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IN RE SCHWARTZ | MASS. BK Court Re-Opens Case “The fact that it had possession of the mortgage instrument did not render Deutsche the mortgagee and thus it lacked the power to sell the property”

IN RE SCHWARTZ | MASS. BK Court Re-Opens Case “The fact that it had possession of the mortgage instrument did not render Deutsche the mortgagee and thus it lacked the power to sell the property”


UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT
DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS
CENTRAL DIVISION

In re:
SIMA SCHWARTZ
Debtor

SIMA SCHWARTZ
Plaintiff

v.

HOMEQ SERVICING, AGENT FOR
DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST
COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE and
DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL
COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE
Defendants

MEMORANDUM OF DECISION AND ORDER

After the plaintiff, Sima Schwartz, presented her case in chief during the first day of the trial in
this adversary proceeding, upon oral motion of the defendants, HomEq Servicing and Deutsche Bank
National Trust Company, as Trustee, I granted judgment on partial findings in favor of the defendants
on all counts of the complaint, pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 52(c), made applicable to this proceeding by
Fed. R. Bankr. P. 7052. Ms. Schwartz then moved for a new trial as a result of which judgment was
vacated on count I of the complaint only. Schwartz v. HomEq Servicing (In re Schwartz), 2011 WL
1331963 (Bankr. D. Mass. Apr. 7, 2011). In count I, Ms. Schwartz alleges that the May 24, 2006
foreclosure sale of her home by Deutsche was invalid because Deutsche did not own the mortgage on
the property at the relevant time.1 I reopened the trial so that the defendants could present their case
with respect to that count, which they did on June 1, 2011. Based on the evidence and legal
submissions presented by the parties, my findings of fact, conclusions of law and order are set forth
below.

Jurisdiction and Standing

Core jurisdiction over this case is conferred upon the bankruptcy court by 28 U.S.C.
§ 157(b)(2)(G) and (O). See Atighi v. DLJ Mortg. Capital, Inc. (In re Atighi), 2011 WL 3303454, at
*3 (B.A.P. 9th Cir. Jan. 28, 2011). Ms. Schwartz’s standing to seek relief is based on her property
interest in light of the alleged wrongful foreclosure. Brae Asset Fund, L.P. v. Kelly, 223 B.R. 50, 56
(D. Mass. 1998).

Legal Framework

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 244, § 14 establishes the procedure for a mortgagee to foreclose a
mortgage by exercise of the statutory power of sale. The statute provides that prior to a foreclosure
sale a notice of the sale must appear weekly for three consecutive weeks in a newspaper either
published in or generally circulated in the city or town where the property is located. The
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has recently clarified that a foreclosing mortgagee must hold
the mortgage as of the date that the first notice of sale is published. U.S. Bank Nat. Ass’n v. Ibanez,

The Defendants’ Case

It is undisputed that Deutsche was not the original mortgagee of the mortgage on Ms.
Schwartz’s home, so it must prove that the mortgage was assigned to it prior to the date when the first
foreclosure notice was published. As discussed in the memorandum and order on the plaintiff’s
motion for a new trial, while the evidence established that an assignment of the mortgage from
Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. (“MERS”) to Deutsche was executed on May 23,
2006, the day before the foreclosure sale, this assignment, being well after the notice of foreclosure
sale was first published, did not confer on Deutsche the power to foreclose on May 24. The Supreme
Judicial Court in Ibanez, however, offered an alternative method for a party to acquire sufficient rights
in a mortgage to qualify to foreclose:

Where a pool of mortgages is assigned to a securitized trust, the executed agreement
that assigns the pool of mortgages, with a schedule of the pooled mortgage loans that
clearly and specifically identifies the mortgage at issue as among those assigned, may
suffice to establish the trustee as the mortgage holder.

Ibanez, 458 Mass. at 651.

With this in mind, the defendants introduced into evidence at trial all of the agreements
tracking the transfer of Ms. Schwartz’s mortgage loan from its originator, First NLC Financial
Services, LLC (“First NLC”), to Deutsche, complete with the necessary schedules of the pooled
mortgage loans specifically identifying her mortgage as being among those transferred. The
defendants argue that these agreements, together with other evidence introduced by them, establish that
Deutsche was the holder of the mortgage well in advance of the first publication of the notice of sale.
At trial, Ronaldo Reyes, a Deutsche vice president, testified that he had management
responsibility over the administration of the Morgan Stanley Home Equity Loan Trust 2005-4 (the
“Trust”) and that Deutsche had always been the trustee of the Trust. He testified that in his capacity
as vice president he had access to the books and records of the Trust and was qualified to authenticate
and testify about the documents admitted into evidence by the defendants. During the course of his
testimony, Mr. Reyes authenticated executed copies of each of the agreements discussed below, and
demonstrated that Ms. Schwartz’s mortgage loan was included on the mortgage loan schedules
attached as exhibits to several of the agreements. Mr. Reyes testified that each was used in the
ordinary course of Deutsche’s business as trustee of the Trust.

The following documents were admitted into evidence: (i) the mortgage on Ms. Schwartz’s
home; (ii) the original promissory note executed by Ms. Schwartz, which Mr. Reyes noted was
endorsed in blank by First NLC; (iii) the Amended and Restated Mortgage Loan Purchase Agreement
(the “Loan Purchase Agreement”) dated as of September 1, 2005 by and between Morgan Stanley
Mortgage Capital, Inc. (“MS Mortgage Capital”) and First NLC; (iv) the Assignment and Conveyance
Agreement dated September 29, 2005, by and between First NLC and MS Mortgage Capital; (v) the
Bill of Sale dated November 29, 2005 by and between MS Mortgage Capital and Morgan Stanley ABS
Capital I Inc. (“MS ABS Capital”); and (vi) the Pooling and Servicing Agreement (the “PSA”) dated
as of November 1, 2005 by and among MS ABS Capital, HomEq Servicing Corporation, JPMorgan
Chase Bank, National Association, First NLC, LaSalle Bank National Association and Deutsche. Mr.

Findings of Fact2

1. On July 22, 2005, Ms. Schwartz refinanced the mortgage loan on her property at 23 Sigel Street,
Worcester, Massachusetts, executing a promissory note in the amount of $272,000 payable to First
NLC and a mortgage securing her obligation under the note naming MERS, solely as nominee for
First NLC, its successors and assigns, as mortgagee.

2. The mortgage, which was duly recorded at the Worcester District Registry of Deeds, includes the
statutory power of sale under Mass. Gen. Laws. ch 183, § 21 which is invoked by reference to the
statute and which permits a mortgagee to foreclose a mortgage by public auction sale of the
property upon the mortgagor’s default in performance or breach of any conditions thereof.

3. On May 3, May 10 and May 17, 2006, a notice of foreclosure sale was published in the Worcester
Telegram and Gazette stating that “Deutsche Bank National Trust Company, as Trustee,” the
“present holder” of the mortgage, intended to foreclose the mortgage by public sale of Ms.
Schwartz’s property on May 24, 2006.

