What Homeowners Must Know About Deficiency Judgment After Foreclosure

20 Sunday Jan 2019

Posted by BNG in Banks and Lenders, Foreclosure Crisis, Foreclosure Defense, Judgment, Judicial States, Mortgage Laws, Non-Judicial States, Note - Deed of Trust - Mortgage, Restitution, State Court, Your Legal Rights

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A common misconception among consumers is that after foreclosure they will not owe their mortgage lender. Many homeowners who go through foreclosure are surprised to learn that they still owe money on their house, even though they no longer own it!

Most mortgage lenders require borrowers to personally guarantee the amount of the note, leaving the lender with two avenues of in the foreclosure scenario. Lenders can take back the real estate, and in many vases, sue the borrower personally if the house doesn’t sell for the full value of the money that was lent.

What is a ?

When a borrower loses their home to foreclosure and still owes their lender money after the sale, the remaining debt is usually referred to as a deficiency. Lenders can sue to recover this amount.

For example, if you owe $500,000 on your mortgage and can no longer afford to make payments on the note, your lender will institute foreclosure proceedings against you and will eventually sell your home at a public sale. If the home sells for $400,000 and your state allows lenders to collect deficiency judgments, you will owe your lender $100,000 once they obtain a judgment for the deficiency.

In many cases, this deficiency judgment is a tough pill to swallow for the borrower who just lost their home and yet still owes their lender after foreclosure.

Homeowners’ responsibility after foreclosure

Borrowers who are left facing a large deficiency judgment after foreclosure often turn to bankruptcy in order to protect their assets. In order to determine whether you will owe money to your lender after a foreclosure sale of your home, it is important to get a handle on two important items of information:

1. How much is your home worth?

Regardless of your state’s deficiency laws, if your home will sell at a foreclosure sale for more than what you owe, you will not be obligated to pay anything to your lender after foreclosure. Your lender is obligated to apply the sale price of your home to the mortgage debt. Only when a home is “underwater” — meaning the borrower owes more on the mortgage than the home is worth — will he or she potentially face a deficiency judgment after a foreclosure.

2. Does your state have an Anti-Deficiency Statute?

Not all states allow lenders to collect on the note after a home has been foreclosed on. These states are referred to as “non-recourse” states because they only allow the lender to take back the collateral for the loan (your home). They do not allow the lender the additional remedy of going after the borrower’s personal assets if the sale of the home does not satisfy the mortgage.

Non-recourse mortgage states

In a non-recourse mortgage state, borrowers are not held personally liable for their mortgage. If the foreclosure sale does not generate enough money to satisfy the loan, the lender must accept the loss.

Some states that have anti-deficiency legislation qualify it by only making it applicable to seller-financed or “purchase-money” mortgages. North Carolina is a good example. North Carolina’s anti-deficiency statute applies when the seller of real estate provides the financing for the purchase. In such a situation, the legislature has prohibited the seller/lender from seeking a deficiency judgment after foreclosure. The purchase-money lender has recourse only against the collateral for the loan and not against the purchaser/borrower in her individual capacity. Banks who have made mortgages in North Carolina are allowed to seek deficiency judgments against borrowers.

The lesson to be learned is that if you owe more on your mortgage than your house is worth and the property is in a state that allows lenders to seek deficiency judgments, you may still owe money even after foreclosure.

Judicial and non-judicial foreclosures

A lender that wants to foreclose on your home has two foreclosure options: judicial and non-judicial. A judicial foreclosure is processed through the courts; some states require lenders to use this process. A non-judicial foreclosure is handled outside the court system.

It is advisable to consult with an experienced bankruptcy attorney to discuss how your state’s laws will affect you. Below is a list of states that have some form of anti-deficiency statute:

Alaska

You are not liable for the deficiency in a non-judicial foreclosure, but you may be liable for the deficiency in a judicial foreclosure.

Arizona

You are not liable for the deficiency if the home is a single one-family or single two-family home on a plot of less than 2 ½ acres. You must have lived in the home for at least 6 months.

California

You are not liable for the deficiency for purchase-money loans in non-judicial foreclosure. You are not liable for the deficiency in judicial foreclosure for property with four units or less, seller-financed loans, or refinances of purchase-money mortgages executed after January 1, 2013.

Connecticut

Under a “strict foreclosure,” you may be sued separately for the deficiency. If your home is sold under a “decree of sale,” you will liable for only half of the deficiency.

Florida

The lender must sue you for the deficiency, and whether you are liable is left to the discretion of the court. You will be given credit for the greater of the foreclosure price or the fair-market value of the home.

Hawaii

You are not liable for the deficiency in a non-judicial foreclosure if the property is residential and you live in it. You are liable for the deficiency in a judicial foreclosure.

Idaho

Your deficiency is limited to the difference between the fair-market value of your home and the foreclosure price.

Minnesota

For a non-judicial foreclosure, you are not liable for the deficiency. In a judicial foreclosure, you are liable but the jury will determine the fair-market value of your home and you will have to pay the difference between that and the foreclosure price.

Montana

You are not liable for the deficiency in a non-judicial foreclosure.

Nevada

You are not liable for the deficiency if your lender is a financial institution, the loan originated after October 1, 2009, the property is a single-family owner-occupied home, the mortgage debt was used to purchase the property, and you haven’t refinanced the mortgage.

New Mexico

You are not liable for the deficiency in a non-judicial foreclosure on the primary residence of a low-income household.

North Carolina

If the seller is finances your mortgage, you are not liable for the deficiency.

North Dakota

You are not liable for the deficiency if the property has less than four units and is on a plot of less than 40 acres.

Oklahoma

You are not liable for the deficiency if you notify the lender in writing at least 10 days before the foreclosure sale that you live in the home and opt out of deficiency judgment.

Oregon

You are not liable for the deficiency in non-judicial foreclosure or in judicial foreclosure on property with four or less units as long as you or a direct family member lives in one of the units.

Texas

You will receive credit for the fair-market value of the home. You are liable for the difference between your mortgage loan amount and the fair-market value.

Washington

You are not liable for the deficiency in a non-judicial foreclosure. You are liable for the deficiency for a judicial foreclosure.

When Homeowner’s good faith attempts to amicably work with the Bank in order to resolve the issue fails;

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If you have received a Notice of Default “NOD”, take a deep breath, as this the time to start the FIGHT! and Protect your EQUITY!

If you do Nothing, you will see the WRONG parties WITHOUT standing STEAL your home right under your nose, and by the time you realize it, it might be too late! If your property has been foreclosed, use the available options on our package to reverse already foreclosed home and reclaim your most prized possession! You can do it by yourself! START Today — STOP Foreclosure Tomorrow!

What Homeowners Must Know About Foreclosure

12 Wednesday Sep 2018

Posted by BNG in Banks and Lenders, Credit, Federal Court, Foreclosure Crisis, Foreclosure Defense, Judicial States, Mortgage Laws, Non-Judicial States, Note - Deed of Trust - Mortgage, Pro Se Litigation, Real Estate Liens, State Court, Your Legal Rights

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Facing a foreclosure can be daunting prospect for people in trouble with their mortgages, especially when they are unsure of what to do. Across the country, six out of 10 homeowners questioned said they wished they understood their mortgage and its terms better.

When the economy collapsed in 2008, foreclosure became a fact of life for millions of Americans. About 250,000 new families enter into foreclosure every three months, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

The same percentage of homeowners also said they were unaware of what mortgage lenders can do to help them through their financial situation.

The first step to working through a possible foreclosure is to understand what a foreclosure means. When someone buys a property, they typically do not have enough money to pay for the purchase outright. So they take out a mortgage loan, which is a contract for purchase money that will be paid back over time.

A foreclosure consists of a lender trying to reclaim the title of a property that had been sold to someone using a loan. The borrower, usually the homeowner living in the house, is unable or unwilling to continue making mortgage payments. When this happens, the lender that provided the loan to the borrower will move to take back the property.

How do Foreclosures Work?

People enter into foreclosure for various reasons, but it typically follows a major change in their financial circumstances. A foreclosure can be the result of losing a job, medical problems that keep you from working, too many debts or a divorce.

Foreclosures often begin when the borrower stops making payments. When this happens, the loan becomes delinquent and the homeowner goes into default. The default status continues for about 90 days. During this time, the lender will get in touch with the borrower to see whether they will be able to pay the balance of the loan.

At this point, if the borrower cannot pay, the lender may file a Notice of Foreclosure, which begins the process. The lender will file foreclosure documents in a local court. This part of the process usually takes 120 days to nine months to complete. If borrowers need extra time, they can challenge the process in court, and that’s where our Foreclosure Defense Package comes in.

How do Foreclosures Relate to Debt?

Some people facing foreclosure find themselves in this position because of mounting debt that made it harder to make their mortgage payments.

A foreclosure can add to your financial problems if your state allows a deficiency judgment, which means the borrower owes the difference between what is owed on the foreclosed property and the amount it eventually sells for at an auction.

Thirty-eight states allow financial institutions to pursue borrowers for this money.

In cases when a lender does not use a deficiency judgment, a foreclosure can relieve some of your financial burden. Although it is a loss when a lender takes the home you partially paid for, it can be a start to rebuild your finances.

It is a good idea to work with a financial adviser or a debt counselor to understand what kind of debt you may incur during a foreclosure.

What Else Should I Know?

If you are thinking about going into foreclosure, there are a number of things to consider:

A foreclosure dramatically affects your credit score. Fair Isaac, the company that created FICO (credit) scores, drops credit scores from 85 points to 160 points after a foreclosure or short sale. The amount of the drop depends on other factors, such as previous credit score.
Get in touch with your lender as soon as you are aware that you are having difficulty making payments. You may be able to avoid foreclosure by negotiating a new repayment plan or refinancing that works better for you.
States have different rules on how foreclosures work. Understand your rights and get a sense of how long you can stay in your home once foreclosure proceedings begin.

When Homeowner’s good faith attempts to amicably work with the Bank in order to resolve the issue fails;

If you have received a Notice of Default “NOD”, take a deep breath, as this the time to start the FIGHT! and Protect your EQUITY!

How Homeowners Can use “Produce the Note” in Judicial & Non-judicial Foreclosure States

24 Wednesday Jan 2018

Posted by BNG in Banks and Lenders, Fed, Federal Court, Foreclosure Crisis, Foreclosure Defense, Fraud, Judicial States, Mortgage mediation, Non-Judicial States, Note - Deed of Trust - Mortgage, Pro Se Litigation, State Court, Your Legal Rights

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In some states, a lender can foreclose on your home without going to court. These are called non-judicial foreclosure states. You can still use the “Produce the Note” strategy in these states, but it takes a few more steps on your part.

First, the concept behind “Produce the Note” is this: When a homeowner is faced with a foreclosure suit, “Produce the Note” requires the lender to prove it has the actual authority to foreclose, by requiring it to officially produce the original promissory note in the lawsuit. But if there is no foreclosure lawsuit, what can homeowners do? In these “nonjudicial foreclosure” states, such as California, Texas, or the thirty or more other states with similar procedures, the homeowner has to file a lawsuit against the party trying to foreclose.

Here’s how it generally works:

In a state with nonjudicial foreclosure procedures, a foreclosure sale can be initiated by the lender without using court proceedings.
Homeowners receive a “Notice of Intent” letter informing them that a foreclosure sale will be scheduled unless the overdue debt is paid within a certain amount of time.
If the debt is not paid accordingly, a “Notice of Sale” is then sent informing the homeowner that a foreclosure sale will take place at a particular time and place.
No lawsuit is ever initiated by the lender and the courts are not involved.

Without a lawsuit, you cannot use judicial procedures to require the lender to “produce the note.”
Merely sending a private letter to the lender “demanding” that it produce the original note to the borrower may be met with utter disregard or outright refusal by the lender.

So, here’s what you can do:
In a nonjudicial foreclosure state, in order to protect yourself by demanding that the lender “produce the note,” it will be necessary for you to first actually file your own lawsuit. Even in such nonjudicial foreclosure states, no law prohibits you from instituting your own lawsuit challenging the right of a lender to foreclose on your property. The lawsuit would allege that:
the lender has sent a Notice of Intent to Foreclose; the homeowner is unsure as to whether the lender still possesses the original debt instrument, upon which the lender claims the right to foreclose; the homeowner wants proof of such authority; and the court should intervene and prevent the foreclosure from taking place unless and until such proof is presented.
Initiating litigation to protect your rights is never a simple process. Requirements as to what must be contained in a pleading, how the facts must be plead, who should be named in the pleading, and how the pleading should be officially “served” on the lender, all differ from state to state.

Once a lawsuit is initiated, however, all states have judicial procedures that allow a party to require the other side to produce relevant documents, and the “produce the note” strategy can be used.

Often times, the best way to protect your rights in these situations is to seek professional help from an attorney licensed to practice in your geographical area. Getting involved in a lawsuit by representing yourself, especially if you file the lawsuit yourself, is not easy, but you can do it. Every citizen is able to represent themselves and file a lawsuit on their own. It’s called pro se, which means “on ones own behalf.”

If you can afford a lawyer, then by all means, hire one. There are attorneys who specialize in real estate matters, and either advertise or can be found in the yellow pages. Most areas have bar associations that maintain lists of attorneys willing to help in specific areas of the law.
Finally, there are usually “legal aid” organizations around set up to assist individuals who may have difficulty paying for the services of an attorney. A good place to begin your search is by going to the Legal Services Corporation website.

So, even if you are in a non-judicial foreclosure state, you can use “Produce the Note.” This is your home, and if you want to fight for it, you do have a way.

If your home is currently in foreclosure, there may still be a chance to save it. As a result of lenders buying and selling mortgages your note could have changed hands several times over the course of the loan. But where is the actual note? In some warehouse somewhere? Make ‘em prove they own the debt they say you owe.

WHO OWNS THE NOTE?
Your goal is to make certain the institution suing you is, in fact, the owner of the note (see steps to follow below). There is only one original note for your mortgage that has your signature on it. This is the document that proves you owe the debt.
During the lending boom, most mortgages were flipped and sold to another lender or servicer or sliced up and sold to investors as securitized packages on Wall Street. In the rush to turn these over as fast as possible to make the most money, many of the new lenders did not get the proper paperwork to show they own the note and mortgage. This is the key to the produce the note strategy. Now, many lenders are moving to foreclose on homeowners, resulting in part from problems they created, and don’t have the proper paperwork to prove they have a right to foreclose.

THE HARM
If you don’t challenge your lender, the court will simply allow the foreclosure to proceed. It’s important to hold lenders accountable for their carelessness. This is the biggest asset in your life. It’s just a piece of paper to them, and one they likely either lost or destroyed.

When you get a copy of the foreclosure suit, many lenders now automatically include a count to re-establish the note. It often reads like this: “…the Mortgage note has either been lost or destroyed and the Plaintiff is unable to state the manner in which this occurred.” In other words, they are admitting they don’t have the note that proves they have a right to foreclose.
If the lender is allowed to proceed without that proof, there is a possibility another institution, which may have bought your note along the way, will also try to collect the same debt from you again.

A Tennessee borrower recently had precisely that happen to her. Her lender, Ameriquest, foreclosed on her in July of 2007. About three months later, another bank sent her a default notice for the mortgage on the house she just lost. She called to find out what was going on. After being transferred from place to place and left on hold for lengthy periods of time, no one could explain what happened. They said they would get back to her, but never did. Now, she faces the risk of having her credit continually damaged for a debt she no longer owes.

FIGHT FOR FAIRNESS
This process is not intended to help you get your house for free. The primary goal is to delay the foreclosure and put pressure on the lender to negotiate. Despite all the hype about lenders wanting to help homeowners avoid foreclosure, most borrowers know that’s not the reality.

Too many homeowners have experienced lender resistance to their efforts to work out a payment structure to keep them in their homes. Many lenders bear responsibility for these defaults, because they put borrowers into unfair loans using deceptive, hard-sell practices and then made the problem worse with predatory servicing.
Most homeowners just want these lenders to give them reasonable terms on their mortgages, many of which were predatory to begin with. With the help of judges who see through these predatory practices, lenders will feel the pressure to work with borrowers to keep them in their homes. Don’t forget lenders made incredible amounts of money by using irresponsible practices to issue and service these loans. That greed led to the foreclosure crisis we’re in today. Allowing lenders to continue foreclosing on home after home, destroying our neighborhoods and our economy hurts us all. So, make it hard for your lender to take your home. Make ‘em produce the note!

STEPS TO FOLLOW – You can either write Qualified Written Request RESPA Letter (QWR), to your lender. Alternatively, you can use the fill in the blank request forms usually available in your local Circuit Courts:

A. If your lender has already filed suit to foreclose on your home:

Use the first form. It’s a fill-in-the-blank legal request to your lender asking that the original note be produced, before it can proceed with the foreclosure. In some jurisdictions, the courts require the original request to be filed with the clerk of court and a copy of the request to be sent to the attorney representing the lender. To find out the rules where you live, call the Clerk of Court in your jurisdiction.

If the lender’s attorney does not respond within 30 days, file a motion to compel with the court and request that the court set a hearing on your motion. That, in effect, asks the judge to order the lender to produce the documents.

The judge will issue a ruling at your hearing. Many judges around the country are becoming more sympathetic to homeowners, because of the prevalence of predatory lending and servicing. In the past, many lenders have relied upon using lost note affidavits, but in many cases, that’s no longer enough to satisfy the judge. They are holding the lender to the letter of the law, requiring them to produce evidence that they are the true owners of the note. For example:

In October 2007, Ohio Federal Court Judge Christopher Boyko dismissed 14 foreclosure cases brought by investors, ruling they failed to prove they owned the properties they were trying to seize.

B. If you are in default, but your lender has not yet filed suit against you:

Use the second form. It’s a fill-in-the-blank letter to your lender which also requests they produce the original note, before taking foreclosure action against you.
If the lender does not respond and files suit against you to foreclose, follow the steps above.
UPDATE: CNN features The Consumer Warning Network and the “Produce The Note” strategy. Borrowers are putting this plan into action and getting results!

Consumer Warning Network Featured on CNN

Borrower wins more time to fight foreclosure! At a court hearing sometime ago, a Pinellas County, Florida Judge denied Wachovia the right to proceed with its foreclosure against borrower Jacqueline O’Brien (profiled in the CNN story). Instead, O’Brien was granted a continuance, as she pursues the produce the note strategy. Wachovia expressed interest in renegotiating the terms of the loan, rather than continuing the court battle.

When Homeowner’s good faith attempts to amicably work with the Bank in order to resolve the issue fails;

How Homeowners Can Greatly Improve their Chances of Winning on Appeal

24 Wednesday Jan 2018

Posted by BNG in Appeal, Case Laws, Case Study, Discovery Strategies, Federal Court, Foreclosure Defense, Judicial States, Litigation Strategies, Non-Judicial States, Note - Deed of Trust - Mortgage, Pleadings, Pro Se Litigation, Scam Artists, Title Companies, Trial Strategies, Your Legal Rights

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Appeal, Court, District Court, Foreclosure, foreclosure defense, homeowners, Plaintiff, pro se, Pro se legal representation in the United States, State Court, United States district court

A seasoned Attorney will tell you that trying cases is one of the most exciting things a litigator does during his or her career but it is also certainly one of the most stressful. While in the trenches during trial, many litigators understandably focus all of their energies on winning the case at hand. But a good litigator knows that trial is often not the last say in the outcome of a case. The final outcome often rests at the appellate level, where a successful trial outcome can be affirmed, reversed, or something in between. The likelihood of success many times hinges on the substance of the record on appeal. The below discusses a variety of issues that trial litigators should keep in mind as they prepare and present their case so they position themselves in the best possible way for any appeals that follow.

Prepare Your Appellate Record From The Moment Your Case Begins

Perhaps one of the biggest misconceptions regarding preserving an adequate record on appeal is when a lawyer should start considering what should be in the record. In short, the answer is from the moment the complaint is filed. At that time, counsel should begin to think carefully about the elements of each asserted cause of action, potential defenses and their required elements, and the burden of proof for each. Every pleading should be drafted carefully to ensure that no arguments are waived in the event they are needed for an appeal. For instance, a complaint should allege with specificity all the factual and legal elements necessary to sustain a claim, while an answer should include any and all applicable affirmative defenses to avoid waiver. See, e.g., Travellers Int’l, A.G. v. Trans World Airlines, 41 F.3d 1570, 1580 (2d Cir. 1994) (“The general rule in federal courts is that a failure to plead an affirmative defense results in a waiver.”). Likewise, if you file a motion to dismiss, ensure that the motion contains all the necessary evidence that both a trial court and appellate court would need to find in your favor. Of particular importance in federal court practice is the pre-trial order. Under Federal

Rule of Civil Procedure 16, the pre-trial order establishes the boundaries of trial. See Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. v. Capece, 141 F.3d 188, 206 (5th Cir.1998) (“It is a well-settled rule that a joint pre-trial order signed by both parties supersedes all pleadings and governs the issues and evidence to be presented at trial.”). If the pre-trial order does not contain the pertinent claims, defenses or arguments that you wish to present at trial, you are likely also going to be out of luck on appeal.

Later on in the case, as the factual record becomes more fully developed, consider whether amending or supplementing the pleadings or other court submissions are necessary to make the record as accurate as possible. Most states follow the federal practice of allowing liberal amendments. However, these can be contested, particularly late in the process, closer to trial. While appellate review is often for abuse of discretion, formulating a strong motion in favor of or in opposition to an amendment can preserve the issue.

What to Keep in Mind as Your Case Proceeds

As the case develops, consider whether the elements you need to prove your case are sufficiently reflected in the information you obtain during discovery. If not, determine whether there are ways to obtain the information you need well before trial starts. By the time trial arrives, it may be too late to supplement the record to get before the trial judge and the appellate court what you need to win your case. In that regard, anything you have in writing that gets submitted to the court may very well end up being part of the record on review, so make sure it is accurate and understandable. Incomprehensible or incomplete submissions can muddy your appellate record and damage a successful appellate proceeding. In the same vein, make sure anything presented to the court prior to trial that you want to be part of the record is transcribed. Otherwise, there will be an insufficient record on appeal. This is particularly so when it comes to discovery disputes. Although they are common in present day litigation, judges hate discovery disputes. To preserve discovery issues for appeal, be sure to get a ruling, and make sure it is reflected in writing. Moreover, carefully review every pre-trial court order or other judicial communication, including court minutes, to ensure accuracy. Attempting to make corrections during the appellate process may not be possible.

Another significant area for appellate issues is the failure to timely identify experts. This is subject to an abuse of discretion standard of review, so it is important that one builds a record on the issue, particularly regarding any prejudice suffered by the untimely disclosure.

After Discovery Closes – The Motion in Limine

Once discovery has closed, consider carefully any motions in limine you may want to make. Although motions in limine are not strictly necessary, they are helpful in identifying evidentiary issues for the judge and counsel and increase the chances of a substantive objection, sidebar, and ruling when the issue arises at trial. One potential pitfall – some jurisdictions require a party to renew an objection at trial after a motion in limine has been denied, so make sure to do so if necessary. See, e.g., State ex. Rel Missouri Highway and Transp. Com’n v. Vitt, 785 S.W.2d 708, 711 (Mo. Ct. App. E.D. 1990) (“A motion in limine preserves nothing for review. Following denial of a motion in limine, a party must object at trial to preserve for appellate review the point at issue.”) (internal citation omitted). Also, if the Court delivers its ruling on a motion in limine orally, make sure it is transcribed properly by the court reporter.

Now the Trial – What to Keep in Mind

Above all else, when in doubt, object. Objections should be immediate and specifically describe the basis for the objection so the record is clear. Make the argument to win – every objection should be more than just reciting labels, and should provide sufficient information for the trial judge to decide the issue. The goal is not to be coy with the trial judge and hope for a lucky break, but to be prepared to make an argument to win the issue at trial or, alternatively, on appeal. In addition, if you are the party proffering the evidence, make sure the proffer is on the record and that you expressly state why the evidence is being offered. This may require pressing on the judge to get the full objection on the record. If you fail to do so, you risk the appellate court not reviewing the claim on appeal. See, e.g., National Bank of Andover v. Kansas Bankers Sur. Co., 290 Kan. 247, 274-75 (2010) (observing “purpose of a proffer is to make an adequate record of the evidence to be introduced … [and] preserves the issue for appeal and provides the appellate court an adequate record to review when determining whether the trial court erred in excluding the evidence.”). Also, always be careful of waiving any issues for appeal by agreeing to a judge’s proposed compromise on evidentiary issues.

An important but often overlooked consideration is the courtroom layout and dynamics. Well-thought and timely objections will be for naught if they are not transcribed. Sometimes the courtroom layout can make record preservation difficult. For example, if objections are made at sidebar conferences where the court reporter is not present, those objections may not make their way into the appellate record or be dependent on the after the fact recollections of others. See, e.g., Ohio App. R. 9(c) (describing procedures for preparing statement of evidence where transcript of proceedings is unavailable and providing trial court with final authority for settlement and approval). This should be avoided whenever possible.

Beyond objections, make sure all the evidence you need for your appeal is properly admitted by the trial court before the close of your case. All exhibits that were used at trial should be formally moved into evidence if there is any doubt as to whether they will be needed on appeal. If you had previously moved for summary judgment and lost, make sure you take the necessary steps at trial to preserve those summary judgment issues, especially in jurisdictions that do not allow interlocutory appeals.

Another important aspect of the trial is the jury instructions. Jury instructions should always be complete. Remember that the instructions you propose can be denied without error if any aspect of them is not accurate, so break them into small bites so that the judge can at least accept some parts. Specifically object to any jury instructions as necessary before the jury begins its deliberations. See, e.g., Fed. R. Civ. P. 51(c). Failure to do so will waive the right to have the instruction considered on appeal. See, e.g., ChooseCo, LLC v. Lean Forward Media, LLC, 364 Fed. Appx. 670, 672 (2d Cir. 2010) (finding that defendant’s objection to jury instructions and verdict form during jury deliberations did not comply with Fed. R. Civ. P. 51(c) and noting that the “[f]ailure to object to a jury instruction or the form of an interrogatory prior to the jury retiring results in a waiver of that objection.”).

Additionally, when you lodge your objections, make sure you explain why the jury charge is in error since general objections are insufficient. See, e.g., Victory Outreach Center v. Meslo, 281 Fed. Appx. 136, 139 (3d Cir. 2008) (holding that general objection to the court’s jury instructions and proposed alternative instructions, “were insufficient to preserve on appeal all potential challenges to the instructions” and were not in compliance with Fed. R. Civ. P. 51(c)(1)). If possible, have a set of written objections to the other side’s jury charges, and get the judge to rule on that, since judges like to hold such conferences off the record. Also, do not overlook the verdict form. Know that when you agree to a particular form (general or special), that will mean that you are probably taking certain risks and waiving certain arguments one way or the other. Give this thought, and make sure that you know the rules of your jurisdiction on verdict forms so you can object if necessary. See, e.g., Palm Bay Intern., Inc. v. Marchesi Di Barolo S.P.A., 796 F.Supp. 2d 396, 409 (E.D.N.Y. 2011) (objection to verdict sheet should be made before jury retires); Saridakis v. South Broward Hosp. Dist., 2010 WL 2274955, at *8 (S.D. Fla. 2010) (noting that Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 51(c)(2)(B) states that an objection is timely if “a party objects promptly after learning that the instruction or request will be … given or refused” and that the Eleventh Circuit “require[s] a party to object to a … jury verdict form prior to jury deliberations” or the party “waives its right to raise the issue on appeal.”). (internal quotations and citation omitted).

Finally, pay careful attention to the closing argument. This can be an area where winning at trial by convincing a jury may be at odds with preserving the issue on appeal. On the flip side, many litigators are loath to interrupt a closing argument to object. If you need to object to preserve an issue, do so.

Post-Judgment – Final Things to Consider

First, determine whether certain arguments must be made post-judgment to preserve those arguments for appeal. Some arguments (such as those attacking the sufficiency of the evidence) must be made at that time or they are waived. See, e.g., Webster v. Bass Enterprises Production Co., 114 Fed.Appx. 604, 605 (5th Cir. 2004) (holding that failure to challenge back pay award in post-judgment motion waived the issue on appeal absent exceptional circumstances that did not exist). Written motions post-judgment should include all relevant references to trial transcripts and evidence to make as complete and clean a factual record as possible

Second, when the appellate record is being compiled, carefully double check the record to ensure its accuracy. Many times the trial court clerk or court reporter accidentally omits portions of the record. If this is not caught and corrected in a timely manner, you may be stuck with a bad record. Most jurisdictions have procedures in place for supplementing and correcting the record but understand them well in advance so there is adequate time to address any discrepancies before the appellate briefing is due.

Conclusion

Too often even seasoned trial lawyers get tripped up on appeal by not having an orderly and complete record. A litigator must never lose sight of the factual and legal issues in a case and what an appellate court will need to consider in making the desired determinations. As demonstrated above, a winning record requires thought at all stages of the litigation, not just when the notice of appeal is filed. With proper preparation, attention to detail, and forethought, one can ensure that the proper record on appeal is never in doubt.

When Homeowner’s good faith attempts to amicably work with the Bank in order to resolve the issue fails;

Home owners should wake up TODAY! before it’s too late by mustering enough courage for “Pro Se” Litigation (Self Representation – Do it Yourself) against the Lender – for Mortgage Fraud and other State and Federal law violations using foreclosure defense package found at https://fightforeclosure.net/foreclosure-defense-package/ “Pro Se” litigation will allow Homeowners to preserved their home equity, saves Attorneys fees by doing it “Pro Se” and pursuing a litigation for Mortgage Fraud, Unjust Enrichment, Quiet Title and Slander of Title; among other causes of action. This option allow the homeowner to stay in their home for 3-5 years for FREE without making a red cent in mortgage payment, until the “Pretender Lender” loses a fortune in litigation costs to high priced Attorneys which will force the “Pretender Lender” to early settlement in order to modify the loan; reducing principal and interest in order to arrive at a decent figure of the monthly amount the struggling homeowner could afford to pay.

