Remote Hearings & Trials One Year into the Pandemic - USFN

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Remote Hearings & Trials One Year into the Pandemic - USFN
SPRING 2021

Remote Hearings &           8 e-Signatures & e-Notaries
                                The status of the changing landscape

Trials One Year into
                                and a shift to sustainable practices

                            12 Statute of Limitations
the Pandemic
                                New York landscape has changed, but
                                litigation persists

PAGE 6                      14 New Lender Protection
                                Texas added protections to lenders
                                from statute of limitations defenses
OFFICIAL USFN PUBLICATION
USFN REPORT SPRING 2021
Remote Hearings & Trials One Year into the Pandemic - USFN
Upcoming USFN Events                                                                                                                                                                                                      From the President
                                                                                                                                                   USFN REPORT
    April                                                   July                                            October                                                                                                       KIP BILDERBACK, ESQ.
                                                                    Legal Issues Seminar                            USFN Briefing
                                                                                                                                                   SPRING 2021
     28     Member Town Hall                                 13     July 13-14 (Online)                     26      Diversity & Inclusion
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          MILLSAP & SINGER, LLC

    May                                                             USFN Briefing
                                                                                                                                                   In This Issue
                                                             27     Bankruptcy                               November                                                                                                      Welcome to the end of winter and the beginning of
            Speaker Resource                                                                                                                                                                                               spring. With spring comes hope. Hope for warmer days.
     11     Group Webinar                                                                                    16
                                                                                                                     USFN Briefing                 Features                                                                Hope that vaccinations will allow us to slowly emerge
                                                              August                                                 Legal Issues
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           from our personal levels of isolation. Hope that, as the
            USFN Briefing                                            USFN Briefing                                                                 Status of Remote Hearings and                                 6         economy reopens, our industry can begin a return to
     18     Legal Issues                                      24     Legal Issues                                                                  Trials One Year into the Pandemic                                       whatever normal shall look like in 2021 and beyond.

    June                                                      September                                                                            Endemics, eSignatures and eNo-
                                                                                                                                                   taries: The Status of the Changing
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 8         As of this writing, the moratoria have extended until the
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           end of June. USFN is coordinating with other industry
            USFN Briefing                                                                                                                          Landscape
     15     REO/Eviction                                      21     USFN Briefing                                       Meeting/Seminar                                                                                   organizations to communicate the exigencies facing law
                                                                     REO/Eviction                                        Online Event                                                                                      firms and our industry during the moratoria and after.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           We have been able to participate with the MBA on their

