest within the meaning and intent of § 687.03 Fla.Stat., F.S.A., so as to render the loan usurious, where the amount of such required separate payment together with the interest stipulated for the loan aggregated more than 10% per annum.
In granting judgment for the plaintiff the trial court answered that question in the affirmative. We hold that in so ruling the trial court was eminently correct. Under the broad language of the Florida Statute (§ 687.03) against exaction of excessive interest, directly or indirectly, “by any contract, contrivance or device whatever,” it is proper to classify as interest an agreement to pay, in addition to a stipulated rate of interest, the debt of another to the lender for which the borrower is not legally obligated. While the decisions in jurisdictions where that question has arisen are not uniform, we approve those which so hold. See Darden v. Schuessler, 154 Ala. 372, 45 So. 130; Winder National Bank v. Graham, 38 Ga.App. 552, 144 S.E. 357; Simpson v. Charters, 188 Ga. 842, 5 S.E.2d 27; Canal-Commercial Trust & Savings Bank v. Brewer, 143 Miss. 146, 108 So. 424; Ferdon v. Zarriello Bros., Inc., 87 N.J.Super. 124, 208 A.2d 186; Vee Bee Service Co. v. Household Finance Corporation, N.Y., Sup.Ct.1944, 51 N.Y.S. 2d 590; Pugh v. Hermitage Loan Co., 167 Tenn. 389, 70 S.W.2d 22.
When the lender has intentionally and purposely done that which amounts to or results in a contract for or the exaction of usurious interest, an argument by the lender that it was not shown the lender intended to violate the usury statute is without merit. Shorr v. Skafte, Fla.1956, 90 So.2d 604, 607; Shaffran v. Holness, Fla. App.1958, 102 So.2d 35, 39; Ross v. Whitman, Fla.App.1966, 181 So.2d 701, 703; River Hills, Inc. v. Edwards, Fla.App.1966, 190 So.2d 415, 424.
Affirmed.
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Fin. Fed. Sav. & Loan Ass'n v. Burleigh House, Inc., 305 So. 2d 59 (Fla. 3d DCA 1974)…t $245,188 6 of closing costs were unreasonable and in reality were interest charges. We also have considered appellant’s final point on appeal and find it to be lacking in merit. See Curtiss National Bank of Miami Springs v. Solomon, Fla.App.1971, 243 So. 2d 475. For the reasons cited hereinabove, we hereby modify the concluding paragraph of the herein appealed judgment to read as follows: Upon the above Findings of fact and conclusions of law, it is Ordered and adjudged that the Plaintiff, Burleigh Hous…
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Jersey Palm-Gross, Inc. v. Paper, 639 So. 2d 664 (Fla. 4th DCA 1994)…of the amount of interest to be received and intent to receive the amount charged. North American Mortg. Investors v. Cape San Blas Joint Venture, 378 So. 2d 287, 291 (Fla.1979); Dixon; Shorr; Rollins; Curtiss Nat’l Bank of Miami Springs v. Solomon, 243 So. 2d 475, 477 (Fla. 3d DCA 1971); River Hills, Inc. v. Edwards, 190 So. 2d 415, 424 (Fla. 2d DCA 1966). The evidence thus fully supports the trial court’s conclusion that the lending scheme resulted in interest in excess of 25% per annum and that such result…
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N. Am. Mortg. Invs. v. Cape SAN Blas Joint Venture, 378 So. 2d 287 (Fla. 1979)…s in a contract for or the exaction of usurious interest, an argument by the lender that it was not shown the lender intended to violate the usury statute is without merit.” Id. at 315 (quoting from Curtiss National Bank of Miami Springs v. Solomon, 243 So. 2d 475, 477 (Fla. 3d DCA 1971)). Only then does the trial court find “based upon all the circumstances, ample evidence to justify a wilful and intentional violation of the usury statutes by [petitioner].” Accordingly, we are persuaded that the chancellor a…
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- Shaffran v. Holness, 102 So. 2d 35 (Fla. 2d DCA 1958)
- Shorr v. Skafte, 90 So. 2d 604 (Fla. 1956)
- River Hills, Inc. v. Edwards, 190 So. 2d 415 (Fla. 2d DCA 1966)
- Sol M. Ross and Elaine Ross v. Whitman, 181 So. 2d 701 (Fla. 3d DCA 1966)
- Shaver v. Oliver, 181 So. 2d 701 (Fla. 3d DCA 1966)