What Homeowners Needs to Know About Deed in Lieu of Foreclosure

25 Sunday May 2014

Posted by BNG in Banks and Lenders, Foreclosure Defense, Judicial States, Mortgage Laws, Non-Judicial States, Note - Deed of Trust - Mortgage, Your Legal Rights

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Homeowners faced with mortgage foreclosures often opted for Deed in Lieu of Foreclosure. However, is it the best possible option for the struggling homeowner?

“Can’t we negotiate? There must be a way to work this out so we can stay in our home!” This is one of the most common questions homeowners facing foreclosure ask themselves. We will give you some answers in this post.

Some Options are Better Than Others

Some — like going through the entire foreclosure process —will leave a black mark on your credit report for probably 10 years. Others — like simply walking away from the property — aren’t necessarily wise ways of dealing with the situation either.

Sometimes you’re out of options. Short of filing for bankruptcy (which only delays the inevitable, and does not STOP foreclosure in its tracks), sometimes your lender just isn’t willing to negotiate a loan workout or accept a short sale (agreeing to take less money on the sale of your property than the balance due on their underlying mortgage).

Then again, the lender MIGHT be willing to accept a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure. Depending on how severe your financial hardship is, and other factors, the deed-in-lieu would allow you to sign over legal ownership to your home for the lender’s agreement not to foreclose.

You are in effect giving up all claims and rights to the property in exchange for the ability to walk away from it without having to make another mortgage payment — and, possibly, without a mark on your credit report.

At the very most, maybe a light gray mark instead of a black mark, if any mark at all depending on whether the lender reports your mortgage as paid in full or not. Plus, once agreeing to the deed-in-lieu, the lender will likely have to waive its rights to any deficiency judgment, which saves you from having to pay off any deficiency amount awarded the lender by a court of law. However, should you find yourself in this situation where there may be a deficiency judgment involved, the best thing to do is to consult with a real estate attorney about possible options. You should contact a real estate attorney anyway if you are considering a deed-in-lieu because it involves you giving up some legal rights. However, if you suspect mortgage fraud on your real estate transaction or feel that laws where not followed by your lender during the foreclosure process, even after the home has been sold; you can take the “BULL BY THE HORNS” using the foreclosure defense package at http://www.fightforeclosure.net for a full blown litigation to save your home from mortgage fraud.

For further details about a deed-in-lieu, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has both a detailed fact sheet about the deed-in-lieu option and frequently asked questions about disposing of a property this way.

Bottom Line About Deed in Lieu

A deed-in-lieu is a potential way out of foreclosure for distressed homeowners who are hard pressed to find their way back to financial solvency. It may not always be the best way, but it can be much better than going all the way through the foreclosure process or filing for bankruptcy unless you can muster enough courage to fight the Bank with the all inclusive package found here at http://www.fightforeclosure.net before it is too late.

If you find yourself in an unfortunate situation of losing or about to your home to wrongful fraudulent foreclosure, and need a complete package that will help you challenge these fraudsters and save your home from foreclosure either through loan modification or “Pro Se” litigation visit: http://www.fightforeclosure.net

What Homeowners in Washington Needs to Know About Saving Their Homes

10 Saturday May 2014

Posted by BNG in Case Laws, Case Study, Federal Court, Foreclosure Crisis, Foreclosure Defense, Fraud, Judicial States, Landlord and Tenant, Legal Research, Litigation Strategies, Mortgage Laws, Non-Judicial States, Note - Deed of Trust - Mortgage, Pro Se Litigation, RESPA, State Court, Your Legal Rights

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This outline covers mainly Washington law, but an effort has been made to include information that will be useful in most foreclosure contexts. Bankruptcy and tax issues pervade foreclosures, but are beyond the scope of this article. The focus is upon residential foreclosures as opposed to commercial foreclosures although there is substantial overlap.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

A. WHETHER TO REINSTATE, DEFEND OR GIVE-UP
B. OFFENSIVE STRATEGY

II. DEFENDING NONJUDICIAL DEED OF TRUST FORECLOSURES
A. INTRODUCTION
B. PROCEDURE FOR RESTRAINING TRUSTEE’S SALES
C. DEFENSES BASED ON TRUSTEE MISCONDUCT
D. POST-SALE REMEDIES
E. SETTING ASIDE THE TRUSTEE’S SALE
F. ADDITIONAL STATUTORY REMEDIES
G. RAISING DEFENSES IN THE UNLAWFUL DETAINER
(EVICTION) ACTION
H. DAMAGES FOR WRONGFUL FORECLOSURE

III. DEFENDING JUDICIAL FORECLOSURES
A. INTRODUCTION
B. HOMESTEAD RIGHTS
C. UPSET PRICE
D. DEFICIENCY JUDGMENTS
E. REDEMPTION RIGHTS
F. POSSESSION AFTER SALE
G. POST FORECLOSURE RELIEF

IV. MISCELLANEOUS ISSUES
A. BANKRUPTCY
B. WORKOUTS (DEED IN LIEU)
C. LENDER LIABILITY
D. MOBILE HOME FORECLOSURES
E. TAX CONSEQUENCES OF FORECLOSURE

V. THE GOVERNMENT AS INSURER, GUARANTOR OR LENDER
A. INTRODUCTION
B. HUD WORKOUT OPTIONS
C. THE VA HOME LOAN PROGRAM
D. RURAL HOUSING LOANS

VI. RESOURCES

I. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

A. WHETHER TO REINSTATE, DEFEND OR GIVE-UP

By far the most important decision that must be initially made is whether the property is worth saving. This is often ignored and wasted effort is expended when there is no “equity” (realistic fair market value minus all debt, liens, property taxes, anticipated foreclosure costs, late fees, and selling costs) in the property.
The options are as follows:
1. Reinstatement. Pay the costs and late charges and stop the process. In most non-judicial foreclosures this is permitted up until the date of sale. In Washington the lender must allow reinstatement 10 days prior to the sale date. See RCW 61.24. Often a lender or relative will loan necessary funds and take a subordinate lien on the property to do so. The makes sense only if the new payments are within the means of the debtor.
2. Sell the Property. If there is equity, but no ability to reinstate, then immediately list and sell the property to recoup equity.
3. Obtain Foreclosure Relief. Most government insured loans (if, VA, FHA) have programs allowing (or requiring) lenders to assist defaulting borrowers. See discussion under §V infra. Check into these options immediately.
4. Give Up. This is actually an option as most state laws permit the debtor to remain in possession during the foreclosure process and redemption period rent-free. Most laws, especially in non-judicial foreclosure states – do not allow (or at least limit) deficiencies. Debtors contemplating bankruptcy should take advantage of homestead rights and redemption rights. If there is no equity or negative equity and no ability to make payments, there is no economic reason to try to avoid foreclosure.
5. Defend the Foreclosure. After all of the above have been considered, defense of the foreclosure may be warranted. This outline discusses some defenses that may result in re-instatement of the mortgage or recovery of equity.
B. OFFENSIVE STRATEGY
In addition to defenses that may be raised, there may be affirmative claims that can be brought against the lender which should be immediately determined and raised in a counterclaim or set-off or, in the case of non-judicial foreclosure, brought by separate suit and coupled with an injunction against continuing the non-judicial foreclosure. These claims can also be brought in bankruptcy. See, e.g. In re Perkins, 106 BR 863 (1989).
A few examples of affirmative claims:
1. Truth-in-Lending Act Violations. Often lenders will hand the debtor a claim, which can turn a debt into an asset. If the Truth-in-Lending disclosure statement is less than one year old, there may be damage claims for improper disclosure. See, 15 U.S.C. 1635. More importantly, there may be a right of rescission, which can be exercised up to three years after the closing resulting in a tremendous advantage to the borrower. See, e.g., Beach v. Ocwen Fed Bank, 118 S. Ct. 1408 (1998).
2. Usury. If a state usury law applies (usually on seller financed real estate), this can parlay a debt into an asset. Federal pre-emption generally prevents this, but there are exceptions. See, RCW 19.52.
3. Mortgage Broker Liability, Lender Liability, Unfair or Deceptive Acts or Practices. Numerous claims that arise in the mortgage financing context give rise to set-offs that can allow negotiation out of the foreclosure. See e.g. Mason v. Mortgage America, 114 Wn. 2d 842 (1990). Intentional breach of contract gives rise to emotional stress damages. See, Cooperstein v. Van Natter, 26 Wn. App. 91 (1980); Theis v. Federal Finance Co., 4 Wn. App. 146 (1971).
Under a new federal statute to regulate high interest, predatory loans, Congress enacted in 1994 the Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act (effective on loans after October 1, 1995). This amendment to the Truth-In-Lending Act requires greater disclosures in loans where a number of factors exist such as, points exceeding 8% and other excessive costs. Penalties include enhanced damages and rescission. See 15 U.S.C. 1602(u) and 15 U.S.C. 1640(a).
The Mortgage Broker Practices Act, RCW 31.04 and the Consumer Protection Act also have enhanced damages and attorney fees.

II. DEFENDING NONJUDICIAL DEED OF TRUST FORECLOSURES

A. INTRODUCTION

The deed of trust is currently one of the most common devices for securing conventional and government insured or guaranteed real estate loans. The deed of trust may be typically foreclosed either judicially as a mortgage or non-judicially. Set forth below are the jurisdictional variations in security agreements and the most common foreclosure procedures#.

Nonjudicial

# 1

Jurisdiction
Customary Security Agreement
Customary Foreclosure Procedure

Alabama
Mortgage
Nonjudicial

Alaska
Deed of Trust
Nonjudicial

Arizona
Deed of Trust
Nonjudicial

Arkansas
Mortgage
Judicial

California
Deed of Trust
Nonjudicial

Colorado
Deed of Trust (Semi-judicial)
Public Trustee’s Sale

Connecticut
Mortgage

Judicial-Strict Foreclosure

Delaware
Mortgage
Judicial

Dis. of Col.
Deed of Trust
Nonjudicial

Florida
Mortgage
Judicial

Georgia
Security Deed
Nonjudicial

Hawaii
Mortgage
Judicial

Idaho
Mortgage
Judicial & Nonjudicial

Illinois
Mtg. & D.T.
Judicial

Indiana
Mortgage
Judicial

Iowa
Mortgage
Judicial

Kansas
Mortgage
Judicial

Kentucky
Mortgage
Judicial

Louisiana
Mortgage
Judicial

Maine
Mortgage
Judicial (Nonjudicial for Corporate Borrower)

Maryland
Deed of Trust
Nonjudicial

Massachusetts
Mortgage
Nonjudicial

Michigan
Mortgage
Nonjudicial

Minnesota
Mortgage
Nonjudicial

Mississippi
Deed of Trust
Nonjudicial

Missouri
Deed of Trust
Nonjudicial

Montana
Instlmnt. Contract
Nonjudicial

Nebraska
Deed of Trust Mortgage
Judicial & Nonjudicial

Nevada
Deed of Trust
Nonjudicial

New Hampshire
Mortgage
Nonjudicial

New Jersey
Mortgage
Judicial

New Mexico
Mortgage
Judicial

New York
Mortgage
Judicial

North Carolina
Deed of Trust
Judicial

North Dakota
Mortgage
Judicial

Ohio
Mortgage
Judicial

Oklahoma
Mortgage
Judicial

Oregon
Deed of Trust
Nonjudicial

Pennsylvania
Mortgage
Judicial

Puerto Rico
Mortgage
Judicial

Rhode Island
Mortgage
Nonjudicial

South Carolina
Mortgage
Judicial

South Dakota
Mortgage
Judicial & Nonjudicial

Tennessee
Deed of Trust
Nonjudicial

Texas
Deed of Trust
Nonjudicial

Utah
Deed of Trust
Nonjudicial

Vermont
Mortgage
Strict Foreclosure

Virgin Islands
Mortgage
Judicial

Virginia
Deed of Trust
Nonjudicial

Washington
Deed of Trust
Nonjudicial

West Virginia
Deed of Trust
Nonjudicial

Wisconsin
Mortgage
Judicial

Wyoming
Mtg. & Installment Contracts

foreclosure is allowed in approximately one-half of the states. Also listed are the states that permit nonjudicial foreclosure and their relevant statutes#. With nonjudicial foreclosure, it is not necessary to utilize the court for the foreclosure sale unless a deficiency judgment is sought. Nonjudicial foreclosure is often the preferred method of foreclosure because it is more efficient than judicial foreclosure and quicker. The nonjudicial foreclosure procedure has been found constitutional between private parties on the basis that there is no state action#, but there is a serious question as to whether the government can direct a lender to use a nonjudicial procedure#.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Judicial
# ALABAMA: ALA. CODE §§35-10-1 TO 35-10-10; [FORECLOSURE AFTER 12/1988 §§35-10-11 TO 35-10-16]
(1991).
Alaska: Alaska Stat. §§34.20.090 to 34.20.100 (1991).
Arizona: Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§33-807 to 33-814 (West 1991).
Arkansas: Ark. Code Ann. §§18-50-108; 18-50-116 (1987).
California: Cal. Civ. Code §§2924 to 2924(h) West 1992).
D.C.: D.C. Code Ann. §§45-715 to 45-718 (1991).
Georgia: Ga. Code Ann. §§9-13-141; 44-14-162.4; 44-14-48; 44-14-180 to 187 (Harrison 1991).
Idaho: Idaho Code §§6-101; 104; 45-1502 to 45-1506 (1991).
Iowa: Iowa Code Ann. §654.18 (West 1992).
Maine: Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 14, §§7-105; 7-202 (1988).
Massachusetts: Mass. Gen. Laws Ann. ch. 183, §§19, 21; ch. 244, §§11-15 (West 1992).
Michigan: Mich. Comp. Laws Ann. §§451-401 et seq.; 600.2431; 600.3201 et seq.; 600.3170 (West 1992).
Minnesota: Minn. Stat. Ann. §§580.01 to 580.30; 582.01 et seq. (West 1992).
Mississippi: Miss. Code Ann. §§11-5-111; 15-1-23; 89-1-55 (1972).
Missouri: Mo. Ann. Stat. §§442.290to 443.325 (Vernon 1992).
Montana: Mont. Code Ann. §§25-13-802; 71-1-111; 71-1-223 to 232, 71-1-311 to 317 (1991).
Nebraska: Neb. Rev. Stat. §§76-1001 to 1018 (1981).
Nevada: Nev. Rev. Stat. §§107.020; 107.025; 107.080 to 107.100; 40.050; 40.453 (Michie 1991).
New Hampshire: N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§479:22 to 479:27 (1991).
New York: N.Y. Real Prop. Acts §§1401 to 1461 (McKinney 1992).
North Dakota: N.D. Cent. Code §35-22-01 (1992).
Oklahoma: Okla. Stat. Ann. tit. 46, §§40 to 49 (West 1992).
Oregon: Or. Rev. Stat. §§86.705 to 86.795 (1989).
Rhode Island: R.I. Gen. Laws §§34-11-22; 34-20-4; 34-23-3; 34-27-1 (1984).
South Dakota: S.D. Codified Laws Ann. §§21-48-1 to 21-48-26; 21-48A-1 to 21-48A-5 (1992).
Tennessee: Tenn. Code Ann. §§35-5-101 to 35-5-112 (1991). See, Note, Power of Sale Foreclosures in
Tennessee, 8 Mem. St. U.L. Rev. 871 (1978).
Texas: Tex. Prop. Code Ann. §§51-002; 51.003; 51.005 (West 1992).
Utah: Utah Code Ann. §§57-1-23 to 57-1-34 (1986).
Vermont: Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 12, §§4531a to 4533 (1991).
Virginia: Va. Code Ann. §§55-59.1 to 55-59.4; 55-61 to 55-66.7 (Michie 1991).
Washington: Wash. Rev. Code Ann. §§61.24.010 to 61.24.130 (West 1992).

_______________________________________________________________________________________

West Virginia: W. Va. Code §§38-1-3 to 38-1-12 (1991).
Wyoming: Wyo. Stat. §§34-4-101 to 34-4-113 (1991).

# See Charmicor, Inc. v. Deaner, 572 F.2d 694 (9th Cir.1978); Northrip v. Federal National Mortgage Association, 527 F.2d 23 (6th Cir.1975); Barrera v. Security Building & Investment Corp., 519 F.2d 1166 (5th Cir. 1975); Bryant v. Jefferson Federal Savings & Loan Association, 509 F.2d 511 (D.C. Cir.1974); Lawson v. Smith, 402 F.Supp. 851 (N.D.Cal.1975); Global Industries, Inc. v. Harris, 376 F.Supp. 1379 (N.D.Ga.1974); Homestead Savings v. Darmiento, 230 Cal.App.3d 424, 281 Cal.Rptr. 367 (1991); Leininger v. Merchants & Farmers Bank, macon, 481 So.2d 1086 (Miss.1986); Wright v. Associates Financial Services Co. of Oregon, Inc., 59 Or.App.688, 651 P.2d 945 (1983), certiorari denied 464 U.S. 834, 104 S.Ct. 117, 78 L.Ed.2d 116 (1983); Kennebec Inc. v. Bank of the West, 88 Wash.2d 718, 565 P.2d 812 (1977); Dennison v. Jack, 172 W.Va. 147, 304 S.E.2d 300 (1983).
# Island Financial, Inc. v. Ballman, 92 Md.App. 125, 607 A.2d 76 (1992); Turner v. Blackburn, 389 F.Supp. 1250 (W.D.N.C.1975); Vail v. Derwinski, 946 F.2d 589 (8th Cir.1991), amended by 956 F.2d 812 (8th Cir.1992) and Boley v. Brown, 10 F.3d 218 (4th Cir.1993) which held that the VA’s control over the foreclosure process in VA guaranteed loan foreclosures constitutes sufficient governmental action to trigger due process protections. Accord, U.S. v. Whitney, 602 F. Supp. 722 (W.D. N.Y. 1985); U.S. v. Murdoch, 627 F. Supp. 272 (N.D. Ind. 1986). See Also Leen, Galbraith & Gant, Due Process and Deeds of Trust – Strange Bedfellows, 48 Wash.L.Rev. 763 (1973).

B. PROCEDURE FOR RESTRAINING TRUSTEE’S SALE

Anyone having an interest in the real property security, including the borrower, may restrain the non-judicial foreclosure of a deed of trust on any proper ground#. Proper grounds for enjoining a trustee’s sale include: (1) there is no default on the obligation, Salot v. Wershow, 157 CA.2d 352, 320 P.2d 926 (1958), (2) the deed of trust has been reinstated, (3) the notice of default, notice of sale, or proposed conduct of the sale is defective, Crummer v. Whitehead, 230 CA.2d 264, 40 CR 826 (1964), (4) the lender has waived the right to foreclose, (5) a workout/settlement has been agreed to, (6) equitable reasons that would entitle a debtor to close a sale of the property or complete a refinance, (7) to enforce government relief programs, and trustee misconduct. Finally, there may be defenses to the debt (i.e. usury, truth in lending violations, misrepresentation of the seller, breach of warranty by the seller, etc.) or set-offs, which substantially reduce the debt.

1. Time for Filing Action
The action can presumably be filed any time before the scheduled trustee’s sale, but the sooner the better. Under Washington law, if one seeks to restrain the sale, five days notice must be given to the trustee and the beneficiary. See the Revised Code of Washington (hereinafter “RCW”) 61.24.130(2); Note, supra, footnote 4. A trustor in California has at least one hundred and ten days (after the recording of the notice of default) to seek to enjoin the sale. In California, fifteen days are required for noticing a motion for a preliminary injunction. See CCP section 1005.

______________________________

# See, e.g., Reiserer v. Foothill Thrift and Loan, 208 Cal.App.3d 1082, 256 Cal.Rptr. 508 (1989) (unpublished opinion); Metropolitan Life Insurance Company v. La Mansion Hotels & Resorts, Ltd., 762 S.W.2d 646 (Tex.App.1988); Bekins Bar V Ranch v. Huth, 664 P.2d 455 (Utah 1983); National Life Insurance Co. v. Cady, 227 Ga. 475, 181 S.E.2d 382 (1971); Peoples National Bank v. Ostrander, 6 Wn.App. 28, 491 P.2d 1058 (1971). See, generally, note, Court Actions Contesting The Nonjudicial Foreclosure of Deeds of Trust in Washington, 59 Wash.L.Rev. 323 (1984); Restraining Orders in Non-Judicial Deed of Trust Foreclosures, Property Law Reporter, June 1987 (Vol. 3 Nos. 4 & 5).

2. Effect of Lis Pendens
Filing a lis pendens at the time the lawsuit is commenced constitutes constructive notice to purchasers and others dealing with the property of the claims and defenses asserted by the plaintiff#. Even if the plaintiff does not seek an order restraining the trustee’s sale or a restraining order is denied, purchasers at the sale acquire the property subject to the pending litigation#.

3. Notice of Application for Restraining Order
In Washington, a person seeking to restrain a trustee’s sale must give five days notice to the trustee setting forth when, where and before whom the application for the restraining order or injunction will be made. See RCW 61.24.130(2). See also Civil Rules 6 and 81 of the Civil Rules for Superior Court regarding computation of time.

________________________________

# Putnam Sand & Gravel Co. v. Albers, 14 CA3d 722, 92 CR 636 (1971).

# Avco Financial Services Loan, Inc. v. Hale, 36 Ohio App.3d 65, 520 N.E.2d 1378 (1987); Land Associates, Inc. v. Becker, 294 Or. 308, 656 P.2d 927 (1982), appeal after remand 74 Or.App. 444, 703 P.2d 1004 (1985).

4. Payment Obligation
When a preliminary injunction is sought, many states require the petitioner to post an injunction bond to protect the lender from injury because of the injunction#. Some courts require the party seeking the injunctive relief to pay to the court the amount due on the obligation#. If the amount due on the obligation is in dispute, most courts will require the borrower to tender at least what he/she acknowledges is due#.
Under Washington law, if the default is in making the monthly payment of principal, interest and reserves, the court requires such sum to be paid into the court every thirty days. See RCW 61.24.130(1)(a). A practice tip: even if local law does not require this, it would advantageous to offer to make ongoing payments. Then the creditor loses nothing during the pendency of the suit. In the case of default on a balloon payment, the statute requires that payment of the amount of the monthly interest at the new default rate shall be made to the court

clerk every thirty days. See RCW 61.24.130 (1)(b). If the property secured by the deed of trust is an owner occupied single family dwelling, then the court must require the party seeking to restrain the trustee’s sale to make the monthly payment of principal interest and reserves to the clerk of the court every 30 days. See RCW 61.24.130(1).
Although the amount that the party seeking to restrain the trustee’s sale must pay as a condition of continuing the restraining order would ordinarily be the regular monthly payment on the obligation, RCW 61.24.130(1)(a), when there is a balloon payment past due, RCW 61.24.130(1)(b) provides:

In the case of default in making payments of an obligation then fully payment by its terms, such sum shall be the amount of interest accruing monthly on said obligation at the non-default rate, paid to the clerk of the court every thirty days.

__________________________

# See Hummell v. Republic Federal Savings & Loan, 133 Cal.App.3d 49, 183 Cal.Rptr. 708 (4th Dist.1982); Broad & Locust Associates v. Locust-Broad Realty Co., 318 Pa.Super. 38, 464 A.2d 506 (1983); Strangis v. Metropolitan Bank, 385 N.W.2d 47 (Minn.App.1986); Franklin Savings Association v. Reese, 756 S.W.2d 14 (Tex.App.1988); Koegal v. Prudential Mutual Savings, Inc., 51 Wn.App. 108 (1988).

# See Ginther-Davis Center, Limited v. Houston National Bank, 600 S.W.2d 856 (Tex.Civ.App. 1980), error refused n.r.e.; see also Tiffany, Real Property, § 1549 (3d Ed. 1939) for a list of cases; Thompson, Real Property § 5179 (1957). Cf. Grella v. Berry, 647 S.W.2d 15 (Tex.App.1982).
# See Glines v. Theo R. Appel Realty Co., 201 Mo.App.596, 213 S.W. 498 (1919).

This is consistent with the intent to preserve the status quo while the lawsuit is pending and provide security only for prospective harm.

Failure to seek a restraint may constitute a waiver of all rights to challenge a sale for defects whenever the party who received notice of the right to enjoin the trustees sale, had actual or constructive knowledge of a defense to foreclosure prior to the sale, and failed to bring an action to enjoin the sale. The doctrine of waiver would thus preclude an action by a party to set aside a completed trustee’s sale#. Finally, RCW 61.24.130 allows the court to consider the grantor’s equity in determining the amount of security. This would significantly help a borrower avoid a costly bond. An appraisal showing equity should persuade a court that the lender is protected while the underlying dispute is resolved in court.

When a party knew or should have known that they might have a cause of action to set aside the sale but unreasonably delayed commencing the action, causing damage to the defendant, the doctrine of laches may bar the action#.

_________________________________

# Koegel v. Prudential Mutual Savings, Inc., 51 Wn. App. 108, 114 (1988); Steward v. Good, 51 Wn. App. 509, 515 (1988).

C. DEFENSES BASED ON TRUSTEE MISCONDUCT

Most defenses that are available in judicial foreclosures are also available in nonjudicial foreclosures of deeds of trust. Defenses may include violation of Truth-in-Lending, usury statutes, other consumer protection legislation, or special requirements when the government is the lender, insurer, or guarantor, infra. Other defenses are unique to nonjudicial foreclosure of deeds of trust because they relate to the particular obligations imposed upon trustees who conduct the sale of the real property.

1. Breach of Fiduciary Duties
A trustee selling property at a nonjudicial foreclosure sale has strict obligations imposed by law. In most states, “a trustee is treated as a fiduciary for both the borrower and the lender.”#

________________________________________________________________________________________

# Carlson v. Gibraltar Savings, 50 Wn. App. 424, 429 (1988).
# Baxter & Dunaway, The Law of Distressed Real Estate (Clark Boardman Company, Ltd., November 1990). See Spires v. Edgar, 513 S.W.2d 372 (Mo.1974).

In McPherson v. Purdue, 21 Wn. App. 450, 452-3, 585 P.2d 830 (1978), the court approved the following statement describing the duties of a trustee from California law:
Among those duties is that of bringing “the property to the hammer under every possible advantage to his cestui que trusts,” using all reasonable diligence to obtain the best price.

In Cox v. Helenius, 103 Wn.2d 383, 388, 693 P.2d 683 (1985), the Washington Supreme Court adopted the following view:
Because the deed of trust foreclosure process is conducted without review or confrontation by a court, the fiduciary duty imposed upon the trustee is “exceedingly high”.

The court went on to illuminate four duties of the trustee:

(1) The trustee is bound by his office to use diligence in presenting the sale under every possible advantage to the debtor as well as the creditor;

(2) The trustee must take reasonable and appropriate steps to avoid sacrifice of the debtor’s property and his interest;

(3) Once a course of conduct is undertaken that is reasonably calculated to instill a sense of reliance thereon by the grantor, that course of conduct can not be abandoned without notice to the grantor; and

(4) When an actual conflict of interest arises between the roles of attorney for the beneficiary and trustee, the attorney should withdraw from one position, thus preventing a breach of fiduciary duty.

In Blodgett v. Martsch, 590 P.2d 298 (UT 1978), it was stated that “the duty of the trustee under a trust deed is greater than the mere obligation to sell the pledged property, . . . it is a duty to treat the trustor fairly and in accordance with a high punctilio of honor.” The Supreme Court in Blodgett went even further and found that the breach of this confidential duty may be regarded as constructive fraud#.

The general rule is summarized in Nelson & Whitman, Real Estate Finance Law, (West Publishing Co., 3d Ed. 1994), §7.21:
. . . a trustee in a deed of trust is a fiduciary for both the mortgagor and mortgagee and must act impartially between them. As one leading decision has stated, “the trustee for sale is bound by his office to bring the estate to a sale under every possible advantage to the debtor as well as to the creditor, and he is bound to use not only good faith but also every requisite degree of diligence in conducting the sale and to attend equally to the interest of debtor and creditor alike, apprising both of the intention of selling, that each may take the means to procure an advantageous sale.”

Mills v. Mutual Building & Loan Association, 216 N.C. 664, 669, 6 S.E.2d 549, 554 (1940).
The fiduciary duty of a trustee to obtain the best possible price for trust property that it sells has been discussed in nonjudicial and other contexts#.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

# See also McHugh v. Church, 583 P.2d 210, 214 (Alaska 1978).

However, this “fiduciary” characterization of a trustee is not accepted in all jurisdictions. The California Supreme Court has stated,
“The similarities between a trustee of an express trust and a trustee under a deed of trust end with the name. ‘Just as a panda is not a true bear, a trustee of a deed of trust is not a true trustee.’ *** [T]he trustee under a deed of trust does not have a true trustee’s interest in, and control over, the trust property. Nor is it bound by the fiduciary duties that characterize a true trustee.”

Monterey S.P. Partnership v. W.L. Bangham, Inc. 49 Cal.3d 454, 462, 261 Cal.Rptr. 587,592 (1989).

In most jurisdictions, a trustee cannot, without the express consent of the trustor, purchase at the sale that he conducts#. A court may impose additional affirmative duties (beyond the statutory requirements) upon the trustee in certain circumstances.

This could include a requirement that a trustee’s sale be continued, if necessary, to prevent a total loss of the debtor’s equity. West v. Axtell, 322 Mo. 401, 17 S.W.2d 328 (1929). RCW 61.24.040(6) authorizes a trustee to continue a trustee’s sale for a period or periods totaling 120 days for “any cause he deems advantageous.”

___________________________

# See Cox v. Helenius, supra, at p. 389; Allard v. Pacific National Bank, 99 Wn. 2d 394, 405, 663 P.2d 104 (1983), modified by 99 Wn.2d 394, 773 P.2d 145 (1989). superseded by RCW 11.100.140 as stated in Conran v. Seafirst Bank, 1998 Wn.App. Lexis 156.. See also National Life Insurance Company v. Silverman, 454 F.2d 899, 915 (D.C. Cir. 1971), in which the court stated that the same good faith is required of trustees under a deed of trust of real estate as is required of other fiduciaries.

