F.D.I.C. v. St. Paul Fire and Marine Ins. Co., s. 92-1498
| Citation | 993 F.2d 155 |
| Decision Date | 07 May 1993 |
| Docket Number | 92-1499,Nos. 92-1498,s. 92-1498 |
| Parties | FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION, as Receiver for the First National Bank in West Concord, Appellee, v. ST. PAUL FIRE AND MARINE INSURANCE COMPANY, Appellant. FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION, as Receiver for the First National Bank in West Concord, Appellant, v. Garry R. GORDINIER, Terry L. Myhre, Estate of Richard C. Newlin; Koleen K. Samek, as Personal Representative of the Estate of Richard C. Newlin, William E. Smock, Appellees. FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION, as Receiver for the First National Bank in West Concord, Appellant, v. ST. PAUL FIRE AND MARINE INSURANCE COMPANY, Appellee. |
| Court | United States Courts of Appeals. United States Court of Appeals (8th Circuit) |
Norman R. Carpenter, Minneapolis, MN, argued, for appellant.
Manuel A. Palau, Washington, DC, argued (Ann S. Duross, Asst. Gen. Counsel, and Colleen B. Bombardier, Sr. Counsel, on the brief), for appellee.
Before McMILLIAN, Circuit Judge, FRIEDMAN, * Senior Circuit Judge, and MORRIS SHEPPARD ARNOLD, Circuit Judge.
The St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company (St. Paul) appeals from a final judgment entered in the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota holding plaintiff Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) was entitled to a declaration of coverage and St. Paul was liable for the money damages under the terms of a directors and officers liability policy issued to the First National Bank (the bank) in West Concord, Minnesota. Federal Deposit Ins. Corp. v. Gordinier, 783 F.Supp. 1181 (D.Minn.1992) (Gordinier ).
For reversal, St. Paul argues the district court erred in holding (1) the bank gave sufficient notice under the terms of St. Paul's "claims made" policy to invoke coverage and (2) St. Paul's policy provided coverage for intentional and deliberate acts of insiders. For the reasons discussed below, we reverse the judgment of the district court and remand the case to the district court with directions to enter judgment for St. Paul.
This is another case involving insurance and the clean up of a failed financial institution. The bank was declared insolvent on March 5, 1987, by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), which ordered the bank closed, took possession of its business and property and appointed the FDIC receiver of the bank. FDIC sought to recover the bank's bad loan losses from the bank's former directors and their directors and officers ("D & O") liability insurer, St. Paul.
In 1983 the bank applied for and was issued a D & O policy by St. Paul, effective from April 5, 1983 to April 5, 1986. This policy was later extended to June 18, 1986. The D & O policy is characterized as a discovery or "claims made" policy--coverage was limited to claims made during the policy period for losses caused by "any negligent act, any error, any omission, or any breach of duty." The policy required as a prerequisite of coverage that written notice of claims or suits by the insured be given to St. Paul within the policy period. The policy limit was $1 million.
The bank was sold in 1984 to a bank holding company formed by Terry L. Myhre, Richard E. Newlin, William D. Newlin, Joel F. Punke, and John Kwok-Chung Ma. The shareholders of the bank holding company were the directors of the bank holding company.
During this period, the bank received critical reviews from the OCC about its lending practices. The OCC's first review, in October 1984, was critical of the bank management concerning administration of problem loans. Nevertheless, during the first six (6) months of 1985, the bank approved additional loans, including additional extensions of credit (credit overlines) to six (6) long-time bank customers in excess of the bank's specified limits for loans to one borrower.
In September 1985 the OCC examined the bank again and was more critical of bank management. The report specifically referred to the six (6) credit overlines as willful violations of lending limit regulations which could result in personal liability of the directors. The report proposed civil money penalties for lending limit violations and preferential insider transactions. The OCC requested the bank execute a cease and desist order with respect to certain bank management practices; however, no cease and desist agreement was ever signed.
In March 1986, several weeks before the bank's D & O policy was set to expire, several bank officers completed and submitted a renewal application to St. Paul. It is this renewal application, and the information contained in it, that is the center of this case.
