The “loss before foreclosure rule” provided for in the Restatement (Third) of Property (Mortgages) §4.8 specifies that when improvements on secured property are destroyed by fire and the loan is due and payable, where a...more
United States District Court, E.D. Virginia (Richmond Division, The Honorable David J. Novak) MARY HILL, Plaintiff, v. NATIONSTAR MORTGAGE LLC, d/b/a CHAMPION MORTGAGE, LLC et al., Defendants. Civil No. 3:22cv108...more
Owners of real property generally understand that their property rights can be impacted by litigation in which they are a party. However, what’s less clear, but perhaps equally important to understand and guard against, is...more
Real Property Update - Foreclosure / Reverse Mortgage: Surviving spouse who did not sign the note did not qualify as a “borrower” by signing the mortgage and related documents – OneWest Bank, N.A. v. Leek-Tannenbaum, No....more
A recent decision from The Supreme Court of Florida (the “Florida Supreme Court”) in WVMF Funding v. Luisa Palmero, et al. (Fl. S. Ct.; SC19-1920, June 24, 2021) held that, while a note and mortgage must be read together, in...more
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) reached a settlement with reverse-mortgage lender Nationwide Equities Corporation (“Nationwide Equities”) to resolve allegations that it used false and misleading advertising...more
A&B ABstract - On December 15, 2020, New York State enacted legislation amending the New York Real Property Law that would have placed various restrictions and requirements on the servicing of Home Equity Conversion Mortgages...more
On December 15, 2020, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law a bill that, among other things, requires reverse mortgage lenders in the state to notify the state’s Department of Financial Services (DFS) and mortgagors...more
The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued Mortgagee Letter 2019-15, in which it announced several modifications to the Mortgagee Optional Election (MOE) Assignment claim process for Home...more
Real Property Update- Landlord-Tenant: rider to a lease, containing clear and unambiguous language, controlled over the terms in the lease and limited the increase in the operating expenses charged to the tenant by the...more
Originators and servicers of HECMs who do business in New York should take action now to prepare to comply with the new bill’s requirements. Ensuring compliance may require a thorough review of commercial advertisements and...more
Real Property Update - • Foreclosure / Reverse Mortgage / Condition Precedent: bank failed to establish that the subject property was not the principal residence of surviving co-borrower under its reverse mortgage, a...more
The current good economy (going on almost 10 years now) has meant that North Carolina appellate decisions affecting lenders trying to collect defaulted debt have been few and far between in the last couple of years. The North...more
In Hayes v. Reverse Mortgage Solutions, Inc., No. 3D17-1603 (Fla. 3d DCA Nov. 21, 2018), a case of first impression, the Florida Third District Court of Appeals considered whether the statute of limitations for enforcing...more
Real Property Update - Reverse Mortgage / Statute of Limitations: as a matter of first impression, statute of limitations for enforcing reverse mortgage begins on date the note matures, notwithstanding earlier-death of...more
Mortgagees of Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (“HECMs,” more commonly known as reverse mortgages) obtained a significant victory in an important federal appellate court, which ruled last month that non-borrowing spouses are...more
The Eleventh Circuit recently rejected a defense to foreclosure based on a federal statute governing insurance of reverse mortgages by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”). HUD administers a...more
As attorneys representing the financial services industry well know, the financial crisis of 2007-2008 resulted in a wave of foreclosures across the country as borrowers struggled to make payments on their mortgages. The...more
In Third Fed. Sav. & Loan Ass’n of Cleveland v. Koulouvaris, No. 2D17-773, 2018 WL 2271112 (Fla. 2d DCA 2018), Florida’s Second District Court of appeal analyzed, in the context of trial exhibit authentication, whether the...more
New York has signed into law an amendment redefining a reverse mortgage as a “home loan.” With this amendment (see link at the bottom of this post), statutory pre-foreclosure ninety day notices (RPAPL 1304) and a...more
New York has signed into law an amendment redefining a reverse mortgage as a “home loan.” With this amendment, statutory pre-foreclosure ninety day notices (RPAPL 1304) and a “certificate of merit” (CPLR 3012-b) will be...more
Reverse mortgage lenders received a significant victory in Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal last week when the court issued its decision in OneWest Bank, FSB v. Palmero. After previously ruling in Smith v. Reverse...more
REAL PROPERTY UPDATE - Foreclosure/Attorneys’ Fees: mortgage foreclosure plaintiffs seeking attorney’s fees must support their claim with competent, substantial evidence of the number of hours worked and evidence that...more
Editor's Note - In This Issue. While we eagerly await its decision on interest rates, the Fed had a busy week, granting a Volcker Rule extension for illiquid funds, issuing a joint final rule with the FDIC and the OCC...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