# See Smith v. Credico Industrial Loan Company, 234 Va. 514, 362 S.E.2d 735 (1987); Whitlow v. Mountain Trust Bank, 215 Va. 149, 207 S.E.2d 837 (1974).

However, the Washington Court of Appeals has ruled that the trustee need not exercise “due diligence” in notifying interested parties of an impending sale. Morrell v. Arctic Trading Co., 21 Wn. App. 302, 584 P.2d 983 (1978). Further, the general rule is that a trustee is not obligated to disclose liens or other interests which the purchaser could or should have discovered through his or her own investigation. Ivrey v. Karr, 182 Md. 463, 34 A.2d 847, 852 (1943). The Washington courts have held that even when a trustee is aware of defects in title, the trustee only undertakes an affirmative duty of full and accurate disclosure if s/he has made any representations or answered any questions concerning the title. McPherson v. Purdue, 21 Wn. App. 450, 453, 585 P.2d 830 (1978). However, despite this general rule, there is authority behind the proposition that a trustee has a fiduciary duty to restrain the sale due to defects known to the trustee. In Cox v. Helenius, 103 Wn.2d 383,*,693 P.2d 683 (1985), in which the trustee knew that the right to foreclose was disputed and that the attorney for the trustor had failed to restrain the sale, the court held that the trustee should have either informed the attorney for the trustor that she had failed to properly restrain the sale or delayed foreclosure. As a result of the trustee’s failure to do so, the sale was held void.

Trustees are not permitted to “chill the bidding” by making statements which would discourage bidding, for example, a statement that it is unlikely that the sale will be held because the debtor intends to reinstate#. If a trustee does engage in “chilled bidding”, the sale is subject to being set aside#.

____________________________________________________________________________________

# See, Nelson & Whitman, supra, Section 7.21; Dingus, Mortgages-Redemption After Foreclosure Sale in

Missouri, 25 Mo.L.REV. 261, 284 (1960).

# Biddle v. National Old Line Ins. Co., 513 S.W.2d 135 (Tex.Civ.App.1974), error refused n.r.e.; Sullivan v. Federal Farm Mortgage Corp., 62 Ga.App.402, 8 S.E.2d 126 (1940).

# Queen City Savings v. Manhalt, 111 Wn.2d 503 (1988).

2. Strict Construction of the Deed of Trust Statute
The nonjudicial foreclosure process is intended to be inexpensive and efficient while providing an adequate opportunity for preventing wrongful foreclosures and promoting the stability of land titles#. However, statutes allowing foreclosure under a power of sale contained within the trust deed or mortgage are usually strictly construed. Id. at 509.
Recent decisions have moved away from the strict construction ruling, holding that some technical violations of statutes governing nonjudicial foreclosures will not serve as grounds for setting aside sale when the error was non-prejudicial and correctable. See Koegal, supra at 113. An example of a non-prejudicial and correctable error is noncompliance with the requirement that the trustee record the notice of sale 90-days prior to the actual sale when actual notice of the sale was given to the debtors 90-days prior to the sale and the lack of recording caused no harm. Steward, supra at 515. Further, inconsequential defects often involve minor discrepancies regarding the notice of sale. In Bailey v. Pioneer Federal Savings and Loan Association, 210 Va. 558, 172 S.E.2d 730 (1970), where the first of four published notices omitted the place of the sale, the court held that since there was “substantial compliance” with the requirements specified by the deed of trust and since the parties were not affected in a “material way,” the sale was valid#. In another case, where the notice of sale was sent by regular rather than by statutorily required certified or registered mail and the mortgagor had actual notice of the sale for more than the statutory period prior to the sale, the sale was deemed valid#. Clearly a grantor must show some prejudice.

D. POST-SALE REMEDIES

1. Statutory Presumptions
The Washington Deed of Trust Act contains statutory presumptions in connection with a trustee’s sale that are similar to those found in most other states. # RCW 61.24.040(7) provides, in part:

. . . the [trustee’s] deed shall recite the facts showing that the sale was conducted in compliance with all of the requirements of this chapter and of the deed of trust, which recital shall be prima facie evidence of such compliance and conclusive evidence thereof in favor of bona fide purchasers and encumbrancers for value.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

# See also Tarleton v. Griffin Federal Savings Bank, 202 Ga.App. 454, 415 S.E.2d 4 (1992); Concepts, Inc. v. First Security Realty Services, Inc., 743 P.2d 1158 (Utah 1987).

# Macon-Atlanta State Bank v. Gall, 666 S.W.2d 934 (Mo.App.1984). For a complete list of defects considered “insubstantial”, see Graham v. Oliver, 659 S.W.2d 601, 604 (Mo.App.1983).
# See also Cal. Civ. Code § 2924 (West 1981); Utah Code Ann.1953, 57-1-28; West’s Colo.Rev.Stat. Ann. §38-39-115; Or.Rev.Stat. 86.780; So.Dak.Compiled Laws 21-48-23.

Such provisions are designed to protect bona fide purchasers and to assure that the title passed through a trustee’s sale will be readily insurable. However, although the required recitals are described as “conclusive” in favor of bona fide purchasers and encumbrancers for value, there is extensive case law setting forth the basis for rebutting these presumptions. They also don’t apply to a dispute between the grantor and grantee. See, generally, Nelson & Whitman, Real Estate Finance Law, (2d ed. 1985) § 7.21 ff. Some states employ other means of stabilizing titles, such as title insurance. Yet another means of stabilizing titles is to include a provision in the deed of trust that in the event of a trustee’s sale, the recital will be conclusive proof of the facts. See, Johnson v. Johnson, 25 Wn. 2d 797 (1946); Glidden v. Municipal Authority, 111 Wn. 2d 341 (1988), modified By Glidden v. Municipal Authority, 764 P.2d 647 (1988).

2. The Bona Fide Purchaser
The law is well settled that a bona fide purchaser, in order to achieve that status, must have purchased the property “for value.” See RCW 61.24.040(7).

The general rule is set forth in Phillips v. Latham, 523 S.W.2d 19, 24 (Tex. 1975):

[The purchaser] cannot claim to be a good-faith purchaser for value because the jury found . . . that the sale price of $691.43 was grossly inadequate. These findings are not attacked for lack of evidence. Although good faith does not necessarily require payment of the full value of the property, a purchaser who pays a grossly inadequate price cannot be considered a good-faith purchaser for value.

Further, if a lis pendens has been recorded, it “will cause the purchaser to take subject to the plaintiff’s claims.” Bernhardt, California Mortgage & Deed of Trust Practice (2d Edition 1990).

A purchaser will not then constitute a bona fide purchaser able to utilize the presumptions of regularity in recitals of the trustee’s deed. See CC § 2924. The beneficiary of a deed of trust is not a bona fide purchaser. See Johnson, supra.

E. SETTING ASIDE THE TRUSTEE’S SALE

Setting aside a trustee’s sale is largely a matter for the trial court’s discretion. Crummer v. Whitehead, 230 Cal. App. 2d 264, 40 Cal. Rptr. 826 (1964); Brown v. Busch, 152 Ca. App. 2d 200, 313 P.2d 19 (1957). After a trustee’s sale has taken place, a trustor or junior lienor may bring an action in equity to set aside the sale. See Crummer v. Whitehead, 230 Cal. App. 2d 264, 40 Cal. Rptr. 826 (1964); see also Note, “Court Actions Contesting The Nonjudicial Foreclosure of Deeds of Trust In Washington,” 59 Wash.L.Rev. 323 (1984)#.

An action may be brought to set aside a trustee’s sale under circumstances where the trustee’s sale is void. Cox v. Helenius, 103 Wn.2d 383, 693 P.2d 683 (1985). In those circumstances where the defect in the trustee’s sale procedure does not render the trustee’s sale void, the court will probably apply equitable principles in deciding what relief, if any, is available to the parties. A general discussion of equitable principles in contexts other than trustee’s sale can be found in Eastlake Community Council v. Roanoake Associates, 82 Wn.2d 475, 513 P.2d 36 (1973) and Arnold v. Melani, 75 Wn.2d 143, 437 P.2d 908 (1968). Although it is preferable to raise any defenses to the obligations secured by the deed of trust or other defects in the nonjudicial foreclosure process prior to the trustee’s sale, a trustee’s sale can presumably be set aside if there was a good reason for not restraining it. Possible reasons could include those described below.

__________________________________________________________________________________

# Attempting to Set Aside Deed of Trust Foreclosure Because of Trustee’s Fiduciary Breach, 53 Missouri L. Rev. 151 (1988).

1. Breach of the Trustee’s Duty

a. Inadequate Sale Price

The general rule on using inadequate sale price to set aside a deed of trust sale is stated in Nelson & Whitman, supra, § 7.21:

All jurisdictions adhere to the recognized rule that mere inadequacy of the foreclosure sale price will not invalidate a sale, absent fraud, unfairness, or other irregularity. Stating the rule in a slightly different manner, courts sometimes say that inadequacy of the sale price is an insufficient ground unless it is so gross as to shock the conscience of the court, warranting an inference of fraud or imposition#.

In Cox v. Helenius, supra, at p. 388, the court indicated that the inadequate sale price coupled with the trustee’s actions, would have resulted in a void sale, even if not restrained.

Generally, unless the sale price is grossly inadequate, other irregularities or unfairness must exist. However, considerable authority exists to support setting aside a sale when, coupled with an inadequate sale price, there is any other reason warranting equitable relief. Nelson & Whitman, Real Estate Finance Law, supra.

b. Hostility or Indifference to Rights of Debtor.

In Dingus, supra, at 289, it is stated:

In an action to set aside a foreclosure sale under a deed of trust, evidence showing that the trustee was hostile and wholly indifferent to any right of the mortgagor warrants setting aside the sale. Lunsford v. Davis, 254 S.W. 878 (Mo. 1923).

CF. Cox v. Helenius, supra.

c. Other Trustee Misconduct

Other trustee misconduct that would give rise to grounds for setting aside a trustees sale could include “chilled bidding” where the trustee acts in a manner that discourages other parties from bidding on the property#. Actions by the trustee which lull the debtor into inaction may also give rise to grounds for avoiding the sale#. Particular note should also be made of the discussion in Cox v. Helenius, supra, at p.390 in which trustees who serve a dual role as trustee and attorney for the beneficiary are directed to transfer one role to another person where an actual conflict of interest arises.

2. Absence of Other Foreclosure Requisites

RCW 61.24.030 sets forth the requisites to non-judicial foreclosure. Failure to meet these requisites may render the trustee’s sale void. In Cox v. Helenius, 103 Wn.2d 383, 693 P.2d 683 (1985), the court concluded that a trustee’s sale was void under circumstances where the borrower had filed an action contesting the obligation and that action was pending at the time of the trustee’s sale. The action was filed after service of the notice of default but before service of the notice of foreclosure and trustee’s sale.

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# Nelson & Whitman, supra, Section 7.21. Dingus, supra, at p. 274; see also Biddle v. National Old Line Insurance Co., 513 S.W.2d 135 (Tex.Civ.App. 1974).

# Dingus, supra, at pp. 272-73; Cox v. Helenius, supra, at p. 389.

The decision in Cox was based on language in the Deed of Trust Act that made it a requisite to foreclosure that “no action is pending on an obligation secured by the deed of trust.” That part of the Cox decision was legislative overruled by Chapter 193, Law of 1985, Reg. Sess., which amended RCW 61.24.030(4) to read as follows:

That no action commenced by the beneficiary of the deed of trust is now pending to seek satisfaction of an obligation secured by the deed of trust in any court by reason of the grantor’s default on the obligation secured;

As a result of the amendment, pendency of an action on the obligation brought by the grantor does not render a subsequent trustee’s sale void. Only pending actions commenced by the beneficiary to seek satisfaction of the obligation secured by the deed of trust operate as a bar to nonjudicial foreclosure. The trustee must be properly appointed and be appointed before the trustee has authority to act. When an eager trustee “jumps the gun” the actions are equally void.

F. ADDITIONAL STATUTORY REMEDIES

1. Confirmation of Sale Price.

Many states (but not Washington) require confirmation that the nonjudicial sale resulted in a fair value to the debtor. Below is listed the states that have adopted fair market value statutes#. Fair market value statutes are usually used to limit deficiency judgments to the difference between the fair market value and the debt. Failure to confirm the sale within the statutory period is usually a bar to a deficiency. For example, in Georgia the court must be petitioned for a confirmation of the sale if a deficiency judgment is sought.

2. Redemption in Nonjudicial Foreclosures.

Approximately one-half of the states allow for redemption after foreclosure, although not Washington. Some states allow redemption after a nonjudicial sale. See Minnesota Statutes Annotated § 580 et seq. Generally, the grantor can remain in possession during the redemption period, rent the property (retaining the rents) and/or sell the property (or sell the redemption rights).

G. RAISING DEFENSES IN THE UNLAWFUL DETAINER (EVICTION) ACTION

________________________________

# Arizona: Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. §33-814(A) (1989).
California: Cal. Civ. Code §580a (1989); Id. §726 (1989); Kirkpatrick v. Stelling, 36 Cal. App.2d 658, 98
P.2d 566, appeal dismissed, 311 U.S. 607 (1940); Risenfeld, California Legislation Curbing Deficiency
Judgments, 48 Calif. L. rev. 705 (1960). See infra, California jurisdictional summary in Part 1.
Georgia: Ga. Code Ann. §§44-14-161, -162 (1989).
Idaho: Idaho Code §§6-108, 45-1512 (1988).
Michigan: Mich. Comp. Laws Ann. §§600.3170, .3280 (1989).
Nebraska: Neb. Rev. Stat. §76-1013 (1989).
Nevada: Nev. Rev. Stat. §40.457 (1988).
New Jersey: N.J. Stat. Ann. §2A:50-3 (1989).
New York: N.Y. Real Prop. Acts Law §1371 (McKinney 1979 and Supp. 1990).
North Carolina: N.C. Gen. Stat. §45-21.36 (1988).
North Dakota: N.D. Cent. Code §32-19-06 (Supp. 1989).
Oklahoma: Okla. Stat. tit. 12, §686 (1990).
Pennsylvania: Pa. Stat. Ann. tit. 12 §§2621.1, .6 (Purdon 1967).
South Dakota: S.D. Comp. Laws Ann. §§21-47-16, -48-14 (1989).
Utah: Utah Code Ann. §57-1-32 (1989).
Washington: Wash. Rev. Code Ann. §61.12.060 (1989).
Wisconsin: Wis. Stat. §846.165 (1988).

In Washington, RCW 61.24.060 specifies that the purchaser at a trustee’s sale is entitled to possession of the property on the 20th day following the sale. If the grantor or person claiming through the grantor refuses to vacate the property, the purchaser is entitled to bring an action to recover possession of the property pursuant to the unlawful detainer statute, RCW 59.12. Ordinarily, parties in possession will not be allowed to raise some defenses in the unlawful detainer action that could have been raised prior to the trustee’s sale#. In most states defenses in an eviction action are severely limited. Despite these early cases restricting defenses in unlawful detainer, e.g. Peoples National Bank v. Ostander, 6 Wn. App. 28 (1971), a more recent case, Cox v. Helenius, 103 Wash. 2d 208 (1985), allowed defenses to be raised that the sale was void because of defects in the foreclosure process itself. In fact, Cox v. Helenius was initially a unlawful detainer action in the King County Superior Court. In Savings Bank of Puget Sound v. Mink, 49 Wn. App. 204 (1987), Division One of the Court of Appeals, held that a number of defenses raised by the appellant (Truth-in-Lending violations, infliction of emotional distress, defamation, slander, etc.) were not properly assertable in an unlawful detainer action but ruled that:

However, in Cox v. Helenius, supra, the Supreme Court recognized that there may be circumstances surrounding the foreclosure process that will void the sale and thus destroy any right to possession in the purchaser at the sale. In Cox, the Court recognized two bases for post sale relief: defects in the foreclosure process itself, i.e., failure to observe the statutory prescriptions and the existence of an actual conflict of interest on the part of the trustee…

_________________________________

# People’s National Bank v. Ostrander, 6 Wn. App. 28, 491 P.2d 1058 (1970). See, however, Crummer v. Whitehead, 230 Cal. App. 2d 264 (1964) contra declined to follow by Eardley v. Greenberg, 160 Az.518, 774 P.2d 822 (Az.App. Div. 1 1989); MCA, Inc., v. Universal Diversified Enterprises Corp., 27 Cal. App. 3d 170 (1972). contra declined to follow by Eardley v. Greenberg, 160 Az.518, 774 P.2d 822 (Az.App. Div. 1 1989) But in a bankruptcy proceeding, defenses may be raised after the sale if the debtor is in possession.

B. The Deed of Trust Act must be construed strictly against lenders and in favor of borrowers.

Washington law is similarly clear that the Deed of Trust Act, being non-judicial in nature and without the scrutiny by courts until the unlawful detainer stage, is strictly construed against lenders and in favor of borrowers. Queen City Savings and Loan v. Mannhalt, 111

In order to avoid the jurisdictional and other problems that arise when trying to litigate claims in the unlawful detainer action, it is recommended that a separate action be filed to set aside the trustee’s sale and that the two actions be consolidated.

H. DAMAGES FOR WRONGFUL FORECLOSURE

There is a damage claim for the tort of wrongful foreclosure. The claim may also exist as a breach of contract claim. See, Theis v. Federal Finance Co., 4 Wn. App. 146 (1971); Cox v. Helenius, supra.

III. DEFENDING JUDICIAL FORECLOSURES

A. INTRODUCTION

The same range of defenses is generally available to the borrower in both nonjudicial and judicial foreclosures. Defenses may include fraud or misrepresentation, violations of Truth-in-Lending, violations of usury statutes, violations of other consumer protection acts, or failure to comply with applicable regulations when the government is the lender, insurer, or guarantor. Other defenses, however, are unique to judicial foreclosures and must be raised affirmatively. Most rights are set forth in statutes and they must be asserted in compliance with the particular requirements of the law. The judicial foreclosure statutes are set forth below#.

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# Alabama: Ala. Code §§6-9-140 to 150; 164; 35-10-2 to 35-10-12; (1977).
Alaska: Alaska Stat. §§90.45.170 to .220 (1991).
Arizona: Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§33-721 to 33-728 (1991).
Arkansas: Ark. Code Ann. §§18-49-103 to 106 (1987).
California: Cal. Civ. proc. §§725a to 730.5 (West 1991).
Colorado: Colo. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§38-38-101 to 38-38-111 (West 1991).
Connecticut: Conn. Gen. Stat. Ann. §§49-24 to 49-31 (West 1991).
Delaware: Del. Code Ann. tit. 10 §§5061 to 5067 (1991).
D.C.: D.C. Code Ann. §45-716 (1981).
Florida: Fla. Stat. Ann. §702.01 (West 1992).
Georgia: Ga. Code Ann. §§9-13-140; 44-14-48 to 44-14-49; 44-14-184; 187; 189 (1991).
Hawaii: Haw. Rev. Stat. §§667-1 to 667-7 (1991)
Idaho: Idaho Code §§6-101 to 6-103; 45-1502 to 45-1503 (1991).
Illinois: Ill. Ann. Stat. Ch. 10, para. 15-1404; 15-1501 to 15-1512 (Smith-Hurd 1987).
Indiana: Ind. Code Ann. §32-8-11-3 (Burns 1980)
Iowa: Iowa Code Ann. §654.18 (West 1992).
Kansas: Kan. Stat. Ann. §60-2410 (1990).
Kentucky: Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§381.190; 426.525 (Michie 1991).
Louisiana: La. Code Civ. Proc. Ann. art. 2631 (West 1992).
Maine: Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 14, §§6321 to 6325 (West 1991).
Maryland: Md. Real Prop. Code Ann. §7-202 (1988).
Massachusetts: Mass. Gen. Laws Ann. ch. 244, §1 (West 1992).
Michigan: Mich. Comp. Laws Ann. §§600.3101 to 600.3130 (West 1992).
Minnesota: Minn. Stat. Ann. §§581.01 to 581.12 (1992).
Mississippi: Miss. Code Ann. §§89-1-53; 89-1-55 (1972).
Missouri: Mo. Ann. Stat. §§443.190 (Vernon 1992).
Montana: Mont. Code Ann. §§71-1-222; 232; 311; 25-13-802 (1991).
Nebraska: Neb. Rev. Stat. §§25-2137 to 25-2147 (1991).
Nevada: Nev. Rev. Ann. Stat. §§40.430; 40.435 (Michie 1991).
New Hampshire: N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§479:19 to 479:27 (1991).
New Jersey: N.J. Stat. Ann. §2A:50-2 (West 1991).
New Mexico: N.M. Stat. Ann. §§39-5-1 to 39-5-23; 48-7-7 (1991).

New York: N.Y. Real Prop. Acts Law §§1321; 1325 to 1355 (McKinney 1992).
North Carolina: N.C. Gen. Stat. §§45-21.16; 45-21.17; 45-38 (1991).
North Dakota: N.D. Cent. Code §32-19-01 to 32-19-40 (1992).
Ohio: Ohio Rev. Code Ann. §2323.07 (Anderson 1984).
Oklahoma: Okla. Stat. Ann. tit. 12, §686 (West 1992).
Oregon: Or. Rev. Stat. §§88.010 et seq. (1989).
Pennsylvania: Pa. Stat. Ann. tit. 21, §§274; 715; Pa. Rules Civ. Proc. Rules 1141 to 1150; 3180 to 3183;
3232; 3244; 3256; 3257.
Rhode Island: R.I. Gen. Laws §34-27-1 (1984).
South Carolina: S.C. Code Ann. §§15-7-10; 29-3-650 (Law Co-op 1990).
South Dakota: S.D. Codified Laws Ann. §§21-47-1 to 25; 21-48A-4 (1991).
Tennessee: Tenn. Code Ann. §21-1-803 (1991).
Texas: Tex. Prop. Code Ann. §§51-002; 51.004; 51.005 (West 1992).
Utah: Utah Code Ann. §§78-37-1 to 78-37-9 (1986).
Vermont: Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 12, §4528 (1991).
Virgin Islands: V.I. Code Ann. tit. 28, §531 to 535 (1991).
Virginia: Va. Code Ann. §§55-59.4; 55-61 (Michie 1981).
Washington: Wash. Rev. Code Ann. §§61.12.040; 61.12.060 (West 1992).
West Virginia: W. Va. Code §§55-12-1 to 55-12-8 (1991).
Wisconsin: Wis. Stat. Ann. §§846.01 to 846.25 (West 1991 (Repealed).
Wyoming: Wyo. Stat. §§1-18-101 to 1-18-112 (199).

B. HOMESTEAD RIGHTS

If the plaintiff’s complaint seeks possession of the property at the sheriff’s sale and the homeowner wishes to remain on the premises during the redemption period, then the homeowner should plead the existence of homestead rights in the answer so as not to waive them. State, ex rel., O’Brien v. Superior Court, 173 Wash. 679, 24 P.2d 117 (1933); State, ex rel., White v. Douglas, 6 Wn.2d 356, 107 P.2d 593 (1940).

C. UPSET PRICE

Some states authorize the court to establish an upset price (or minimum bid amount) in a foreclosure sale. In Washington, RCW 61.12.060 authorizes the court where a deficiency is sought, in ordering a sheriff’s sale, to take judicial notice of economic conditions and, after a proper hearing, fix a minimum or upset price for which the mortgaged premises must be sold before the sale will be confirmed. If a depressed real estate market justifies seeking an upset price, then the mortgagor should request in the answer that one be set. See, McClure v. Delguzzi, 53 Wn. App. 404 (1989). Some states give this power to the courts with any sale without reference to any other valuation method. See e.g. Kan. Stat. §60-2415(b) (1988); Mich. Comp. Laws Ann. §600.3155 (1919). The court has great discretion in arriving at and setting an upset price if the statute fails to specify the method to be used in calculating the price. There is always the danger that in the absence of statutory standards, the power to set the upset price will be abused#.

D. DEFICIENCY JUDGMENTS

A deficiency judgment results when the amount for which the property is sold at the sheriff’s sale is less than the amount of the judgment entered in the foreclosure action. A deficiency judgment in connection with a foreclosure is enforceable like any other money judgment. If the mortgage or other instrument contains an express agreement for the payment of money, then the lender may seek a deficiency judgment. See RCW 61.12.070. In Thompson v. Smith, 58 Wn. App. 361 (1990), Division I, held the acceptance of a deed in lieu of foreclosure triggers the anti-deficiency provisions of the Deed of Trust Act, 61.24.100. The procedural requirements for obtaining a deficiency judgment vary, but must be strictly adhered to or the right will be lost. In general, an action must be brought within a statutorily set amount of time following the foreclosure sale. For example, California Civ. Proc. Code § 726 (Supp. 1984) (three months); N.Y. Real Prop. Acts. Law § 1371 (2) (McKinney 1979) (ninety days); and Pennsylvania Stat. Ann. tit. 12, section 2621.7 (1967) (six months). Many states also have time limits for the completion of the execution of a deficiency. Maryland Rules, Rule W75 (b)(3) (1984) (three years); and Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 2329.08 (Anderson 1981) (two years on land with dwelling for two families or less or used as a farm dwelling). Some states have longer redemption periods when a deficiency is sought. e.g. Wisconsin (6-12 months); Washington (8-12 months).

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# See Michigan Trust Co. v. Dutmers, 265 Mich. 651, 252 N.W. 478 (1933).

E. REDEMPTION RIGHTS

Approximately one-half of the states have statutes that give a borrower the right to redeem the property after the foreclosure sale. This right has specific statutory time limits. The time period for redemption varies from thirty days to three years after the foreclosure sale. Strict compliance with the statutory requirements is mandatory.

Under Washington law, if the lender seeks a deficiency judgment or if the mortgage does not contain a clause that the property is not for agricultural purposes, then the redemption period is one year from the date of the sheriff’s sale. See RCW 6.23.020.

If the lender does not seek a deficiency judgment and the mortgage contains a clause that the property is not being used for agricultural purposes, than the redemption period is eight months. Id.

There is no statutory redemption period if there is a structure on the land and the court finds that the property has been abandoned for six months prior to the decree of foreclosure. See RCW 61.12.093. This section is not applicable to property that is used primarily for agricultural purposes. RCW 61.12.095.

The purchaser at the sheriff’s sale, or the purchaser’s assignee, must send notice to the judgment debtor every two months that the redemption period is expiring. Failure to give any of the notices in the manner and containing the information required by statute will operate to extend the redemption period. RCW 6.23.080.

Any party seeking to redeem must give the sheriff at least five days written notice of the intention to apply to the sheriff for that purpose. RCW 6.23.080(1). The amount necessary to redeem is the amount of the bid at the sheriff’s sale, interest thereon at the rate provided in the judgment to the time of redemption, any assessment or taxes which the purchaser has paid after circumstances, other sums that were paid on prior liens or obligations. RCW 6.23.020.

Redemption rights are freely alienable and a property owner can sell the homestead during the redemption period free of judgment liens. Great Northwest Federal Savings and Loan Association v. T.B. and R.F. Jones, Inc., 23 Wn. App. 55, 596 P.2d 1059 (1979). This is an important right and is often overlooked. For example, in VA loans the sale price is very low because the VA deducts its anticipated costs of holding and resale. Therefore, the property can be redeemed for that amount. There, lenders routinely advise debtors to move out at the beginning of the period, which they do not legally have to do.

The debtor can sometimes rent the property and the rents retained during the redemption period.

F. POSSESSION AFTER SALE

If the homeowner exercises his redemption rights and there is a purchaser in possession, then the homeowner can apply for a writ of assistance to secure possession of the property anytime before the expiration of the redemption period. If the homeowner has no right to claim a homestead or is not occupying the property as a homestead during redemption period, then the lender can apply for a writ of assistance at the time of the foreclosure decree to obtain possession of the property. A writ of assistance is similar to a writ of restitution and is executed by the sheriff. The purchaser at the sheriff’s sale normally has no right to possession until after receipt of a sheriff’s deed#.

G. POST FORECLOSURE RELIEF

A foreclosure can be vacated under rules allowing vacating judgments, e.g. F.R.Civ.P 60(b); See also Godsden & Farba, Under What Circumstances Can a Foreclosure Sale be Set Aside Under New York Law, New York State Bar Journal (May 1993).

IV. MISCELLANEOUS ISSUES

A. BANKRUPTCY

Bankruptcy has a significant impact on real estate foreclosures and is beyond the scope of this outline. Under section 362 (a) of the Bankruptcy Code, filing any of the three types of bankruptcy stays all foreclosure proceedings. See 11 U.S.C.A. § 362 (a)(4); Murphy, The Automatic Stay in Bankruptcy, 34 Clev.St.L.Rev. 597 (1986). A stay has been held to apply to a possessory interest after foreclosure to allow a challenge to the validity of the foreclosure in an adversary action in bankruptcy court. In re Campos, No. 93-04719 (W.D. WN-B.Ct, Order of July 9, 1993). The stay applies to both judicial and nonjudicial foreclosures and it also applies whether or not the foreclosure was begun before the bankruptcy. See 11 U.S.C.A. § 362 (a). The only notable exception to the automatic stay is for foreclosures brought by the Secretary of HUD on federally insured mortgages for real estate involving five or more units. See 11 U.S.C.A. § 362 (b)(8).

A trustee in a bankruptcy may also undo a foreclosure as a fraudulent transfer if a creditor gets a windfall. See II U.S.C. §547 and §548, within 90 days or within one year if an “insider” forecloses#.

A portion of the equity under state or federal law may be protected from creditors, although not from secured creditors.

_____________________________

# Norlin v. Montgomery, 59 Wn.2d 268, 357 P.2d 621 (1961). The mortgagee’s right to possession of the property is not lost through default or abandonment. overruled on other grounds. Howard v. Edgren, 62 Wn.2d 884, 385 P.2d 41 (1963).

