2019 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 36a - The Banking Law of Connecticut
Chapter 664c - Fundamental Changes Involving Banks, Branches, Automated Teller Machines, Virtual Banking and Bank Holding Companies
Section 36a-237 - (Formerly Sec. 36-51). Distribution of assets of any Connecticut bank, trust bank or uninsured bank. Order of priority. Distribution of assets of a Connecticut credit union in event of liquidation. Sequence of distribution.

(a) The assets of any Connecticut bank, other than a trust bank or uninsured bank, in the possession of a receiver shall be distributed in the following order of priority: (1) All fees and assessments due the commissioner; (2) the charges and expenses of settling such bank's affairs; (3) all deposits; (4) all other liabilities; (5) any liquidation account; and (6) in the case of a capital stock Connecticut bank, the claims of shareholders or, in the case of a mutual savings bank or mutual savings and loan association, the claims of depositors in proportion to their respective deposits.

(b) (1) The assets of a trust bank or an uninsured bank shall be distributed in the following order of priority: (A) All fees and assessments due the commissioner; (B) administrative expenses; (C) approved claims of owners of secured trust funds on deposit to the extent of the value of the security as provided in subsection (d) of section 36a-237f; (D) approved claims of secured creditors to the extent of the value of the security as provided in subsection (d) of section 36a-237f; (E) approved claims by beneficiaries of insufficient commingled fiduciary money or missing fiduciary property and approved claims of clients of the trust bank or uninsured bank; (F) other approved claims of depositors and general creditors not falling within a higher priority under this subdivision, including unsecured claims for taxes and debts due the federal government or a state or local government; (G) approved claims of a type described by subparagraphs (A) to (F), inclusive, of this subdivision that were not filed within the period prescribed by sections 36a-215 to 36a-239, inclusive; and (H) claims of capital note or debenture holders or holders of similar obligations and proprietary claims of shareholders or other owners according to the terms established by issue, class or series.

(2) As used in this subsection, “administrative expense” means (A) any expense designated as an administrative expense by sections 36a-231 and 36a-237h; (B) any charge or expense of settling the affairs of the bank, including court costs and expenses of operation and liquidation of the bank's estate; (C) wages owed to an employee of the bank for services rendered within three months before the date the bank was placed in receivership and not exceeding two thousand dollars to each employee; (D) current wages owed to an employee of the bank whose services are retained by the receiver for services rendered after the date the bank is placed in receivership; and (E) an unpaid expense of supervision or conservatorship of the bank before it was placed in receivership.

(c) In the event of liquidation of a Connecticut credit union, the assets of the Connecticut credit union or the proceeds from any disposition of the assets shall be applied and distributed in the following sequence: (1) All fees and assessments due the commissioner; (2) claims of secured creditors up to the value of their collateral; (3) the costs and expenses of liquidation; (4) the wages due the employees of the Connecticut credit union; (5) the costs and expenses incurred by creditors in successfully opposing the release of the Connecticut credit union from certain debts as allowed by the commissioner; (6) all taxes owed to the United States or any other governmental unit; (7) all other debts owed to the United States or any other governmental unit; (8) claims of general creditors and secured creditors to the extent that their claims exceed the value of their collateral; (9) claims of members, to the extent of uninsured share accounts, and the organization that insured the share accounts of the Connecticut credit union; (10) in the event of liquidation of a Connecticut credit union that is a corporate Connecticut credit union, as defined in section 36a-435b, membership capital, and then paid-in capital; and (11) in the event of liquidation of a Connecticut credit union that has received a low-income designation from the National Credit Union Administration under 12 CFR 701.34, as from time to time amended, any outstanding secondary capital accounts.

(d) The holders of claims in any class set forth in this section shall not receive any distribution until the holders of claims in all classes having a higher priority under this section are paid in full. If the assets of any such Connecticut bank or Connecticut credit union are insufficient to pay in full all of the claims in a particular class, the assets shall be distributed to each claimant within such class on a pro rata basis.

(1949 Rev., S. 5776; P.A. 78-121, S. 34, 113; P.A. 88-65, S. 29; P.A. 91-126, S. 1, 2; P.A. 92-89, S. 2, 20; P.A. 94-122, S. 112, 340; P.A. 02-73, S. 25; P.A. 04-136, S. 26; P.A. 05-288, S. 201.)