4. On May 23, 2006, Liquenda Allotey, described as a vice president of MERS, executed an
Assignment of Mortgage for the purpose of assigning the mortgage from MERS to “Deutsche Bank
National Trust Company, as Trustee.”

5. Deutsche, in its capacity as trustee of the Trust,3 conducted the foreclosure sale as scheduled on
May 24, 2006, bid in its mortgage debt and purchased the property.

6. In its answer, Deutsche admitted that a foreclosure deed conveying the property to itself was
recorded on October 13, 2006. There has been no evidence presented of any subsequent
conveyance of the property and hence I find that Deutsche remains the record owner of the Sigel
Street property.

7. As she testified on the first day of trial, Ms. Schwartz continues to reside in the Sigel Street
Property.

8. The original promissory note executed by Ms. Schwartz was endorsed in blank by an officer of
First NLC.

9. The original mortgagee as identified in the mortgage on Ms. Schwartz’s home was MERS, as
nominee for First NLC, its successors and assigns.

10. In accordance with Section 2 of the Loan Purchase Agreement, First NLC agreed to sell “Mortgage
Loans” to MS Mortgage Capital.

11. The Loan Purchase Agreement defines a “Mortgage Loan” as
An individual Mortgage Loan which is the subject of this Agreement, each Mortgage
Loan originally sold and subject to this Agreement being identified on the applicable
Mortgage Loan Schedule, which Mortgage Loan includes without limitation the
Mortgage File, the Monthly Payments, Principal Prepayments, Liquidation Proceeds,
Condemnation Proceeds, Insurance Proceeds, Servicing Rights and all other rights,
benefits, proceeds and obligations arising from or in connection with such Mortgage
Loan, excluding replaced or repurchased mortgage loans.

12. On September 29, 2005, by way of the Assignment and Conveyance Agreement, First NLC sold,
transferred, assigned, set over and conveyed to MS Mortgage Capital “all right, title and interest of,
in and to the Mortgage Loans listed on the Mortgage Loan Schedule attached hereto as Exhibit A.”

13. Ms. Schwartz’s mortgage loan was listed on the exhibit attached to the Assignment and Conveyance Agreement.

14. First NLC, therefore, transferred all of its right, title and interest in Ms. Schwartz’s mortgage loan
to MS Mortgage Capital on November 29, 2005.

15. By the Bill of Sale dated November 29, 2005, MS Mortgage Capital, as the “Seller,” transferred to
MS ABS Capital “all the Seller’s right, title and interest in and to the Mortgage Loans described on
Exhibit A attached hereto.”

16. Ms. Schwartz’s mortgage loan was listed on Exhibit A to the Bill of Sale.

17. MS Mortgage Capital, therefore, transferred its entire interest in Ms. Schwartz’s mortgage loan to
MS ABS Capital on November 29, 2005.

18. Section 2.01 of the PSA, which was dated November 1, 2005, provides that the MS ABS Capital,
as “Depositor,”

concurrently with the execution and delivery hereof, hereby sells, transfers, assigns, sets
over and otherwise conveys to [Deutsche] for the benefit of the Certificateholders,
without recourse, all the right, title and interest of the Depositor in and to the Trust
Fund, and the Trustee, on behalf of the Trust, hereby accepts the Trust Fund.

19. The “Trust Fund” includes all of the mortgage loans listed on an attached mortgage loan schedule.

20. Ms. Schwartz’s mortgage loan was listed on the mortgage loan schedule attached to the PSA.

21. While the PSA provides that the mortgage loans were transferred from MS ABS Capital to
Deutsche, “concurrently with the execution and delivery hereof” on November 1, 2005, the Bill of
Sale provides that MS ABS Capital did not acquire the mortgage loans until November 29, 2005.
The November 2009 PSA indicates, however, that the transaction in which MS ABS Capital would
transfer the loans to Deutsch, as trustee of the Trust, would not be consummated until November
29, 2005, which is defined as the “Closing Date.” Therefore, MS ABS Capital transferred Ms.
Schwartz’s mortgage loan to Deutsche, as trustee of the Trust, on the Closing Date of November
29, 2005, which is the same date as the Bill of Sale by which MS ABS Capital acquired the loan
from MS Mortgage Capital.

22. Section 2.01(b) of the PSA provides that if

any Mortgage has been recorded in the name of Mortgage Electronic Registration
System, Inc. (“MERS”) or its designee, no Assignment of Mortgage in favor of the
Trustee will be required to be prepared or delivered and instead, the applicable Servicer
shall take all reasonable actions as are necessary at the expense of the applicable
Originator to the extent permitted under the related Purchase Agreement and otherwise
at the expense of the Depositor to cause the Trust to be shown as the owner of the
related Mortgage Loan on the records of MERS for the purpose of the system of
recording transfers of beneficial ownership of mortgages maintained by MERS.

23. Thus MS ABS Capital did not assign to Deutsche the mortgage on Ms. Schwartz’s home in
connection with the transaction through which it transferred Ms. Schwartz’s mortgage loan
pursuant to the PSA.

24. In the chain of transactions by which Ms. Schwartz’s mortgage loan was sold, initially by First
NLC to MS Mortgage Capital, next by MS Mortgage Capital to MS ABS Capital and finally by
MS ABS Capital to Deutsche, the seller sold all of its right, title and interest in the mortgage loans
being transferred. However, as the mortgage itself was originally in the name of MERS as
mortgagee, and not First NLC, First NLC never held legal title to the mortgage and could not have
transferred such title to MS Mortgage Capital. Consequently, neither MS ABS Capital nor
Deutsche, as successors to First NLC and MS Mortgage Capital, obtained legal title to the
mortgage. This is consistent with § 2.01 of the PSA quoted above.

25. As of November 29, 2005, the Closing Date defined in the PSA, MERS continued to hold legal
title to the mortgage on Ms. Schwartz’s home as nominee for First NLC, its successors and assigns.

26. MERS continued to hold legal tile to the mortgage until May 23, 2006, when it assigned the
mortgage to Deutsche.

27. The custodial log establishes that Deutsche received Ms. Schwartz’s mortgage loan documents,
including the promissory note and mortgage instrument, on September 15, 2005 (presumably in
anticipation of the November loan sale), and retained custody of these documents until March 27,
2006, when they were sent to HomEq. The custodial log indicates that the documents were sent
to HomEq for servicing and lists the reason for the transfer as “foreclosure.” According to the
custodial log, the loan documents were returned to Deutsche on May 24, 2006, the day of the
foreclosure sale.
Conclusions of Law

In In re Marron, 2011 WL 2600543, at *5 (Bankr. D. Mass. June 29, 2011), I held that where a
loan was secured by a mortgage in the name of MERS, even when the loan itself changed hands
several times, MERS remained the mortgagee in its capacity as nominee for the original lender, its
successors and assigns.4 As MERS was the mortgagee, it had the authority to assign the mortgage to
the foreclosing entity. In this case too, while Ms. Schwartz’s loan passed from hand to hand, MERS
remained the mortgagee throughout. While MERS held only bare legal title to the mortgage on
behalf of Deutsche, the successor to First NLC, until it assigned the mortgage to Deutsche on May 23,
2006, only MERS had the authority to foreclose.