B. WORKOUTS (DEED IN LIEU)

A deed is sometimes given by a mortgagor in lieu of foreclosure and in satisfaction of a mortgage debt. Such a workout “is subject to close scrutiny in an effort to determine whether it was voluntarily entered into on the part of the mortgagor under conditions free of undue influence, oppression, unfairness or unconscientious advantage. Further the burden of proving the fairness rests with the mortgagee.” Robar v. Ellingson, 301 N.W.2d 653, 657-658 (N.D.1981) (insufficient threshold evidence of oppression or unfairness to trigger mortgagee’s burden of proof). Courts also tend to find the deed in lieu of foreclosure to be another mortgage transaction in the form of an absolute deed. Peugh v. Davis, 96 U.S. (6 Otto) 332, 24 L.Ed. 775 (1877). See also, Noelker v. Wehmeyer, 392 S.W.2d 409 (Mo.App.1965). When a mortgagee takes a deed in lieu there is the possibility that the conveyance will be avoided under bankruptcy laws. It should be noted that if other liens have been created against a property after the time of the original mortgage, the deed in lieu will not cut off those liens. See Note, 31 Mo.L.Rev. 312, 314 (1966). A deed in lieu should contain a comprehensive agreement regarding any deficiency claims, etc.

________________________

# See Durrett v. Washington National Ins., 621 F.2d 201 (5th Cir. 1980); cf. In re Madrid, 725 F.2d 1197 (9th Cir. 1984). Compare state fraudulent conveyances statutes, e.g, RCW 19.40.031.

C. LENDER LIABILITY

It is possible to use theories of lender liability to assist in successfully negotiating a workout, or an avoidance of foreclosure. This principally occurs in commercial foreclosures but there are some strategies that apply to the residential setting. This may involve persuading the lender that failing to reach a workout agreement may result in a claim against the lender, absolving the borrower from liability on the loan and/or granting an affirmative judgment against the lender. Some of the useful theories of lender liability are breach of agreement to lend, breach of loan agreement, failure to renew term note/wrongful termination, promissory estoppel, lender interference, and negligent loan management. Some of the common law defenses for a borrower are fraud, duress, usury and negligence. Further, because banks are so closely regulated, a borrower should also explore statutory violations. For a detailed treatment of workouts, see Dunaway, supra, (Vol. 1, Chapter 4B)#.

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# See also, Penthouse International v. Dominion Fed. S&L, 665 F. Supp. 301 (S.D. N.Y. 1987, rev. 855 F.2d 963 (2nd Cir. 1988); Joques v. First National, 515 A.2d 756 (Md. 1976); KMC v. Irving Trust, 757 F.2d 752 (6th Cir. 1985); Douglas-Hamilton, Creditor Libilities Resulting From Improper Interference with Financially Troubled Debtor, 31 Bus. Law J. 343 (1975).

D. MOBILE HOME FORECLOSURES

Generally, mobile homes are repossessed under Article 9-503 of the Uniform Commercial Code, and are beyond the scope of this outline. Many states limit deficiencies in purchase money security agreements and/or allow reinstatement. There are many abuses in the sales of mobile homes and the various consumer protection laws (and usury laws) provide a fertile source of potential defenses. See generally, Unfair and Deceptive Practices, National Consumer Law Center (2nd ed.), paragraph 5.4.8.

E. TAX CONSEQUENCES OF FORECLOSURE

Although beyond the scope of this outline, there are tax consequences when property is foreclosed, particularly in commercial transactions.

First, a foreclosure or deed in lieu of foreclosure is treated as a sale or exchange. Treas. Rep. 1-001-2; Rev. Ruling 73-36, 1973-1 CB 372. The amount realized (gained) is the greater of the sales proceeds or the debt satisfied. Parker v. Delaney, 186 F.2d 455 (1st Cir. 1950). When debt is cancelled (such as by an anti-deficiency statute), a gain may be generated. IRS Code §61(a).

Second, when home equity debt plus purchase debts exceeds the value of the property, a taxable gain can be generated. Finally, if the debtor is “insolvent” when the foreclosure occurs, §108(a)(1)(A) of the IRS Code excludes income (gain) to the extent the debtor is insolvent. This is complicated and a tax expert should be consulted to analyze any potential tax bite upon foreclosure. See generally, Dunaway, supra, for a detailed analysis of the tax consequences of foreclosure.

V. THE GOVERNMENT AS INSURER, GUARANTOR OR LENDER

A. INTRODUCTION

There are a variety of federal home ownership programs that may provide special protections for homeowners who are faced with the prospect of foreclosure. These protections generally apply regardless of whether the security divide used is a mortgage or deed of trust. The programs range from home loans insured by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) or guaranteed by the Veteran’s Administration (VA) to programs such as the Farmer’s Home Administration (FmHA) home ownership program where the government acts as a direct lender. The procedures which must be followed by loan servicers and applicable governmental agencies are described below. Also, Fannie Mae published in 1997 a Foreclosure Manual for loan services, which outlines various workouts and other loss mitigation procedures.

When the government controls the loan (or the lender) its actions are subject to the protection of the due process provision of the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution#. This calls into question the use of nonjudicial foreclosure as there is no opportunity to be heard and notice is usually deficient or, at best, minimal.

B. HUD WORKOUT OPTIONS

1. Applicability

Homeowners who have a HUD insured mortgage or deed of trust may be eligible for relief through the HUD foreclosure prevention program. HUD regulations also require that lenders meet certain servicing responsibilities before proceeding with foreclosure. Regulations for loss mitigation are found at 24 C.F.R. Sec. 203.605.

2. Procedure when the Homeowner is in Default

a. Delinquency Required for Foreclosure.

The servicer shall not turn the action over for foreclosure until at least three full monthly payments are unpaid after application of any partial payments. 24 C.F.R. Sec. 203. The servicer is required to send a HUD brochure on avoiding foreclosure to the borrower informing them of their right to seek various alternatives to foreclosure.

The servicer must allow reinstatement even after foreclosure has been started if the homeowner tenders all amounts to bring the account current, including costs and attorney fees. 24 C.F.R. Sec. 203.

_______________________________

# See Vail v. Brown, 946 F.2d 589 (8th Cir. 1991); Johnson v. U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, 734 F.2d 774 (11th Cir. 1984); United States v. Murdoch, 627 F. Supp. 272 (N.D. Ind. 1985); Boley v. Brown, 10 F.3d 218 (4th Cir. 1993).

b. Forbearance Relief.

The homeowner may be eligible for special forbearance relief if it is found that the default was due to circumstances beyond the homeowners’ control. 24 C.F.R. Sec. 203. The homeowner and the lender are authorized to enter into a forbearance agreement providing for:
i. Increase, reduction, or suspension of regular payments for a specified period;

ii. Resumption of regular payments after expiration of the forbearance period;

iii. Arrangements for payment of the delinquent amount before the maturity date of the mortgage or at a subsequent date.

Suspension or reduction or payments shall not exceed 18 months under these special forbearance relief provisions.

c. Recasting of Mortgage.

HUD has the authority to approve a recasting agreement to extend the term of the mortgage and reduce the monthly payments. 24 C.F.R. Sec. 203.

HUD’s actions may be declared unlawful and set aside if the court finds it to be arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with law. See Federal National Mortgage Association v. Rathgens, 595 F. Supp. 552 (S.D. Ohio 1984); Butler v. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, 595 F. Supp. 1041 (E.D. Pa. 1984). See, generally, Ferrell v. Pierce, 560 F. Supp. 1344 (N.D. Ill. 1983).

In Brown v. Kemp, 714 F. Supp. 445 (W.D. Wash. 1989) the court found HUD’s decision for an assignment program application to be informal agency action and thus reviewable under the “arbitrary” and “capricious” standard.
Failure to follow servicing requirements or comply with the HUD assignment regulations or handbook provisions may also constitute an equitable defense to foreclosure#.

C. THE VA HOME LOAN PROGRAM

1. Applicability

Homeowners who have a VA guaranteed mortgage or deed of trust may be eligible for relief through a VA recommended forbearance program or “refunding” of the loan. Regulations promulgated at 38 C.F.R. Sec. 36.4300, et seq., and VA servicing handbooks establish a policy of forbearance when a loan is in default. The VA is reluctant to enforce these regulations against lenders.

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# See, Bankers Life Company v. Denton, 120 Ill. App. 3d 676, 458 N.E.2d 203 (1983); Brown v. Lynn, 385 F. Supp. 986 (N.D. Ill. 1974); GNMA v. Screen, 379 N.Y.S.2d 327 (1976); Cross v. FNMA, 359 So.2d 464 (1978); FNMA v. Ricks, 372 N.Y.S.2d 485 (1975); contra, Robert v. Cameron Brown Co., 556 F.2d 356 (5th Cir. 1977); Hernandez v. Prudential Mortgage Corporation, 553 F.2d 241 (1st Cir. 1977).

2. Forbearance Relief

Lenders are officially encouraged to grant forbearance relief for mortgagors who default on their loans due to circumstances beyond their control. Lender’s Handbook, VA Pamphlet No. 26-7 (Revised) and VA Manual 26-3. These rights should be pursued with the lender immediately.

3. Refunding Loans

The Veteran’s Administration is authorized to “refund” loans when borrowers meet certain criteria. Refunding the loan is when the VA pays the lender in full and takes an assignment of the loan and security in cases where the loan is in default. The VA then owns the loan and the veteran makes payments to the VA directly. Although 38 C.F.R. Sec. 36.4318 authorize refunding, the regulations are much more vague than those promulgated in connection with the HUD assignment program.

4. Judicial Review

The VA decision to deny assignment of a VA loan is committed to agency discretion within the meaning of the federal Administrative Procedures Act, 5 U.S.C. Sec. 701(a)(2), and is not reviewable. Rank v. Nimmo, 677 F.2d 692 (9th Cir. 1982).

The courts have ruled that a borrower has no express or implied right of action in federal court to enforce duties, which VA or lenders might have under VA publications with respect to forbearance assistance. See, Rank v. Nimmo, supra; Gatter v. Nimmo, 672 P.2d 343 (3rd Cir. 1982); Simpson v. Clelend, 640 F.2d 1354 (D.C. Cir. 1981). But, see, Union National Bank v. Cobbs, 567 A.2d 719 (1989) (failure to follow VA Handbook an equitable defense).

Failure to follow VA publications, however, may be an equitable defense to foreclosure under state law. See, Simpson v. Cleland, supra.

5. Waiver of Debt/Release of Liability

Federal statutes, VA regulations and guidelines require the VA to waive a deficiency (or indemnity) debt, after a foreclosure, when equity and good conscience require it. 38 C.F.R. §1.965(a)(3). The VA is reluctant to follow its own regulations and must be pressed. The Court of Veterans Appeals (CVA) reverses over 50% of denial of waivers – an astonishing measure of the VA’s failure to follow clear federal law! See The Veterans Advocate, Vol. 5, No. 10, P. 93 (June 1994). The VA urged its regional offices to avoid CVA rulings until forced to retract this directive. See The Veterans Advocate, supra. The VA also ignores the six-year statute of limitations when demanding payment. 28 U.S.C. 2415.

Secondly, the VA can determine that the claimed debt is invalid, such as when the veteran is eligible for a retroactive release of liability. This occurs when the VA would have released the veterans when the property was sold to a qualifying purchaser who assumes the debt. 38 U.S.C. 3713(b); Travelstead v. Derwinski, 978 F.2d 1244 (Fed. Cir. 1992).

The VA has the burden to determine whether the veteran should be released.

6. Deficiency Judgments and VA Loans

It is the policy of VA to order an appraisal prior to a judicial or nonjudicial foreclosure sale and to instruct the lender to bid the amount of the appraisal at the sale. This “appraisal” is always below fair market value and includes the VA’s anticipated costs of holding and liquidating the property. 38 U.S.C. 3732(c); 38 C.F.R. §36.4320. Ordinarily, on pre-1989 laws, VA will not waive its right to seek a deficiency judgment in a judicial foreclosure and will reserve its right to seek a deficiency against a borrower, even in the case of a nonjudicial foreclosure of a deed of trust, notwithstanding the anti-deficiency language of RCW 61.24.100. On loans made after 1989 changes in the VA program, deficiencies are not sought.

Although, United States v. Shimer, 367 U.S. 374 (1960) appears to authorize this VA deficiency policy, the Washington non-judicial deed of trust foreclosure procedure which retains judicial foreclosure and preservation of the right to seek a deficiency judgment as an option, seems to make United States v. Shimer, distinguishable.

In United States v. Vallejo, 660 F. Supp. 535 (1987), the court held that the VA must follow Washington foreclosure law, including the anti-deficiency provisions of the Deed of Trust Act as the “federal common law”. This ruling was subsequently followed in a class action, Whitehead v. Derwinski, 904 F.2d 1362 (9th Cir. 1990), wherein the VA has been permanently enjoined from collecting $63 million in claims and ordered to repay millions in illegally collected deficiencies. This issue of the application of various state laws as to federally insured loans is not clear, as the Ninth Circuit overruled Whitehead in Carter v. Derwinski, 987 F.2d 611 (9th Cir. – en banc – 1993). Subsequent decisions still create doubt as to whether United States v. Shimer, supra, is still good law#.

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# See, United States v. Yazell, 382 U.S. 341 (1966); United States v. Kimbell Foods, Inc., 440 U.S. 715 (1979); United States v. Ellis. 714 F.2d 953 (9th Cir. 1983); United States v. Haddon Haciendas Co., 541 F.2d 777 (9th Cir. 1976).

At the very least, if the lender is instructed by the VA to preserve the right to seek a deficiency against the borrower, then the lender should be required to foreclose the deed of trust judicially as a mortgage.

D. RURAL HOUSING SECTION 502 LOANS

1. Applicability

The Rural Housing Service (RHS) formerly, the Farmer’s Home Administration, is authorized to grant interest credit and provide moratorium relief for homeowners who fall behind on their loan payments due to circumstances beyond their control. Regulations for moratorium relief and interest credit are found at 7 C.F.R. Sec. 3550 et seq and must be complied with prior to foreclosure. United States v. Rodriguez, 453 F. Supp. 21 (E.D. Wn. 1978). See, 42 U.S.C. §1472. All servicing of RHS loans is handled at the Centralized Servicing Center in St. Louis, MO (phone: 1-800-793-8861).

2. Interest Credit

If a homeowner falls behind on his RHS loan because of circumstances beyond his or her control, then RHS has the authority to accept principal only and waive the interest payments. Although RHS is supposed to use this remedy before considering moratorium relief, it rarely does.

3. Moratorium Relief

If a homeowner falls behind in loan payments because of circumstances beyond his or her control, RHS may suspend payments or reduce payments for six months. Moratorium relief may be extended for additional six-month segments up to a total of three years#.

Once a homeowner has been granted moratorium relief, RHS cannot grant it again for five years. If a homeowner cannot resume payments in three years from when moratorium relief began, then it will begin foreclosure proceedings.

After moratorium relief has been extended, the homeowner can make additional partial payments to catch up the delinquent amount or, the loan can be reamortized. RHS will restructure the loan, 7 U.S.C. 2001.

4. Waiver of Redemption and Homestead Rights

Form mortgages used by RHS purported to waive the homeowner’s redemption rights and homestead rights in the event of foreclosure. It is questionable whether such a waiver is enforceable#.

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# See generally, Note, Agricultural Law: FmHA Farm Foreclosures, An Analysis of Deferral Relief, 23 Washburn L.J. 287 (Winter 1984); Newborne, Defenses to a FmHA Foreclosure, 15 NYU Review of Law and Social Change, 313 (1987).

5. Homestead Protection
See, 7 U.S.C. 2000.
6. Lease/Buy-Back
See, 7 U.S.C. 1985 (e).

VI. RESOURCES

The following treatises are excellent sources of basic information about all aspects of the foreclosure process. Dunaway, The Law of Distressed Property (4 volumes – Clark Boardman Co. 1994 and suppls.; Nelson & Whitman, Real Estate Finance Law (West 3rd Ed. 1994); Bernhardt, California Mortgages and Deed of Trust Practice, (3rd ed. 2000 University of Calif.), Repossessions and Foreclosures (4th ed. 2000) National Consumer Law Center. See also, Fuchs, Defending Non-Judicial Residential Foreclosures, Texas Bar J (November 1984).

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# See, United States v. Kimbell Foods, Inc., 440 U.S. 715 (1979); United States v. Haddon Haciendas, 541 F.2d 777 (9th Cir. 1976); United States v. MacKenzie, 510 F.2d 39 (9th Cir. 1975); United States v. Stadium Apts., Inc., 425 F.2d 358 (9th Cir.), (1970), cert. den. 400 U.S. 926, 91 S. Ct. 187 (1970); Phillips v. Blaser, 13 Wn.2d 439, 125 P.2d 291 (1942).

Judicial Versus Non-Judicial Foreclosure

31 Thursday Oct 2013

Posted by BNG in Foreclosure Crisis, Foreclosure Defense, Judicial States, Non-Judicial States, Note - Deed of Trust - Mortgage, Pro Se Litigation, Your Legal Rights

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Florida, Foreclosure, New Jersey, New Mexico, Notice of default, Real estate, South Dakota, United States

In many discussions about mortgage foreclosures the terms
judicial and non-judicial foreclosure are used. They involve very different processes. These terms refer to how individual states handle real estate foreclosure. Under both systems, time frames and terms vary widely from state to state. The following is a brief, general description of both
processes. The accompanying chart (see last page) depicts the varying time frames involved in the judicial foreclosure process.

Judicial Foreclosures

A judicial foreclosure is a court proceeding that begins when the lender files a complaint and records a notice in the public land records announcing a claim on the property to potential buyers, creditors and other interested parties. The complaint describes the debt, the borrower’s default and the amount owed. The complaint asks the court to allow the lender to foreclose its lien and take possession of the property as a remedy for non-payment.

The homeowner is served notice of the complaint, either by mail, direct service or publication of the notice. The defendant (borrower) is permitted to dispute the facts (such as show that payments were made), offer defenses or present counterclaims by answering the complaint, filing a separate suit, and/or by attending a hearing arranged by the court. If the defendant shows there are differences of material facts, a trial will be held by the court to determine if foreclosure should occur. In the vast
majority of cases, however, the foreclosure action is undisputed because the borrower is in default and cannot offer facts to the contrary. If the court determines the homeowner did default and that the debt is valid, it will issue a judgment in favor of the servicer for the total amount owed, including costs for the foreclosure process. In order for the judge to determine the amount of the judgment, the servicer submits paperwork through an affidavit that itemizes the amounts due.

Twenty two states use judicial procedures as the primary way to foreclose.
These include: Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont and Wisconsin.

In all other states, foreclosure is usually handled by attorneys who follow a state-provided process. In the mortgage documents, borrowers give lenders the “power of sale” outside of judicial process in the event of an uncured default. Documentation or affidavit issues are not common in these states because of the non-judicial nature of the process.

Next, the court will authorize a sheriff’s sale. The sale is an auction of the property open to anyone, and must be held in a public place. Procedures for a sheriff’s sale in each locality differ, but the individual with the highest bid is granted the property. After the sale is confirmed by the court, the deed, which transfers ownership, is prepared, recorded and the highest bidder becomes the owner of the property.

In most cases, the highest bidder is the servicer, who takes title of the property. The servicer then can sell the property. At this point, it is called
real estate owned (REO).

Non-Judicial Foreclosures

The requirements for non-judicial foreclosure are established by state statute; there is no court intervention. When the default occurs, the homeowner is mailed a default letter and in many states a
Notice of Default is recorded, at or about the same time. The homeowner may cure the debt during a prescribed period; if not, a Notice of Sale is mailed to the homeowner, posted in public places, recorded
at the county’s recorder’s office, and published in area newspapers
/legal publications. When the legally required notice period (determined by each state) has expired, a public auction is held and the highest
bidder becomes the owner of the property, subject to recordation of the deed. Prior to the sale, if the borrower disagrees with the facts of the case, he or she can try to file a lawsuit to enjoin the trustee’s sale.

If you find yourself in an unfortunate situation of losing or about to lose your home to wrongful fraudulent foreclosure, and needed solutions to defend or reclaim your home please visit: http://www.fightforeclosure.net

How Homeowners in Wrongful Foreclosure Can Identify Faulty Documents or If They Have Been Victims of Foreclosure Fraud

17 Saturday Aug 2013

Posted by BNG in Affirmative Defenses, Federal Court, Foreclosure Defense, Fraud, Judicial States, Loan Modification, MERS, Non-Judicial States, Note - Deed of Trust - Mortgage, Your Legal Rights

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1. Any document signed by an officer of MERS. MERS states at http://www.mersinc.org that:
Employees of the servicer will be certifying officers of MERS. This means they are authorized to sign any necessary documents as an officer of MERS. The certifying officer is granted this power by a corporate resolution from MERS. In other words, the same individual that signs the documents for the servicer will continue to sign the documents, but now as an officer of MERS. MERS Consent to Cease and Desist Order by the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC)

3. The signor of the document states that they are acting “solely as nominee” for some other party.
4. The document was notarized in Dakota County, Minnesota
5. The document was notarized in Hinnepin County, Minnesota
6. The document was notarized in Duval County, Florida
7. The document was notarized in Palm Beach County, Florida
8. The document was notarized in Pinellas CountyFlorida
9. The document was notarized in San Diego County, CA
10. The document was notarized in Fulton County, GA
11. The document was notarized in Polk County, IA
12. The document was notarized in Travis County, Texas
13. The document was notarized in Harris County, Texas
14. The document was notarized in Salt Lake County, Utah
15. The document was execute the same day it was filed with the Court
16. The party who signed the document executed it as “an authorized agent” for the servicer or the Plaintiff.
17. The party who signed the document executed it as “an attorney in fact” for the servicer or the Plaintiff.
18. The name of the signing party is stamped on the documents in block letters.
19. The name of the servicer or Plaintiff is stamped on the document in block letters.
20. The document appears to be a standard form with “fill-in-the-blanks” for the names of the signors and entities.
21. The paragraph numbers are not consistent (for example the first page may end with paragraph 7 and the second page may start with paragraph 10)
22. The party who signed the document and the notary are the same person.
23. You cannot read the signature of the signor and the name is not printed out on the document. (some people refer to these a “squiggle marks”) The bottom line is you cannot decipher any name or word on the document.
24. The signature on the document consists of one loop in the shape of an “S” or something that looks like an “8”.
25. The date of the signature and the date of the notarization are not the same.
26. The same “officer” or Vice President” of a mortgage company or lender is also the “Vice President” or “officer” of many other entities or lenders in the chain of assignments or endorsements.
27. The same “officer” or “ Vice President” of a lender signing the documents is located in various cities throughout the United States.
28. The document includes numerous pre-stamped names and signatures.
29. The document includes a second page or last page notarization that does not conform in type font, style, format, texture, age, from the primary pages of the document.
30. Backdating effective dates on assignments.
31. Signatures of officers are dated years after an entity has been out of business, merged with another company or filed for bankruptcy.
32. The party who signed the document executed it as a representative of the servicer.
33. The notary failed to attach a notarial seal.
34. The notary failed to sign the notarization.
35. The name of the party appearing before the notary is blank.
36. The name of the party appearing before the notary is block stamped.
37. The endorsement is not at the foot of the note, but on a separate page or allonge to the note. (if there is room at the foot of the note, the endorsement must appear there. An allonge may only be used if there is insufficient room at the foot of the note for the endorsement)
38. The document purports to assign the mortgage or the deed of trust from the originator directly to the trust.
39. The document that purports to assign the mortgage of deed of trust to the Trust is dated BEFORE the Trust was registered with the SEC.
40. The document that purports to assign the mortgage of deed of trust to the Trust was signed AFTER the cut-off date for the transfer of all such to the Trust pursuant to the Pooling and Servicing Agreement.
41. The origination date on the mortgage note is not within the origination and cut-off dates provided for by the terms of the Pooling and Servicing Agreement.
42. The mortgage note is assigned rather than endorsed from Party “A” to Party “B” or from any party to another party or entity.
43. The mortgage note is endorsed from the originator to the securitized Trust.
44. The mortgage note is endorsed from the originator to the current mortgage servicer.
45. The mortgage note is endorsed from the originator to the depositor for the securitized trust.
46. The affidavit is a “Lost Note Affidavit” filed by the mortgage servicer.
47. The affidavit is a “Lost Note Affidavit” filed by the Trustee for the securitized Trust and claims they never received the original Note. ( You can only file a lost note affidavit under the UCC if you possessed the Note before it was lost)
48. The assignment of mortgage or deed of trust was filed or signed after the filing of the bankruptcy case.
49. The assignment of mortgage or deed of trust was filed or signed after the foreclosure proceeding began/was filed.
50. The assignment of mortgage or deed of trust was filed or signed after the filing of the Motion for Relief from Stay in Bankruptcy Court.
51. The affidavit was signed by an employee MR Default Servicers or has the MR Default Servicers information on the document as an identification number.
52. The affidavit was signed by an employee Promiss Solutions or has the Promiss Solutions information on the document as an identification number.
53. The affidavit was signed by an employee NDEx Technologies, LLC or has the NDEx information on the document as an identification number.
54. The affidavit was signed by the same attorney that signed the foreclosure complaint.
55. The affidavit was filed by an employee of the attorney that filed the foreclosure complaint.
63. The return address on the Assignment or affidavit is to a third party provider, such as Financial Dimensions, Inc, FANDO or FNFS.
64. The transferor and the transferee have the exact same physical address including the same street and/or P.O. box numbers.
65. The document bears the image: “This is not a certified copy”
66. The document refers to a Power of Attorney, but no such document is attached or filed and recorded.

How Homeoweners Can Use Various Forms of Mortgage Fraud Schemes For Wrongful Foreclosure Defense

12 Monday Aug 2013

Posted by BNG in Affirmative Defenses, Appeal, Banks and Lenders, Federal Court, Foreclosure Defense, Fraud, Judicial States, Litigation Strategies, Loan Modification, Non-Judicial States, Notary, Note - Deed of Trust - Mortgage, Pleadings, Pro Se Litigation, Scam Artists, Title Companies, Your Legal Rights

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Business, Finance, Financial Services, Loan origination, mortgage, Mortgage fraud, Mortgage loan, United States

Over the past few years, mortgage fraud continues to result in significant losses for both financial institutions and homeowners.

Mortgage fraud has continued to increase over the past few years. Declining economic conditions, liberal underwriting standards, and declining housing values contributed to the increased level of fraud. Market participants are perpetrating mortgage fraud by modifying old schemes, such as property flip, builder-bailout, and short sale fraud, as well as employing newer schemes, such as buy and bail, reverse mortgage fraud, loan modification and refinance fraud, and mortgage servicing fraud.

It is imperative that homeowners understand the nature of the various schemes involving mortgage frauds as this will help you to build rock solid defense when fighting your wrongful foreclosure to save your home.

Various individuals participate in mortgage fraud schemes. The following list consists of common participants in such schemes.

Appraiser                                Processor
Borrower                              Real Estate Agent
Buyer                                       Seller
Closing/Settlement Agent    Title Agent
Loan Servicer Underwriter
Originator    Warehouse Lender

BASIC MORTGAGE TRANSACTIONS

Basic mortgage transactions are generally the same whether the purpose of the loan is to purchase a property, refinance an existing loan, or obtain a loan against a property that is unencumbered and may be offered through one of the channels described below:

Retail

In retail transactions, the borrower makes an application directly with a financial institution loan officer. These mortgage transactions are the most basic and involve the fewest number of third parties, which may include appraisers and closing agents. Usually, the application package consisting of financial information, credit report, a collateral valuation report such as an appraisal or evaluation, title information, and various other credit-related documents, is compiled and forwarded to an underwriter for a credit decision. Upon approval, the financial institution then releases funds to a closing agent, who disburses funds to the various parties. The loan package is returned to the financial institution and reviewed for quality and accuracy. The loan is either held on the financial institution’s books or sold into the secondary market. Retail originations only include loans closed in the financial institution’s name.

Broker Origination

A broker-originated loan is similar to the retail transaction, except that the borrower makes an application with a mortgage broker. A broker is a firm or individual, acting on behalf of either the financial institution or the borrower, who matches a borrower’s financing needs with an institution’s mortgage origination programs. Brokers are compensated by receiving a commission expressed as a percentage of the total loan amount (e.g., 1 percent origination fee) from the borrower or through a yield-spread premium from the lender when the loan closes.

Brokers have played a critical role in the wholesale loan origination process and have significant influence on the total loan transaction. Brokers have served as the point of contact for the borrower and the lender, and coordinated the involvement of other parties to complete the transaction. A broker can perform some or most of the loan processing functions including, but not limited to, taking loan applications; ordering credit and title reports; verifying a borrower’s income and employment; etc.

Once the broker has gathered the necessary information, the application is submitted along with supporting documentation to one or more financial institutions for underwriting. The financial institution’s underwriter reviews the information and makes a credit decision. The financial institution also may perform pre-funding quality assurance activities, such as re-verification of income and employment.

A copy of the loan approval package, with documents prepared in the name of the financial institution, is then returned to the broker. Once the loan has closed, the completed package should be returned directly to the financial institution. Again, the financial institution may review the loan for quality and either retain the loan in its own portfolio or sell it.

Mortgage Loan Purchased from a Correspondent

In this transaction, the borrower applies for and closes a loan with a correspondent of the financial institution, which can be a mortgage company, another depository institution, finance company, or credit union service organization. The correspondent can close the loan with internally-generated funds in its own name or with funds borrowed from a warehouse lender. Without the capacity or desire to hold the loan in its own portfolio, the correspondent sells the loan to a financial institution. The purchasing financial institution is frequently not involved in the origination aspects of the transaction, and relies upon the correspondent to comply with the financial institution’s approved underwriting, documentation, and loan delivery standards. The purchasing financial institution may perform a quality control review prior to purchase. Also, the purchasing financial institution must review the appraisal or evaluation report and determine conformity with the Agencies’ appraisal standards, regulations, and supervisory guidance, as well as the financial institution’s requirements.

