The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Alabama recently held that a mortgage servicer did not violate the discharge injunction in 11 U.S.C. § 524 by sending the discharged borrowers monthly mortgage statements, delinquency notices, notices concerning hazard insurance, and a notice of intent to foreclose. Moreover, because the borrowers based their claims for violation of the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1692, et seq., on the violation of the discharge injunction, the Court also dismissed their FDCPA claims with prejudice. A copy of the opinion in Golden et al v. Carrington Mortgage Services,…
Posts published in “Mortgage Banking Foreclosure Law”
Mortgage Banking Foreclosure Law
The Court of Appeal of the State of California, Third Appellate District, recently held that a mortgage servicer violated California’s Homeowner Bill of Rights (HBOR), Civ. Code § 2923.6(d), when it sent a borrower a loan modification denial letter stating that the homeowner had only 15 days to appeal the denial. In so ruling, the Appellate Court held that the servicer’s denial letter was a material violation of section 2923.6, and therefore the homeowner alleged a valid cause of action for injunctive relief under section 2924.12. A copy of the opinion in Berman v. HSBC Bank USA, N.A is available…
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently affirmed the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel’s determination that a creditor’s pre-bankruptcy, non-recourse lien on two debtors’ real property is extinguished following a non-judicial foreclosure sale. A copy of the opinion in In re: Salamon is available at: Link to Opinion. In April 2009, two debtors purchased real property. Rather than fund the purchase price and pay off the two existing liens on the real property, the debtors executed a wrap-around mortgage in favor of the property seller. The debtors then funded the balance of the purchase price with a note secured…
The Appellate Court of Illinois, First District, recently held that an allonge was “affixed” to a note for purposes of the Illinois Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) when it was attached via paper clip. A copy of the opinion in Olive Portfolio Alpha, LLC v. 116 West Hubbard Street, LLC is available at: Link to Opinion. The plaintiff note owner (“assignee”) filed a mortgage foreclosure action against the defendant borrower seeking the foreclosure of a commercial property. The borrower filed a motion to dismiss for alleged lack of standing. The motion was denied in part and granted in part “as to…
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit recently affirmed the dismissal of a mortgage loan borrower’s federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and related state law claims because the defendant mortgagee was not a “debt collector” as defined by the FDCPA. In so ruling, the Court also rejected the borrower’s allegations that the monthly statements the mortgagee sent to the borrower after her bankruptcy discharge were impermissible implied assertions of a right to collect against her personally. A copy of the opinion in Helman v. Bank of America is available at: Link to Opinion. The borrower obtained a…
The Appellate Court of Illinois, Third District, recently affirmed a trial court’s dismissal of a qui tam action brought by a private attorney under the Illinois False Claims Act against Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. (MERS), holding that the State can file a motion to dismiss at any time during the case even if the State declined to take over the action. A copy of the opinion in State ex rel. Saporta v. Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. is available at: Link to Opinion. The plaintiff, the State ex rel. by a private attorney (“Relator”), filed a qui tam action…
The District Court of Appeal of Florida for the Fourth District recently denied a borrower’s motion for appellate attorney’s fees in a contested foreclosure, holding that the reciprocity provision of section 57.105(7), Florida Statutes, does not apply where the borrower prevails based on lack of standing, unless the plaintiff mortgagee was also the original lender. A copy of the opinion in Nationstar Mortgage LLC, etc. v. Marie Ann Glass, et al. is available at: Link to Opinion. The trial court dismissed with prejudice a mortgagee’s amended foreclosure complaint, and the plaintiff mortgagee appealed. The mortgagee voluntarily dismissed the appeal, and…
The Appellate Court of Illinois, First District, recently held that the provisions of the Illinois mortgage foreclosure statute barred the borrowers from filing a post-judgment petition to vacate the entry of a personal deficiency judgment in a foreclosure action, because the borrowers’ petition was not based upon the lack of personal jurisdiction and the borrowers’ petition did not seek relief in the form of claiming an interest in the proceeds of the sale. A copy of the opinion in BMO Harris Bank National Association v. LaRosa is available at: Link to Opinion. The borrowers defaulted on their mortgage loan resulting…
The Circuit Court of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit in and for Miami-Dade County, Florida recently dismissed a second foreclosure complaint, filed more than five years after the initial complaint and alleging the same incident of default, as barred by the statute of limitations. In so ruling, the Court also held that the borrower’s daughter and sole beneficiary to the property encumbered by a reverse mortgage had standing to assert the statute of limitations defense. A copy of the opinion in Reverse Mortgage Solutions, Inc. v. Estate of Ruby Hayes is available at: Link to Opinion. In October 2007, a borrower…
The District Court of Appeal of the State of Florida, Fourth District, recently held that a creditor may obtain a post-foreclosure deficiency judgment against a borrower when the borrower was personally served with process in the post-foreclosure deficiency action, and the fact that the foreclosure court only acquired in rem jurisdiction due to service by publication in the prior foreclosure did not matter. In addition, the Appellate Court held that section 702.06, Florida Statutes, which governs deficiency judgments, is unambiguous and allows a separate suit to recover a deficiency where the foreclosure judgment did not adjudicate a claim for a…
The Appellate Court of Illinois, First District, recently reversed a summary judgment ruling in favor of a mortgagee on its post-foreclosure forcible entry and detainer claim, finding genuine disputes as to material facts where the tenant presented evidence that she was a qualified tenant under the Chicago Protecting Tenants in Foreclosed Rental Property Ordinance, and that the mortgagee did not pay her the $10,600 relocation assistance fee required by the ordinance. A copy of the opinion in Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v. McCondichie is available at: Link to Opinion. A mortgagee became the owner of the subject property pursuant to…
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently reversed a ruling that disallowed an unsecured creditor’s claim filed in a California bankruptcy court based on the forum state’s statute of limitations. In so ruling, the Ninth Circuit held that, although courts typically apply the forum state’s statute of limitations if the contract is silent on the issue, exceptional circumstances warranted the application of a longer statute of limitations here, because the creditor had no option but to enforce its claim in the forum based on where the bankruptcy petition was filed. A copy of the opinion in PNC…