Having determined that MERS, and not Deutsche, held legal title to the mortgage on Ms.
Schwartz’s home mortgage as of May 3, 2006, when the notice of the foreclosure sale of her home was
first published, it follows that Deutsche did not have the right to exercise the statutory power of sale
and to foreclose the mortgage. See, e.g., Novastar Mortgage, Inc. v. Safran, 79 Mass. App. Ct. 1124,
948 N.E.2d 917 (2011) (finding, in a post-foreclosure eviction proceeding, that the foreclosing entity
had the burden to prove its title to the property by establishing that the mortgage had been assigned to
it by MERS “at the critical stages of the foreclosure process.”). By publishing notice of the
foreclosure sale when it was not the mortgagee, Deutsche failed to comply with Mass. Gen. Laws ch.
244, § 14, and thus its foreclosure sale is void. Ibanez, 438 Mass. at 646-47.5 A declaratory
judgment to that effect shall enter on count I of the complaint.

SO ORDERED.

At Worcester, Massachusetts this 22nd day of August, 2011.

By the Court,
Melvin S. Hoffman
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge

Footnotes:

1 The complaint is unclear as to the relief Ms. Schwartz seeks as a result of the allegedly invalid
foreclosure. In addition to the allegation that the defendants did not own the mortgage, Ms. Schwartz
alleges that she was damaged by the foreclosure sale, which “was conducted fraudulently, in bad faith”
and to her detriment. I previously found that Ms. Schwartz failed to produce any evidence of the
defendants’ intent to defraud her. In addition, Ms. Schwartz failed to establish the extent of her
damages or that the foreclosure sale was conducted in bad faith. Though Ms. Schwartz does not
expressly request a declaratory judgment as to the validity of the foreclosure, based on the allegation of
invalidity in the complaint, and the parties’ arguments in the course of trial, I will consider count I of
the complaint to be a request for a declaratory judgment that the foreclosure sale was invalid.

2 Any finding of fact which should more properly be considered a conclusion of law, and vice versa,
shall be deemed as such.

3 The documents pertaining to the foreclosure sale identify Deutsche as “Deutsche Bank National
Trust Company, as Trustee” without identifying the trust.

4 The sophisticated financial minds who wrought the MERS regime sought to simplify the process of
repeatedly transferring mortgage loans by obviating the need and expense of recording mortgage
assignments with each transfer. No doubt they failed to consider the possibility of a collapse of the
residential real estate market, the ensuing flood of foreclosures and the intervention of state and federal
courts. Professor Alex Tabarrok of George Mason University has observed “[t]he law of unintended
consequences is when a simple system tries to regulate a complex system.” Alex Tabarrok, The Law
of Unintended Consequences, Marginal Revolution (Jan. 24, 2008, 7:47 am),
http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2008/01/the-law-of-unin.html.

5 Deutsche presented sufficient evidence to prove that either it or HomEq, its agent, had possession of
both the Schwartz mortgage and promissory note as of May 3, 2011. The note was endorsed in blank,
which gave Deutsche the right to enforce the note. The fact that Deutsche had possession of the
mortgage, however, is irrelevant to its status as mortgagee. While a promissory note endorsed in
blank may be enforced by the party in possession of the note, this is not the case with a mortgage.
“Like a sale of land itself, the assignment of a mortgage is a conveyance of an interest in land that
requires a writing signed by the grantor.” Ibanez, 458 Mass at 649. Deutsche had not received a
written assignment of the mortgage from MERS prior to May 3, 2011. The fact that it had possession
of the mortgage instrument did not render Deutsche the mortgagee and thus it lacked the power to sell
the property.

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REDMON v. HOMEQ SERVICING INC. | Nevada Supreme Court Vacating Judgment & Remanding “Mediation, Sanctions, In RE PASILLAS”

REDMON v. HOMEQ SERVICING INC. | Nevada Supreme Court Vacating Judgment & Remanding “Mediation, Sanctions, In RE PASILLAS”


IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEVADA


PHILIP REDMON AND PATRICIA
REDMON,
Appellants,

vs.

HOMEQ SERVICING, INC.; BANK OF
NEW YORK MELLON TRUST
COMPANY; PATRICK KING; AND
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE OF THE
COURTS FORECLOSURE MEDIATION
PROGRAM,
Respondents.

ORDER VACATING JUDGMENT AND REMANDING

This is an appeal from a district court order denying a petition for judicial review arising in a foreclosure mediation action. Second Judicial District Court, Washoe County; Patrick Flanagan, Judge.

Following an unsuccessful mediation conducted under Nevada’s Foreclosure Mediation Program, appellants Philip and Patricia Redmon (the Redmons) filed a petition for judicial review seeking sanctions against their loan servicer,  respondent HomEq Servicing, Inc. (HomEq). The district court concluded that HomEq’s conduct was not sanctionable and ordered that a foreclosure certificate be issued. As explained below, we vacate the district court’s order and  remand this matter to the district court.

The Redmons’ mediation was scheduled for December 28, 2009. On that day, the Redmons met with the mediator and an attorney representing HomEq. Due to an apparent miscommunication, HomEq’s attorney was unable to contact via telephone a HomEq employee who ostensibly had the authority to  negotiate the Redmons’ loan. Two days later, a follow-up conference call was held in which the mediator, HomEq’s attorney, and the HomEq employee articipated—but not the Redmons.

The Redmons’ petition for judicial review contended that, among other things, HomEq should be sanctioned for its failure to make someone available during the mediation who had the authority to negotiate their loan. See NRS 107.086(5) (indicating that the mediator shall recommend sanctions when the beneficiary or its representative “does not have the authority or access to a person with the authority” to negotiate a loan modification). In denying their petition, the district court failed to explain the basis for its conclusion that HomEq had made someone with authority available during the mediation. Specifically, the district court’s order does not explain who had authority on HomEq’s behalf, nor does it explain on what day or days the mediation took place.

On remand, we direct the district court to make the factual findings necessary to determine whether HomEq made someone available during the mediation who had the authority to negotiate the Redmons’ loan. If the district court concludes that HomEq failed in this regard, the district court shall determine how HomEq should be appropriately sanctioned. Pasillas v. HSBC Bank USA, 127 Nev.     , P• 3d (2011) (construing NRS 107.086(5) to mean that a violation of one of the four statutory requirements must be sanctioned and that the district court is to consider several factors in determining what sanctions are appropriate). Accordingly, we

ORDER the judgment of the district court VACATED AND REMAND this matter to the district court for proceedings consistent with this order.

