Article

Factual Summary:: Applicant pledged a CD in the amount of US$ 50,000 to secure an LC for one year and renewed the LC for an additional year. In a separate transaction, the Merchant's Fund Agreement relating to credit cards, it was agreed "that any chargebacks and repurchases, including overdrafts, are subject to the security interest of [Issuer] on any and all funds of the [Applicant] on deposit with [Issuer]." A second CD in the amount of US$ 100,000 was pledged to secure a separate LC payable to a second beneficiary. Applicant declared bankruptcy 20 months after the first LC was issued. Shortly after commencement of the bankruptcy case, Beneficiary drew US$ 17,000 on the first LC. The second LC was never drawn on and expired.

Applicant's Trustee demanded the balance of the two CDs and brought this adversarial action against Issuer when it refused to deliver the CDs. The bankruptcy court granted Trustee's motion for summary judgment in part and denied it in part.


Legal Analysis:

1.Reimbursement; Insolvency: Applicant contended that the funds on deposit with the Issuer were "special purpose funds" and, because the obligations were not mutual, issuer was not entitled to exercise any right of setoff. Issuer argued that both CDs lost their character because the LCs which they secured cannot be drawn. As a result, it contended that both are charged with a security interest under the charge agreement. In its decision, the court stated, "special funds deposited in the banking institution... are not subject to administration and conversely would not be subject to any claim of any party other than for whose benefits the funds were deposited." The court agreed with Issuer that the CDs lost their "special fund character" when the beneficiaries lost their ability to draw on the LC. The court, therefore, ruled that the funds are property of the trustee "but subject to whatever the extent of the security interest of [Issuer] created by the Merchants Fund Agreement that encumbers the funds in question."

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