- 48 - purchasers in trust, or that these funds were held in the PLRF accounts for the purchasers' benefit. In support of their theory, petitioners point to the language of the operative agreements. The Administrator Agreement provides that "To the extent that Dealer receives monies for Reserves, Administrator's fees or insurance premiums, Dealer agrees to accept and hold such monies as a fiduciary in trust". It further provides: All Reserves in the Escrow Account(s) shall be held for the primary benefit of Contract holders to secure Dealer's performance under the Contracts and to pay for valid claims arising under the Contracts. Dealer shall have no beneficial or other property interest in the Reserves or investment income in the Escrow Accounts(s) * * *. The Escrow Agreement between the Escrow Trustees and the bank acting as escrow depository likewise recites that "the vehicle service contract entered into between a dealer in the Dealer Group and a consumer requires that a Primary Loss Reserve Fund escrow account be established for the benefit of the consumer." The language that contracting parties use to describe the effect of their agreements may accurately reflect their intentions, but it may also inadvertently or deliberately misrepresent them. In determining whether the operative agreements create rights and obligations characteristic of a trust, we do not regard the language quoted above as controlling. See Davis v. Aetna Acceptance Co., 293 U.S. 328, 333-334 (1934); In re Schnitz, supra at 955-956. Petitioners themselves do notPage: Previous 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 Next
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