History: P.A. 78-121 removed building associations from Subsec. (3) and deleted Subsec. (5) re property of private bankers; P.A. 88-65 deleted Subsec. (4) re property of industrial banks; P.A. 91-126 relettered Subsecs. (1), (2) and (3) to read (a), (b) and (c), respectively, and renumbered the Subdivs. therein, changed “appropriated ratably to the payment of” to read “distributed in the following order of priority” in each Subsec., changed state bank and trust company to capital stock bank organized under the laws of this state, added Subsec. (a)(6) re claims of stockholders, changed savings bank to mutual savings bank organized under the laws of this state and added “including deposits” and “in proportion to their respective deposits” in Subsec. (b), changed savings and loan association to savings and loan association organized under the laws of this state, except a capital stock savings and loan association and added “including deposits” in Subsec. (c), and added Subsec. (d) re distribution to holders of claims; P.A. 92-89 provided that all fees and assessments due the commissioner shall be first in order of priority in the event of distribution by a receiver; P.A. 94-122 consolidated the priority provisions for payment of claims in case of bank failure for all banks, deleted Subsecs. (b) and (c) and renumbered former Subsec. (d) as Subsec. (b), and made technical changes, effective January 1, 1995; Sec. 36-51 transferred to Sec. 36a-237 in 1995; P.A. 02-73 added new Subsec. (b) re application and sequence of distribution of assets of Connecticut credit union in the event of liquidation, redesignated existing Subsec. (b) as Subsec. (c) and deleted “capital stock” and “mutual savings bank or mutual savings and loan association” and added “Connecticut credit union” in Subsec. (c); P.A. 04-136 amended Subsec. (a) to replace “avails of the property” with “assets” and to insert “other than a trust bank or uninsured bank”, added new Subsec. (b) re distribution of assets of a trust bank or uninsured bank and definition of “administrative expense”, redesignated existing Subsecs. (b) and (c) as new Subsecs. (c) and (d), respectively, and amended Subsec. (d) to substitute “assets” for “avails of the property” and “avails”, effective May 12, 2004; P.A. 05-288 made a technical change in Subsec. (c)(9), effective July 13, 2005.

Annotations to former section 36-51:

Rights of depositors in savings department of trust company; set-off, interest and notes deposited for collection discussed. 88 C. 185. State franchise tax claim held on parity in receivership with expenses of settling affairs. 113 C. 662. “Creditors” of private banker include both depositors and those who have delivered money for transmission. 114 C. 661. No set-off for depositor as to note held as asset of savings department; exception where loan was made by commercial department and note was subsequently transferred as addition to assets of savings department. 115 C. 6. No priority as trust for checks forwarded by another bank for collection and charged against drawers' accounts. Id., 12. Savings department depositors entitled to have segregated funds applied ratably; if such funds are insufficient, unpaid balance of savings deposits stands on parity with commercial deposits; there is no preference over other savings deposits for trust funds deposited in fiduciary's own savings department. Id., 24. Distinction between general and special deposits. Id., 31. Savings depositors not entitled to preferred share in income from segregated fund. Id., 368. No set-off for note held as investment of savings department, whose maker has pledged his savings passbook. Id., 372. History of section; it modifies common law by putting deposits of the state on parity with those of other depositors. Id., 393. Such claims are classified under “all other liabilities”. 116 C. 609. Depositor of check for collection only can recover in full if proceeds can be traced; where checks are credited subject to payment and depositor has immediate right to draw, general deposit is created without preference. 117 C. 411. Quaere as to whether statement on deposit slip that bank acts only as collecting agent has effect of according preference over deposits. Id., 416. Private banker is trustee as to funds obtained from items forwarded for collection and remaining segregated in banker's hands. Id., 472. Where private banker improperly surrendered bills of lading without obtaining payment of drafts, liability of banker is for conversion, and there is no preference under statute. Id., 477. Issuance to depositor of bank's own check for whole or portion of deposit does not terminate status of depositor until check is paid. 118 C. 586.