                             Go to usfnevents.org for details on all USFN events.
                                                                                                                                                   State Articles                                                          joint efforts with industry participants in obtaining longer
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           timeframes to first legal deadlines on FHA loans.
                                                                                                                                                   New York: Statute of Limitations
                                                                                                                                                   Change, But Litigation Persists                              12         From a programming standpoint, USFN is looking to
                  USFN BOARD OF DIRECTORS                                                                         USFN STAFF                       New York: The Law of Acceleration                                       the future, and a return to “in person” meetings (may-
                                                                                                                                                   and De-Acceleration                                          13         be with some distance experiences thrown in, just for
             Kip J. Bilderback, Esq.                    James E. Clarke, Esq.                                  Pamela L. Donahoo, CAE                                                                                      fun instead of necessity). For now, we still have a large
                                                                                                                   Chief Executive Officer         Texas: Added Protections to Lenders
                    President                              Roy A. Diaz, Esq.
                                                                                                                  Aaron Wolowiec, CAE              from Statute of Limitation Defenses                          14         number of opportunities for our members, associate
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           members, and our mutual clients, to enjoy learning and
           Wendy (Walter) Lee, Esq.                     Thomas P. Dore, Esq.
                                                                                                              Sr. Director, Education & Strategy                                                                           networking. For example, while we are planning a trium-
              Vice President                            Sally E. Garrison, Esq.                                                                    Connecticut: Appellate Court Deci-
                 Lisa A. Lee, Esq.                     Hilton T. Hutchens, Esq.                                    Tracy Vecchio, CAE              sion Limits Jurisdiction Challenges                          16         phant return to Chicago in 2022, we are executing on
                                                                                                             Director, Membership & Marketing                                                                              another great Legal Issues seminar for July 2021, with a
                    Secretary                             Jay B. Jones, Esq.
                                                                                                                                                   Illinois: No FDCPA Harm, No FDCPA                                       two-day, online format, including great speakers, panels,
                Lance Olsen, Esq.                      Brigham Lundberg, Esq.                                             Jeff Loy
                                                                                                          Manager, Publications & Communications   Foul                                                          20        and Continuing Legal Education credits. We will have a
                 Treasurer/CFO                          Andrew W. Saag, Esq.
                                                                                                                     Christina Myers                                                                                       Member Town Hall on April 28, to allow all our members
             Marty M. Stone, Esq.                        Shellie Wallace, Esq.                                      Operations Manager                                                                                     to commiserate on the state of the industry and the
           Immediate Past President
           Pamela L. Donahoo, CAE
                                                     Jeffrey D. Weisserman, Esq.
                                                         Daniel A. West, Esq.
                                                                                                                       Kristi Payne
                                                                                                           Communications & Events Coordinator
                                                                                                                                                   Connections                                                             organization, looking forward into 2021 and beyond. With
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           an eye towards future opportunities, we will be kicking
                     CEO                              Robert J. Wichowski, Esq.                                                                    Upcoming Events                                              2          off our Speaker Resource Group, giving new and estab-
                                                                                                                                                   Member Moves + News                                          4          lished industry speakers and opportunity to hone their
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           skills in a collaborative environment. Last, but not least
                                                                                                                                                                                                                22
USFN is a resource network serving the mortgage industry and is the largest not-for-profit associa-
                                                                                                                     How to Reach Us               Member Directory                                                        we will have a new edition of our popular Learning Lab.
tion of law firms and trustee companies in the nation. More information about USFN is available at
www.usfn.org.                                                                                                     Please send questions and                                                                                So, hope springs eternal at USFN! We will roll through the
USFN Report is published quarterly for members of the mortgage banking and lending community.                        comments to USFN:
The USFN Report contains comments from counsel in various states, and the information provided                                                                                                                             spring, and into the summer, making lemonade from the
is not intended as legal advice. The comments are solely those of the identified authors and may or
                                                                                                                          Jeff Loy
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           lemons of the past year. As always, if there is anything
may not be the same as other attorneys within USFN. Specific questions should be referred to local        Manager, Publications & Communications
counsel who is familiar with the laws, rules, practices and interpretations of the particular jurisdic-                                                                                                                    we can do for you, as a member, as an associate mem-
                                                                                                              9001 Airport Freeway, Suite 740
tion. Because of the complexities of the law, and changes in legislation, the summary and discussion                                               *Denotes firm is a 2020 Award of Excellence recipient                   ber, as a client of our members, please reach out!
contained in the USFN Report should not be relied upon but should be used for facilitating dialog              North Richland Hills, TX 76180
                                                                                                                                                   Opinions of the authors and/or material may not reflect the views of
with your counsel, after a careful review of the legislation and cases to which reference is made.           (817) 770-0818 or (800) 635-6128
                                                                                                                                                   USFN and its membership. Stories written by non-members or guest
 © Copyright 2021 USFN                                                                                          jloy@usfn.org/www.usfn.org         authors are not an endorsement of any particular product or service.
 All Rights Reserved
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   SPRING 2021 | 3
Remote Hearings & Trials One Year into the Pandemic - USFN
Member Moves + News
                                                                                                                                           #Adapt
With the help of Aldridge Pite, LLP      Initiative (ALI). As a Fellow, Linda plans                       Stay current with USFN updates
(USFN Member - AK, CA, FL, GA, HI,       on turning what she has learned over                             and news on our LinkedIn page:
                                         her lifetime into meaningful change for                          https://www.linkedin.com/com-

                                                                                                                                           Open the door to savings with
ID, NY, OR, UT, WA), the Metro Atlanta
Area Command Angel Tree Program          others. She is passionate about mak-                             pany/usfn-amba

                                                                                                                                           our customizable, scalable,
was able to serve 3,350 families and     ing civil justice more accessible and
fulfill over 7,750 angels. Over 6,500    affordable for all people. Linda looks

                                                                                                                                           secure, and compliant onshore
hours were recorded as volunteers        forward to joining the thought leaders
helped behind the scenes at the          at Harvard and her other ALI cohorts

                                                                                                                                           outsource solutions.
warehouse as well. Angels and Silver     to make the legal system better for all
Bells received gifts and Christmas       people.
stockings valued at $694,000. Mone-      Scott & Corley, PA (USFN Member - SC)
tary donations were also received at     is pleased to announce that Managing
approximately $22,240. Community         Attorney, Reginald “Reggie” P. Corley,
involvement is the foundation for the    and Attorney Jordan D. Beumer are                                                                 learn more
Salvation Army’s success and A|P is
                                                                                                                                           a360inc.com/outsource
                                         co-principal authors and editors of the
proud to be a part of this amazing       recently released Fourth Edition of the                        USFN Members and
program for ten consecutive years.       South Carolina Foreclosure Law Man-                            Associate Members may
Linda Orlans of Orlans PC (USFN          ual a publication by the South Carolina                        send possible items for the
Member - DC, DE, MA, MD, MI, NH,         Bar Association. Additionally, we are                          “Member Moves + News”
RI, VA), Executive Chair, has accepted   pleased to announce that Senior Bank-                          section to Jeff Loy at
an invitation to join Harvard Uni-       ruptcy Attorney, Louise M. Johnson, is a                       jloy@usfn.org.
versity’s 2021 Advanced Leadership       contributing author to this publication.