[…]

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WACHOVIA BANK OF DELAWARE v. JACKSON | Ohio Appeals Court SJ Reversed “Noriko Colston Affidavit, Uncertified Recorded Copies of Public Records”

WACHOVIA BANK OF DELAWARE v. JACKSON | Ohio Appeals Court SJ Reversed “Noriko Colston Affidavit, Uncertified Recorded Copies of Public Records”


COURT OF APPEALS
STARK COUNTY, OHIO
FIFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT


WACHOVIA BANK OF DELAWARE, NA

-vs-

IRENE P. JACKSON

EXCERPT:

{¶14} In her first assignment of error, appellant asserts her affidavit in opposition to the motion for summary judgment challenged Wachovia’s allegation it was the holder of the note and mortgage. Appellant’s affidavit states she had been unable to verify that Wachovia Bank of Delaware was authorized to do business in the State of Ohio. She also alleged the affidavit Wachovia submitted in support of its motion for summary judgment was signed by an assistant secretary for a fourth entity claiming power of attorney for the plaintiff and was not sufficient to prove Wachovia is the proper party.

[…]

{¶24} Wachovia’s affidavit to which appellant refers was signed by Noriko Colston, who identified herself as an assistant secretary of Barclay’s Capital Real  Stark County, Case No. 2010-CA-00291 Estate, Inc., dba HomEq Servicing, as attorney in fact for Wachovia Bank of Delaware. The affidavit recites Wachovia Bank of Delaware was formerly known as First Union National Bank of Delaware, formerly known as First Union Home Equity Bank, N.A., and is the successor in interest to First Union Home Equity Corporation. Colston’s affidavit asserts she has personal knowledge of all the facts contained in the affidavit and is competent to testify. Colston’s affidavit states the copies of the note and mortgage attached to the pleadings are true and accurate copies of the original instruments, but the documents are not attached to the affidavit itself. Colston’s affidavit states Wachovia has exercised its option to accelerate and call due the entire principal balance. Colston’s affidavit states she has examined and has personal knowledge of the appellant’s loan account, which is in default. Finally the affidavit lists the amount due.

[…]

{¶28} Colston’s affidavit identifies the mortgage and the note as accurate copies of the originals, but does not identify any other documents Wachovia submitted to the trial court. Her affidavit states she has examined appellant’s loan account. It does not identify the account as a business record, kept in the regular course of business, nor does it state the records were compiled at or near the occurrence of each event by Stark County, Case No. 2010-CA-00291 persons with knowledge of said events. Colston’s affidavit asserts she has personal knowledge of all the facts contained in her affidavit, but she merely alleges she is an assistant secretary of Barclay’s, without elaborating on how her position with the company relates to or makes her familiar with the appellant’s account records.

[…]

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TN Court Finds Sufficient, Genuine Issue Regarding Sold Loans, Unrecorded Assignment LEE v. EQUIFIRST

TN Court Finds Sufficient, Genuine Issue Regarding Sold Loans, Unrecorded Assignment LEE v. EQUIFIRST


TERI LEE, Plaintiff,
v.
EQUIFIRST CORP., HOMEQ SERVICING CORP., QUANTUM SERVICING CORP., SUTTON FUNDING, LLC, ROOSEVELT MORTGAGE ACQUISITION CO., and WELLS FARGO, N.A., Defendants.

Case No. 3:10-cv-809.

United States District Court, M.D. Tennessee, Nashville Division.

April 25, 2011.

MEMORANDUM

ALETA A. TRAUGER, District Judge.

Pending before the court is the Motion for Summary Judgment filed by defendant EquiFirst Corp. (Docket No. 64), to which the plaintiff has filed a response (Docket No. 68), and in support of which the defendant has filed a reply (Docket No. 74). For the reasons discussed below, the defendant’s motion will be denied.

BACKGROUND

Plaintiff Teri Lee took out two mortgage loans, the larger of which was for $152,000 (the “Primary Loan”), to purchase her residence in Nashville, Tennessee.[1] Eventually, she missed payments on the Primary Loan. This action arises from the resulting foreclosure.

At the March 2, 2007 closing of the plaintiff’s home purchase, defendant EquiFirst Corp. (“EquiFirst”) held the promissory notes and the servicing rights to both loans. The Amended Complaint alleges that, on May 1, 2007, EquiFirst assigned the servicing rights of the loans to defendant HomEq Servicing Corp. (“HomEq”). (Docket No. 50 ¶ 12.)

The plaintiff’s deed of trust required her to carry an insurance policy on her property, and she allegedly maintained sufficient coverage for the duration of the loans. (Id. ¶ 25.) The plaintiff alleges that on two occasions — May 13, 2008 and October 14, 2008 — HomEq charged her for additional, unnecessary insurance policies, because it failed to discover that she already had insurance. (Id. ¶¶ 27-28.) These charges totaled approximately $4,700, and this expense allegedly caused the plaintiff to fall behind on her loan payments. (Id. ¶¶ 27-28, 34.)

On February 25, 2009, the plaintiff allegedly received a notice of acceleration of the Primary Loan from a law firm, identifying the current creditor as defendant Sutton Funding, LLC (“Sutton”). (Id. ¶ 35.) The next month, Lee received a notice of foreclosure from the same law firm. (Id.)

At that point, the plaintiff called HomEq, which allegedly offered her a forbearance agreement. Under the proposed plan, the plaintiff would immediately pay $3,500 and would then pay increased monthly payments until November 2009, at which point her account would be current. (Id. ¶¶ 36-37.) The plaintiff alleges that she accepted these terms and signed an agreement (the “Forbearance Agreement”) with HomEq on March 27, 2009. (Id.) The agreement provided that it would be binding upon the parties’ “successors and assigns.” (Id. ¶ 39.)

On May 15, 2009, after accepting the plaintiff’s up-front payment and first increased monthly payment, HomEq allegedly transferred the servicing rights for the Primary Loan to defendant Quantum Servicing Corp. (“Quantum”). (Id.Id. ¶ 40.) The letter informed her that she was more than $6,900 in arrears, and it did not reference the Forbearance Agreement. (Id. ¶ 40.) ¶ 38.) Shortly thereafter, the plaintiff received a “Validation of Debt” letter from Quantum, listing defendant Roosevelt Mortgage Acquisition Co. (“Roosevelt”) as the current creditor. (

Quantum allegedly never recognized the Forbearance Agreement. The plaintiff claims that the amounts she paid HomEq under the Forbearance Agreement left her unable to pay the balance that Quantum asserted was due. (Id. ¶¶ 42-43.) Ultimately, on March 24, 2010, after several months of communications with Quantum and its law firm, the plaintiff’s home was sold at a foreclosure sale.

The plaintiff asserts three causes of action: (1) negligence by HomEq for charging her for unnecessary insurance; (2) negligence by HomEq and Quantum for failing to ensure that the Forbearance Agreement was honored when the servicing of her loan was transferred between those companies; and (3) violation of the Real Estate Settlement and Procedures Act (“RESPA”), 12 U.S.C. § 2601 et seq., by Quantum, for failing to respond to several “qualified written requests” in the months before the foreclosure.[2] (Id. ¶¶ 24-76.) The plaintiff alleges that EquiFirst is vicariously liable, as the creditor of the Primary Loan and as the principal of HomEq and Quantum, for the first two causes of action. (Id. ¶¶ 30, 46, 52.)