The loan can be booked in the financial institution’s own portfolio or sold.

In “delegated underwriting” relationships, the financial institution grants approval to the correspondent to process, underwrite, and close loans according to the financial institution’s processing and underwriting requirements. Proper due diligence, internal controls, approvals, quality control audits, and ongoing monitoring are warranted for these higher-risk relationships.

Each of the Agencies has issued detailed guidance on a financial institution’s management of its arrangements with third parties, including brokers, and associated risk. Examiners are encouraged to review and consider the guidance issued by their Agency in evaluating broker arrangements. Additionally, the Secure and Fair Enforcement Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008 (S.A.F.E. Act) requires licensing and/or registration for all residential mortgage loan originators. The system is also used for state-licensed mortgage companies. More information is available at the website at http://www.stateregulatoryregistry.org and contains comprehensive licensing, registration, enforcement action that is expected to be made available to the public through the website in the near future.

COMMON MORTGAGE FRAUD SCHEMES

This post defines schemes as the big picture or secret plan of action used to perpetrate a fraud. There are a variety of “schemes” by which mortgage fraud can take place. These schemes can involve individuals inside the financial institution or third parties. Various combinations of these schemes may be implemented in a single fraud. The descriptions provided below are examples of traditional and emerging schemes that are used to facilitate mortgage fraud. Click on the link for each fraud scheme to learn more about that particular scheme.

Builder Bailout

This scheme is used when a builder, who has unsold units in a tract, subdivision, or condominium complex, employs various fraudulent schemes to sell the remaining properties.

Buy and Bail

Chunking

Chunking occurs when a third party convinces an uninformed borrower to invest in a property (or properties), with no money down and with the third party acting as the borrower’s agent. The third party is also typically the owner of the property or part of a larger group organizing the scheme. Without the borrower’s knowledge, the third party submits loan applications to multiple financial institutions for various properties. The third party retains the loan proceeds, leaving the borrower with multiple loans that cannot be repaid. The financial institutions are forced to foreclose on the properties.

Double Selling

Double selling occurs when a mortgage loan originator accepts a legitimate application and documentation from a buyer, reproduces or copies the loan file, and sends the loan package to separate warehouse lenders to each fund the loan.

Equity Skimming

Equity skimming is the use of a fraudulent appraisal that over-values a property, creating phantom equity, which is subsequently stripped out through various schemes.

Fictitious Loan

A fictitious loan is the fabrication of loan documents or use of a real person’s information to apply for a loan which the applicant typically has no intention of paying. A fictitious loan can be perpetrated by an insider of the financial institution or by external parties such as loan originators, real estate agents, title companies, and/or appraisers.

Loan Modification and Refinance Fraud

This scheme occurs when a borrower submits false income information and/or false credit reports to persuade the financial institution to modify or refinance the loan on more favorable terms.

Mortgage Servicing Fraud

This fraud is perpetrated by the loan servicer and generally involves the diversion or misuse of loan payments, proceeds from loan prepayments, and/or escrow funds for the benefit of the service provider.

Phantom Sale

This scheme generally involves an individual or individuals who falsely transfer title to a property or properties and fraudulently obtain funds via mortgage loans or sales to third parties.

Property Flip Fraud

A fraudulent property flip is a scheme in which individuals, businesses, and/or straw borrowers, buy and sell properties among themselves to artificially inflate the value of the property.

Reverse Mortgage Fraud

Reverse Mortgage Fraud involves a scheme using a reverse mortgage loan to defraud a financial institution by stripping legitimate or fictitious equity from the collateral property.

Short Sale Fraud

Fraud occurs in a short sale when a borrower purposely withholds mortgage payments, forcing the loan into default, so that an accomplice can submit a “straw” short-sale offer at a purchase price less than the borrower’s loan balance. Sometimes the borrower is truly having financial difficulty and is approached by a fraudster to commit the scheme. In all cases, a fraud is committed if the financial institution is misled into approving the short-sale offer, when the price is not reasonable and/or when conflicts of interest are not properly disclosed.

Two additional fraud schemes, which are briefly addressed below, are debt elimination and foreclosure rescue schemes. While these schemes are typically not perpetrated directly on financial institutions, and therefore not expanded upon to the same degree as the above-mentioned schemes, the end result of the scheme can have a negative impact on the financial institution.

DEBT ELIMINATION SCHEME

Debt elimination schemes are illegal schemes that offer to eliminate a borrower’s debt for an up-front fee. The organizers of these schemes create phony legal documents based on the borrower’s loan(s) for presentment to the borrower’s financial institution or other lending institution in an attempt to falsely satisfy the loans.

The threat this fraud scheme presents to a financial institution is the borrower’s cessation of loan payments. Financial institutions may find that the use of the false documents complicates the collection process and may temporarily prevent any final action against the borrower.

FORECLOSURE RESCUE SCHEME

Foreclosure rescue schemes prey upon homeowners in financial distress or facing foreclosure, with the promise to help save their home. There are multiple variations of this scheme, often charging up-front fees and/or convincing the homeowner to deed the property to the fraudster, with the premise that the homeowner can rent or buy the property back once the individual’s credit has improved. The goal of the fraudster is to collect fees or mortgage payments that are intended for the lender, but are not delivered, usually resulting in the loan going into default and ultimately foreclosure, causing loss to the financial institution.

COMMON MECHANISMS OF MORTGAGE FRAUD SCHEMES

This post defines mechanism as the process by which fraud is perpetrated. A single mortgage fraud scheme can often include one or more mechanisms and may involve collusion between two or more individuals working in unison to implement a fraud. Click on the links to learn more about that particular mechanism. The following is a list of common mechanisms used to perpetrate mortgage fraud schemes:

Asset Rental: Cash or other assets are temporarily placed in the borrower’s account/possession in order to qualify for a mortgage loan. The borrower usually pays a “rental” fee for the temporary “use” of the assets.

Fake Down Payment: In order to meet loan-to-value requirements, a fake down payment through fictitious, forged, falsified, or altered documents is used to mislead the lender.

Fraudulent Appraisal: Appraisal fraud can occur when an appraiser, for various reasons, falsifies information on an appraisal or falsely provides an inaccurate valuation on the appraisal with the intent to mislead a third party.

Fraudulent Documentation: Fraudulent documentation consists of any forged, falsified, incomplete, or altered document that the financial institution relied upon in making a credit decision.

Fraudulent Use of Shell Company: A business entity that typically has no physical presence, has nominal assets, and generates little or no income is a shell company. Shell companies in themselves are not illegal and may be formed by individuals or business for legitimate purposes. However, due to lack of transparency regarding beneficial ownership, ease of formation, and inconsistent reporting requirements from state to state, shell companies have become a preferred vehicle for financial fraud schemes.

Identify Theft: Identity theft can be defined as assuming the use of another person’s personal information (e.g., name, SSN, credit card number, etc.) without the person’s knowledge and the fraudulent use of such knowledge to obtain credit.

Straw/Nominee Borrower: An individual used to serve as a cover for a questionable loan transaction.

EXAMPLES OF MORTGAGE FRAUD SCHEMES

– – – – Builder Bailout – – – –

A builder bailout occurs when a builder, who has unsold units in a tract, subdivision, or condominium complex, employs various fraudulent schemes to sell the remaining properties. In stressed economic or financial conditions, a builder may be pressured to liquidate remaining inventory to cover financial obligations. To sell the remaining properties, the builder may use a variety of tools including, but not limited to, hidden down payment assistance or excessive seller concessions to elevate the sales price. As a result of the scheme, the unsuspecting financial institution is often left with a loan secured by inflated collateral value and the “real” loan-to-value is greater than 100 percent.

Examples:

– A builder convinces buyers to purchase property by offering to pay excessive incentives that are undisclosed to the lender, including down payments, “no money down promotions”, and/or closing cost assistance.

– In an effort to attract participants, a builder promises to manage properties as rentals and absorb any negative cash flow for the first 12 to 18 months.

– A builder forms one or more companies to purchase the builder’s inventory at inflated market values. The affiliated company finances 100 percent of the purchase amount and funnels the excess cash back to the builder. This scheme falsely inflates the property value, clouds the builder’s true ability to move the inventory, and disguises the fact that the builder is ultimately responsible for repayment of the loan.

– A builder forms a mortgage origination affiliate to originate fraudulent loans. The loan files contain credit discrepancies, fraudulent appraisals, and/or erroneous certificates of occupancy and completion.

– When the builder can no longer lure investors/speculators, the builder may employ straw buyers to purchase the properties.

Red Flags

A red flag is an indicator that calls for further scrutiny. One red flag by itself may not be significant; however, multiple red flags may indicate an operating environment that is conducive to fraud.
• Excessive or unsubstantiated down payment.
• Unexplained large or multiple deposits reflected on deposit account statements.
• Borrower states that the property will be owner-occupied, but the property is located in a market dominated by investment properties or second homes (beach properties, duplexes, apartment buildings).
• Use of gift funds or grant funds.
• The HUD-1 shows disbursements from the builder’s (as seller) funds to persons or entities not reflected as lien-holders or vendors on the title commitment.
• Robust condominium sales in a slow market.
• All comparable properties are from the same project.
• Many loans to one applicant (credit report).
• No-money-down sales pitch (noted in marketing brochures or website).
• Reference to secondary financing on purchase contract, but not on the loan application.

• Parties to the transaction appear affiliated based on file documentation (personally/professionally).
• Incentives that include pre-paid condominium fees, principal and interest payments for a year, buy-down, free furniture, automobiles, parking spaces, boat slips, etc.

Companion Frauds

• Straw/Nominee Borrower

• Documentation Fraud (associated with income and assets)

• Fraudulent Appraisal

– – – – Buy and Bail – – – –

This scheme typically involves a borrower who is current on a mortgage loan, but the value of the house has fallen below the amount owed. The borrower continues to make loan payments, while applying for a purchase money mortgage loan on a similar but less expensive house because its value has declined. Alternatively, the borrower currently has good credit, but pending events are such that the borrower will soon be unable to afford monthly payments on the existing loan (e.g. loan term adjustments, job loss, debt accumulation, etc.) or qualify for a new loan. In either case, after the new property has been obtained, the borrower “walks” or “bails” on the first loan.

Examples:

A self-employed child-care service provider is living in a house purchased for $500,000 two years ago that is now worth approximately $350,000. Monthly payments on the adjustable rate mortgage loan are $3,000. In a few months the payments will adjust upward, as a result of the rate change, to $3,700, an amount the homeowner cannot afford. The homeowner finds a home selling for $200,000 and obtains a loan on that property by falsely claiming to rent the existing property. After moving into the second house, the borrower defaults on the initial mortgage loan.

Red Flags

A red flag is an indicator that calls for further scrutiny. One red flag by itself may not be significant; however, multiple red flags may indicate an operating environment that is conducive to fraud.
• Second home is substantially less in value and/or loan amount than the existing home.
• Borrower has minimal or no equity.
• Borrower is a first-time landlord (renting out the original property).
• Limited documentation is available to validate lease terms with the purported tenant.
• Purported tenant has a pre-existing relationship with the homeowner.

• Rental agreement appears suspect or projected rental cash flows appear unreasonable.
• Borrower defaults on the original mortgage loan shortly after purchasing a second property (only likely to be detected if the same lender holds both mortgages and loans).

Companion Fraud

• Fraudulent Documentation

– – – – Chunking – – – –

A third party convinces an uninformed borrower to invest in a property (or properties), with no money down, with the third party acting as the borrower’s agent. The third party is also typically the owner of the property, or is part of a larger group organizing the scheme. Without the borrower’s knowledge, the third party submits loan applications on the borrower’s behalf to multiple financial institutions for various properties. These applications are submitted as owner-occupied or as an investment property with a falsified lease. The scheme usually requires the assistance of an appraiser, broker, and/or title company representative to ensure that the third party, as agent for the borrower, does not have to bring any money to the multiple closings. The third party retains the loan proceeds, leaving the borrower with multiple loans that cannot be repaid. The financial institutions are forced to foreclose on the properties and suffer sizable losses.

Examples:

A borrower attended a seminar that outlined how to get rich by investing in real estate with no money down. A third party, a presenter at the seminar, encouraged the borrower to invest in three real estate properties. Under the third party’s guidance, the borrower completed the required application and provided documentation for the loans. The borrower was unaware that the third party owned numerous properties in the name of a Limited Liability Company and submitted applications on not just the three properties known to the borrower, but on a total of 15 different properties. Each application was sent to a different lender, and all were scheduled to close within a one-week timeframe. The borrower attended three of the closings with a different representative of the LLC as the seller. The third party then acted as an agent for the borrower, with power of attorney, at the other 12 closings. The borrower ended up with 15 mortgage loans instead of the three for which he had knowledge, and the lenders were stuck with loans to a borrower without the ability to repay the debts and were forced to foreclose on the properties.

Fraudsters approached nominees (straw borrowers) and enticed the nominees into allowing the fraudsters to apply for mortgage loans in the nominees’ names in order to buy houses. The fraudsters paid the nominees a small amount for allowing the fraudsters to use the nominees’ names to apply for the mortgage loans. The fraudsters completed the loan application paperwork with falsified information in order for the nominees to qualify for the loans. The fraudsters then received inflated property appraisals and obtained two mortgages on each home, one for the purchase price and another for the balance of the appraisal value.

According to the fraudster, the nominee will have no involvement beyond the mortgage application and the fraudster will manage the properties, find tenants, collect monthly payments, and pay the mortgage loans. The tenants, with insufficient credit, are placed in the homes under proposed lease/option-to-buy contracts. The fraudster fails to make a majority of the nominee’s mortgage loan payments, causing many of the mortgage loans to go into default. In some instances, the fraudster steals the tenants’ deposit money. Ultimately, lenders foreclose on the properties.

Red Flags

A red flag is an indicator that calls for further scrutiny. One red flag by itself may not be significant; however, multiple red flags may indicate an operating environment that is conducive to fraud.
• Multiple mortgage applications by one borrower.
• Credit report that reflects numerous mortgage inquiries.
• Out-of-state borrower.
• Seller that is a corporation or LLC.
• Seller that owns property for a short period of time.
• Previous transfer price that is much lower than current contract price.
• Incomplete lease agreements.
• Payoffs from seller’s funds to non-lien holders and vendors on the title commitment.

Companion Frauds

• Fraudulent Documentation

• Fraudulent Appraisal
• Identity Theft
• Property Flip Fraud
• Double Selling

– – – – Double Selling – – – –

A mortgage loan originator accepts a legitimate application and related documentation from a borrower, reproduces or copies the loan file, and sends the loan package to separate warehouse lenders to each fund the same loan. In some instances, double selling is self-perpetuating because, to keep the scheme going, different loans must be substituted for the ones on which documents cannot be provided. Under this scheme, the broker has to make payments to the investor who received the copied documents or first payment default occurs.

Examples:

– A borrower colluded with a mortgage broker to use the borrower’s property as collateral for numerous home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) at different financial institutions. The scheme was executed by closing on multiple HELOCs in a short period of time to take advantage of the delay in recording the mortgages. In addition, the mortgage broker misrepresented the borrower’s financial information in order to increase the borrower’s debt capacity. The property with less than $125,000 in equity was used to obtain over $1 million in credit from several financial institutions.

– A mortgage company used a group of financial institutions (referred to as warehouse lenders) to temporarily fund mortgage loans, which were then sold to another group of financial institutions as long-term investments. The scheme was accomplished by reselling the same loans to multiple investors. Accumulated losses associated with this scheme were in the millions of dollars.

Red Flags

• Discrepancies between underwriting and closing instructions.
• Outstanding trailing documents (e.g., executed note, deed, truth-in-lending, settlement statement, etc.)
• Missing or illegible insured closing letter in the name of the originator from the title company.
• Recent and numerous changes in the wiring instructions.
• Incorrectly named insured and loss payee on the hazard insurance policy.
• Missing mortgage insurance or guaranty, certificate of eligibility.
• Missing purchase commitment from investor – investor lock.

Companion Frauds

• Fraudulent Documentation
• Identity Theft

– – – – Equity Skimming – – – –

The use of a fraudulent appraisal, unrecorded liens or other means to create phantom equity, which is subsequently stripped out through either of the following methods:

Purchase Money Transaction

An inflated appraisal and sales contract allows the purchaser to obtain property with little or no down payment. The parties agree to raise the selling price to cover the buyer’s closing costs and/or down payment, or to obtain cash back at closing. As a result, the loan amount is higher than what the house is worth, effectively skimming all of the phantom equity out of the property.

Cash-Out Refinance Transaction

In the case of a refinance, the inflated appraisal or lack of recordation allows the borrower to extract cash in an amount greater than the actual value of the property.

Examples:

– A good example of an equity skimming scheme required a two-step process. In the first step, a loan officer and real estate agent colluded to purchase houses using false information on applications to qualify for loans. The second stage required the collusion of an appraiser to overstate the value allowing equity to be skimmed through the cash-out refinance process. Once no more equity could be extracted, the houses were allowed to go into foreclosure.

– A skimmer/purchaser convinces a property seller to provide a second mortgage loan with payments to begin later, perhaps in 6-12 months. During this period, the skimmer makes no payments on either the first or the second mortgage loan. In situations where the second mortgage is unrecorded, the skimmer will obtain a home equity or closed-end second mortgage, causing a loss to the issuing financial institution. By the time the seller realizes that they will not receive payments, the first mortgagee has begun foreclosure proceedings.

Red Flags

A red flag is an indicator that calls for further scrutiny. One red flag by itself may not be significant; however, multiple red flags may indicate an operating environment that is conducive to fraud.
• Borrower receiving cash back at closing in a purchase transaction.
• Title to property recently transferred.
• Cash-out refinance shortly after the property has been purchased (reference application, appraisal, and title commitment).
• Purpose for cash-out is not well documented.

Companion Frauds

• Fraudulent Appraisal
• Fraudulent Documentation (employment and income)

– – – – Fictitious Loan – – – –

Examples:

A mortgage broker created loan applications by using names, addresses, and phone numbers out of the telephone book. These loans were subsequently funded by various financial institutions. As the loans were fabricated and no properties existed, the loans went into default and were charged off.

Red Flags

A red flag is an indicator that calls for further scrutiny. One red flag by itself may not be significant; however, multiple red flags may indicate an operating environment that is conducive to fraud.
• Signatures are not consistent throughout the file.
• No real estate agent is employed.
• SSN was recently issued, or there is a death claim filed under SSN.
• Format of the passport number is not consistent with country of issuance.
• Employment and/or address on credit report do not match borrower’s application or there is an absence of credit history.
• Credit history is inconsistent with the borrower’s age.
• Returned mortgage loan payment coupons and/or monthly statements.
• Early payment default.

Companion Frauds
• Straw/Nominee Borrower
• Fraudulent Documentation
• Fraudulent Appraisal

– – – – Loan Modification and Refinance Fraud – – – –

Borrower submits false income information and/or false credit reports to persuade a financial institution to modify or refinance a loan on more favorable terms.

With respect to any mortgage loan, a loan modification is a revision to the contractual payment terms of the related of the related mortgage note, agreed to by the servicer and borrower, including, without limitation, the following:

1. Capitalization of any amounts owed by adding such amount to the outstanding principal balance.
2. Extension of the maturity.
3. Change in amortization schedule.
4. Reduction or other revision to the mortgage note interest rate.
5. Extension of the fixed-rate payment period of any adjustable rate mortgage loan.
6. Reduction or other revision to the note interest rate index, gross margin, initial or periodic interest rate cap, or maximum or minimum rate of any adjustable rate mortgage loan.
7. Forgiveness of any amount of interest and/or principal owed by the related borrower.
8. Forgiveness of any principal and/or interest advances that are reimbursed to the servicer from the securitization trust.

9. Forgiveness of any escrow advances of taxes and insurance and/or any other servicing advances that are reimbursed to the servicer from the securitization trust.
10. Forbearance of principal whereby the servicer “moves” a certain interest free portion of the principal to the “back-end” of the loan, lowering the amortizing balance and the monthly payment.

Refinancing is the process of paying off an existing loan by taking a new loan and using the same property as security. A homeowner may refinance for the following legitimate reasons:
• In a declining interest rate environment a refinance generally will lower monthly payments.
• In a rising interest rate environment a refinance to a fixed rate loan from an adjustable rate loan will generally allow the borrower to lock in the lower rate for the life of the loan.
• In a period of rising home prices the refinance allows the borrower to withdraw equity.

Examples:

– Two years after the origination of a mortgage loan, a borrower contacted the lender, claiming a need to modify the loan. In an attempt to deceive the lender into modifying the loan, the borrower stopped making loan payments. The borrower’s original loan application indicated that the borrower earned $7,500 per month; however, the borrower subsequently claimed income of only $1,200 per month. While evaluating the need for the modification, the bank reviewed the borrower’s credit report and determined that the customer’s supposed annual income of $14,400, was insufficient in comparison to the reported $40,000 per year servicing other debt, which was current. The bank stopped the modification process, as the borrower had intentionally understated income in an attempt to defraud the financial institution.

– A borrower contacted the lender claiming a reduction in income and trouble with making loan payments. The borrower provided the lender with a copy of his most recent tax return, which showed an adjusted gross income (AGI) of $45,000, down from the previous year’s $96,897. The borrower signed Form 4506-T, authorizing the lender to access tax returns filed with the IRS. In reviewing the tax information obtained from the IRS, the lender found that the borrower had recently amended the most recent return, lowering the AGI from $105,670 to $45,000. In this scenario, the borrower had purposely amended the return to reflect a lower AGI, possibly with the intent of amending it a second time to reflect the true amount of income.

– A borrower requests a loan modification for a property that he claims to occupy. Based on the various facts provided to the lender, it appears that the borrower is eligible for a modification. When underwriting the modification, the lender verifies the borrower’s income with the IRS. During the verification process, the lender recognizes two potential problems with the information provided. The address on the tax return is different than the address of the house collateralizing the loan, and the return reflects rental income from real property. After additional investigation, the lender concludes that the customer was trying to modify the loan on rental property and not on the primary residence.

Red Flags

A red flag is an indicator that calls for further scrutiny. One red flag by itself may not be significant; however, multiple red flags may indicate an operating environment that is conducive to fraud.
• Borrower states that the property is his primary residence and is therefore owner-occupied but the mailing address and telephone number are not for the subject property (e.g., property is located in North Carolina; mailing address and telephone number are in New York).
• Vague and/or unrealistic hardship (“the national economy”).
• No documented resolution of hardship.
• No or limited financial analysis in file.
• No employment/income verification.
• Credit Report inconsistent with borrower’s stated hardship.

• Financial reports that reflect low delinquencies that are inconsistent with local economic conditions or the bank’s loan portfolio composition.

Companion Frauds

• Fraudulent Documentation
• Fraudulent Appraisal (refinance)

– – – – Mortgage Servicing Fraud – – – –

Mortgage servicing typically includes, but is not limited to, billing the borrower; collecting principal, interest, and escrow payments; management of escrow accounts; disbursing funds from the escrow account to pay taxes and insurance premiums; and forwarding funds to an owner or investor (if the loan has been sold in the secondary market). A mortgage service provider is typically paid on a fee basis. Mortgage servicing can be performed by a financial institution or outsourced to a third party servicer or sub-servicer.

Mortgage servicing fraud generally involves the diversion or misuse of principal and interest payments, loan prepayments, and/or escrow funds for the benefit of the service provider. Mortgage servicing fraud can take many forms, including the following:

• A mortgage servicer sells a loan it services, but fails to forward funds to the owner of the loan following the sale. The servicer continues to make principal and interest payments on the loan so the owner is not aware that the loan had been sold.

• A mortgage servicer diverts escrow payments for taxes and insurance for its own use. This action would jeopardize a financial institution’s collateral protection.

• A mortgage servicer that fails to forward principal and interest payments to an institution that holds the note and mortgage, could report that loan as past due for a short period of time, and then use proceeds from other loans to bring that loan current. This would be similar to a lapping scheme involving accounts receivable. Deliberately failing to post payments in a timely manner causes late fees to increase which directly elevates the servicers’ income.

• A mortgage servicer makes payments on loans originated for or on behalf of a financial institution as a means to avoid repurchase pursuant to first payment default provisions.

Examples:

– Several insiders of a mortgage company fraudulently sold serviced loans belonging to other financial institutions and kept the proceeds. An insider modified data in the servicing system to make it appear the loans were still being serviced and were current.

– Two executive officers of a mortgage company took out personal mortgage loans in their names which were subsequently sold to an investor, with servicing retained by the mortgage company. The executives did not make any payments on their loans and suppressed delinquency reporting to the investor, allowing them to “live free” for a period of time until the investor performed a servicing audit and discovered the fraud.

Red Flags

• Failure of the financial institution to perform an on-site review of the servicer (loan documents, servicing records, etc.)
• A review of remittance reports provided to the financial institution by servicer finds a:
o Lack of detail within the remittance reports (principal reduction, interest paid, late fees charged and paid).
o Remittance reports that fail to reconcile with bank records.
• A review of delinquency reports provided to the financial institution by the servicer finds a:
o Lack of detail within delinquency reports.
o High volume of delinquent loans.
• A review of portfolio reports provided to the financial institution by the servicer finds a:
o Lack of detail within portfolio reports (listing of loans owned by the financial institution being serviced by the servicer including current balance).
o Portfolio reports that fail to reconcile with bank records.
• Annual review reveals detrimental information or deteriorating financial condition of the servicer.
• County records indicating lien holders are unknown to the financial institution.
• Excessive delay in a servicer’s remittance of principal and interest payments, escrow payments, or prepayments.
• Cancellation or reductions in coverage on servicer’s insurance policies, including errors and omissions policies.
• Failure of the servicer to maintain copies of original payment documents (e.g., loan payment checks) verifying borrower as the source of payments.
• Excessive errors related to payment calculations on adjustable rate loans or escrow calculations.

Companion Fraud
• Fraudulent Documentation

– – – – Phantom Sale – – – –

Phantom sales typically involve an individual or individuals who falsely transfer title to a property or properties and fraudulently obtain funds via mortgage loans or sales to third parties.

Examples:

– The perpetrator identifies an apparently abandoned or vacant property and records a fictitious quit claim deed to transfer the property into the perpetrator’s name. Once the perpetrator has recorded the necessary document, he has several options:

• Apply for and execute a loan secured by the property. He pockets the loan proceeds and disappears.
• Transfer the property to a co-conspirator. The new owner applies for a loan, splits the proceeds with the original perpetrator, and both disappear with the money.
• Transfer the property to a false name, apply for a loan in the false name, pocket the proceeds and disappear.
• Sell the property to an uninvolved third party, pocket the proceeds, and disappear.

In the first three scenarios the financial institution is left with a mortgage loan that has no payment source and is collateralized by fraudulently obtained property. This results in a 100 percent loss to the financial institution once the fraud is exposed. In the last example, both the purchaser and financial institution are defrauded.

Red Flags

• Title search reveals a recent ownership transfer via quit claim deed.
• Ownership transfers via quit claim deeds in an area where such is not normal.
• Quit claim deed owner is not from subject area.
• Quit claim deed owner is unrelated to former owner.

• Quick sale to third party after quit claim deed owner acquires property.

Companion Frauds

• Fraudulent Appraisal
• Identity Theft
• Straw/Nominee Borrower

– – – – Property Flip Fraud – – – –

A fraudulent property flip is a scheme in which individuals, businesses, and/or straw borrowers buy and sell properties amongst themselves, normally within a short time frame, to artificially inflate the value of the properties. This scheme is designed to extract as much cash as possible from the property, and the loan proceeds are often used for purposes not stated on the application.

There are a number of variations of the fraudulent property flip, some of which are more prevalent than others depending on the current economic conditions. Some schemes occur in geographic areas experiencing significant property value appreciation or in stagnant markets, where properties have been on the market for extended periods of time. An essential party in this scheme is a complicit appraiser, who fraudulently provides an inflated opinion of the property’s market value. The following are two variations of fraudulent property flips:

• A buyer purchases a property at market value and on the same day sells the property, at an inflated price in excess of the true market value to a straw buyer who has been paid to act as a buyer. The financial institution lending to the straw buyer typically is unaware of the prior purchase by the fraudster earlier that same day.

• A seller, whose property has been on the market for an extended period of time, is approached by a buyer/borrower who makes an offer on the property that is substantially higher than the market value. A financial institution funds the loan based on a fraudulent appraisal that inflates the value of the property. In some cases, the inflated value is supported by non-existent home improvements that were to be made. For example, a seller lists a property for $250,000 and a buyer/borrower offers $299,000. At closing, the seller receives the net proceeds of $250,000 on the original asking price of the home and the surplus of $49,000 is disbursed to the fraudsters through a payoff from the seller’s funds on the HUD-1 Settlement Statement at closing.

Examples:

– A group of individuals was organized by a real estate agent to flip properties. Each participant acquired a property with 100 percent financing, prior to the real estate market peak. The properties were then sold repeatedly amongst the individuals and /or their spouses to increase the market value. Title to some of the properties is held in trusts, obscuring ownership.

However, once the group obtained the requisite amount of cash, the loans were allowed to go into default. The participants split the loan proceeds in excess of the true market value for perpetrating the scheme.

Red Flags

• Property listed for extended period of time and sells for higher than list price.

• Property has been transferred or sold within the last six months.
• The property is advertised as “For Sale by Owner”.
• Value of the property has notably increased with no improvements or improvements are insufficient to justify the increase.
• Borrower has limited capacity to repay (e.g., high debt-to-income ratio)
• The property seller is not the owner of record.
• Purchase is disguised as refinances to circumvent down payment.
• Seller is an entity/corporation.
• Power of attorney used without explanation.
• Borrower owns excessive amount of real estate.
• Similarities on multiple applications received from a specific seller or broker.
• Notes in loan file suggest borrower pushed for a quick closing.
• Appraiser is not on list of approved appraisers.
• Appraisal was ordered by a party to the transaction or before the sales contract, or appraisal is a fax.
• Borrower named on the appraisal is different from applicant.
• Appreciation is noted in an area with stable or declining real estate prices.

