U.S. Bank National Association has asked U.S. District Court to hear a class-action suit, filed by Washington County on behalf of all counties in the state, over the association’s failure to use the recorder of deeds offices to record mortgages, denying counties the related fees.
Washington County first took the case to Washington County Court, but the bank is now seeking a change in jurisdiction. The county alleges that more than $100 million has been lost in recording fees by all 67 counties in the state.
The county alleges U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee for various residential mortgage-backed security trusts, violated state law by failing to record “each and every mortgage transfer.”
The bank instead used a private entity, Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc., for recording, “thereby depriving Washington County of the accompanying recording fees” for 15 or more years.
This is major and pay close attention to the words below
Mortgage Servicing News-
The most recent lawsuit was filed by a county clerk in Florida, and seeks class action status to represent the state’s 67 counties. The complaint alleges the use of MERS does not comply with state property laws and has cost municipalities millions in unpaid recording fees.
Jim Fuller, the clerk of Duval County, filed suit against Merscorp Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary, Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., on Oct. 31, claiming civil conspiracy, unjust enrichment, as well as fraudulent and negligent misrepresentation. The suit also seeks a hearing to determine the validity of tracking note transfers on the MERS System and a court injunction to prohibit the use of MERS in Florida.
“MERS has usurped the rights and privileges of the Florida Clerks of Court by establishing, maintaining and inducing lenders to use its private recording system, which unlawfully interferes and competes with the public recording system,” the suit, filed in state circuit court, reads.
[…]
“Both the note and mortgage are to be recorded. The principle issue we’re trying to get at is the punitive distinction of MERS being the mortgagee while the note is shifted from one to another up through the typical securitization process,” Volpe said in a phone interview. “The principle concern about the disconnect is that the public records are not complete insofar as the true beneficial owner of the mortgage is not reflected in the public records.”
I can tell you that this is ONLY the beginning… stay tuned for others to come forward soon.
MERS is done, repeat done.
Nancy Becker – You Go Girl!
Bloomberg-
For Nancy J. Becker, recorder of deeds in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, outside Philadelphia, property records are practically sacred. So much so that her office keeps digital copies of land records dating to 1784 in four separate databases, including one 1,700 miles (2,735 kilometers) away.
If the county seat were leveled tomorrow, she says, “I could still record documents on my laptop on the street corner with a card table.”
Becker may sound tech-savvy, but to some of her constituents’ dismay, she can’t always call up a property with a keystroke and see who holds its note. That’s because more than 200,000 of her records list the lien holder as MERS, the private service that acts as a proxy for banks that bundle and sell off mortgage securities. That can make it all but impossible for a recorder to determine who really holds the paper, Bloomberg Businessweek reports in its Nov. 7 edition.
Wait until the “BIG” states file one against MERS, et al. This is going to lead all the lawsuits against the banking industry.
Follow the paper and audit MERS. Go down the MERS-HOLE & You’ll find out, what really went down.
Phillyburbs-
Montgomery County’s recorder of deeds on Tuesday said she is going after about $15.7 million she claims is owed to the county by an electronic mortgage registry company and banks doing business with that company.
“I am filing a class action lawsuit against MERS (Mortgage Electronic Registry System) and the banks using MERS for failing to record certain mortgage assignments and, therefore, not paying the required fees,” recorder Nancy J. Becker said.
Becker said the lawsuit will claim the failure to file these transfers with appropriate recorder offices is an attempt to illegally circumvent the payment.
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