Niday v. GMAC Mortgage LLC, et al – MERS Ruling in Oregon Part 2


Niday v. GMAC Mortgage LLC, et al – MERS Ruling in Oregon Part 2

By Daniel Edstrom
DTC Systems, Inc.

Two Oregon Supreme Court Rulings came out yesterday relating to Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc.  The first was Brandrup v. ReconTrust Co. (June 6, 2013), and the subject of this post, which is Niday v. GMAC Mortgage LLC, et al. (June 6, 2013).

Note the following quotes from this ruling:

That is so because, on the present record, MERS’ involvement in the appointment of the current trustee casts doubt on the trustee’s status.

and

But, appointments of a successor trustee may only be made by the trust deed beneficiary, ORS 86.790(3), and, as discussed, MERS is not, and never has been, the beneficiary of the trust deed for purposes of the OTDA.

The ruling is listed in part as follows:

          En Banc

          On review from the Court of Appeals.*

         Argued and submitted on January 8, 2013.

         Gregory A. Chaimov, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, Portland, argued the cause for
petitioner on review Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. With him on the
brief were Frederick B. Burnside and Kevin H. Kono.

         W. Jeffrey Barnes, pro hac vice, W. J. Barnes, PA, Beverly Hills, argued the cause
for respondent on review. With him on the brief was Elizabeth Lemoine, Makler
Lemoine & Goldberg, PC, Portland.

         Hope A. Del Carlo, Portland, filed a brief on behalf of amicus curiae Oregon Trial
Lawyers Association.
         Rolf C. Moan, Assistant Attorney General, Salem, filed a brief on behalf of
amicus curiae State of Oregon.

BREWER, J.

         The decision of the Court of Appeals is affirmed. The judgment of the circuit
court is reversed, and the case is remanded to that court for further proceedings.

         Kistler, J., concurred in part and specially concurred in part and wrote an opinion
in which Balmer, C.J. joined.
         *Appeal from Clackamas County Circuit Court, Henry C. Breithaupt, Judge. 251
Or App 278, 284 P3d 1157 (2012).

Continue reading “Niday v. GMAC Mortgage LLC, et al – MERS Ruling in Oregon Part 2”

Brandrup v. ReconTrust Co. – MERS Ruling in Oregon Part 1


Brandrup v. ReconTrust Co. – MERS Ruling in Oregon Part 1

By Daniel Edstrom
DTC Systems, Inc.

The Oregon Supreme Court was asked four questions, and answered as follows:

We accepted the district court’s certification and allowed the parties in the federal cases to
present their views. We answer those questions — in two instances as reframed — as
follows:

(1) “No.” For purposes of ORS 86.735(1), the “beneficiary” is the lender to whom the obligation that the trust deed secures is owed or the lender’s successor in interest. Thus, an entity like MERS, which is not a lender, may not be a trust deed’s “beneficiary,” unless it is a lender’s successor in interest.

(2) We reframe the second question as follows:
Is MERS eligible to serve as beneficiary under the Oregon Trust DeedAct where the trust deed provides that MERS “holds only legal title to the interests granted by Borrower in this Security Instrument, but, if necessary to comply with law or custom, MERS as nominee for Lender and Lender’s successors and assigns) has the right: to exercise any or all of those interests”?

Continue reading “Brandrup v. ReconTrust Co. – MERS Ruling in Oregon Part 1”

NTEX Realty vs Tacker – 3rd Oklahoma Supreme Court Decision Against Foreclosing Banks

NTEX Realty vs Tacker – 3rd Oklahoma Supreme Court Decision Against Foreclosing Banks

By Daniel Edstrom
DTC Systems, Inc.

Following two previous rulings favorable to homeowners, the Supreme Court of Oklahoma rules against another foreclosing bank.  This ruling is short and fully excerpted here (or download a PDF at the end of this article).

NTEX REALTY, LP v. TACKER
2012 OK 26
NTEX REALTY, LP, Plaintiff/Appellee,v.CINDY A. TACKER and THERON TACKER, WIFE AND HUSBAND, Defendants/Appellants,
No. 109824.
Supreme Court of Oklahoma.

April 3, 2012.