The renewal application required the bank to answer questions about certain conditions which would be reviewed in a bank examination and asked the bank to supply specific details. The notice issue centers on question 7, several parts of which the bank answered affirmatively. Specifically, the bank checked the "yes" boxes for part B, "Extensions of credit which exceed the legal lending limit," part C, "Assets subject to classification as substandard, doubtful or loss, wherein the total of such assets exceed 25% of capital," and part E, "Significant violations of laws and regulations." 1
Question 7 further required that if any part of the answer was "yes," then the bank should provide details and current status. For this detailed information, the bank answered "Six credit overlines; 1 now paid out in full, 3 are farm credits that FHA guarantees fell through on, 2 other overlines are commercial loans." No other details were given.
The renewal application contained other questions concerning the bank's knowledge or awareness of any claims or acts which might give rise to a claim. Three questions specifically asked if the bank knew of (A) any pending suits, (B) any claim against any person as a director of officer or employee, and (C) whether any director, officer or employee knew of any act, error or omission which might give rise to a claim under the policy. 2 The bank responded "No" to each of these questions on the renewal application.
St. Paul, after review of the renewal application and discussions with bank officials, decided not to renew the policy. The OCC issued another report, on June 30, 1986, which was again critical of the bank management and recommended that certain directors be replaced. From then on the situation at the bank worsened until in March 1987, the OCC determined that the bank was insolvent, closed the bank and appointed the FDIC as receiver. The FDIC liquidated the bank.
The FDIC sought recovery from several former bank directors for loan losses, filing suit in federal district court in January 1989, alleging several various theories of personal liability including violation of statutory lending limits, preferential extensions of credit, and breach of fiduciary duty. The former bank director defendants and the FDIC notified St. Paul about the lawsuit. St. Paul answered that there was no coverage because the D & O policy was a "claims made" policy and there had been no notice of a claim, under the terms of the policy, during the coverage period.
In October 1989 the FDIC filed a declaratory judgment action against St. Paul seeking to establish coverage for the bank's losses under the D & O policy. The FDIC alleged that the information St. Paul received during the renewal application process constituted "effective notice" of the claims against the directors. St. Paul asserted that no notice had been given and that the policy did not provide indemnity for intentional or illegal acts. The case below involved a host of related sideshows which are not relevant for the present case, but are thoroughly explained in the district court opinion. 3
The district court consolidated the liability and coverage issues, finding as a matter of law, that the answer to question 7 in the renewal application provided St. Paul the requisite written notice of potential claims required by the terms of the D & O policy. Gordinier, 783 F.Supp. at 1180. The scope of the notice was subsequently limited to the 5 credit overlines referred to in the answer to question 7. Id. at 1190. The district court also found that the policy did not exclude coverage for intentional or illegal acts but covered losses incurred from extensions of credit in excess of the bank's lending limits, regardless of whether it was negligent or intentional. Id. The district court entered judgment in favor of the FDIC and against St. Paul in the amount of the losses for the 5 credit overlines. Id. at 1193-94. 4
St. Paul has appealed the district court judgment with respect to the issue of effective notice, and the FDIC has cross-appealed with respect to the measure of damages.
The critical issue in this case is whether the district court erred in determining that, as a matter of law, the bank's renewal application gave St. Paul effective notice required in the D & O "claims made" policy. By the terms of the D & O policy, the bank must provide St. Paul written notice of claims, suits or acts within the policy period. Because the renewal application was received during the policy period, the FDIC relies on the information provided in the renewal application as effective notice of possible claims.
Both parties agreed that the D & O policy at issue is a "claims made" policy, as opposed to an "occurrence policy," and that St. Paul is responsible for claims made during the term of the policy or resulting from events or circumstances that could lead to a claim. Burns v. International Insurance Co., 929 F.2d 1422, 1424 (9th Cir.1991) (Burns ). However, under "claims made" policies coverage usually extends only to "claims that were made and reported." United States v. A.C. Strip, 868 F.2d 181, 187 (6th Cir.1989) (emphasis added). It is clear that "claims made" policies place special reliance on notice. In fact, the notice provision of a "claims made" policy is just as...
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