The deed of trust for the plaintiff’s property was recorded by Mortgage Electronic Registering Service (“MERS”), of which all of the defendants are members. This allegedly made it difficult for the plaintiff to determine which defendant was the creditor for the Primary Loan at any given time. (Docket No. 50 ¶ 20.) The plaintiff alleges that “[m]embers of MERS do not publicly list this information in the MERS system, which they use to avoid listing the chain of title in the county registry.” (Id. ¶ 19.)

Defendant EquiFirst previously filed a Motion to Dismiss, arguing, in relevant part, that it sold both of the plaintiff’s mortgage loans before any of the servicers’ alleged negligence had occurred. In support of that motion, the defendant filed the declaration of Karen L. Stacy, an EquiFirst Vice President. (Docket No. 18.) In response, the plaintiff requested more time for discovery.

In ruling on the Motion to Dismiss, the court declined to consider the defendant’s extrinsic evidence. (Docket No. 28 at 7 n.2.) The court held that EquiFirst, as mortgagee, could be held vicariously liable for actions taken by HomEq, as servicer. (Id. at 8.) It also found that the plaintiff’s initial Complaint contained sufficient allegations that EquiFirst was the creditor when HomEq charged the plaintiff for insurance. (Id. at 6-7.) There were no allegations, however, suggesting that EquiFirst was the creditor after February 2009; thus, the court dismissed all claims against EquiFirst, except for the negligence claim related to insurance. (Id. at 7.)

The court stated that, “if the evidence ultimately shows that EquiFirst did sell the loans in March 2007, then [EquiFirst] will not be held liable for actions taken by the servicer in 2008.” (Id. at 8.) It further noted that, “[i]f discovery ultimately shows that EquiFirst owned the loan at a later date, the plaintiff may move to amend her Complaint as necessary to re-assert the relevant claims against EquiFirst.” (Id. at 7 n.3.) The plaintiff did subsequently file an Amended Complaint, which, as mentioned above, alleges that EquiFirst is vicariously liable for HomEq’s negligence regarding the insurance and for HomeEq’s and Quantum’s negligence in handling the Forbearance Agreement.

EquiFirst has now filed a Motion for Summary Judgment, pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56. Relying exclusively on the previously filed declaration of Karen L. Stacy, the defendant once again argues that it was not the creditor on the Primary Loan when the servicers’ alleged negligence occurred.

ANALYSIS

I. Summary Judgment Standard

Rule 56 requires the court to grant a motion for summary judgment if “the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). If a moving defendant shows that there is no genuine issue of material fact as to at least one essential element of the plaintiff’s claim, the burden shifts to the plaintiff to provide evidence beyond the pleadings “set[ting] forth specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial.” Moldowan v. City of Warren, 578 F.3d 351, 374 (6th Cir. 2009); see also Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322-23 (1986). “In evaluating the evidence, the court must draw all inferences in the light most favorable to the [plaintiff].” Moldowan, 578 F.3d at 374.

At this stage, “`the judge’s function is not . . . to weigh the evidence and determine the truth of the matter, but to determine whether there is a genuine issue for trial.'” Id. (quoting Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 249 (1986)). But “the mere existence of a scintilla of evidence in support of the plaintiff’s position will be insufficient,” and the plaintiff’s proof must be more than “merely colorable.” Anderson, 477 U.S. at 249, 252. An issue of fact is “genuine” only if a reasonable jury could find for the plaintiff. Moldowan, 578 F.3d at 374 (citing Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 587 (1986)).

II. EquiFirst’s Sale of the Loans

The instant dispute boils down to the factual issue of when, exactly, EquiFirst sold the plaintiff’s loans. The defendant argues that Karen L. Stacy’s declaration shows that it sold the loans on March 30, 2007, so it was not liable for HomEq’s or Quantum’s subsequent negligence. The plaintiff argues that her own evidence shows that EquiFirst still owned the loans on May 14, 2007 and February 20, 2009.

Stacy’s declaration states that, “[o]n March 30, 2007, EquiFirst sold both of the [plaintiff’s mortgage] Loans to Sutton Funding, LLC,” and, “[o]n May 1, 2007, EquiFirst transferred the servicing of both of the Loans to HomEq Servicing Corporation.” (Docket No. 18 ¶¶ 3, 5.) The declaration further states:

EquiFirst was not, at any point in time, the creditor on the Loans during the periods of time in which the Loans were serviced by HomEq Servicing Corporation or by Quantum Servicing Corporation. . . . After EquiFirst transferred the servicing of both Loans to HomEq Servicing Corporation on May 1, 2007, EquiFirst did not have, and EquiFirst continues to not have any ownership interest in the two Loans or the two corresponding liens on the subject property.

(Id. ¶¶ 6-7.) But, “[b]ecause MERS was the beneficiary on the relevant security instruments, no assignment was prepared or recorded in the Register’s Office of Davidson County, Tennessee.” (Id. ¶ 4.)


In opposing the assertions contained in this declaration, the plaintiff relies on several documents. First, the plaintiff has submitted two “Validation of Debt” letters that she received from HomEq, one for each loan, both dated May 14, 2007. These letters, which are dated six weeks after EquiFirst’s claimed sale date, state that HomEq “is responsible for providing monthly remittance processing . . . on behalf of the current owner of the loan EquiFirst.” (Docket No. 68, Exs. 3-4 (emphasis added).) The plaintiff has also submitted five largely identical notice-of-default letters from HomEq, dated February 15, 2008, August 15, 2008, October 16, 2008, January 19, 2009, and February 19, 2009, each of which states that “Barclays Bank PLC” is the Primary Loan’s “current creditor/owner.” (Id., Exs. 6-7.) The plaintiff points out that EquiFirst, which was formally dissolved as of June 2010, was owned, via a string of wholly owned subsidiaries, by Barclays Bank PLC (“Barclays”).[3] (See Docket No. 4 at 1 (EquiFirst’s corporate disclosure statement).) Finally, the plaintiff has submitted a document included in HomEq’s initial disclosures titled “Communication History,” which appears to be an internal log of events and communications related to the plaintiff’s loan file. (Docket No. 68, Ex. 5.) It contains an entry, dated February 20, 2009, labeled “comment log.” In the “description” column, the entry states: “INVESTOR 394 EQUIFIRST BBPLC FORECLOSURE IN THE NAME OF: BARCLAYS CAPITAL.” (Id.)

The court finds that, at least at this stage in the litigation, the plaintiff’s documents are sufficient to create a genuine issue for trial regarding when EquiFirst sold the loans. Significantly, the defendant’s sole piece of evidence is the self-serving declaration of its own employee, which contains the bare assertion that EquiFirst sold the loan to Sutton in March 2007. The defendant has not, for example, attached any supporting documentary evidence of that sale or submitted any relevant testimony from Sutton or HomEq.