Phillip A. Taylor, TAYLOR AND ASSOCIATES, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, for Defendants/Appellants.
Charles C. Ward, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, for Plaintiff/Appellee.
——————————————————————————–
THIS OPINION HAS NOT BEEN RELEASED FOR PUBLICATION IN THE PERMANENT LAW REPORTS. UNTIL RELEASED, IT IS SUBJECT TO REVISION OR WITHDRAWAL.
COMBS, J.
FACTUAL BACKGROUND & PROCEDURAL HISTORY.
¶ 1. On January 26, 2007, Appellants executed a promissory note (hereinafter “Note”) payable to Home Funds Direct, Inc. (hereinafter “Lender”). To secure payment of the Note, Appellants executed and delivered to Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. (MERS), as nominee for Lender, as mortgagee, a certain mortgage (hereinafter “Mortgage”), which conveyed and mortgaged to the mortgagee certain real property located in Rogers County, Oklahoma. In both the Note and Mortgage, Home Funds Direct, Inc., is named as the Lender and Payee. Appellants defaulted on the Note on July 1, 2010. Appellee initiated foreclosure proceedings on October, 27, 2010. A copy of the non-indorsed Note and Mortgage was included with the petition.
¶ 2. In their answer, Appellants denied that Appellee owned any interest in the Note and Mortgage, and challenged the authenticity of the documents included in the petition. Appellants then demanded production of the original Note and Mortgage. Appellee moved for summary judgment on March 3, 2011. In an attached affidavit, Appellee asserted that it currently held both the Note and Mortgage at issue, and again produced a copy of both the unindorsed Note and Mortgage. In response, Appellants argued that Appellee’s motion for summary judgment was improper because the Note had never been negotiated. Appellants also asserted that because the copy of the Note was purportedly a “full, true, and correct copy of said Note,” the original must also not be indorsed. Based on these reasons, Appellants concluded Appellee could not be the holder of the Note and, therefore, was not the proper party to bring a foreclosure proceeding. Continue reading “NTEX Realty vs Tacker – 3rd Oklahoma Supreme Court Decision Against Foreclosing Banks”

New York vs the MERS Scheme

New York vs the MERS Scheme

By Daniel Edstrom
DTC Systems, Inc.

New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman filed a complaint today against JPMorgan Chase Bank, NA, Chase Home Finance, LLC, EMC Mortgage Corporation, Bank of America, NA, BAC Home Loans Servicing, LP, Wells Fargo Bank, NA, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, Inc., MERSCORP Inc., and Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc.

Neil Garfield reports:

“The banks created the MERS system as an end-run around the property recording system, to facilitate the rapid securitization and sale of mortgages. Once the mortgages went sour, these same banks brought foreclosure proceedings en masse based on deceptive and fraudulent court submissions, seeking to take homes away from people with little regard for basic legal requirements or the rule of law,” Continue reading “New York vs the MERS Scheme”

Who is Responsible for the Conduct of Foreclosure Mill Law Firms?

Who is Responsible for the Conduct of Foreclosure Mill Law Firms?

By Daniel Edstrom
DTC Systems, Inc.

Here is the analysis, which comes word for word from the Interagency review of Foreclosure Policies and Practices in 2010 (available here: http://dtc-systems.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/InterAgency_Review_4900701.pdf).

The Federal Reserve System, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS), referred to as the agencies, conducted on-site reviews of foreclosure processing at 14 federally regulated mortgage servicers during the fourth quarter of 2010.

This report provides a summary of the review findings and an overview of the potential impacts associated with instances of foreclosure-processing weaknesses that occurred industrywide. In addition, this report discusses the supervisory response made public simultaneous with the issuance of this report, as well as expectations going forward to address the cited deficiencies. The supervisory measures employed by the agencies are intended to ensure safe and sound mortgage-servicing and foreclosure processing business practices are implemented. The report also provides an overview of how national standards for mortgage servicing can help address specific industrywide weaknesses identified during these reviews. Continue reading “Who is Responsible for the Conduct of Foreclosure Mill Law Firms?”

Deed of Trust Example Language

[Picture: MERS Shareholders]
Deed of Trust Example Language

By Daniel Edstrom
DTC System, Inc.

I have read numerous cases including appeals court cases (both Federal and State).  It appears to me that the actual language from the Security Instrument regarding MERS is being brought up or argued in a very general way and without a thorough analysis.  I am not an attorney and will not provide legal advice to anyone.  This is not legal advice but provided only for educational and informational purposes only.  This is simply what a standard CALIFORNIA-Single Family-Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac UNIFORM INSTRUMENT WITH MERS Form 3005 looks like, in relation to the main MERS language (not all inclusive).

