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Posts tagged as “Seventh Circuit”

7th Cir. Opens Door to Possible CAMELS Rating Litigation Challenges

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit recently held that the presence of capital as one of six components in the FDIC’s CAMELS rating does not mean that the rating as a whole is committed to agency discretion for the purpose of 5 U.S.C. §701(a)(2) and therefore unreviewable. A copy of the opinion in Builders Bank v. FDIC is available at:  Link to Opinion. As you may recall, the FDIC is charged with conducting a full-scope on site examination every 12-18 months of the banks whose deposits it insures. In June 2015, the FDIC examined a bank and…

7th Cir. Holds Judgment Against Bankruptcy Debtor’s Husband Did Not Violate Co-Debtor Stay

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit recently held that a bank’s lawsuit against the husband of a debtor who had filed for bankruptcy did not violate the co-debtor stay because the husband’s credit card debts were not a consumer debt for which the debtor was personally liable. A copy of the opinion in Smith v. Capital One Bank (USA), NA is available at:  Link to Opinion. A debtor filed for bankruptcy in 2011. During the course of the bankruptcy proceedings, a bank filed suit and obtained a judgment against the debtor’s husband on a credit card debt…

7th Cir. Rejects Defrauded Bank’s Effort to Recover Counterfeit Check Proceeds from Payee’s Bank, Payee, Federal Reserve

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit recently held that a bank that honored a counterfeit check was not entitled to reimbursement from the party who deposited the check, nor from the depositing party’s bank or the Federal Reserve. A copy of the opinion is available at:  Link to Opinion. In 2013, an attorney received an email from a person who claimed she wanted to hire him to help her recover money that she said she was owed in a divorce proceeding. The purported ex-wife subsequently told the attorney that after retaining him, her ex-husband settled, and that…

7th Cir. Rules Borrowers Alleged Enough for Standing, But RESPA Claim Failed at Summary Judgment Due to Lack of Damages

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit recently held that a mortgage loan servicer violated the federal Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, 12 U.S.C. § 2601, et seq., by failing to properly respond to the borrowers’ request for information, but because the borrowers failed to provide evidence of damages stemming from the violation, the servicer was entitled to summary judgment. In so ruling, the Court held that the borrowers sufficiently alleged a concrete injury in fact that was fairly traceable to the servicer’s alleged violation of RESPA in order to have standing under Spokeo, but that “[w]hether the allegations…

7th Cir. Rejects FDCPA Claims That Illinois Wage Garnishments Are Actions ‘Against Consumer’

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit recently held that a wage garnishment action under Illinois law is not a legal action “against a consumer” under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). Accordingly, the Court held, an Illinois wage garnishment action need not be pursued only in the judicial district in which the debtor signed the debt agreement, or in which the debtor currently resides, under 15 U.S.C. § 1692i(a)(2). A copy of this opinion in Etro v. Blitt & Gaines, P.C. is available at:  Link to Opinion. Two Illinois debtors filed similar complaints against a debt…

7th Cir. Holds FDCPA Allows Vicarious Liability; Materiality, Extrinsic Evidence of Confusion Not Required

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit recently held that neither extrinsic evidence of confusion, nor materiality, is required for claims under § 1692g(a) of the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). The Court also held that a company that is itself a debt collector may be liable for the violations of the FDCPA by its debt collector agent. A copy of the opinion in Janetos v. Fulton Friedman & Gullace, LLP is available at:  Link to Opinion. The defendant creditor allegedly acquired defaulted consumer debts owned by the plaintiffs and did not dispute that it was a debt…

7th Cir. Holds Data Breach Plaintiffs Alleged Enough for Article III Standing, but Ruling May Not Hold Up Under Spokeo

Reversing the trial court’s ruling dismissing the action for lack of standing, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit recently held that the increased risk of fraudulent credit or debit card charges and possible identity theft due to a data breach that already occurred was “certainly impending future harm” and was sufficient for Article III standing. In addition, the Court also held that time and money the plaintiffs allegedly spent resolving fraudulent charges and possible identity theft also were sufficient injuries for Article III standing. However, this opinion was issued prior to the Supreme Court of the United…

7th Cir. Holds Customer Did Not Agree to Online Contract, Adopts ‘Reasonable Communicativeness’ Test

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit recently held that, under Illinois law, a website must provide a user reasonable notice that use of the website and a click on a button constitutes assent to the terms of an agreement, in order for the agreement to be binding. In so ruling, the Seventh Circuit adopted a two-part “reasonable communicativeness” test for the enforceability of online agreements: (1) whether the web pages presented to the customer adequately communicated all of the terms and conditions of the agreement; and (2) whether the circumstances support the reasonable assumption that the customer…

7th Cir. Confirms Borrower Lacks Standing to Raise Alleged Violations of Pooling and Servicing Agreement

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit recently held that a mortgagor is not a third-party beneficiary under a pooling and servicing agreement under New York law, and therefore lacks standing to challenge purported violations of assignments under the agreement. A copy of the opinion in In re Jepson is available at:  Link to Opinion. A borrower executed a note for a loan secured by a mortgage.  The note was indorsed by the lender in blank and transferred to a residential mortgage-backed securities trust formed and governed by a pooling and servicing agreement (“PSA”).  The trust’s trustee held the…

7th Cir. Rejects Breach of Contract Allegations by Borrowers of Failed Bank Against Purchaser Bank

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit recently affirmed the dismissal of a breach of contract claim brought by a group of investors against a bank that purchased the assets of a failed bank in receivership, because there was no writing memorializing the alleged agreement, as required by the federal Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act (FIRREA) and the Illinois Credit Agreement Act (ICAA). A copy of the opinion in United Central Bank v. Davenport Estate LLC is available at:  Link to Opinion. A bank extended loans to a group of real property investors in 2008 and also agreed…

7th Cir. Rejects FDCPA Allegations Involving Letters Sent to Debtor’s Counsel

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit recently upheld the dismissal of allegations that two letters sent to the consumer’s counsel violated the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), reiterating that its “competent attorney” standard applies regardless of whether a statement to the consumer’s counsel is false, misleading or deceptive. A copy of the opinion in Bravo v. Midland Credit Management, Inc. is available at: Link to Opinion. In a prior action, the debtor sued a debt collector for alleged violations of the FDCPA.  The case settled with the collector settling and releasing two of the debtor’s debts.  After settlement,…

7th Cir. Reverses Denial of Class Cert. in FDCPA ‘Time-Barred Debt’ Case

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit recently reversed a district court’s denial of class certification in a putative class action alleging that a debt collector violated the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) by sending supposedly misleading letters to Illinois residents trying to collect time-barred debts. A copy of the opinion in Scott McMahon v. LVNV Funding, LLC is available at:  Link to Opinion. The plaintiff alleged that the defendant debt collector violated the FDCPA because it sent “dunning letters containing language that would mislead an unsophisticated consumer into believing that the debt is legally enforceable” even…