• Comparables on the appraisal are unusual.
• Inconsistencies in VOE or VOD.
• Violation of the lender’s closing instructions.
• Same individuals involved as buyers and/or sellers in multiple transactions, which may be noted on the deed, title abstract, or other real estate documents found in file.
• Unusual credits or disbursements on settlement statements or discrepancies between the HUD-1 and escrow instructions.
• First payment default on loan.

Companion Frauds
• Fraudulent Appraisal
• Fraudulent Documentation
• Identity Theft
• Straw/Nominee Borrower

– – – – Reverse Mortgage Fraud – – – –

The rapid growth in and changes to the reverse mortgage market have created a lucrative environment for fraudulent activities. The vast majority of reverse mortgage loans are offered through HUD and are FHA-insured; the products are commonly referred to as Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECMs). According to data maintained by HUD and other sources, the reverse mortgage loan market increased over the last 5 years from approximately “$5.4 billion a year to more than $17.3 billion in 2008.”4
In addition, recent legislation increased the dollar amount of HECMs to $625,000, and purchase money transactions became effective in 2009. The primary requirements imposed by HUD are that the borrower has attained age 62 and that the collateral value supports the loan amount. There is no requirement to have owned the property for any minimum amount of time, and the loans do not require monthly repayment. Therefore, the loans are primarily underwritten based on the age of the youngest borrower and value of the home being used as collateral.

Reverse mortgage fraud is a scheme where legitimate or fictitious equity is stripped from the collateral. The lump-sum cash-out option will yield the greatest amount of loan proceeds, and likely will be where most fraud occurs. However, fraud may occur in other reverse mortgage loan products. For example, under the term program, where a borrower receives equal monthly payments for a fixed period of time, older borrowers will receive higher payments due to a shorter payment stream, creating a direct incentive to falsify age. Due to the structure of the HECMs, there are no warnings, such as past-due status or default, to raise suspicions, and possibly limit losses, as repayment is only required upon the borrower moving out of the property; upon death; default of property taxes or hazard insurance; or the property is in unreasonable disrepair.

Examples:

Property title is transferred into the perpetrator’s name and quickly re-titled into a straw buyer’s name. A lump-sum cash-out reverse mortgage loan is obtained and is premised on collusion of an appraiser who provides an “as if” renovated appraised value to fraudulently increase the market value. The perpetrator also places fictitious liens on the property to divert loan proceeds to himself.

Red Flags
A red flag is an indicator that calls for further scrutiny. One red flag by itself may not be significant; however, multiple red flags may indicate an operating environment that is conducive to fraud.

• No notes in loan file pertaining to how the proceeds will be used, or notes indicate that proceeds will be used for unspecified monthly living expenses, but the loan is a lump-sum cash-out option.
• File notes indicate that the borrower does not exhibit any knowledge of the property, such as location, number of rooms, etc.
• The property title may have been “abandoned” by the local government and then transferred into the perpetrator’s name. The property may then be re-titled into the borrower’s name via either a warranty deed or a quit claim deed.
• Files contain notices that property taxes are delinquent, indicating default under the terms.
• Files contain notices that property insurance has lapsed, indicating default under the terms.
• Loan file information shows mail as returned to sender, possibly indicating the “owner” is no longer occupying the property and did not provide a forwarding address. An event of default occurs, when the owner no longer lives in the property.
• The title search (if performed) showed that the property title recently transferred to the borrower’s name, following a very short ownership by the seller, indicating the possibility of a flip transaction.
• Lender search of public records for either assessed value or sales prices show that the neighborhood is valued at substantially less than the subject property.
• Problems with the appraisal report may include:

– The report was prepared for a third party and not ordered by the financial institution.

– Comparable properties are not in the same neighborhood.

– Prior sales history is inconsistent with title search results.

• Refer to Fraudulent Appraisal for further details on potential appraisal fraud red flags.

Companion Frauds

• Fraudulent Appraisal
• Fraudulent Documentation
• Property Flip Fraud

– – – – Short Sale Fraud – – – –

A short sale is a sale of real estate in which the proceeds from the sale are less than the balance owed on the loan. The borrower may claim to have financial hardship and offers to sell the property so the financial institution will not have to foreclose. The financial institution and all interested parties, including other lien holders and any mortgage insurer, must approve the transaction. Some institutions may be motivated to approve a short sale because it is faster, results in a smaller loss than the prospect of a foreclosure, and does not increase the level of Other Real Estate Owned. Depending on the settlement and the state where the property is located, the deficiency balance may be forgiven by the financial institution.

Not all short sales are fraudulent. However, fraud occurs when a borrower withholds mortgage loan payments, forcing the loan into default so that an accomplice can submit a “straw” short-sale offer at a purchase price less than the borrower’s loan balance. Sometimes the borrower is truly having financial difficulty and is approached by a fraudster to commit the scheme. In all cases, a fraud is committed if the financial institution is misled into approving the short-sale offer when the price is not reasonable and/or when conflicts of interest are not properly disclosed.

Examples:

– A fraudster uses a straw buyer to purchase a home for the purpose of defaulting on the mortgage loan. The straw buyer makes no payments on the loan and the property goes into default. Prior to foreclosure the fraudster makes an offer to purchase the property from the lender in a short sale agreement below market value. The lender agrees without knowing that the short sale was premeditated.

Red Flags

• Sudden default with no workout discussions and immediate request for short sale.
• Loan file documentation suggests ambiguous or conflicting reasons for default.
• Mortgage loan delinquency is inconsistent with the borrower’s spending, savings, and other credit patterns as indicated in the credit report.
• Short-sale offer is from a related party, which is sometimes not disclosed, or straw buyer.
• Short-sale offering price is less than current market value.
• HUD-1 Settlement statement shows cash-back at closing to the delinquent borrower, or other disbursements that have not been expressly approved by the servicer (sometimes disguised as “repairs” or other payouts).
• Fraudulent appraisal to support below market price.
• Seller intentionally lowers value of property by causing excessive, but cosmetic, damage or hiding dead animals to produce offensive odors. Adjustment to value is exaggerated downward even though costs for rehabilitation are low.
• Seller feigns financial hardship and hides assets – large volume of assets on original loan application have dissipated without explanation.
• County records show that the property was flipped soon after short sale with a higher price.
• County records show ownership is transferred back to the seller after short sale.
• Site visit or registered mail is not returned indicates seller continues to reside in the property.
• Real estate agent is in collusion with seller and withholds competitive/higher offers.
• Unusually high commission is paid to real estate agent.

Companion Fraud
• Fraudulent Documentation

*********** Fraud Mechanisms **********

Asset Rental

Asset rental is the rental of bank deposits or other assets, which are temporarily placed in a borrower’s account, in order for a borrower to qualify for a loan. The borrower usually pays some fee, such as a rental fee, for the temporary “use” of the asset. Asset rental programs have been generally described as tools to help borrowers whose financial condition poses a roadblock to being approved for a loan. Most often, the rental involves deposits or credit histories. Asset rental is a tool that can be used to commit mortgage fraud.

Deposit rental is a means to inflate an individual’s assets. An individual typically pays an origination fee of 5 percent of the amount of the deposit to be rented and a monthly fee of 1 percent to 1¾ percent of the deposit amount. The rented deposit can be owned by a third party that purports to be a financial institution or adds the borrower’s name to a real deposit account without granting access. The third party agrees to verify the deposit to any party authorized by the borrower. Written statements and verifications of deposit are available for an extra fee.

Credit histories are rented in an effort to raise an individual’s credit score. An individual typically pays a fee and is added to another individual’s credit card account as a non-user. The borrower has no access to or use of the credit card but benefits from the actual credit card holder’s timely payments.

In addition to asset rental, some companies also have advertised verification of employment and income services. Individuals fill out a form listing annual and monthly income and sources. Upon receipt of fees, the company verifies income and employment to lenders or others as authorized by the borrower.

Examples:

– A borrower would like to purchase a $450,000 house. Unfortunately, his $71,000 bookkeeper salary and $13,000 in a savings account do not meet the underwriting standards for the amount of the loan. The borrower, however, is certain that his salary will continue to increase at a minimum of 10 percent per year.

The borrower rented a $40,000 deposit account, for a fee of $2,000; the loan application reflected the $40,000 account as an asset. In addition, the borrower expected a raise the following year to $78,000, and enlisted an entity to verify that salary amount. The $78,000 was shown on the loan application as his current income. The loan file contained a verification of deposit for the $40,000 account, a verification of employment form verifying his job as an accountant, and a verification of income form for his $78,000 salary.

Red Flags

• Verification of Deposit (VOD), Verification of Employment (VOE) and Verification of Income (VOI) from a common source that is not the employer or the financial institution where the deposit is held.

• Information on credit report that is not consistent with information on VODs, VOEs and VOIs.
• Even numbers only appearing on the VODs and VOIs. Discrepancies between the deposit account establishment date and the date the borrower says it was established in the loan application process.

Fake Down Payment

In order to meet loan-to-value requirements, a fake down payment through fictitious, forged, falsified, or altered documents is used to mislead the lender. Collusion with a third party, such as a broker, closing agent, appraiser, etc. often exists to raise the purchase price and make it appear that the buyer is making a down payment to cover the difference between the purchase price and proposed loan. A fake down payment reduces the financial institution’s collateral position and in some cases, a financial institution may be financing over 100 percent of the purchase. Without the fake down payment, the financial institution would not have otherwise made the loan.

Examples:

A borrower wants to purchase property but does not have the money for a down payment. He offers the seller more than the asking price to give the appearance that the buyer is putting money down in order to get the loan. The seller agrees to amend the contract to reflect the increased price. The increase in sales price is not disbursed to the seller. Instead, a false payoff from the seller’s funds is reflected on the HUD-1 Settlement Statement when in reality, the seller provides the funds to the borrower for the down payment.

– A third party broker has a borrower interested in a loan to finance the purchase of a home. The borrower does not have sufficient funds available to meet the lender’s LTV requirements. Therefore, the broker loans the borrower $10,000 to use as a down payment, and the funds are represented to be a gift from family. The borrower and broker then enter into a loan agreement. The loan is to be secured by a lien against the house. Approximately ten days after closing of the purchase transaction, the broker records the second lien against the house to secure the down payment loan.

Red Flags

• Source of funds for down payment cannot be verified.
• Down payment appears to be accumulated suddenly instead of over time.
• Deposit is a rented account (refer to asset rental) or has a round dollar balance.
• Down payment source is held in a non-financial institution such as an escrow trust account, title company, etc.
• Market value of property is inflated.
• Property sells above asking price even though on the market for an extended period of time.

Fraudulent Appraisal

Appraisal fraud can occur when an appraiser for various reasons falsifies information on an appraisal or falsely provides an inaccurate valuation on the appraisal with the intent to mislead a third party. In addition, appraisal fraud occurs when a person falsely represents himself as a State-licensed or State-certified appraiser or uses the identity of an appraiser as his own.

One common form of appraisal fraud relies on overvalued or undervalued property values, also known as artificial inflation/deflation using one or more valuation approaches. A buyer and a real estate professional will use a willing appraiser to artificially modify the value of a property. The property’s false inflated value can be used to secure a second mortgage, place the property on the market at a greatly inflated price, or secure an initial mortgage loan that will be defaulted upon at a later time. An undervalued appraisal can be used to assist in a short sale or loan modification fraud scheme.

Examples:

– A couple obtains financing for the purchase of their first house, contingent upon the house value. The couple plan to use the $8,000 tax credit for the down payment and closing costs and only have nominal cash available, so there is no possibility that the couple could cover the difference if the house doesn’t appraise. The couple’s loan officer arranges for an appraisal of the property, but sends the appraiser the standardized form with the final market value section completed. The appraiser wants to continue his relationship with the mortgage broker, so he agrees to develop an appraisal report to support the value provided. The property is compared to properties outside of the general area where the subject house is located. Without knowledge of that area, it appears, to anyone reviewing the appraisal report, that the comparable properties provide support for the value. However, no adjustments have been made for the facts that the comparable properties are newer, larger, in better condition, and in a better location than the subject property.

– A house being appraised has materially less square footage than the comparable properties. To boost the square footage of the subject property, the appraiser doubles the square footage of the unheated out-building, that is used for lawn equipment, and adds that square footage to the square footage of the house. No adjustments are made to the comparable properties, since now the subject and comparable properties have similar square footage. A review of the square footage of the house and out-building clearly shows that the appraiser intentionally misrepresented the property value.

Red Flags

There are various red flag indicators that can be used to identify the possibility of appraisal fraud. The identification of red flags could suggest individual fraud activities or more complex fraud schemes. Such red flag indicators for appraisal fraud are subdivided into categories below:

Appraisal Engagement Letter/Appraisal Ordering

• There is no appraisal engagement letter in file or the appraisal does not correspond to the engagement letter.
• The appraisal was ordered or provided by the buyer, seller, or an unidentified third party to the transaction rather than the financial institution or its agent.
• The appraisal was order by the financial institution loan production staff rather than from an independent office within the institution.

The Appraiser/Appraiser Compensation

• Appraiser was not located in reasonable proximity of the subject property and it is unclear that the appraiser has appropriate knowledge of the local market.
• Appraiser licensing/certification information is missing or appraiser information is clouded in some way.
• Appraisal fee is based on market value of subject property.
• Appraiser has had enforcement action taken against him or is not otherwise eligible to perform appraisals for federally related transactions (www.ASC.gov).

Property Comparables

• Comparable properties are materially different from subject property.
• Comparable properties are outside a reasonable radius of the subject property (except for rural properties).
• Comparable property sales are stale without an explanation.
• Appraiser makes large value adjustments to comparable properties without adequate explanation.
• Recent and multiple sales for subject and/or comparables are shown in the appraisal without adequate explanation as to the circumstances.

Appraisal Information and Narrative

• The market value in the appraisal report is lower than purchase price.
• Listing rather than sales information was used to determine value.
• Evidence of appraisal tampering (e.g., different font style, handwritten changes).
• Refinance transaction shows property recently listed “for sale”.
• Market rent is significantly less than rent amounts indicated on lease agreement.
• Income approach is not used on a tenant-occupied, or rented single-family dwelling.
• Significant appreciation or devaluation in short period of time.
• Appraisal indicates transaction is a refinance when it is a purchase.
• Appraised value is contingent upon property improvements or curing of property defects.
• Abnormal capitalization or discount rates without explanation.
• Appraisal dated before loan application date.
• Significant variances in property value among the Cost, Income, and Sales approach.
• Appraisal excludes one or more valuation approaches when such an approach is pivotal to the loan underwriting decision.
• Owner is someone other than seller shown on sales contract.
• Unusual or frequent prior sales are listed for subject and/or comparables without adequate explanation.
• Occupant noted as “tenant” or “unknown” for owner-occupied refinances.

Appraisal Photographs and Mapping (Comparable and Subject)

• Photos missing, non-viewable, or blurry.

• A “For Rent” or “For Sale” sign shows in the photos of the subject property for an owner-occupied refinance.
• Photos do not match property description.
• Photo background image is inconsistent with the date or season of the appraisal.
• Photos of subject property taken from odd angles to mask unfavorable conditions.
• Negative valuation factors are not disclosed in appraisal (e.g., commercial property next door, railroad tracks, or another structure on premises).
• Photos for the subject property and comparables appear to be from different photo source (e.g., internet photos).
• Appraisal maps showing location of subject and comparables is either absent or shows wide geographical separation from subject property.

Other Appraisal Information

• Documentation in loan file suggests a re-appraisal due to appraisal results or the stated value of subject property without an explanation.
• Loan file contains more than one recent appraisal with significant variance in value without an explanation.
• House number of property in photo does not match the subject property address.
• A fax or an electronic version of the appraisal is used in lieu of the original containing signature and certification of appraiser.
• The appraisal was not reviewed prior to loan funding or appraisal was reviewed by loan production rather than an independent office within the institution.

Fraudulent Documentation

Documentation fraud occurs when any document relied upon by the financial institution to make a credit decision, is forged, falsified, or altered. Fraud can also occur if proper due diligence and verification practices are not consistently applied. Similarly, obtaining documents to satisfy a checklist is not the same as having verified the authenticity of the document.

Documentation Types

1. Sales Contract

Sales contracts may be falsified to reflect higher sales prices. These higher sales prices are intended to produce higher comparables for appraisal purposes and result in artificially inflated values. The inflated values result in a higher loan amount than would otherwise be justified. Additionally, falsified seller identity may be used to perpetrate frauds, such as transferring property via falsified deeds or listing property for sale that the seller does not legally own. The identity of the buyer and/or seller may also be falsified in order to disguise a flip transaction or the use of a straw borrower.

Red Flags

• Borrower is not listed as purchaser on the sales contract.
• Seller listed on contract is not the owner listed on title or appraisal.
• All parties did not sign the sales contract and/or addendum.
• Sales contract is not dated or dated after other file documents (unless it is a pre-qualification.)
• Sales contract is received at the last minute or has been changed from the previously submitted contract.

2. Loan Application

Parts of or the entire application may be falsified.

Red Flags

• Application states purpose is for refinance, but the credit report and/or tax records do not indicate the borrower owns the property.
• Purchase amount of the property differs from the sales contract.
• Borrower claims the property will be owner-occupied, when the intent is for investment/rental purposes.
• Application shows all assets, but liabilities are inconsistent with those reported on the credit report.
• Assets are inconsistent with job position and income.
• Omission of some or all properties owned by the borrower in the real estate section of the application.
• Borrower declarations are inconsistent with credit report.
• Debt-to-Income ratios are exactly at maximum approval limits
• Misrepresentation of employment and income.

3. Credit Report

The credit report contains significant information reflective of the borrower’s ability and desire to repay debt obligations. Credit reports are sometimes altered so that a borrower can meet specific loan requirements. For example, credit scores can be changed (increased) through scanning and alteration of information.

Red Flags

• The absence of credit history indicating the possible use of an alias and/or multiple social security numbers.
• Borrower recently pays many or all accounts in full, possibly indicating an undisclosed debt consolidation loan.
• Indebtedness disclosed on the application differs from the credit report.
• The length of time trade lines were opened is inconsistent with the buyer’s age.
• The borrower claims substantial income but only has credit experience with finance companies.
• All trade lines opened at the same time with no explanation.
• Recent inquiries from other mortgage lenders are noted.
• AKA (also known as) or DBA (doing business as) are indicated.

4. Driver’s License

Government issued driver’s licenses can be partially verified through entities that can identify whether the licensing number sequence complies with the state’s system. However, state issued identification cards do not always have the same quality.

Red Flags

• No hologram.
• No photograph.
• Name, address, physical characteristics do not match.
• Expired driver’s license.
• Illegible driver’s license.

5. Social Security Number

The first five digits of a Social Security Number (SSN) signify the state and the date range in which it was issued. SSNs should be compared to numbers associated with deceased taxpayers. Identity alerts are also a useful tool if accessed via the credit reporting system.

Red Flags

• Credit report alert states that SSN has not been issued.
• Credit report alert states that SSN is on the master death index.
• Format and digits are not correct.
• Improper color and weight of the social security card.
• Highly unlikely series of digits (999-99-9999 or 123-45-6789).

• Ink smudges, poorly aligned, and odd fonts.

6. Bank Statement

Deposit account statements may include legitimate financial institution names and addresses, but can be fraudulently modified to include falsified telephone numbers that are answered by a party to the scheme.

Red Flags

• Altered copies.
• Missing pages.
• Application information (name and address) does not match the account holders.
• Inconsistency in the color of original bank statements.

7. Deposit Verification (VOD)

A party to the scheme may verify deposits held at a depository institution, even though no such financial institution, account, or deposits in that name exist.

Red Flags

• The VOD is completed on the same day it is ordered.
• Deletions or cross outs exist on the VOD.
• No date stamp receipt affixed to the VOD by the depository to indicate the date of receipt.
• The buyer has no deposit accounts, but a VOD is in the file.
• The deposit account is not in the borrower’s name or is a joint account with a third party.
• The borrower’s account balance at the financial institution is insufficient to close the transaction.
• The deposit account is new or has a round dollar balance.
• The closing check is drawn on a different financial institution.
• An illegible signature exists with no further identification provided.
• Significant balance changes are noted in depository accounts during the two months prior to the date of verification.
• The checking account’s average two-month balance exactly equals the present balance.
• Funds for the down payment are only on deposit for a short period.
• An IRA is shown as a source of down payment funds.
• Account balances are inconsistent with application information.
• The down payment source is held in a non-depository “depository,” such as an escrow trust account, title company, etc.
• An escrow receipt is used as verification which may have been from a personal check not yet cleared or a check returned due to insufficient funds.
• The VOD is not folded indicating it may have been hand carried.
• The VOD is not on original financial institution letterhead or a recognized form.

8. Employment Verification (VOE)

Fake employment verification can be used by those who collude in mortgage fraud. This is usually associated with an organized scheme.

Red Flags

• The seller and applicant have similar names.
• Borrower’s employer does not know borrower or borrower was terminated from employment prior to the closing date.
• The VOE is not on original letterhead or a standard Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA)/Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC) form.
• The VOE is completed the same day it is ordered, indicating it may have been hand-carried or completed before the initial application date.
• An illegible signature exists with no further identification provided.
• The employer uses only a mail drop or post office box address.
• The business entity is not in good standing with the State or registered with applicable regulatory agencies.
• An overlap exists with current and prior employment.
• Excessive praise is noted in the remarks section of response.
• Round dollar amounts are used in year-to-date or past earnings.
• Income is not commensurate with stated employment, years of experience, or type of employment.
• Income is primarily commission based, although borrower claims he is a salaried employee.
• The borrower’s interest in the property is not reasonable given its distance from the place of employment.
• The borrower has a recent large increase in income or started a new job.
• Faxes are used in lieu of originals documents.
• CPA letter is used to validate employment.
• Leases are used to evidence additional income.

9. W-2 Statement or Paystub

Off-the-shelf software and internet sites make the creation of fake W-2 statements and paystubs relatively easy.

Red Flags

• Borrower income is inconsistent with type of employment.
• Social security number on W2 or paystub is invalid, differs from loan application, or has been recently issued.
• Name misspelled.
• Variances in employment data with other file documentation.
• Commission-type position with “base” salary only (and vice versa).
• Round dollar amounts for year-to-date or prior year’s earnings.
• Numbers that appear to be “squeezed in”.
• Document alterations, such as white-outs or cross-outs or inconsistent fonts.
• Not computer-generated, especially from large employer.
• W-2 is typed, but paystubs are computer-generated.
• Check numbers do not increase chronologically.
• Amounts withheld for Social Security, Medicare and other government programs are inconsistent with the level required.
• Debts reflected as deduction from pay (credit union loans, etc.) not disclosed on application.
• Year-to-date totals do not total accurately from paycheck to paycheck.
• An employer identification number that is not in the XX-XXXXXXX (two digits, hyphen, seven digits) format, or is not all numeric.
• Employer and employee names or addresses are inaccurate.

• Income reflected on W-2 statements is different than income reported on mortgage loan application, VOE, and tax returns.
• Federal Insurance Contribution Act (FICA) and Medicare wages/taxes and local taxes, where applicable, exceed ceilings/set percentages.
• Copy submitted is not “Employee’s Copy” (Copy C).

10. Tax Return/Amended Tax Return

Fake tax returns may be provided to the underwriter as the borrower believes that no verification will occur. In other instances, amendments to tax returns may be made to further the scheme, regardless of whether the income amount increases or decreases.

Red Flags

• Address and/or profession do not agree with other information submitted on the mortgage loan application.
• Type of handwriting varies within return.
• Evidence of “white-out” or other alterations.
• Unemployment compensation reported, but no gap in employment is disclosed.
• Estimated tax payments by self-employed borrower (Schedule SE required); or self-employment tax claimed, but self-employment not disclosed.
• Tax returns are not signed/dated by borrower.
• IRS Form 1040 – Schedule A:

– Real estate taxes and/or mortgage loan interest is paid but no property is owned, or vice versa.

– Tax preparation fee is deducted, yet prior year’s return is prepared by borrower.

– Minimal or no deductions for a high-income borrower.

• IRS Form 1040 – Schedule B:

– Borrower with substantial cash in the bank shows little or no related interest income.

– No dividends are earned on stocks owned.

– Amount or source of income does not agree with the information submitted on the mortgage loan application.

• IRS Form 1040 – Schedule C:

– Business code is inconsistent with type of business.

– Gross income does not agree with total income on Form 1099s.

– No “cost of goods sold” on retail or similar type of business.

– Borrower takes a depreciation deduction for investment real estate not disclosed, or vice versa.

– Borrower shows interest expense but no related loan, such as a business loan with personal liability.

– No deductions for taxes and licenses.

– Wages are paid, but no tax expense is claimed.

– Wages are paid, but there is no employer identification number.

– Salaries paid are inconsistent with the type of business.

– Business expenses are inconsistent with type of business (e.g., truck driver with no vehicle expense).

– Income significantly higher than previous years.

• IRS Form 1040 – Schedule E:

– Additional properties are listed, but not shown on the mortgage loan application.

– Mortgage loan interest is deducted but no mortgage is disclosed.

– Borrower shows partnership income (may be liable as a general partner for partnership’s debts).

11. Deed

Quit Claim and Warranty Deeds may be used by someone who is transferring the property’s title, but is not the owner or the owners’ representative. The purpose of such transactions is to sell the property outright or to refinance the debt in a cash-out transaction to collect loan proceeds. A fake Power of Attorney may be used as authorizing the deed transfer.

Red Flags

• Recent ownership transfer or multiple transfers in a short period of time via quit claim or warranty deed.
• Representative not local or from out of state.
• Deeds involving individuals not party to the transactions.
• Deeds where parties share common names/hyphenated names, suggesting family relationships.
• Obvious errors, such as misspelled names, or other items.

12. Title or Escrow Company/Title Commitment

Fraudulent loan schemes may involve the use of a fake title company or may involve an employee of the title company. The company appears to provide legitimate documentation, which was possibly stolen from a legitimate title company (such as a falsified closing protection letter). Employees of legitimate title companies may be part of a scheme, where they either fabricate title commitments or delete information that would help identify fraudulent activity, such as flipping.

Red Flags

• The seller either is not on the title or is not the same as shown on the appraisal or sales contract.
• The seller owned the property for a short time with cash out on sale.

• The buyer had a pre-existing financial interest in the property.
• The chain of title includes the buyer, real estate agent, or broker.
• The title insurance or opinion was prepared for and/or mailed to a party other than the lender.
• Income tax or similar liens are noted against the borrower on refinances.
• Non-lien holders are shown on HUD-l.
• The title policy is not issued on the property with the lien or on the whole property.
• Faxed documents are used rather than originals or certified copies.
• Title commitment and final title policy reflect two different title insurers.
• Closing instructions are not followed.
• Delinquent property tax exists and does not appear on the title commitment.
• A notice of default is recorded and does not appear on the title commitment.

13. Business License

Business licenses may be fabricated to show that a supposed self-employed borrower owns a business. In this instance, the borrower owns no such business. Others may actually formally incorporate with the state office to conceal the fact that no such business operates.

Red Flags

• No physical address (P.O. Box only) or physical address belongs to mail box rental company. Various search engines can help determine if disclosed physical address belongs to mail box rental.
• No telephone number or email address.
• No state franchise or other required annual filings.

14. Notary stamps

Notary stamps may be stolen and used in fraudulent transactions. In addition, notaries may be participants in furthering a scheme and receive funds for their participation. While e-notary will prevent stealing of physical stamps, it will not necessarily eliminate the coercion of notaries. Also, the fact that e-notary does not require the log to be downloaded daily to an impartial party that maintains a database of transactions, can allow for information to be changed after-the-fact. This would be the equivalent of changing the hand-written log.

Red Flags

• Seal is not embossed.
• Seal appears to be photocopied, rather than original.
• Notary is either related to or has a business relationship with a party to the transaction.

15. Power of Attorney

Powers of Attorney (POA) are legal documents authorizing another party to act on the first party’s behalf. POAs can be Limited, General, or Durable. Durable POAs have the longest duration, as they cease upon the death of the authorizing person, whereas General POAs cease upon a pre-established date, competency, or incapacitation. Limited POAs are identified with a specific timeframe or certain acts. Documents can be easily fabricated to show that one party has a legal right to enter into financial transactions on behalf of another. POAs may or may not be filed with the appropriate governmental office.

Red Flags

• A General or Durable POA is dated at approximately the same date as the transaction.
• Person, who supposedly authorized the Limited or General POA, is unaware of the document.
• In those areas where all POAs are recorded documents, the document is not recorded.
• The POA is not prepared by an attorney, but by using off-the-shelf software.
• POA is used in cash-out refinances or reverse mortgage loans.

16. HUD-1 Settlement Statement

The HUD-1 settlement statement is an accounting of the transaction from both the borrower’s and seller’s standpoint. This form is often falsified to withhold information from the lender, or there are often two distinctly different HUD-1 forms in fraudulent transactions.

Red Flags

• Borrower receives cash-back at closing.
• Payoff of non-lien holders typically reflected as marketing fees, payment for repairs, or renovations.
• Existence of multiple, different HUD-1’s.
• Items paid outside of closing (outside of normal appraisal and credit report fees).
• Overpayment of fees and commissions to realtor, broker, etc.
• Signatures on the HUD-1 do not match other signatures throughout the file.

Fraudulent Use of a Shell Company

A shell company is a business entity that typically has no physical presence, has nominal assets, and generates little or no income. Shell companies in themselves are not illegal and may be formed by individuals or businesses for legitimate purposes. However, due to lack of transparency regarding beneficial ownership, ease of formation, and inconsistent reporting requirements from state to state, shell companies have become a preferred vehicle for financial fraud schemes.

