In a monumental and overdue shift in foreclosure jurisprudence, in Finch v. U.S. Bank, N.A., 2024 ME 2,---A.3d---, the Law Court overruled its holding in Pushard v. Bank of America, N.A., 2017 ME 230, 175 A.3d 103, which...more
Because there have been a number of appellate decisions interpreting RPAPL 1304, this Blog has written frequently on that topic. By way of background, and as previously noted in the Blog, RPAPL 1304 requires that at least...more
An ever-expanding review of pre-foreclosure notices of default experienced its latest chapter in the First Circuit's recent decision reversing dismissal of suit in Aubee v. Selene. In Aubee, the borrowers challenged the...more
On February 18, 2021, the New York Court of Appeals’ consolidated resolution of four cases that answered two critical questions concerning the application of the statute of limitations in New York mortgage foreclosure...more
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s recent decision in Thompson v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., — N.E.3d —-, 2020 WL 7238390, at *4 (1st Cir. Dec. 9, 2020) represents a substantial victory for the financial services...more
Massachusetts moved one step closer to resolving an ongoing debate over pre-foreclosure notices of default that started with the First Circuit's decision in Thompson v. JPMorgan Chase Bank back in February of 2019. Initially,...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
The Law Court recently issued a short decision, Wilmington Savings Fund Society, FSB v. Abildgaard, which provides a reminder of the importance of taking the appropriate steps at trial to ensure that interlocutory orders can...more
• New York's Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019, which was enacted and became effective on June 14, 2019, will have a sizable impact on a landlord's ability to convert buildings to cooperatives and...more
Real Property Update - Foreclosure / Paragraph 22: bank failed to introduce sufficient evidence to prove default letter was sent to borrower pursuant to paragraph 22 of the mortgage where bank's witness never testified that...more
In Thompson v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, the First Circuit Court of Appeals held a foreclosure was potentially void where terms in the lender's default notice arguably conflicted with terms in Paragraph 19 of the Mortgage....more
In Milone v. US Bank, N.A., a New York intermediate appellate court held that a letter to a borrower stating that the failure to cure a mortgage loan default "will result in acceleration" does not start the clock on the...more
Lenders routinely accelerate notes after a default occurs, calling the entire loan due immediately. Less regularly, a lender may change its mind and unilaterally revoke the acceleration. Rarely, however, does a lender fail to...more
Bass, Berry & Sims attorney Chris Lazarini examined a case of alleged breach of trust and breach of fiduciary duty against a bank acting as the indenture trustee related to a foreclosure action on defaulted mortgage revenue...more
REAL PROPERTY UPDATE - Breach of Contract/Damages: court erred by precluding setoff when calculating damages because purpose of award is to restore the injured party to the position it would have realized no for the other...more
REAL PROPERTY UPDATE: Condominium: allocation of square footage within the declaration controls where there is lack of clarity in both the perimetrical boundaries definition and the diagram of the lobby area in question...more
On Oct. 19, 2016, the Ninth Circuit held that merely enforcing a security interest is not “debt collection” under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”). In so holding, the Ninth Circuit disagreed with...more
REAL PROPERTY UPDATE - Foreclosure/Standing: foreclosing bank did not establish standing where it failed to submit evidence it was in possession of original note with blank endorsement at time of filing of foreclosure...more
REAL PROPERTY UPDATE - Foreclosure/Hearsay/Business Records: trial court abused its discretion by excluding the mortgage records, which included records from a prior servicer, where plaintiff’s witness demonstrated...more
REAL PROPERTY UPDATE - Foreclosure/Discovery: Good cause not found to enter protective order preventing owner of property, subject to foreclosure, from deposing bank’s only witness on basis that owner of property was not...more
REAL PROPERTY UPDATE - Foreclosure/Automatic Stay: because final judgment entered day after defendant’s petition for bankruptcy, automatic stay imposed by 11 U.S.C. § 362 was in effect and, thus, judgment was void, even...more
REAL PROPERTY UPDATE - - Foreclosure/Standing/Hearsay: copy of a note with undated allonge containing blank endorsement sufficient to establish standing as a matter of law, even though bank did not have formal...more
REAL PROPERTY UPDATE - Contracts/Personal Liability: official title of “President” underneath signor’s signature on contract did not shield individual from personal liability because contract language reflected...more
REAL PROPERTY UPDATE - Foreclosure/Requests for Admission: trial court erred by involuntarily dismissing foreclosure action based solely on lender’s failure to respond to requests for admission because lender’s...more
REAL PROPERTY UPDATE - - Foreclosure/Discovery: trial court erred by declining to rule prior to trial on borrowers’ motion in limine seeking to exclude evidence contrary to bank’s “technical admissions” established by...more