John Wick - What You Need To Know about the Corporate Transparency Act
Once Removed Episode 24: Expressing Goals and Intent for the Trust
Once Removed Episode 23: Naming Guardians for Minor Children
Digital Planning Podcast Episode: Planning for Influencers
A Primer On Trusts - A Podcast with Janathan Allen
Once Removed Episode 12: SLATs and the Case of McKim vs. McKim
Once Removed Episode 11: Spousal Lifetime Access Trusts, or SLATs
Once Removed Episode 10: Trustee Removal and Case Update on Leo Kahn Revocable Trust
Nonprofit Basics: Meeting Minutes Best Practices
Nonprofit Basics: Conflict of Interest Policies and Best Practices for Approving Insider Compensation
The Case of the Disappearing Trust
Protecting Your Estate Plan from Challenges: No-Contest Clause Explained
Estate Planning 101: The Five Most Important Clauses for Wills and Trusts
Law Brief: Alexis Gruttadauria and Rich Schoenstein Discuss Why You Need an Estate Plan
THE PAPER CHASE
Investment Management Update – Exit Strategies
Bill on Bankruptcy: US Airways Need a Merger More than AMR
Bill on Bankruptcy: Supreme Court Cases Will Have Wide Impact
Bill on Bankruptcy: Trustees Sleep Easy after High Court Ruling
Bill on Bankruptcy: ResCap Report, a Bargain at $83 Million
Five years ago, the General Assembly amended the foreclosure statute to prohibit an attorney who serves as trustee or substitute trustee from representing the noteholder or the borrower during a foreclosure proceeding. ...more
The United States Supreme Court held in BFP v. Resolution Trust, that properties sold at “force-sale” mortgage foreclosure sales properly conducted pursuant to a state’s foreclosure statute are presumed to have been sold for...more
Everybody is familiar with the part of a wedding where the audience is given an opportunity by the person officiating to express why the couple about to be married should not proceed with the ceremony, telling all present to...more
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the commercial real estate market, property owners will be focusing on ways to reduce operating expenses, including real estate taxes... ...more
Under California’s Revenue and Taxation Code, the purchase price of real property usually creates a rebuttable presumption regarding the property’s “fair market value.” However, for that presumption to apply, the sale must...more
M & M Realty Partners at Hagen Ranch, LLC v. Mazzoni, Case No. 18-13536 (11th Cir. 2020). A “binding financial commitment” from a third party, including a wholly owned business entity, is required in order to satisfy the...more
The Situation: In a sharply divided 4-3 decision, CNH Diversified Opportunities Master Account, L.P., et al. v. Cleveland Unlimited, Inc. et al., Case No. 42 (Oct. 22, 2020), the New York Court of Appeals reversed the courts...more
Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed House Bill 4204 (HB 4204) into law on June 20, 2020. The new statute affects lenders of both commercial and residential loans secured by Oregon real estate. It requires lenders to defer loan...more
Flashback: Five years ago, Money and Dirt covered the Salazar v. Thomas opinion from California’s Fifth District Court of Appeal holding that a Notice of Default does not “disturb possession” sufficiently to start the...more
To be enforceable, a deed of trust must sufficiently describe the real property security. There are several different ways to describe real property. Commonly used methods include referring to a block and lot number from a...more
In the fifth opinion involving the repo liquidation saga of HomeBanc, the Third Circuit addressed several crucial issues involving the liquidation and valuation of repo collateral in bankruptcy. In re HomeBanc Mortg....more
A trustee in charge of administering a trust has many duties. A trustee appointed pursuant to a deed of trust, however, is different. The duties of a deed of trust trustee are exceptionally narrow. A recent opinion...more
In Godoy v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., a bank sued a guarantor to recover on a deficiency following a foreclosure sale. No. 18-0071, 2019 Tex. LEXIS 443 (Tex. May 10, 2019)....more
On December 17, 2018, in Dr. Leevil, LLC v. Westlake Health Care Center, (2018 S.O.S. 5945), the California Supreme Court addressed a split in authority on the issue of when a new owner, who has acquired title to property...more
Consider this scenario: You loan money to a borrower. You intend to secure the loan with a deed of trust encumbering real property. Your borrower signs a promissory note dated November 7, 2006. But your deed of trust is...more
In a long-awaited decision, the Court of Appeals of Maryland holds that foreign statutory trusts do not need to be licensed as debt collectors before initiating in rem foreclosure proceedings. This holding will allow numerous...more
On August 30, 2017, an amendment to North Carolina’s foreclosure statutes took immediate effect. The amended statute, Section 45-10, concerns substitute trustees under a deed of trust. As amended, Section 45-10 now prohibits...more
The facts in Salamon are straightforward. Salamon (“Buyer”) purchased real property from Behrend (“Seller”) that was already subject to two liens (the “Preexisting Debt”). Instead of paying cash at closing, the Buyer executed...more
Ever wonder what happens if a person challenges the timeliness of a trustee’s sale after the sale already occurred? Waiver of the argument of course! And, in the case of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v. Waltner, the affirmance of...more
The Maryland Court of Special Appeals in Fisher v. Ward affirmed a Circuit Court’s dismissal of a foreclosure proceeding exception in which the Trustee under the subject Deed of Trust was not physically present at the sale....more
Recently, the North Carolina Court of Appeals issued an opinion addressing whether a conflict of interest exists when a trustee under a deed of trust initiates a foreclosure proceeding and later represents the lender in that...more
The first two weeks of July have brought us some warm weather and three new decisions worth noting: First, in Bank of America, N.A. v. Commissioner of Revenue, Docket No. SJC-11995 (July 11, 2016), the Supreme Judicial...more
Supreme Court Advance Release Opinions: SC19384 - State v. Carter - SC19282 - State v. Peeler - Appellate Court Advance Release Opinions: AC37262 - Dumbauld v. Dumbauld - AC37262 Concurrence -...more
The California Court of Appeal recently held that a plaintiff cannot seek entry of default against a trustee that files a declaration of nonmonetary status pursuant to California Civil Code Section 2924l. Section 2924l...more
I have recently received numerous questions from commercial lender clients regarding structuring and enforcing commercial real property loans involving revocable trusts. Their concerns have largely centered on how to...more