Both the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) and FinCEN have reported on shell companies and their role in facilitating criminal activity. These reports have focused on limited liability corporations (LLCs) due to their dominance and growth in popularity. However, any type of business entity can be a shell company. To further obscure ownership and activity, there are numerous businesses that can provide a shell company with a registered agent and mail forwarding service, or offer nominee services, such as nominee officers, directors, shareholders, or nominee bank signatory. Other businesses sell established shell companies for the purpose of giving the appearance of longevity of a business, and a history of creditworthiness which may be required when obtaining leases, credit, or bank loans.

Examples:

– Several individuals with the intent of committing fraud formed a shell company as a way of disguising their identities. The individuals purchased properties in the name of the shell company and at the same time recruited straw borrowers to purchase the properties from the shell company at inflated prices. Owners of the shell company provided the straw borrowers with fake documents in order to qualify for the loans. The shell company owners profited from the difference between the original purchase price and the mortgage loan proceeds, less the fee paid to the straw borrower. The straw borrower defaulted on the loan, forcing the financial institutions to foreclose on the houses.

Red Flags

• Entity has no telephone number or email address.
• No physical address (P.O. Box only) or physical address belongs to mail box rental company.
• No company logo.
• No website, if one would be expected.
• No domestic address/contact if a foreign company.
• Newly-formed entity.
• Registered agent recently changed.
• Transacting businesses share the same address; provide only a registered agent’s address; or other address inconsistencies.
• Unusual cash withdrawals from business accounts.

Identity Theft

Identity theft can be defined as assuming the use of another person’s personal information (e.g., name, SSN, credit card number, etc.) without the person’s knowledge and the fraudulent use of such knowledge to obtain credit. Perpetrators commit identity theft to execute schemes using fake documents and false information to obtain mortgage loans. These individuals obtain someone’s legitimate personal information through various means, (e.g., obituaries, mail theft, pretext calling, employment or credit applications, computer hacking, trash retrieval, etc.) With this information, they are able to impersonate homebuyers and sellers using actual, verifiable identities that give the mortgage transactions the appearance of legitimacy.

Examples:

– A university student database, which included social security numbers and other personal identifying information, is compromised by a computer hacker. The investigation revealed that the hacker subsequently sold the personal identification information to a third party, who then proceeds to submit falsified mortgage loan applications to numerous financial institutions which resulted in approximately $5 million in losses to the financial institutions. Law enforcement stated that the third party, in collusion with a notary, appraiser, and other industry insiders, used the student information to purchase homes owned by the third party and other collaborators at highly inflated prices. In addition to identity theft, the loan files also included misrepresentations of employment, falsified down payments, and inflated appraisals.

Red Flags

A red flag is an indicator that calls for further scrutiny. One red flag by itself may not be significant; however, multiple red flags may indicate an operating environment that is conducive to fraud.
• Credit report contains a fraud alert or consumer-driven freeze on their credit report, which means no credit reports can be pulled until the consumer lifts the freeze.
• Credit report indicates that the social security number was not yet issued.
• Recently-opened accounts.
• Employment and residence history on the credit report and application do not match.
• Copy of driver’s license does not match profile on the application.
• Recently issued SSN.
• Current address on the application does not match other documents in the file (e.g., bank statements, W-2’s, utility bills, etc.)
• Additional red flags may be found in the FCRA under Appendix J of 12 CFR 41 (Subpart J – Identity Red Flags)

Straw Borrower / Nominee Borrower

A straw (nominee) borrower is an individual used to intentionally disguise the true beneficiary of the loan proceeds. Straws can be willing participants in the transaction or victims whose identity is being used without their knowledge. Often a willing straw borrower does not think the transaction is dishonest because they believe the recipient of the loan proceeds will make the payments. Reasons why a beneficiary of the loan proceeds may use a straw borrower are because the beneficiary:

• Does not qualify for the mortgage loan,
• Has no intent to occupy the property as a primary residence, or
• Is not eligible for a particular loan program.

Also straw borrower activities are commonly used with family members who step in for the purchase or refinance when the true home owner (family member) does not qualify for a loan.

Examples:

– A couple wanted to buy a home but did not qualify because their debt ratio was much too high. They also had very little cash to use as a down payment. To “help” them, one of their parents applied for the loan and was approved for a 97 percent LTV product. The couple moved into the house, and could not make the monthly payments. The servicer called the straw borrower, who informed the servicer that he did not live in the home and that his daughter and son-in-law were supposed to be making the payments. Despite, being contractually obligated, the straw borrower parent refused to bring the loan current. The lender was forced to foreclose and took a loss on the sale of the REO.

– A fraud ring acquired 25 properties, all of which were in various stages of disrepair. Some were even uninhabitable and slated for condemnation by the city. The ring then recruited individuals through their church, clubs, and other associations to each buy a property sight unseen. Each borrower was told they would not need to live in the property, and each borrower was also promised payment of $7500. The fraud ring arranged for inflated appraisals to be performed by promising the appraiser the job of appraising all 25 properties. The applications were submitted to several different lenders with numerous misrepresentations surrounding not only the true property values, but occupancy intent, borrower employment, income, and assets as well. The loans closed and resulted in first payment defaults, as the straw borrowers were told that their properties were passive investments that would not require any monthly payments due to tenants already being in the properties. A handful of the straw borrowers did receive their $7500 as promised, but most did not. Upon receiving collection calls, the straw borrowers determined they had been misled. The lenders ultimately foreclosed on the properties, discovered the true condition of the properties, and suffered losses upon the sale of the REO.

Red Flags

• The application is unsigned or undated.
• Borrower’s income is inconsistent with job or position.
• A quit claim deed was used either right before or soon after the loan was closed.
• Investment property is represented as owner-occupied on loan application.
• Loan documents show someone signed on the borrower’s behalf.
• Names were added to the purchase contract.
• Sale involves a relative or related party.
• No sales agent or realtor was involved.
• The name and address of borrower on credit report does not correspond with information on the loan application.
• Appraisal irregularities exist regarding property valuation and documentation. (See Fraudulent Appraisal.)
• Power of attorney was used in place of borrower.
• Good assets, but “gifting” was used as all or part of down payment.
• Repository alerts on credit report.

Glossary:

Appraisal Management Company (AMC): A business entity that administers a network of certified and licensed appraisers to fulfill real estate appraisal assignments on behalf of mortgage lending institutions and other entities. The company recruits, qualifies, verifies licensing, and negotiates fees and service-level expectations with a network of third-party appraisers. It also provides administrative duties like order entry and assignment, tracking and status updates, pre-delivery quality control, and preliminary and hard copy report delivery. Furthermore, the AMC oversees ongoing quality control, accounts payable and receivable, market value dispute resolution, warranty administration, and record retention.

Appraiser: One who is expected to perform valuation services competently and in a manner that is independent, impartial, and objective.

Borrower: One who receives funds in the form of a loan with the obligation of repaying the loan in full with interest. The borrower may be purchasing property, refinancing an existing mortgage loan, or borrowing against the equity of the property for other purposes.

Buyer: A buyer is a person who is acquiring property.

Closing: The culmination of any RE transaction in which the interested parties or their representatives meet to execute documents, exchange funds, and transfer title to a property.

Closing Costs: Moneys expended by a party in completing a RE transaction, over and above the purchase price, including: legal fees, taxes, origination fees, discount points, mortgage insurance premium, interest adjustments, registration fees, appraisal fees, title insurance premium, etc.

Closing/Settlement/Escrow Agent: An individual or company that oversees the consummation of a mortgage transaction at which the note and other legal documents are signed and the loan proceeds are disbursed. Title companies, attorneys, settlement agents, and escrow agents can perform this service. Local RE law may dictate the party conducting the closing.

Concessions: Benefits or discounts given by the seller or landlord of a property to help close a sale or lease. Common concessions include absorption of moving expenses, space remodeling, upgrades (also called “build-outs”), and reduced rent for the initial term of the lease.

Collusion: An agreement, usually secretive, which occurs between two or more persons to deceive, mislead, or defraud others of their legal rights, or to obtain an objective forbidden by law, typically involving fraud or gaining an unfair advantage.

Correspondent: A mortgage originator who underwrites and/or sells mortgage loans to other mortgage bankers or financial institutions.

Credit Report Fraud Alert: A notation at the bottom of a credit report indicating that some items of identification, i.e., Social Security number, address, etc., are associated with past fraudulent activities. For example, an address may be flagged because the previous occupant allegedly used the property for financial misbehavior. Each credit reporting agency has different names for these alerts: TransUnion – HAWK Alerts, Experian – Fraud Shield, and Equifax – Safescan.
Deed: The document by which title to real property is transferred or conveyed from one party to another. (See Quitclaim Deed and Warranty Deed.)

Deed of Trust: A type of security instrument in which the borrower conveys title to real property to a third party (trustee) to be held in trust as security for the lender, with the provision that the trustee shall re convey the title upon the payment of the debt. Conversely, the third party will sell the land and pay the debt in the event of default by the borrower. (See Mortgage.)

Developer: A person or entity, who prepares raw land for building sites, constructs buildings, creates residential subdivisions or commercial centers, rehabilitates existing buildings, or performs similar activities.

eNotary: An electronic notary that may include the use of a digital seal to notarize digital documents. (See also Notary.)

Escrow Instructions: Instructions prepared by a lender and/or underwriter to direct the progression of a mortgage closing transaction from start to finish.

Evaluation: A valuation required by the Agencies’ appraisal regulations for certain transactions that are exempt from the regulations.

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac): Commonly used name for the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC), a government sponsored entity that provides a secondary market for conforming conventional residential mortgage loans by purchasing them from primary lenders.

Federal Housing Administration (FHA): A federal agency established to advance homeownership opportunities. The FHA provides mortgage insurance to approved lending institutions.

Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae): A government sponsored entity that, as a secondary mortgage loan institution, is the largest single holder of residential mortgage loans in the United States. Fannie Mae primarily buys conforming conventional residential loans from primary lenders.

Federally related transaction: Means any real estate-related financial transactions entered into after the effective date hereof that:
(1) The FDIC or any regulated institution engages in or contracts for; and
(2) Requires the services of an appraiser.

Foreclosure: A legal proceeding following a default by a borrower in which real estate secured by a mortgage or deed of trust is sold to satisfy the underlying debt. Foreclosure statutes are enacted by state government.

Form 1003: The standardized loan application form used in residential mortgage loan transactions.

Form 4506T: An IRS form that taxpayers execute to authorize the IRS to release past tax returns to a third party. Many lenders require mortgage loan applicants to execute this form in order to verify income.

Fraud: A knowing misrepresentation of the truth or concealment of a material fact to induce another to act to their detriment.

Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae): A government-owned corporation that provides sources of funds for residential mortgage loans, insured or guaranteed by the FHA or VA.

HUD-l Form: A standardized form prescribed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development that provides an itemization listing of funds paid at closing. Items that appear on the statement include RE commissions, loan fees, points, taxes, initial escrow amounts, and other parties receiving distributions. The HUD-l statement is also known as the “closing statement” or “settlement sheet.”

Lapping: A fraud that involves stealing one customer’s payment and then crediting that customer’s account with a subsequent customer’s payment.

Loan Servicer: A loan servicer is a public or private entity or individual engaged to collect and process payments on mortgage loans.

Loan-to-Value Ratio (LTV): Relationship of loan amount to collateral value, expressed as a percentage.

Market Value: The most probable price which a property should bring in a competitive and open market under all conditions requisite to a fair sale, the buyer and seller each acting prudently and knowledgeably, and assuming the price is not affected by undue stimulus. Implicit in this definition is the consummation of a sale as of a specified date and the passing of title from seller to buyer under conditions whereby:

(1) Buyer and seller are typically motivated;
(2) Both parties are well informed or well advised, and acting in what they consider their own best interests;
(3) A reasonable time is allowed for exposure in the open market;
(4) Payment is made in terms of cash in U.S. dollars or in terms of financial arrangements comparable thereto; and
(5) The price represents the normal consideration for the property sold unaffected by special or creative financing or sales concessions granted by anyone associated with the sale.

Modification Agreement: A document that evidences a change in the terms of a mortgage loan, without refinancing the loan. Commonly, changes are made to the interest rate, repayment terms, guarantors, or property securing the loan.

Mortgage: A lien on the property that secures a loan. The borrower is the mortgagor; the lender is the mortgagee.

Mortgage Banker: An individual or firm that originates, purchases, sells, and/or services loans secured by mortgages on real property.

Mortgage Broker: An individual or firm that receives a commission for matching borrowers with lenders. Mortgage brokers typically do not fund the loans they help originate.

Mortgage Fraud: A knowing misrepresentation of the truth or concealment of a material fact in a mortgage loan application to induce another to approve the granting of a mortgage loan. For the purpose of this paper, mortgage fraud refers solely to fraudulent schemes pertaining to residential mortgage loans.

Nominee Loan: A loan made to one individual in which the proceeds of the loan benefit another individual without the knowledge of the lender.

Notary: A person who certifies the authenticity of required signatures on a document, by signing and stamping the document. (See also eNotary.)

Originator: The individual or entity that gathers application data from the borrower. Alternatively, a person or entity, such as a loan officer, broker, or correspondent, who assists a borrower with the loan application.

Power-of-Attorney: A legal document that authorizes a person to act on another’s behalf. A power-of-attorney can grant complete authority or can be limited to certain acts (closing on a property) or timeframes (from date granted until a termination date). A durable power-of-attorney continues until the grantor’s death.

Pretext Calling: A scheme associated with identity theft in which a fraudster, pretending to represent a legitimate entity, calls an unsuspecting party seeking personal identification data, such as social security numbers, passwords, or other forms of account information. The fraudster then uses this information to assume the identity of the unsuspecting victim. Among other things, the fraudster can obtain a mortgage loan in the name of the unsuspecting victim.

Processor: The processor is an individual who assembles all the necessary documents to be included in the loan package.

Quitclaim Deed: A deed that transfers without warranty whatever interest or title, if any, a grantor may have at the time the conveyance is made. A grantor need not have an interest in the property to execute a quitclaim deed.

Real Estate Agent: An individual or firm that receives a commission for representing the buyer or seller, in a RE purchase transaction.

Reverse Mortgage: A reverse mortgage loan converts the equity in the home into cash. Unlike a traditional loan, no repayment is required until the borrower no longer uses the house as a principal residence. To be eligible under FHA’s program, Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM), the homeowner must be at least 62 years old, and live in the house. The program was expanded in 2009 so that HECMs can be used to purchase a primary residence.

Secure and Fair Enforcement Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008 (S.A.F.E. Act): Legislation designed to enhance consumer protection and reduce fraud by encouraging states to establish minimum standards for the licensing and registration of state-licensed mortgage loan originators and for the Conference of State Bank Supervisors and the American Association of Residential Mortgage Regulators to establish and maintain a nationwide mortgage licensing system and registry for the residential mortgage industry. The S.A.F.E. Act further requires the federal agencies to establish similar requirements for the registration of depository institution loan originators.

Secondary Market: The buying and selling of existing mortgage loans, usually as part of a “pool” of loans.

Seller: Person offering to sell a piece of real estate.

Short Sale: Sale of the mortgaged property at a price that nets less than the total amount due on the mortgage loan. Servicers and borrowers negotiate repayment programs, forbearance, and/or forgiveness for any remaining deficiency on the debt to lessen the adverse impact on borrowers’ credit records.

Straw Buyer/Borrower: A person used to buy property or borrow against property in order to conceal the actual owner. The straw buyer does not intend to occupy the property or make payments and often deeds the property to the other individual immediately after closing. The straw buyer is usually compensated for use of his identity.

Third Party: The parties necessary to execute a residential mortgage transaction other than a financial institution and a legitimate borrower. Third parties include, but are not limited to, mortgage brokers, correspondents, RE appraisers, and settlement agents.

Title Agent: The title agent is a person or firm that is authorized on behalf of a title insurer to conduct a title search and issue a title insurance report or title insurance policy.

Title Company/Abstract Company: Entity that researches recorded ownership of and liens filed against real property and then issues a title insurance policy guaranteeing the lien position of the lender or provides a title opinion. Some states also require an attorney opinion supported by an abstract.

Title Insurance: An insurance policy that indemnifies the lien position of a lender against losses associated with property interests not disclosed in the title opinion. The borrower can also obtain this coverage by purchasing a separate policy.

Title Opinion/Commitment/Binder: An examination of public records, laws, and court decisions to ensure that no one except the seller has a valid claim to the property, and to disclose past and current facts regarding ownership of the subject property.

Underwriting: The credit decision-making process which can be automated, manual or a combination of both. In an automated process, application information is entered into a decision-making model that makes a credit determination based on pre-determined criteria. In a manual process an individual underwriter, usually an employee of the financial institution, makes the credit decision after evaluating all of the information in the loan package, including the credit report, appraisal, and verifications of deposit, income, and employment. Financial institutions often use a combination of both, with the automated decision representing one element of the overall credit decision. In each case, the decision may include stipulations or conditions that must be met before the loan can close.

Verification of Deposit (VOD): Written document sent to the borrower’s depository institution to confirm the existence of a down payment or cash reserves.

Verification of Employment (VOE): Written document sent to the borrower’s employer to confirm employment/income. Employment is often reconfirmed by calling the employer prior to funding.

Verification of Income (VOI): Written documentation supporting the borrower’s income level and income stream.

Warehouse Lender: A short-term lender for mortgage bankers. Using mortgage loans as collateral, the warehouse lender provides interim financing until the loans are sold to a permanent investor.

Warehouse (Loan): In mortgage lending, warehouse loans are loans that are funded and awaiting sale or delivery to an investor.

Warehouse Financing: Short-term borrowing of funds by a mortgage banker based on the collateral of warehoused loans. This form of interim financing is used until the warehoused loans are sold to a permanent investor.

Warranty Deed: A deed warranting that the grantor has a title free and clear of all encumbrances and will defend the grantee against all claims against the property.

For More Information How Your Can Use Well Structured Litigation Pleadings Designed Around These Fraudulent Schemes In Order To Effectively Challenge Your Wrongful Foreclosure and Successfully Save Your “American Dream” Home Visit: http://www.fightforeclosure.net

Who Has Standing To Foreclose? – A Review of Massachusettes Case & Other Jurisdictions

09 Friday Aug 2013

Posted by BNG in Affirmative Defenses, Appeal, Banks and Lenders, Case Laws, Case Study, Federal Court, Foreclosure Defense, Fraud, Judicial States, Legal Research, Litigation Strategies, MERS, Mortgage Laws, Non-Judicial States, Note - Deed of Trust - Mortgage, Pleadings, Pro Se Litigation, Securitization, State Court, Your Legal Rights

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Fannie Mae, Foreclosure, Ibanez, Massachusetts, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, U.S. Bancorp, Uniform Commercial Code, US Bank

Introduction

As a result of the collapse of the housing market in this country in or around 2008, the number of residential foreclosures has increased exponentially, putting unprecedented strains on the system.

Although most foreclosures are uncontested, since there is rarely any doubt that the borrower has defaulted in repayment of the debt, in the past several years a cottage industry has developed challenging the creditor’s “standing” to foreclose, sometimes colloquially known as the “show me the Note” defense.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has seen its share of this phenomenon, maybe more than its share.

This post will briefly review the string of Massachusetts judicial decisions over the past several years addressing various aspects of the foreclosure standing question, and will use those cases to “issue-spot” and frame questions that practitioners in every state should consider and perhaps need to answer before moving ahead with foreclosures or to defend past foreclosures in litigation, whether in defense of borrowers’ lawsuits or in eviction proceedings. Other notables decisions will also be surveyed to flesh out the issues and arguments further, without attempting to be exhaustive of the subject or to present the proverbial 50-State survey.

The Massachusetts Story

We begin with the Massachusetts foreclosure story. In early 2009, a judge on Massachusetts specialized Land Court called into question a title standard of the State’s Real Estate Bar Association that had been relied upon by the Massachusetts foreclosure Bar. REBA Title Standard No. 58 said that a foreclosure was not defective so long as an assignment of the mortgage was obtained at any time before or after the foreclosure. In other words, the title could be cleared by obtaining an assignment even after the conduct of the foreclosure auction sale. Land Court Judge Keith Long in U.S. Bank, N.A. v. Ibanez, 2009 WL 795201 (Mass. Land Ct. Mar. 26, 2009), held that the title standard did not correctly state Massachusetts law, and that under the Massachusetts foreclosure statute, M.G.L. c. 244, a creditor had to be the mortgagee to foreclose. In 2011, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in U.S. Bank, N.A. v. Ibanez, 458 Mass. 637 (2011), affirmed, holding that a foreclosing entity, if not the original mortgagee, must hold an assignment of the mortgage at the time it first published the notice of sale.

If the assignment of the mortgage was obtained after publication of the notice, a subsequently-completed foreclosure is unlawful and void.

Because Massachusetts is a non-judicial foreclosure jurisdiction, the foreclosing creditor does not have available ares judicata defense to a post-foreclosure challenge to title or possession.

Thus, the Massachusetts Court has held that a borrower or other defendant in an eviction action can defend by contesting the validity of a purchaser’s title if it stems from an invalid foreclosure, even if the mortgagor had done nothing to contest the foreclosure itself. Bank of New York v. Bailey, 460 Mass. 327 (2011).

The plaintiffs in Ibanez were securitization trustees and while the evidence in the record was incomplete, contributing to the result, the trustees were presumed to have held the notes in the respective loan pools, including the defendants’ notes, for the benefit of the investors. The Ibanez Court required the mortgagee to hold an assignment, and implicitly found that it would not be sufficient to confer standing to foreclose to hold the note without also holding the mortgage or obtaining an assignment, but nothing in the decision presaged a requirement that the mortgagee possess the note.

The argument that the mortgagee must also hold the note to foreclose was pressed to the Massachusetts high court almost immediately in the wake of Ibanez. This issue arises in Massachusetts because, contrary to the majority and longstanding American rule that the mortgage is mere security for the note and follows the note as a matter of law, Carpenter v. Longan, 83 U.S. 271 (1872), Massachusetts is a title-theory state that allows for the note and mortgage to be held separately. Under Article 3 of the Uniform Commercial Code (“UCC”), a note can be transferred by delivery of possession of an endorsed note, but Massachusetts, as a title theory state, requires a signed instrument to convey a mortgage, “which represents legal title to someone’s home.” Ibanez, 458 Mass. at 649. Comparable to the equity of redemption residing in the mortgagor, to reclaim legal title by repaying the debt and redeeming the mortgage, the owner of the note under Massachusetts law holds beneficial ownership of the mortgage and has the right to compel an assignment of the mortgage by the mortgagee, who holds the mortgage in trust for the holder of the note, in what has been described as a resulting trust implied by law. Id. at 652.

In Eaton v. Fannie Mae, 462 Mass. 569 (2012), the Court laid down a new rule that foreclosing mortgagees must either (a) hold the note, or (b) be acting on behalf of the note holder. In other words, the Court held that “one who, although not the note holder himself, acts as the authorized agent of the note holder,” may exercise the power of sale. Id. at 586. Notably, unlike in Ibanez where the Court rejected entreaties for prospective application of its decision, the Eaton court chose to apply its holding prospectively only to foreclosures noticed after the date of the decision out of “concern for litigants and others who have relied on existing precedents,” this being a “new rule.” Id. at 588.

Massachusetts courts, like courts elsewhere, have also considered the standing of Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. (“MERS”) to foreclose mortgages and to assign mortgages for foreclosure. MERS, discussed in greater detail below, holds title to mortgages as nominee for MERS Members. The Eaton court discussed MERS in several footnotes, see 462 Mass. 569 nn. 5, 7, 27 & 29, and implicitly accepted MERS’ pre-foreclosure assignment of the mortgage to the mortgage servicer.

In a federal court appeal earlier this year, the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston held expressly that MERS has the authority to assign mortgages it holds as nominee. Culhane v. Aurora Loan Services, — F.3d —-, 2013 WL 563374 (1st Cir., Feb. 15, 2013). Indeed, in the District Court decision the Court of Appeals affirmed, District Judge William Young remarked that “the MERS system fits perfectly into the Massachusetts model for the separation of legal and beneficial ownership of mortgages.” Culhane v. Aurora Loan Services, 826 F. Supp. 2d 352, 371 (D. Mass. 2011).

The recent Massachusetts mortgage foreclosure decisions were surprising, bordering on shocking, both to lenders and the Massachusetts real estate and foreclosure bars. In Ibanez, the Court disapproved a title standard of the well-respected statewide real estate bar group that conveyancers and others looked to for guidance, and in Eaton the Massachusetts Court for the first time announced a requirement that a foreclosing mortgagee be able to demonstrate its relationship to the mortgage note notwithstanding that there is no requirement under Massachusetts law to record or file notes or note transfers. 462 Mass. at 586;see also Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v. McKenna , 2011 WL 6153419, at *2 n.1 (Mass. Land Ct. Dec. 8, 2011) (“There never has been recording of notes at the registries of deeds at any time. Notes are never recorded—not (as they may be in some other states) when the initial mortgage is recorded, nor at any time after that, including at the time, following the auction sale, when the foreclosure deed and

affidavit are put on at the registry.”). Whether the greater numbers of foreclosures and the perceived financial excesses and highly publicized alleged “sloppiness” of the mortgage industry have caused some courts to be more “pro-consumer,” or it is only that some of the legal doctrines underlying foreclosure standing had not been closely examined in a century or more, the rulings were unexpected. In part, they may represent the challenge of adapting historical, and in some cases ancient, property law to modern commerce, or vice versa. But they point out the critical need to understand state law, and to not take for granted that traditional custom and practice will be upheld, or that courts will not struggle applying that law or those established customs and practice to non-traditional modern mortgage ownership structures.

Mortgage notes, representing the debt for which the mortgages are collateral, will generally qualify as negotiable instruments whose ownership and transfer is governed by the principles of Article 3 of the UCC, adopted largely intact in most American jurisdictions. But despite the efforts of the UCC Commissioners to harmonize the law of security interests, including in some respects in real property, mortgage law and mortgage foreclosure in particular remains predominantly a creature of local state law. Thus, for mortgage foreclosure purposes, where the foreclosing creditor stands, in the legal vernacular, may depend on where the house sits. The discussion below frames some of the key standing inquiries suggested by the Massachusetts experience, and surveys some recent case law from across the country addressing the same or similar questions, and compares and contrasts the judicial precedents.

Although subsidiary questions such as whether the state is a title theory or lien theory jurisdiction, and whether the mortgage is deemed to follow the note as a matter of law, may affect how the questions are answered in any particular state, the core questions remain the same and can generally be framed in the following terms:

1. What relationship must the foreclosing entity have to the mortgage (or to the corresponding deed of trust in jurisdictions that know the security instrument by that terminology), and at what time must it hold or have it?

2. What relationship, if any, must the foreclosing entity have to the promissory note secured by the mortgage (or by the deed of trust), and at what time?

3. Does MERS when it holds the mortgage as nominee (or when it is named as beneficiary under a deed of trust) have standing to foreclose, or the ability to assign the mortgage (or deed of trust) to the lender, trustee or servicer for foreclosure?

4. Who has standing to foreclose in the securitization context, given the legal relationships under the standard Pooling and Servicing Agreement between and among the securitization trustee, the mortgage servicer and, where applicable, MERS as nominee under the mortgage (or deed of trust)?

There is a large body of case law nationwide on all of these questions, with additional decisions being handed down on virtually a daily basis; what follows below is only a representative sampling intended to illustrate the more significant issues and arguments, to inform the analysis of applicable local state law.

1. Relationship Between Foreclosing Entity and Mortgage.

In U.S. Bank, N.A. v. Ibanez, 458 Mass. 637 (2011), as discussed above, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court held that a foreclosing entity must hold an assignment of the mortgage at the time of the publication of the notice of sale. Other states differ on whether they require a foreclosing party to hold the mortgage either at the time of the foreclosure sale itself or when notice is issued.

In considering any question of a party’s status in the foreclosure process, it is first important to note whether jurisdictions are judicial or non-judicial jurisdictions:

– Judicial foreclosure states require the foreclosing party to initiate a court proceeding in order to foreclose. The foreclosure complaint seeks permission from the court to foreclose on the secured property.

– Non-judicial foreclosure jurisdictions do not require court involvement. Instead, the foreclosing entity must follow certain practices as set by state statute, such as mailing notices of acceleration and default, and publishing notice in the local papers. That entity often is the deed of trust trustee, under state law. If the borrower wishes to contest the sale, he or she may seek to enjoin it before the sale occurs.

Twenty-two states are considered judicial foreclosure jurisdictions, whereas 28 are deemed non-judicial.

In New York, where foreclosures are conducted judicially, one court recently stated that “a plaintiff has standing where it is both the holder or assignee of the subject mortgage and the holder or assignee of the underlying note at the time the action is commenced.” Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v Wine, 90 A.D.3d 1216, 1217 (N.Y. App. Div. 3d Dep’t 2011).

To a similar effect, one Florida court has said a party must “present evidence that it owns and holds the note and mortgage in question in order to proceed with a foreclosure action.” Gee v. U.S. Bank N.A., 72 So. 3d 211, 213 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 5th Dist. 2011). But a different Florida appellate court has held that an assignment of the mortgage may not be necessary at the time a complaint is filed. Standing to bring a judicial foreclosure requires “either an assignment or an equitable transfer of the mortgage prior to the filing of the complaint.” McLean v. JP Morgan Chase Bank N.A., 79 So. 3d 170, 172 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 4th Dist. 2012). Because ownership of a mortgage follows an assignment of the debt under that case, the mortgage does not need to be assigned to the plaintiff before the Complaint is filed if it proves ownership of the note at that time.