In opposition, the plaintiff has produced a letter from HomEq stating that EquiFirst was still the creditor in May 2007.[4] Furthermore, the “Communication History” document states that, as of February 2009, the “investor” for the plaintiff’s loan was “EQUIFIRST BBPLC.” Presumably, “BBPLC” refers to Barclays Bank PLC. The document is ambiguous, but, construed in the light most favorable to the plaintiff (particularly in the absence of countervailing evidence regarding the proper interpretation of the document), it indicates that EquiFirst had some interest in the loan as of February 2009. It also suggests that HomEq might have equated EquiFirst with Barclays Bank PLC in its records. In that event, the five notice-of-default letters naming Barclays as the Primary Loan’s creditor might support the conclusion that EquiFirst owned the loan throughout 2008 and early 2009.

In sum, after reviewing the parties’ evidence, a reasonable juror could conclude that EquiFirst owned the loans during the relevant time periods. On this record, summary judgment is inappropriate.[5] Moreover, although the plaintiff does not argue that she needs time for additional discovery, the court believes that the defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment is premature. The parties have not had a full and fair opportunity to engage in discovery. In fact, a discovery deadline has not even been set in this case, for various reasons apparent in the case record. Given the apparent lack of transparency regarding which defendant owned the plaintiff’s loans at any given time, the court believes that it would be inappropriate to resolve the instant factual issue before the close of discovery.

Finally, the defendant argues that the court must disregard the plaintiff’s documents because she has not properly authenticated them. (Docket No. 74 at 6-7.) It is true that, at summary judgment, parties must submit evidence that would be admissible at trial. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c), (e). Federal Rule of Evidence 901 requires that, to be admissible, documents must be accompanied “by evidence sufficient to support a finding that the matter in question is what its proponent claims.” Fed. R. Evid. 901(a); see also id. 901(b)(1) (explaining that a matter can be authenticated by “[t]estimony [from a witness with knowledge] that a matter is what it is claimed to be”). Consequently, the Sixth Circuit has repeatedly stated that documents submitted in support of a summary judgment brief must be properly authenticated. Alexander v. CareSource, 576 F.3d 551, 558 (6th Cir. 2009) (noting the Sixth Circuit’s “repeated emphasis that unauthenticated documents do not meet the requirements of Rule 56(e)”); Baugham v. Battered Women, Inc., 211 Fed. Appx. 432, 441 n.5 (6th Cir. 2006) (“[T]he documents Plaintiffs submitted in support of their opposition motion were neither signed nor authenticated and, therefore, are inadmissible evidence for purposes of summary judgment.”); Mich. Paytel Joint Venture v. City of Detroit, 287 F.3d 527, 532 (6th Cir. 2002) (“[The] memo [submitted by the defendant] was not accompanied by an affidavit or document that attested to its validity or authenticity. . . . `[D]ocuments submitted in support of a motion for summary judgment must satisfy the requirements of Rule 56(e); otherwise, they must be disregarded.'”).

But Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56, as amended effective December 1, 2010, provides that, “[i]f a party fails to properly support an assertion of fact,” the court may “give an opportunity to properly support or address the fact.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(e)(1). The Advisory Committee’s notes to the 2010 amendments state that, “[i]n many circumstances[,] this opportunity will be the court’s preferred first step.” Here, nothing suggests that the documents submitted by the plaintiff are actually inauthentic, and the defendant does not dispute that the plaintiff canSee Docket No. 68, Ex. 5.) Accordingly, the court will give the plaintiff an opportunity to submit declarations authenticating the documents.[6] authenticate the documents. Indeed, the Bates label on the “Communication History” document clearly indicates that it was produced by defendant HomEq. (

CONCLUSION

For all of the reasons discussed above, the defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment will be denied, although EquiFirst is free to file a renewed motion after the close of discovery. The plaintiff will be ordered to file declarations that properly authenticate the documents that she submitted in support of her summary judgment opposition.

An appropriate order will enter.

[1] Unless otherwise noted, the facts are drawn from the parties’ statements of undisputed facts (Docket No. 64, Ex. 1; Docket No. 68, Ex. 1). The court draws all reasonable inferences in favor of the non-moving party. Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 587 (1986); Brown v. United States, 583 F.3d 916, 919 (6th Cir. 2009).

[2] The Amended Complaint does not explicitly set out a claim for wrongful foreclosure, although it does allege that the defendants’ negligence “helped facilitate the eventual wrongful foreclosure of her home.” (Docket No. 50 ¶ 34; see also id. ¶ 54.)

[3] The plaintiff’s Amended Complaint added Barclays as a defendant. (See Docket No. 50 ¶ 7.) Soon after, however, the plaintiff voluntarily dismissed Barclays without prejudice, because she was unable to serve process on it. (Docket No. 59.)

[4] EquiFirst argues that this letter, which was not created by EquiFirst, was mistaken. (Docket No. 74 at 9.) Although that is certainly possible, at summary judgment, the court must view the evidence in the light most favorable to the plaintiff; thus, the court cannot simply assume that the letter contained mistakes.

[5] The defendant argues that the plaintiff does not oppose entry of summary judgment in favor of EquiFirst on her RESPA and wrongful foreclosure claims. (Docket No. 74 at 2.) But the Amended Complaint does not seek to hold EquiFirst liable for any RESPA violations, and it does not contain a separate wrongful foreclosure claim. (See Docket No. 50 ¶¶ 55-76.) The defendant further argues that, because the plaintiff’s brief does not sufficiently address the issue, she has waived any argument that EquiFirst is vicariously liable for the servicers’ negligence regarding the Forbearance Agreement. (Docket No. 74 at 8.) The court disagrees. First, the defendant’s initial motion papers did not mention the plaintiff’s Forbearance Agreement claim, so the plaintiff could not possibly have waived any arguments by failing to discuss that claim. Second, the plaintiff argues that the “Communication History” document shows that EquiFirst owned the loan in February 2009, the month before she signed the Forbearance Agreement. The clear implication is that EquiFirst owned the loans during the time period relevant to the Forbearance Agreement claim.

[6] It should be enough (1) for the plaintiff to declare that the letters are true copies of letters that she received and (2) for her attorney to declare that the Bates-labeled documents are true copies of documents that HomEq produced in its initial disclosures.

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MA BK Judge Vacates Own Ruling “MERS Assignment Fail, Securitization Fail, Deutsche Was NOT Owner of Mortgage” IN RE: SCHWARTZ

MA BK Judge Vacates Own Ruling “MERS Assignment Fail, Securitization Fail, Deutsche Was NOT Owner of Mortgage” IN RE: SCHWARTZ


Ibanez, 458 Mass. at 651 (emphasis added). None of the evidence thus far presented at trial indicated that the plaintiff’s mortgage was part of the Trust Fund, or how the Depositor acquired the Trust Fund.

In re: SIMA SCHWARTZ, Debtor.

SIMA SCHWARTZ, Plaintiff,

v.

HOMEQ SERVICING, AGENT FOR DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE and DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE, Defendants.

Case No. 06-42476-MSH, Adv. Pro. No. 07-04098.

United States Bankruptcy Court, D. Massachusetts, Central Division.

April 7, 2011.

