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Posts published in “Foreclosure”

4th Cir. Holds SCRA Does Not Apply to Mortgage Loan Incurred During Service, Even If Borrower Re-Enlists

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit recently held that the federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) does not apply to a mortgage loan obligation incurred while a borrower is a member of the military, even where he subsequently leaves and then later re-enlists in the military prior to a foreclosure sale. A copy of the opinion in Sibert v. Wells Fargo Bank, NA is available at:  Link to Opinion. The borrower obtained a mortgage loan to purchase his home from the lender while he was serving in the U.S. Navy.  After his discharge from the Navy, the borrower…

Fla. App. Court (4th DCA) Upholds Judgment for Borrower in Foreclosure Where Mortgagee Did Not File Allonge

The District Court of Appeal of the State of Florida, Fourth District, recently affirmed a final judgment in favor of a borrower because the foreclosing mortgagee failed to file the original allonge to the note, holding that as a result the mortgagee lacked standing to foreclose. A copy of the opinion in U.S. Bank National Assoc., etc. v. Jean Kachik is available at:  Link to Opinion. A mortgagee sued to foreclose the mortgage, attaching copies of the promissory note and an “Endorsement and Assignment of Note” to the complaint. The endorsement was “blank.” At trial, the mortgagee offered the original note…

Illinois App. Court (1st Dist) Holds Borrower Could Not Challenge Foreclosure Sale Notice as Unlawfully Discriminatory

The Illinois Court of Appeals, First District, recently determined that a borrower in a foreclosure matter did not have standing to challenge whether the mortgagee’s notice of sale was in violation of the Illinois Human Rights Act (IHRA). Following the entry of a judgment of foreclosure, the plaintiff mortgagee published its notice of sale, in which the mortgagee required that anyone attending the sale possess a “photo identification issued by a government agency.” The mortgagee purchased the property at the sale, and then moved for an order confirming the sale.  The borrower objected to the mortgagee’s motion, arguing that the…

Fla. App. Court (5th DCA) Holds Default Date Outside SOL in Complaint Avoided by Evidence That Defaults Continued

The District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fifth District, recently held that a foreclosure complaint was not time-barred despite the initial default occurring outside Florida’s five-year statute of limitations, because the mortgagee both alleged and proved that the borrowers defaulted on every payment due from the date of the initial default. In so ruling, the 5th DCA applied the standards set forth by the Florida Supreme Court in Bartram v. U.S. Bank Nat’l Ass’n, to conclude that the foreclosure action was not barred by the five-year statute of limitations under Fla. Stat. § 95.11(2)(c), because the mortgage was in a…

6th Cir. BAP Holds BK Court Lacked Jurisdiction to Void Mortgage Lien Signed Before but Recorded During Bankruptcy

The Bankruptcy Appellate Panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit recently held that the bankruptcy court lacked subject matter jurisdiction under the Rooker-Feldman doctrine to void the foreclosure of a mortgage lien that was executed by the debtors before bankruptcy, but recorded while the automatic stay was in effect. In so ruling, the BAP held that the mortgage was effective upon signing, the pre-petition lien survived the bankruptcy, the creditor’s exercise of its in rem rights did not implicate the discharge order, and the bankruptcy court incorrectly applied the exception to the Rooker-Feldman doctrine recognized in…

8th Cir. Affirms Ruling in Favor of Servicers Due to Plaintiffs’ Misrepresentations in Loan Mod Application

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit recently affirmed summary judgment against a former husband borrower and his ex-wife on their claims under the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act (MMPA) and for tortious interference with contract. In so ruling, the Court held that the foreclosure of the plaintiffs’ home loan was justified due to the husband’s misrepresentation on the modification application that he, not his ex-wife who was responsible for making the payments, was experiencing financial hardship and could not afford the loan payments. A copy of the opinion in Dale Wheatley v. JP Morgan Chase Bank is available…

6th Cir. Bankruptcy Panel Holds Foreclosure Deficiency Judgment May Be Avoided

The Bankruptcy Appellate Panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit recently held that a mortgage foreclosure deficiency judgment lien may be avoided under 11 U.S.C. § 522(f)(2), reversing the bankruptcy court’s ruling to the contrary. A copy of the opinion in In re Antoinette Pace is available at:  Link to Opinion. The debtor filed a chapter 13 bankruptcy, listing her residence in Ohio on her schedules with a value of $147,630.  She also claimed the residence as exempt homestead in the amount of $132,900, the maximum allowed pursuant to Ohio law. On her Schedule D, the debtor…

8th Cir. Holds Borrower’s Post-Foreclosure Modification Allegations Not Time-Barred

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit recently reversed the dismissal of a borrower’s lawsuit against his mortgagee for failing to restore his title after a non-judicial foreclosure and subsequent execution of a loan modification agreement, holding that the borrower’s claims were not time-barred and accrued only when he tried to sell the home more than five years after the modification agreement. A copy of the opinion in White v. CitiMortgage, Inc. is available at:  Link to Opinion. A borrower refinanced his home mortgage loan in 2003, and defaulted in 2008. The loan servicer gave the borrower notice and…

9th Cir. Holds Bankruptcy Cram-Down Valuations to Use ‘Replacement Value’ Not ‘Foreclosure Value’

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently held that for cram-down valuations, 11 U.S.C. § 506(a)(1) requires the use of “replacement value” based upon the adoption of the replacement value standard in Associates Commercial Corp. v. Rash, 520 U.S. 953, 956 (1997). In so ruling, the Ninth Circuit interpreted Rash to instruct that valuation of collateral in a cram down must be based on the debtor’s desires (i.e., the proposed use of the collateral in the debtor’s plan of reorganization), and without consideration of the value that the secured creditor would realize in an immediate sale. Accordingly,…

9th Cir. Bankruptcy Panel Affirms Dismissal of ‘Wrongful Securitization’ Allegations

The Bankruptcy Appellate Panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently affirmed the dismissal of an adversary proceeding without leave to amend, holding that: (a) the debtors failed to state a claim for wrongful foreclosure under California law; (b) the debtors failed to state a claim for breach of contract or breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing because they were not third-party beneficiaries of the pooling and servicing agreement; (c) the debtors failed to state a claim for breach of the deed of trust or breach of the implied covenant of…

10th Cir. Rejects Action to Void Foreclosure Sale Based on Prior TILA Cancellation Demand

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit recently held that a borrowers’ federal court claim attempting to void a foreclosure sale based on a prior demand to cancel the loan under the federal Truth in Lending Act (TILA) was barred by claim preclusion for failure to raise the issue in a prior state court action. A copy of the opinion in Pohl v. US Bank is available at:  Link to Opinion. The plaintiff borrowers refinanced the loan on their home in May 2007.  In 2009, the borrowers defaulted on their loan.  In March 2010, believing that their lender had…

Maryland App. Court Holds Foreclosures Require Collection Agency Licensure, Including as to Trusts

The Court of Special Appeals of Maryland, the intermediate appellate court in that state, recently held that a party who authorizes a foreclosure trustee to initiate a foreclosure action on a deed of trust must be licensed as a collection agency in the state before filing the foreclosure lawsuit, and that this licensing requirement applies to trusts formed outside of the State of Maryland. A copy of the opinion in Blackstone v. Sharma is available at:  Link to Opinion. A statutory trust formed in Delaware filed two foreclosure lawsuits against homeowners in Maryland through a substitute trustee. The trust through…