New Jersey, also a judicial state, has said that if a foreclosing creditor bases standing to foreclose on assignment of the mortgage, the assignment must precede filing of the foreclosure complaint; however, if the foreclosing creditor held the note at the time of filing the complaint, assignment of the mortgage is unnecessary to establish standing to foreclose. Deutsche Bank Nat’l Trust Co. v. Mitchell, 422 N.J. Super. 214, 222-25 (App. Div. 2011). There, although Deutsche Bank had not proved its standing because the mortgage assignment it relied on was executed a day after it filed its complaint, the Court remanded to allow Deutsche Bank to demonstrate standing by proving that it possessed the note prior to filing the complaint. Contrast state filing rules with the law of a non-judicial state like Michigan, which allows a foreclosing party to be “either the owner of the indebtedness or of an interest in the indebtedness secured by the mortgage or the servicing agent of the mortgage.” MCL 600.3204(1)(d)). Thus, under the statute, a loan servicer is expressly authorized to foreclose regardless of whether it holds the note or mortgage. However, by the date of the foreclosure sale, the mortgage must be assigned to the foreclosing party if it is not the original mortgagee. MCL 600.3204(3).

Where an assignment of the mortgage may be required in order to foreclose, there are differences regarding whether the assignment of mortgage is required to be recorded.

– Massachusetts: In U.S. Bank, N.A. v. Ibanez, 458 Mass. 637 (2011), although the Court required the foreclosing entity to hold the mortgage, it notably did not require the assignment of mortgage be recorded – or even be in recordable form.

– California, likewise, does not require that assignments of a deed of trust be recorded prior to foreclosure, despite a statutory pre-foreclosure recording requirement for mortgage assignments (mortgages are uncommon in California). Calvo v. HSBC Bank USA, N.A., 199 Cal. App. 4th 118, 122-2 (Cal. App. 2d Dist. 2011).

– New York, recording is also not required. See, e.g., Bank of NY v. Silverberg, 86 A.D.3d 274, 280 (N.Y. App. Div. 2nd Dep’t 2011) (rejecting contention that absence of recorded assignment allowed inference that plaintiff did not own the note and mortgage; “an assignment of a note and mortgage need not be in writing and can be effectuated by physical delivery”).

But some non-judicial states require that assignments of deeds of trusts or mortgages be recorded before a foreclosure can occur:

– Oregon: Ore. Rev. Stat. § 86.735(1)

– Idaho: Idaho Stat. § 45-1505(1)

– Minnesota: Minn. Stat. § 580.02(3)

– Montana: Mont. Code Ann. § 71-1-313(1)

– Wyoming: Wyo. Stat. § 34-4-103(a)(iii)

Regardless of any requirement, assignees typically record mortgage assignments to put the world on notice of their interest. See MetLife Home Loans v. Hansen, 48 Kan. App. 2d 213 (Kan. Ct. App. 2012) (“The assignment of the Mortgage was merely recorded notice of a formal transfer of the title to the instrument as required by recording statutes, which are primarily designed to protect the mortgagee against other creditors of the mortgagor for lien-priority purposes, not to establish the rights of the mortgagee vis-à-vis the mortgagor.”

Need for Correct Corporate Names

When an assignment of mortgage is required, it must also be assigned to the correct corporate entity. Confusion over corporate names can impede foreclosures.

For example, the servicer of a loan filed a judicial foreclosure action alleging that it was the assignee of the original lender. Bayview Loan Servicing, L.L.C. v. Nelson, 382 Ill. App. 3d 1184 (Ill. App. Ct. 5th Dist. 2008). Reversing the trial court’s judgment in favor of the servicer (Bayview Loan Servicing, L.L.C.), the Court of Appeals held that the servicer was not allowed to foreclose because the mortgage was not assigned to it. Rather, the mortgage had been assigned to an affiliated entity, Bayview Financial Trading Group, L.P. Id. at 1187. Without any evidence that the foreclosing entity held the note or mortgage, the fact that it was servicer was insufficient to allow it to foreclose. Id. at 1188.

But the situation was different in a judicial foreclosure filed in the same state by Standard Bank, which was the successor to the originator of the loan as a result of several mergers and name changes. Std. Bank & Trust Co. v. Madonia, 964 N.E.2d 118 (Ill. App. Ct. 1st Dist. 2011). The mortgagors argued that the plaintiff bank was required to show a mortgage assignment or endorsement of the note to it. Rejecting that argument, the Court held that the plaintiff bank retained all of the interests of the originator, including those under the note and mortgage, as a result of the mergers. Id. at 123.

A court may require proof of a merger. The note and mortgage in this case were assigned to Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, Inc. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v. deBree, 2012 ME 34 (Me. 2012). Upon the borrowers’ default, Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. filed a complaint as “Successor by Merger to Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, Inc.” The trial court granted summary judgment for Wells Fargo Bank. On appeal, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court held that Wells Fargo Bank had not proved its ownership of the mortgage note and mortgage because there was no evidence that it, as opposed to Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, Inc., owned the instruments. Id. at ¶ 9. The Court rejected the Bank’s arguments that the borrowers had waived their argument, and it declined to take judicial notice that Wells Fargo Home Mortgage had merged into Wells Fargo Bank. Id.at ¶¶ 9-10. The showing of ownership was necessary for the Bank to prevail on summary judgment, so the foreclosure judgment was vacated. Id. at ¶ 11.

2. Relationship Between Foreclosing Entity and Note

In Eaton v. Fannie Mae, 462 Mass. 569 (2012), discussed above, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court announced a new rule, applicable to foreclosures noticed after June 22, 2012 (the date of the decision), requiring that foreclosing mortgagees must either (a) hold the note; or (b) be acting on behalf of the noteholder, at the time of foreclosure. In other words, the Court held that “one who, although not the note holder himself, acts as the authorized agent of the note holder” may exercise the power of sale.

Various courts in other states are split as to whether a foreclosing entity must hold the note.

California, for example, allows by statute non-judicial foreclosure by the “trustee, mortgagee, or beneficiary, or any of their authorized agents.” Debrunner v. Deutsche Bank National Trust Co., 204 Cal. App. 4th 433, 440 (Cal. App. 6th Dist. 2012) (quoting Cal. Civ. Code § 2924(a)(1)). The party foreclosing need not have possession of or a beneficial interest in the note because no such prerequisite appears in comprehensive statutory framework. Id. at 440-42.

In Idaho, a non-judicial foreclosure state, the state supreme court expressly rejected the idea that a party must have ownership of the note and mortgage. Trotter v. Bank of N.Y. Mellon, 152 Idaho 842, 861-62 (2012). Rather, “the plain language of the [deed of trust foreclosure] statute makes it clear that the trustee may foreclose on a deed of trust if it complies with the requirements contained within the Act.” Id. at 862.

Despite these states’ rejections of any requirement to hold the note, some courts in other jurisdictions do seem to require the foreclosing party to also be the noteholder, for example, or perhaps at least an agent or authorized person:

– New York: According to this intermediate appellate division, judicial foreclosure plaintiff must both hold the note and the mortgage at the time the action is commenced. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v Wine, 90 A.D.3d 1216, 1217 (N.Y. App. Div. 3d Dep’t 2011).

– Florida: In Florida, the holder of a note, or its representative, may foreclose. Gee v. U.S. Bank N.A., 72 So. 3d 211, 213 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 5th Dist. 2011). If the plaintiff is not the payee of the note, it must be endorsed to the plaintiff or in blank. Id.

– Maryland: The transferee of an unendorsed promissory note has the burden of establishing its rights under the note by proving the note’s prior transfer history, especially where the mortgagor requests an injunction to stop foreclosure. Anderson v. Burson, 424 Md. 232, 245 (2011). Thus, the Court held that although the agent of the substitute trustee under the mortgage had physical possession of the note, it was not a holder of the note because there was no valid endorsement; it could nevertheless still enforce the note based on concessions from the mortgagors. Id. at 251-52.

– Oklahoma: “To commence a foreclosure action in Oklahoma, a plaintiff must demonstrate it has a right to enforce the note and, absent a showing of ownership, the plaintiff lacks standing.” Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v. Heath, 2012 OK 54, ¶ 9 (Okla. 2012).

– Washington: Under Washington’s non-judicial foreclosure statute, the trustee is required to “have proof that the beneficiary is the owner of any promissory note or other obligation secured by the deed of trust.” RCW61.24.030(7)(a). Note, however, that borrowers cannot bring a judicial action based on a beneficiary or trustee’s failure to prove to the borrower that the beneficiary owns the note. Frazer v. Deutsche Bank Nat. Trust Co., 2012 WL 1821386, at *2 (W.D. Wash. May 18, 2012) (“[T]he Washington Deed of Trust Act requires that a foreclosing lender demonstrate its ownership of the underlying note to the trustee, not the borrower.”).

Some jurisdictions more clearly take an either/or approach to foreclosing. In Michigan, for example, the foreclosing entity must be “either the owner of the indebtedness or of an interest in the indebtedness secured by the mortgage or the servicing agent of the mortgage.” Residential Funding Co., LLC v. Saurman, 490 Mich. 909 (2011) (quoting MCL 600.3204(1)(d)). The question in Saurman was whether foreclosures by MERS, as a mortgagee that did not hold the note, were proper. The Michigan Supreme Court upheld the foreclosures because the mortgagee’s interest in the note—even though not an ownership interest—was a sufficient interest in the indebtedness to allow it to foreclose.

There are other state courts that follow the either/or approach as well, for example:

– Ohio: In CitiMortgage, Inc. v. Patterson, 2012 Ohio 5894 (Ohio Ct. App., Cuyahoga County Dec. 13, 2012), the Ohio Court of Appeals held that a party has standing if “at the time it files its complaint of foreclosure, it either (1) has had a mortgage assigned or (2) is the holder of the note.” Id. at ¶ 21. Thus, the plaintiff in Patterson had standing because it possessed the note when it filed its complaint, even though the mortgagewas not assigned until later. Id. at ¶ 22.

– Alabama: In Sturdivant v. BAC Home Loans Servicing, LP, — So.3d —-, 2011 Ala. Civ. App. LEXIS 361 (Ala. Civ. App. Dec. 16, 2011), the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals ruled that a party lacked standing to foreclose because it was not yet the assignee of a mortgage when it initiated foreclosure. In Perry v. Fannie Mae, 100 So. 3d 1090 (Ala. Civ. App. 2012), the Court explained that the mortgage need not be assigned to a foreclosing party at the time it initiates foreclosure if it is a holder of the note. Because the evidence showed that the foreclosing party held the note at the time it initiated foreclosure proceedings, the foreclosure was proper. Id. at 1094-96.

– New Jersey: As noted in the preceding section, New Jersey recognizes standing to file a complaint to foreclose based on either assignment of the mortgage or possession of the note. Deutsche Bank Nat’l Trust Co. v. Mitchell, 422 N.J. Super. 214, 222 (App. Div. 2011).

3. Standing of MERS

What is MERS?

MERS is a system for electronically tracking interests in mortgages that are traded on the secondary market. MERS members (approximately 6,000) agree that MERS serves as mortgagee or beneficiary, and when loan ownership or servicing rights are sold from one MERS member to another, MERS remains the titleholder to the security instrument as nominee on behalf of whomever owns the loan. MERS is modeled on the “book entry system” used to track ownership in stock exchanges.

The use of nominees predates MERS: “The use of a nominee in real estate transactions, and as mortgagee in a recorded mortgage, has long been sanctioned as a legitimate practice.” In re Cushman Bakery, 526 F. 2d 23, 30 (1st Cir. 1975) (collecting cases). However, the concept of a nominee serving as agent for one member of a group of possible principals—where the principal may change in a way not reflected in the public record—has fostered arange of reactions, from commendation to criticism to confusion, but ultimately MERS (and its members) have repeatedly prevailed in foreclosure challenge litigation.

Authority of MERS to Foreclose

Most courts to consider the issue have ruled that MERS may serve as mortgagee or beneficiary and foreclose, for example:

– Texas: Athey v. MERS, 314 S.W. 3d 161, 166 (Tex. App. 2010) (MERS could foreclose, though it never held the note).

– Utah: Burnett v. MERS, 2009 WL 3582294 (D. Utah Oct. 27, 2009) (“MERS had authority under the Deed of Trust to initiate foreclosure proceedings”).

– Nevada: Croce v. Trinity Mortg. Assurance Corp. 2009 WL 3172119, at 3 (D. Nev. Sept. 28, 2009) (collecting cases from Georgia, California, Florida, and Colorado rejecting argument “that MERS does not have standing as a beneficiary under the Note and Deed of Trust, and therefore, is not authorized to participate in the foreclosure proceedings.”); see also Edelstein v. Bank of N.Y. Mellon,286 P.3d 249, 254 (Nev. 2012) (“The deed of trust also expressly designated MERS as the beneficiary… it is an express part of the contract that we are not at liberty to disregard, and it is not repugnant to the remainder of the contract.”).

– Michigan: Residential Funding Corp. v. Saurman, 805 N.W. 2d 183 (Mich. 2011) held that MERS had a sufficient interest to foreclose because it owned “legal title to a security lien whose existence is wholly contingent on the satisfaction of the indebtedness.”

In addition, at least two states—Minnesota (Minn. Stat. § 507.413) and Texas (Tex. Prop. Code § 51.0001)—have enacted statutes recognizing that MERS can foreclose.

Some state courts, nevertheless, have raised various questions about MERS’s role as it relates to foreclosures.

– Oregon: In Niday v. GMAC Mortg., 284 P. 3d 1157 (Or. App. 2012), the Oregon Court of Appeals ruled that MERS did not meet Oregon’s statutory definition of “beneficiary,” disagreeing with the majority of trial court rulings that had ruled MERS could serve as beneficiary.

Niday is on appeal to the Supreme Court of Oregon; oral argument was heard January 8, 2013.

– Maine: The Maine Supreme Court has ruled that MERS cannot meet its definition of “mortgagee,” and thus had no standing to foreclose judicially. MERS v. Saunders, 2 A. 3d 289 (Me. 2010) (“MERS is not in fact a ‘mortgagee’ within the meaning of our foreclosure statute”).

– Washington: Bain v. Metro. Mortg. Group, Inc., 285 P.3d 34, 46 (Wash. 2012) ruled that MERS did not meet the statutory definition of deed of trust beneficiary, though Bain did not explain whether this impaired foreclosure proceedings.

Nearly two years ago, MERS changed its rules of membership to provide that the noteholder must arrange for an assignment to be executed from MERS to the foreclosing entity prior to commencement of any foreclosure proceeding, judicial or non-judicial. So, this issue may be a legacy question after all.

Authority of MERS to Assign Mortgage

Even before the change in the membership rules, MERS often assigned mortgages to the foreclosing entity so that entity could foreclose. Some borrowers have argued that, as nominee, MERS does not have the power to assign the mortgage. These challenges have been almost universally rejected, as the security instruments expressly authorize MERS, as nominee, to take any action required of its principal and refer to the mortgagee or beneficiary as MERS and its “successors and assigns.” Indeed the First Circuit recently rejected this very argument. See Culhane v. Aurora Loan Services, — F.3d —-, 2013 WL 563374 (1st Cir., Feb. 15, 2013).

Likewise, the fact that an assignment of the security instrument may occur after the transfer of the note is not problematic, and makes sense under the MERS model: “[MERS] members often wait until a default or bankruptcy case is filed to have a mortgage or deed of trust assigned to them so that they can take steps necessary to seek stay relief and/or to foreclose…. [T]he reason they wait is that, if a note is paid off eventually, as most presumably are, MERS is authorized to release the [deed of trust] without going to the expense of ever recording any assignments.”Edelstein, 286 P.3d at 254.

Borrowers have also claimed that MERS lacks authority to assign the note. Since MERS typically does not hold notes, language in MERS assignments referencing the note in addition to the mortgage likely reflects a lack of precision. Insofar as MERS did not hold a note the issue is immaterial.

Splitting” the Note and Mortgage

Some borrowers have alleged that the naming of MERS as holder of title to the mortgage, while the lender holds title to the note, separates the note from the security instrument thereby rendering assignments void and the security instrument unenforceable. As one court has colorfully described it, the debt is the cow, and the mortgage the cow’s tail—while the debt can survive without the security instrument, the instrument has no independent vitality without the debt. See Commonwealth Prop. Advocates, LLC v. MERS, 263 p.3d 397, 403 (Utah App. 2011).

As noted, in Massachusetts, those arguments have been squarely rejected as Massachusetts permits the note and mortgage to be held separately. Indeed the District of Massachusetts remarked that the “MERS system fits perfectly into the Massachusetts model for the separation of legal and beneficial ownership of mortgages.” Culhane v. Aurora Loan Services, 826 F. Supp. 2d 352, 371 (D. Mass. 2011), aff’d — F.3d —-, 2013 WL 563374 (1st Cir. Feb. 15, 2013).

This theory has typically been rejected elsewhere as well, as, if successful, it would “confer[] an unwarranted windfall on the mortgagor.” Id. (citing Restatement (Third) of Prop.: Mortgages § 5.4 cmt. a). In Edelstein, 286 P.3d 249, 255 (Nev. 2012), for example, the court held that in Nevada, “to have standing to foreclose, the current beneficiary of the deed of trust and the current holder of the promissory note must be the same.” However, under the MERS system, the parties agree that MERS holds the security instrument while the note is transferred among its members—as long as the two instruments are united in the foreclosing entity prior to foreclosure, the Nevada court held, the foreclosing entity has standing to foreclose in that state.

Along similar lines, some borrowers allege that operation of MERS makes it impossible to identify who the proper noteholder is, because only the security instrument (not the note) was assigned by MERS. “A ‘show me the note’ plaintiff typically alleges a foreclosure is invalid unless the foreclosing entity produces the original note.” Stein v. Chase Home Fin., LLC, 662 F. 3d 976, 978 (8th Cir. 2011). Of course, when the foreclosing entity is able to produce the note, the claim is typically defeated on summary judgment, id., and many courts considering “show me the note” arguments in the MERS context have dismissed them as a matter of law without any inquiry into note ownership. E.g., Diessner v. MERS, 618 F. Supp. 2d 1184, 1187 (D. Ariz. 2009) (“district courts have routinely held that Plaintiff’s ‘show me the note’ argument lacks merit”) (collecting cases from California, Nevada, and Arizona) (internal quotations omitted).

Unrecorded Assignment Theories

Some states (including Massachusetts after November 1, 2012)statutorily require that, in order to bring a non-judicial foreclosure, all assignments of thesecurity instrument must be recorded. E.g., ORS 86.735(1) (Oregon) (trustee sale may proceed only if “any assignments of the trust deed by the trustee or the beneficiary … are recorded”). In Oregon, a few borrowers have successfully argued that, because the security follows the debt as a matter of law, transfers of the debt while MERS remains lienholder of record result in assignments that go unrecorded, precluding non-judicial foreclosure. See Niday, 284 P. 3d at 1169 (“any assignments” language in ORS 86.735(1) includes “assignment by transfer of the note, ” and that all such assignments from the initial lender to subsequent lenders must be recorded prior to commencement of a non-judicial foreclosure proceeding). Niday is under review by the Supreme Court of Oregon, which heard oral argument on January 8, 2013.

Other courts considering the same argument have rejected it. For instance, Minnesota, Idaho, and Arizona have the same statutory requirement that assignments must be recorded, but have not found note transfers to trigger an obligation to create and record an assignment of the corresponding security instrument. E.g., Jackson v. MERS, 770 N.W.2d 487 (Minn. 2009) (answering “no” to certified question: “Where an entity, such as defendant MERS, serves as mortgagee of record as nominee for a lender and that lender’s successors and assigns and there has been no assignment of the mortgage itself, is an assignment of the ownership of the underlying indebtedness for which the mortgage serves as security an assignment that must be recorded prior to the commencement of a mortgage foreclosure by advertisement under Minn. Stat. ch. 580?”); Homeyer v. Bank of America, N.A.,2012 WL 4105132, at *4 (D. Idaho Aug. 27, 2012) (“Idaho law does not require recording each assignment of a trust deed based upon transfer of the underlying note.”); Ciardi v. Lending Co., Inc., 2010 WL 2079735, at *3 (D. Ariz. May 24, 2010) (“Plaintiffs have failed to cite any Arizona statute that requires the recording of a promissory note or even the assignment of a promissory note.”). These cases ruled that a transfer of a promissory note does not create an “assignment” for purposes of those statutes.

4. Securitization Standing

What is Securitization?

Securitization is the packaging of debt into instruments broadly referred to as “mortgage-backed securities”; one court has described it with analogies: “One could analogize this process to taking raw ingredients and combining them to make bread then selling the slices individually, or putting different kinds of meat into a sausage grinder then selling the individual sausages. What is born from this process are new debt instruments, sold on the open market, that have pooled-and-sliced home loans as their ingredients. Different debt instruments work in different ways, but the basic concept is that home loan debt gets repackaged and sold to other investors rather than being held by the bank that originated the loan.” Bisson v. Bank of America, N.A., — F.Supp.2d —-, 2013 WL 325262, at *1 (W.D. Wash. Jan. 15, 2013). The securitization market emerged to facilitate the inflow of capital to fund home loans, and it “allows banks to spread mortgage risk across the financial system rather than hold it all themselves.” Id.

Although securitization has fallen well off its peak of approximately $1 trillion in originations in 2006, it is projected to rise from $4 billion in 2012 to $25-30 billion in 2013.

There are several parties to a securitization agreement, but the borrower is not one of them. A typical securitization arrangement involves the following parties:

· Originator: The originator is the party identified as “lender” on note and mortgage (or deed of trust).

· Depositor: The depositor is either the originator or someone that buys loans from originators and pools them into securities pursuant to a Pooling and Servicing Agreement (“PSA”) to which the depositor, trustee, and master servicer are parties.

· Trust: Entity into which loans are pooled (e.g., “Structured Asset Securities Corp. Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates, Series 2006-Z”). Sometimes referred to as a “Special Purpose Vehicle,” “Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduit” or “REMIC,” orsimply a “Mortgage-Backed Security.”

· Trustee/Custodian: The trustee of the securitization trust (not to be confused with the trustee of a deed of trust, which conducts non-judicial foreclosure sales in deed of trust states) holds loans on behalf of the individual security holders, receiving the borrower’s payments from the loan servicer.

· Individual Investors: Shares of mortgage-backed securities are purchased by investors who, when loans are paid on schedule, ultimately benefit from borrowers’ mortgage payments.

· Master Servicer: The master servicer under the PSA services the individual loans in the pool, interfacing with borrowers, collecting loan payments and transferring them to the trust, and often handling foreclosures and post-foreclosure property management.

The Effect of Securitization on Foreclosure

Securitization adds complexity to chain of title to the mortgage, and chain of ownership of the note. See, e.g., In re Almeida, 417 B.R. 140, 142-45 (Bankr. D. Mass. 2009) (describing chain of title to a mortgage securing a securitized note); In re Samuels, 415 B.R. 8, 16-22 (considering challenge to direct assignment of mortgage from originator to trustee, not including an intervening assignment to the trust).

Some borrowers have claimed that insurance contracts or credit default swap agreements preclude default—i.e., the trust was insured against loss, collected the insurance when the borrower defaulted, and should not be allowed to foreclose as well because such foreclosure would grant a “double recovery.” Larota-Florez v. Goldman Sachs Mortg. Co., 719 F. Supp. 2d 636, 642 (E.D. Va. 2010). These arguments have not gained traction. Horvath v. Bank of N.Y., N.A., 641 F.3d 617, 626 n.2 (4th Cir. 2011) (rejecting argument that trustee of securitization trust “should not have been able to foreclose on his property because they did not suffer any losses from his default,” because “that defense does not allow individuals in default on a mortgage to offset their outstanding obligations by pointing to the mortgagee’s unrelated investment income”); Commonwealth, 2011 UT App 232 ¶¶ 3, 10 (rejecting argument “that defendants, having been paid off in the sale of the loan, could not seek a second payoff by foreclosure of the Trust Deed” as a “mere conclusory allegation” that could not sustain a viable claim).

Other borrowers have commissioned “securitization audits,” which purportedly trace the history of the loan in an attempt to cast doubt upon whether the foreclosing entity has standing. These arguments have also generally failed. E.g., Norwood v. Bank of America, 2010 WL 4642447 (Bankr. N.D. Ga. Oct. 25, 2010); Dye v. BAC Home Loans Servicing, LP, 2012 WL 1340220 (D. Or. Apr. 17, 2012) (granting motion to dismiss despite findings of “Mortgage Securitization Audit”). Still other borrowers have challenged the foreclosing entity’s compliance with the PSA. As noted above, borrowers are not parties to these agreements; as such, courts have generally found that borrowers do not have standing to challenge the foreclosing entity’s compliance or lack thereof with it. See, e.g., In re Correia, 452 B.R. 319, 324 (1st Cir. B.A.P. 2011) (stating that debtors, who were not parties to the PSA or third-party beneficiaries thereof, lacked standing to challenge defendants’ compliance with PSA); Sami v. Wells Fargo Bank, 2012 WL 967051, at *5-6 (N.D. Cal. Mar. 21, 2012) (rejecting claim “that Wells Fargo failed to transfer or assign the note or Deed of Trust to the Securitized Trust by the ‘closing date,’ and that therefore, ‘under the PSA, any alleged assignment beyond the specified closing date’ is void”).

Which Securitization Parties May Foreclose?

As discussed above, there are several parties to a securitization. The parties most likely to be involved in a foreclosure are the trustee and servicer. On occasion, foreclosures have been conducted in the name of MERS.

As the party interfacing with the borrowers on a day-to-day basis, the servicer is often in best practical position to handle foreclosure proceedings, but may be required, under some states’ laws, to demonstrate its entitlement to foreclose on behalf of the securitization trustee. So, for example, in Maine, a judicial foreclosure state, the servicer must show its authority to enforce the note. See Bank of America, N.A. v. Cloutier, 2013 WL 453976, at *3 (Me. Feb. 7, 2013) (foreclosure plaintiff must “identify the owner or economic beneficiary of the note and, if the plaintiff is not the owner, to indicate the basis for the plaintiff’s authority to enforce the note pursuant to Article 3-A of the UCC”).

Most non-judicial states do not apply special requirements to loan servicers; the only significant inquiry is whether the trustee of the deed of trust was properly appointed by the beneficiary of record. In Utah, for example, “the statute governing non-judicial foreclosure in Utah does not contain any requirement that the trustee demonstrate his or her authority in order to foreclose. The court declines to create a requirement where the legislature chose not to include one. Therefore, the court holds that, under the terms of the relevant documents and the current statute, [a trustee] is not required to demonstrate its authority to foreclose before initiating a foreclosure proceeding.” Hoverman v. CitiMortgage, Inc., 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 86968, at *16-17 (D. Utah Aug. 4, 2011); see also Trotter, 275 P.3d at 861 (Idaho 2012) (“A trustee is not required to prove it has standing before foreclosing on a deed of trust” as long as “the Appointment of Successor Trustee, Notice of Default, and Notice of Trustee’s Sale complied with the statutoryrequirements and were recorded as specified in the statute”).

The situation can change, however, if the loan becomes involved in a judicial proceeding, such as a bankruptcy. To move for relief from stay in bankruptcy—even in a deed of trust state—a servicer must somehow show authority to enforce the note, though assignment of the security instrument may not be necessary. E.g., In re Tucker, 441 B.R. 638, 645 (Bankr. W.D. Mo. 2010) (“even if, as here, the deed of trust is recorded in the name of the original lender…, the holder of the note, whoever it is, would be entitled to foreclose, even if the deed of trust had not been assigned to it.”). And, conversely, failure to show authority to enforce the note can lead to denial of motions for relief from stay. E.g., In re Wilhelm, 407 B.R. 392 (Bankr. D. Idaho 2009) (denying relief from stay to group of movants that included both servicers and securitization trustees because they presented insufficient proof that they owned the notes in question); In re Mims, 438 B.R. 52, 57 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. 2010) (servicer that held title to themortgage but did not show it had been assigned the note was not a “real party in interest” in proceeding to lift stay).

In addition to the servicer, the trustee is often the foreclosing party. As the party holding title to the loan on behalf of the loan investors, the trustee is certainly a proper party to foreclose—if it has the right to do so under state law, which may require that it have been formally assigned the mortgage.

In Massachusetts, for instance—and as discussed more above—the trustee must also hold an assignment of the mortgage. In Ibanez, the trustee commenced foreclosures before they had been assigned the mortgages, and did not record assignments until after the foreclosure was completed. The trustee argued it had already received the note when the loan had been securitized years earlier, and that gave it all it needed to foreclose. The court rejected that argument—Massachusetts, as a “title theory” state, requires assignment of mortgage to foreclose. Securitization may have showed intent to assign mortgages, but was not an actual assignment.

Lien-theory states often take a different position, and do not require a trustee to also hold the mortgage, which is nothing more than the right to enforce a lien. See, e.g., Edelstein v. Bank of N.Y. Mellon, 286 P.3d 249, 254 (Nev. 2012);KCB Equities, Inc. v. HSBC Bank USA, N.A. , 2012 Tex. App. LEXIS 4418, at *4-5 (Tex. App.—Dallas).

Conclusion

The recent Massachusetts foreclosure case law is likely some what atypical, driven as it has been by some relatively unusual aspects of Massachusetts law.

But the questions the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has been called upon to answer, concerning the necessary relationship between the lien of the security interest, the debt and the foreclosing creditor, are universal and have been the subject of considerable litigation across the country during the recent “foreclosure crisis.” And the questions are controlled for the most part by state law, and state property and foreclosure law are much less uniform than the law governing the notes themselves as negotiable instruments. This paper has identified the principal issues and arguments so practitioners can ask the right questions and try to determine the law in their particular jurisdiction before proceeding.

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Category Archives: Note – Deed of Trust – Mortgage

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What is a ?

Homeowners’ responsibility after foreclosure

1. How much is your home worth?

2. Does your state have an Anti-Deficiency Statute?

Non-recourse mortgage states

Judicial and non-judicial foreclosures

Alaska

Arizona

California

Connecticut

Florida

Hawaii

Idaho

Minnesota

Montana

Nevada

New Mexico

North Carolina

North Dakota

Oklahoma

Oregon

Texas

Washington

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