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER ON PLAINTIFF?S MOTION FOR A NEW TRIAL

Excerpt:

A central question at trial was whether defendant Deutsche was the owner of the mortgage on the plaintiff’s home during the foreclosure process which resulted in the foreclosure sale of the home on May 24, 2006.2 The plaintiff introduced into evidence a document entitled “Assignment of Mortgage” dated May 23, 2006, which reflected the assignment of the plaintiff’s mortgage from the original mortgagee, Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., as nominee for First NCL Financial Services, LLC, to defendant Deutsche. During the plaintiff’s case, all parties agreed that this assignment was dated prior to the date of the foreclosure sale. No party disputed its authenticity or validity. Because the assignment was executed prior to the foreclosure sale and its validity was not questioned, I ruled at trial that the plaintiff had failed to carry her burden of proving that Deutsche was not the owner of the mortgage when it foreclosed.

In her motion for a new trial, the plaintiff argues that I misconstrued Massachusetts law, pointing out that the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in U.S. Bank. Nat’l Ass’n v. Ibanez, 458 Mass. 673, 941 N.E.2d 40 (2011) recently held that in order for a foreclosure sale to be valid the mortgage must have been assigned to the foreclosing entity not merely before the sale, but prior to the first publication of notice of that sale required by Mass. Gen. Laws. ch. 244, § 14. Ibanez, 458 Mass. at 647-48. I agree with the plaintiff’s interpretation of Ibanez and since the May 23, 2006 assignment was executed after the foreclosure notices had been published, I could not rely on the assignment exclusively in granting the defendants judgment on partial findings. In light of the foregoing I must determine whether and to what extent to open the March 6, 2011 judgment for the defendants.

In Count I of the complaint, the plaintiff seeks a ruling that the foreclosure sale was invalid. Not only does the March 23, 2006 assignment fail to establish the validity of the foreclosure sale, it constitutes the only evidence presented that at the time Deutsche began publishing notice of the sale, Deutsche was not the holder of the mortgage. The defendants argue that the pooling and servicing agreement dated November 1, 2005 which is listed in the joint pretrial  memorandum as a trial exhibit provides evidence that the mortgage on the plaintiff’s property was assigned to Deutsche well before the foreclosure process had begun. The excerpt of the pooling and servicing agreement that was admitted during the plaintiff’s case in chief, however, provides no such evidence. The excerpt indicates that an entity defined as the “Depositor” assigned the “Trust Fund”, which I presume included mortgages listed on a mortgage loan schedule not provided, to Deutsche, as Trustee for the benefit of the certificateholders of the Morgan Stanley Home Equity Loan Trust 2005-4. In Ibanez, the Supreme Judicial Court held that where, as here, a recordable assignment was not executed prior to the first publication of a notice of a foreclosure sale, the foreclosing entity may nevertheless prove that it was the mortgagee at the relevant time. The Court observed:

[w]here a pool of mortgages is assigned to a securitized trust, the executed agreement that assigns the pool of mortgages, with a schedule of the pooled mortgage loans that clearly and specifically identifies the mortgage at issue as among those assigned, may suffice to establish the trustee as the mortgage holder. However, there must be proof that the assignment was made by a party that itself held the mortgage.

Ibanez, 458 Mass. at 651 (emphasis added). None of the evidence thus far presented at trial indicated that the plaintiff’s mortgage was part of the Trust Fund, or how the Depositor acquired the Trust Fund.

I find that the plaintiff has presented sufficient evidence of the chain of title of the mortgage on her property to carry her burden of persuasion that the mortgage was not owned by Deutsche before the first publication of the notice of foreclosure sale. I must, therefore, vacate and open the judgment for the defendants on Count I of the complaint.

Continue below:

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MA BK Court Denies DEUTSCHE BANK, HOMEQ MTD Permits Debtor To Prosecute IN RE SCHWARTZ

MA BK Court Denies DEUTSCHE BANK, HOMEQ MTD Permits Debtor To Prosecute IN RE SCHWARTZ


In re: SIMA SCHWARTZ, Chapter 7, Debtor.
SIMA SCHWARTZ, Plaintiff,
v.
DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST HOMEQ SERVICING CORP., Defendants.

Case No. 06-42476-MSH, Adv. Pro. No. 07-4098.

United States Bankruptcy Court, D. Massachusetts, Central Division.

March 14, 2011.

ORDER DENYING MOTION TO DISMISS

MELVIN S. HOFFMAN, Bankruptcy Judge

Before me is the motion of the defendants to dismiss six of the seven counts of the adversary proceeding on the grounds that the plaintiff, who is a Chapter 7 debtor, lacks standing to prosecute the six counts at issue because these claims underlying them are property of the debtor’s estate and may be prosecuted only by the Chapter 7 trustee.[1] The adversary proceeding, which was commenced on July 7, 2007, is scheduled to be tried on March 16, 2011. While the deadline for filing dispositive motions has come and gone, the defendants justify their last minute motion alleging that they only recently became aware of the debtor’s lack of standing. This justification does not withstand scrutiny.

The defendants cite to the debtor’s schedule B of her schedules of assets and liabilities, both as originally filed on November 28, 2006 and as subsequently amended on January 26, 2007, as evidence that she failed to disclose the claims against them asserted in this adversary proceeding. Additionally they cite to her statement of intention in which she listed as property she intended to redeem a three family home in Worcester, Massachusetts upon which Deutsche Bank is listed as the secured creditor.[2] These matters entirely undercut the defendants’ justification for not raising the debtor’s standing sooner. The schedules and statement of intention clearly evidence that the defendants knew or should have known of the debtor’s failure to list the asserted claims as property from the moment this adversary proceeding was initiated. In fact, by the time the debtor filed her amended schedule B, HomEq as servicing agent for Deutsche Bank had already filed a motion for relief from stay in order to evict the debtor from the Worcester property. Its counsel received notice of the amended schedule B by the Court’s electronic filing system. Thus the motion to dismiss is untimely.

The defendants correctly observe that timeliness may not matter because standing may be raised at any time in order to ensure that the case or controversy requirement of Article III of the United States Constitution is satisfied. Sentinel Trust Co. v. Newcare Health Corp. (In re Newcare Health Corp.), 244 B.R. 167, 170 (1st Cir B.A.P. 2000) citing U.S. v. AVX Corp., 962 F.2d 108, 116 n. 7 (1st Cir. 1992).[3] And, as the defendants argue, generally a Chapter 7 debtor may not prosecute claims belonging to the estate. Vreugdenhil v. Hoekstra (In re Vreugdenhill), 773 F.2d 213, 215 (8th Cir.1985);[4] Robert v. Household finance Corp. II (In re Robert), 432 B.R. 464 (Bankr. D. Mass. 2010). Thus I turn to the merits of the motion.

In the defendants’ view, the issue is straight-forward. The debtor did not list the claims on schedule B or amended schedule B and the Chapter 7 trustee has taken no steps to abandon these claims and thus they remain property of the estate.