  • This security Instrument secures to Lender: (i) the repayment of the Loan, and all renewals, extensions and modifications of the Note; and (ii) the performance of Borrower’s covenants and agreements under this Security Instrument and the Note.
  • For this purpose, Borrower irrevocably grants and conveys to Trustee, in trust, with power of sale, the following described property […]
  • “MERS” is Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc.
  • MERS is the beneficiary under this Security Instrument
  • MERS is a separate corporation that is acting solely as nominee for Lender and Lender’s successors and assigns. 
  • The beneficiary of this Security Instrument is MERS (solely as nominee for Lender and Lender’s successors and assigns) and the successors and assigns of MERS.
  • Borrower understands and agrees that MERS holds only legal title to the interests granted by Borrower in this Security Instrument, but, if necessary to comply with law or custom, MERS (as nominee for Lender and Lender’s successors and assigns) has the right: to exercise any or all of those interests, including, but not limited to, the right to foreclose and sell the Property; and to take any action required of Lender including, but not limited to, releasing and canceling this Security Instrument 
  •  

County Recorder First in Nation to Step Forward and Reject Robo-Signed Documents

County Recorder First in Nation to Step Forward and Reject Robo-Signed Documents

By Daniel Edstrom
DTC Systems, Inc.

The news release from Massachusetts speaks for itself:  County Recorders Surprised to Find Acknowledgements Cannot be Relied Upon.

New release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

 Salem, MA

June 7th, 2011

Contact:

Kevin Harvey, 1st Assistant Register

978-542-1724

[email protected]

Jeff Thigpen, Register of Deeds

336-451-5300

[email protected]

Massachusetts Register of Deeds John O’Brien is first in the nation to say no to recording robo-signed documents; North Carolina Register of Deeds, Jeff Thigpen agrees. Continue reading “County Recorder First in Nation to Step Forward and Reject Robo-Signed Documents”

Appeals Court Ruling Against MERS in Michigan Reverses District Court Non-Judicial Proceedings

Appeals Court Ruling Against MERS in Michigan Reverses District Court Non-Judicial Proceedings

By Daniel Edstrom
DTC Systems, Inc.

Selected excerpts:

These consolidated cases each involve a foreclosure instituted by Mortgage Electronic Registration System (MERS), the mortgagee in both cases. The sole question presented is whether MERS is an entity that qualifies under MCL 600.3204(1)(d) to foreclose by advertisement on the subject properties, or if it must instead seek to foreclose by judicial process. We hold that MERS does not meet the requirements of MCL 600.3204(1)(d) and, therefore, may not foreclose by advertisement. 

MERS would purportedly track the mortgage sales internally so as to know for which entity it was holding the mortgage at any given time and, if foreclosure was necessary, after foreclosing on the property, would quit claim the property to whatever lender owned the loan at the time of foreclosure.

Continue reading “Appeals Court Ruling Against MERS in Michigan Reverses District Court Non-Judicial Proceedings”

MERS CEASE AND DESIST FOR CERTAIN DEFICIENCIES AND UNSAFE OR UNSOUND PRACTICES!!!

MERS CEASE AND DESIST FOR CERTAIN DEFICIENCIES AND UNSAFE OR UNSOUND PRACTICES!!!

By Daniel Edstrom and Jim Macklin
DTC Systems, Inc. and Secure Document Research

On April 13, 2011 the Department of the Treasury, Comptroller of the Currency, Board of Governers of the Federal Reserve System, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Office of Thrift Supervision and the Federal Housing Finance Agency have issued a consent order stating that these agencies have identified

“certain deficienies and unsafe or unsound practices by MERS and MERSCORP that present financial, operational, compliance, legal and reputational risks to MERS and MERSCORP that present financial, operational, complaince, legal and reputational risks to MERSCORP and MERS, and to the participating Members.”

OCC No. AA-EC-11-20

Board of Governers Docket Nos. 11-051-B-SC-1, 11-051-B-SC-2

FDIC-11-194b

OTS No. 11-040

FHFA No. EAP-11-01

Read the full 31 page Consent Order here: http://dtc-systems.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/MERS_Cease_and_Desist_2011_04_13.pdf

MERS Getting Crushed in Oregon – Three Rulings Against MERS in February Alone

MERS Getting Crushed in Oregon – Three Rulings Against MERS in February Alone

By Daniel Edstrom
DTC Systems, Inc.

Brent Hunsberger from the Oregonian has reported that hundreds of Oregon foreclosure sales have been stopped after judges’ rulings (http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2011/03/rulings_put_brakes_on_hundreds.html).   Two rulings are from October 2010, but three rulings were from February 2011.  Apparently Oregon has a law requiring all intervening assignments be recorded.  This appears to be a problem since MERS was specifically designed to hide the beneficial ownership of the loan and to avoid the payment of taxes on the transfer or assignment of the loan.  The interesting thing is this article from the Oregonian says that the legislature needs to “fix” this issue.  But the current laws appear to be sufficient.  It wasn’t the homeowners across the United States who decided to defraud the homeowners, county and state governments, it was the banks that were looking to defraud homeowners, county and state governments.

Continue reading “MERS Getting Crushed in Oregon – Three Rulings Against MERS in February Alone”