Defendant, Mary Olson, wife of defendant Don Olson, appeals the trial court’s judgment declaring that a conveyance to her was fraudulent, and subjecting her property to execution by plaintiff, the judgment creditor. We affirm.
The trial court found that defendant, Don Olson (debtor), executed a $25,000 unsecured note payable to C. L. Love (creditor) and due on November 25, 1973. At the time the note was due, debtor had interests in two properties: the “Olson Farm,” which he owned individually and had inherited from his parents, and other property which he owned in joint tenancy with his wife and which was subject to a deed of trust securing two promissory notes. This deed of trust was foreclosed in 1976.
On Jаnuary 12, 1974, debtor borrowed $150,000 from another party, and executed a note and deed of trust covering the “Olson Farm” for that amount. Ninety-thousand dollars of the $150,000 recеived by debtor was deposited in a savings account owned jointly by debtor and his wife. The wife withdrew $80,000 from this account, purchased a new family home in which they both lived, and tоok title in her name alone. The use of the remaining $60,000 for the payment of other debts of the husband is not an issue. In October of 1974, the deed of trust was foreclosed оn the “Olson Farm,” and the farm was sold for $159,873. On May 20, 1975, creditor Love commenced this action to obtain judgment on his note and to set aside the transfer to the wife.
The trial сourt found that deposit of the $90,000 to the joint bank account, together with wife’s subsequent withdrawal of the money, constituted a conveyance with intent to hinder creditors under § 38-10-117, C.R.S.1973, and declared that wife’s new residence was subject to execution by the creditor to enforce the claim against debtor.
I. THE CONVEYANCE ISSUE
A.
Wife first contends that therе was no conveyance because the alleged gift from debtor was never consummated. Wife reasons that debtor, by placing the money in a joint bank account, retained control, and that she had no power to complete the gift by withdrawing the money on her own and without any further action by the debtor. We disagreе.
Whether the requirements of a gift have been met, i.e., donative intent coupled with an act which consummates the gift, is a question of fact, and the trial court’s detеrmination, if supported by the
Here, the debtor voluntаrily transferred the money to the wife by putting the funds at her disposal with intent that she should withdraw the money later. The record shows that debtor agreed with the wife that she should withdraw the money and that he helped her select a new home and negotiate for its purchase. The gift was perfected when the wife withdrew the money and converted it to real property in her own name.
Estate of Barnhart v. Burkhardt, supra. See Johnson v. Hilliard,
Albers v. Young,
B.
Wife also contends that the transfer to her should have been characterized as repayment of a loan. We disagree.
Although husband and wife may stand in the relationship of debtor and creditor, a bona fide loan transaction must be established.
Knapp v. Day,
C.
Finally, wife contends that thе money was not given to her because she merely withdrew what belonged to her. In effect, wife argues that she liquidated her inchoate interest in marital property by withdrawing her share of the loan proceeds. We find no merit in this argument.
A wife has an interest in property inherited by the husband in the sense that, upon dissolution, the appreciation, if any, in the property’s value may be treated as marital property subject to division.
Santilli v. Santilli,
II. THE INSOLVENCY AND FRAUD ISSUE
Wife contеnds that, even if it is assumed arguendo there was a conveyance, the evidence failed to establish debtor was insolvent at the time of the conveyance. Creditor’s response is that, where intent to defraud is proven, it is unnecessary under § 38-10-117, C.R.S.1973, to establish the debtor’s insolvency. It is not necessary for us to determine which view is cоrrect because the record supports both the trial court’s findings that the debtor was insolvent at the time of the conveyance, and that debtor actually intended to hinder, delay, or defraud his creditors.
Wife argues that the trial court applied an erroneous test when it determined debt- or was insolvent.
The balance sheet apprоach implicit in the Uniform Act’s definition has not been adopted in this state. Although the meaning of the term insolvency may vary with the legal and factual context in which it is considered,
Walton v. First National Bank,
Here, the record supports the trial court’s finding that debtor was insolvent at the time of the conveyance. Debtor was not gainfully employed near the time of the conveyance and paid his bills only by borrowing against his property. Debtor did not pay these loans in the ordinary course of his business and all his prоperty was eventually lost through foreclosure proceedings. Finally, although debtor presented unrebutted testimony that the true value of the property exсeeded the amount of his debts at the time of the conveyance, following foreclosure this debt remained unsatisfied, thus indicating that the ability of this creditor to cоllect his debt was impaired by the conveyance.
Therefore, we hold that the trial court did not err in finding debtor insolvent at the time of the conveyance.
Wife further contends there was insufficient evidence to support the trial court’s finding that debtor intended to delay, hinder, or defraud his creditors. We find no merit in this contention.
The еxistence of fraudulent intent is a question of fact, § 38-10-120, C.R.S.1973, to be determined by the circumstances of each case.
Helm v. Brewster,
Judgment affirmed.