The debtor filed her bankruptcy petition pro se. She was pro se at the time she filed her schedules of assets and liabilities, her statement of intention, her statement of financial affairs, and her amended schedules. Although she did not list any claims against the defendants as personal property, she listed HomEq on schedule D as a secured creditor for the two mortgages held on the Worcester property and listed HomEq again on schedule F as an unsecured creditor. On schedule C she claimed an exemption in the amount of either $340,000.00 or $390,000.00 in a “3 family house in Worcester, MA.”[5] In response to question 4(b) of the statement of financial affairs the debtor identified the eviction action that Deutsche Bank had commenced against her and wrote “Deutsche Bank has purchased my house and evicting me from my apartment.” [sic] At the time the statement of financial affairs was filed, the debtor resided in the Worcester property. She also disclosed the foreclosure in response to question 5 of the statement of financial affairs. Therefore the Chapter 7 trustee and parties in interest knew that the debtor was claiming an exemption in property which had been foreclosed prepetition. No objection to the exemption was filed. I find that the debtor’s claimed exemption in the Worcester property constitutes an exemption in her claims in this adversary proceeding to recover that property. Bottcher v. Emigrant Mortgage Co. (In re Bottcher), 441 B.R. 1, 3-4 (Bankr. D. Mass. 2011).

Further I find that the debtor’s failure to disclose with more specificity her claims against the defendants was inadvertent. “[T]here are two circumstances under which a debtor’s failure to disclose a cause of action in a bankruptcy proceeding might be deemed inadvertent. One is where the debtor lacks knowledge of the factual basis of the undisclosed claims, and the other is where the debtor has no motive for concealment.” Ullom v. Robbins (In re Robbins), 398 B.R. 442, 446 (Bankr. W.D.Ky. 2008). The debtor lacks the expertise or experience that would equip her to know how to articulate her claims against the defendants for damages. Moreover, she was not trying to hide the property she is seeking to recover. The schedules of assets and liabilities and statement of financial affairs are replete with references to the foreclosure. Furthermore, she exempted the Worcester property so anyone reading the schedules of assets and liabilities, the statement of intention and the statement of financial affairs knew or should have known that the Worcester property had been foreclosed upon but that the debtor thought she could nevertheless continue to own and redeem that property.

Moreover, the Chapter 7 trustee conducted the debtor’s meeting of creditors under 11 U.S.C. § 341[6] and on April 10, 2007 filed a report that there were no assets available for distribution. On July 7, 2007, the debtor, now, represented by counsel, filed the instant adversary proceeding. The Chapter 7 trustee received notice of the filing through the Court’s electronic filing system. To date, the Chapter 7 trustee has taken no action with respect to the adversary proceeding and, although on March 2, 2011 the defendants called the Chapter 7 trustee to bring the issue of standing to her attention, she has taken no position on this matter. See Motion to Dismiss.

Finally, courts have permitted creditor committees, individual creditors, or even debtors to pursue claims belonging to bankruptcy estates. Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors v. Marathon Financial Insurance Co. (In re Automotive Professionals, Inc.), 389 B.R. 630, 634 (Bankr. N.D. Ill. 2008) (collecting cases).

As the Chapter 7 trustee has shown no inclination to prosecute these claims, I will permit the debtor to prosecute them, either in her own name or as a representative of the estate, and defer determining whether the estate has an interest in any monetary award if the debtor should prevail on those counts for which monetary damages are appropriate.

The motion to dismiss is therefore denied.

[1] The complaint requests damages for an allegedly wrongful prepetition foreclosure and a declaration that the defendants’ mortgage is void. Although not expressly using the word “recission,” it also appears to request rescission of the foreclosure sale. The defendants are moving to dismiss counts I (wrongful foreclosure), II (fraud, deceit and misrepresentation), IV (violation of Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 93A), V (unfair servicing practices), VI (intentional infliction of emotional distress), and VII( violation of Fair Debt Collection Practices Act). The defendants are not challenging the debtor’s standing to prosecute count III, titled “void lien” by which the debtor seeks a declaration that the defendants’ alleged mortgage lien is void.

[2] I note that the defendants argue that the debtor stated her intention to redeem the property “even though no reaffirmation agreement was ever filed with the Court.” Motion to Dismiss at ¶ 10. Redemption does not require the execution and filing of a reaffirmation agreement.

[3] The inquiry into whether a party has standing has two levels of inquiry: first, whether the Constitutional requirements are satisfied and second, whether a party should be denied standing based on what are known as prudential limitations.

These prudential limitations are self-imposed rules of judicial restraint . . . principally concern whether the litigant (1) asserts the rights and interests of a third party and not his or her own, (2) presents a claim arguably falling outside the zone of interests protected by the specific law invoked, or (3) advances abstract questions of wide public significance essentially amounting to generalized grievances more appropriately addressed to the representative branches.

Newcare Health Corp., 244 B.R. at 170.

[4] The Vreugdenhil court noted that courts have used a variety of reasons for this conclusion.

Authorities have in general agreed (although on varying rationales) that a debtor may not prosecute on his own a cause of action belonging to the estate unless that cause of action has been abandoned by the trustee. Baker v. Data Dynamics, Inc., 561 F. Supp. 1161, 1165 (W.D.N.C.1983) (debtors lack capacity to maintain suit); In re Homer, 45 B.R. 15, 25 (Bankr.W.D.Mo.1984) (debtor has no standing); Steyr Daimler Puch of America Corp. v. Pappas, 35 B.R. 1001, 1004 (E.D.Va.1983) (trustee must be joined if feasible; court reserves question of whether trustee is an indispensable party); In re Leisure Dynamics, Inc., 33 B.R. 173 (Bankr.D.Minn.1983) (debtor lacks standing, and in absence of trustee, issues are not ripe or concrete); In re Myers, 17 B.R. 410, 411 (Bankr.E.D.Calif.1982) (debtor has no real interest in property of the estate); In re Raymond Construction Co., 6 B.R. 793, 797 (Bankr.M.D.Fla.1980) (trustee is the real party in interest). Cf. Management Investors v. United Mine Workers, 610 F.2d 384, 390-93 (6th Cir.1979); Burkett v. Shell Oil Co., 448 F.2d 59 (5th Cir.1971); Dallas Cabana, Inc. v. Hyatt Corp., 441 F.2d 865, 867 (5th Cir.1971); Moore v. Slonim, 426 F. Supp. 524 (D. Conn.), aff’d, 562 F.2d 38 (2d Cir.1977) (cases construing Bankruptcy Act). But see Smith v. State Farm Fire and Casualty Co., 633 F.2d 401, 404-06 (5th Cir.1980) (trustee not an indispensable party where record showed he was willing to rely on efforts made by debtors to prosecute case, and where objection was not made on this ground until conclusion of expensive and lengthy trial).

Id. at 215.

[5] The schedules are handwritten and the amount of the exemption is difficult to discern. It is either $340,000 or $390,000. The amount is not relevant to my decision.

[6] The § 341 meeting was scheduled for December 11, 2006 but there is no indication on the docket if the meeting was held that day.

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Affidavit of Lost Mortgage Assignment

Affidavit of Lost Mortgage Assignment


For all of you to study carefully and make your own conclusions. The saga continues…

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Posted in deutsche bank, foreclosure, foreclosure fraud, foreclosure mills, foreclosures, Real Estate, shapiro & fishman paComments (0)


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