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 4 | SPRING 2021                                                                                                                                                                                                          SPRING 2021 | 5
Remote Hearings & Trials One Year into the Pandemic - USFN
Utah                                       • All court proceedings are han-      hearings and away from requiring
                                                                                                                                  dled remotely;                      the use of Court Call for remote
                                                                                     BY BENJAMIN J. MANN, ESQ.
                                                                                                                                • If a hearing or trial must be       attendance. Each court has their
                                                                                     HALLIDAY, WATKINS & MANN, PC                                                     own preferred platform although
                                                                                                                                  conducted in person, judges
                                                                                     USFN MEMBER (CO, ID, MN, MT, NE,             are encouraged to continue          Google Meet seems most prevalent
                                                                                     ND,SD, UT, WY)                               hearings; and                       throughout the state. New Mexico
                                                                                                                                                                      courts have been setting up the
                                                                                     As a result of stay-at-home orders         • No civil jury trials.               invitation on their own and circu-
                                                                                     connected to the COVID-19 pan-                                                   lating the appropriate link to the
                                                                                     demic, courts have had to adapt            Almost all hearings in Utah are       parties in advance of the hearing.
                                                                                     their current procedures. Nowhere          being conducted via Webex. No         It should be noted that while the
                                                                                     is this more evident than in eviden-       jury trials are being held in a       United States Bankruptcy Court
                                                                                     tiary hearings and jury trials. Utah       county where “Red Phase” condi-       for the District of New Mexico has
                                                                                     courts are, absent “exigent circum-        tions are in effect and judges are    allowed telephonic appearance at
                                                                                     stances”, conducting all evidentiary       instructed to liberally grant mo-     preliminary hearings, it has other-
                                                                                     hearings, trials and appellate hear-       tions for extensions of time. Ad-     wise “highly encouraged” in-person
                                                                                     ings via Webex. The specific logisti-      ditionally, the courts have been      attendance for both attorneys and
                                                                                     cal instructions for courts and liti-      receptive to motions to continue      witnesses at final evidentiary hear-
                                                                                     gants are governed by a “Risk Phase        rather than dismiss matters for       ings. Attorneys wishing for them-
                                                                                     Response Plan.” The risk phases are        lack of prosecution.                  selves or their clients to appear
                                                                                     “Green (new normal) “, “Yellow (low                                              via video in bankruptcy court must
                                                                                                                                In terms of submitting evidence,
                                                                                     risk)” and “Red (moderate or high                                                submit a request for video appear-
                                                                                                                                it is introduced in PDF form and
                                                                                     risk) “. Court facilities are in differ-                                         ance no less than two weeks in
                                                                                                                                all documents should be individ-
                                                                                     ing phases (currently Yellow or Red)                                             advance of the final hearing date.
                                                                                                                                ually bates-stamped. Stipulations
                                                                                     based on county-level COVID rates.                                               Introduction of evidence at video
                                                                                                                                ahead of time regarding admissi-
                                                                                     Green Phase Response Plan                  bility, authentication, designation   hearings has been through either
6                                                                                    Summary:                                   of documents, etc. are extremely      a screen share or exhibit notebook
                                                                                                                                helpful and strongly encouraged.      submission prior to the hearing
                                                                                     • In-Person Hearings are allowed;
                                                                                                                                Webex allows screen-sharing so        depending on the preference of
                                                                                     • Remote Hearings can be consid-           that all parties can view a docu-     the court. As COVID infection rates
                                                                                       ered when it is the most effective       ment at the same time. However,       continue to fall, New Mexico at-
                                                                                       use of time and resources; and           most trial judges do not use this     torneys are expecting a return to
                                                                                     • Courts will continue to consid-          feature, and instead pull up and      normal in-person attendance in the
                                                                                       er the needs and requests of             view exhibits and attachments on      summer or fall of 2021.
                As nearly every institution has done during the pandemic, courts       vulnerable persons and provide           their personal computer on an
                                                                                                                                                                      New York
Status of
                                                                                       reasonable accommodations.               as-needed basis. Witnesses tes-
                across the country continue to adapt to keep the wheels of
                                                                                     Yellow Phase Response Plan                 tify remotely, which can create       BY MICHELLE MACCAGNANO, ESQ.
                justice moving. While judges, attorneys, and witnesses continue                                                 some logistical difficulties when
                to learn to use technology to work remotely during the COVID-19      Summary:                                                                         FRENKEL LAMBERT WEISS WEIS-

Remote
                                                                                                                                the witness needs to review a
                crisis and effectively handle hearings and trials, some courts are   • Courts are encouraged to con-                                                  MAN & GORDON LLP*
                                                                                                                                document. Screen-sharing is
                starting to return to in-person hearings and in-person jury trials     duct remote proceedings as               usually necessary here, and this      USFN MEMBER (FL, NJ, NY)
                while following strict adherence to health and safety protocols        much as feasible. In-person              can slow the proceedings down.

Hearings &
                                                                                       hearings can only be held if the                                               COVID-19 has had a huge impact
                established by the Center for Disease Control (CDC).                                                                                                  on the New York courts. There has
                                                                                       hearing can be conducted in a            New Mexico                            been little movement of foreclo-
                States have varying requirements, each based on their individual       safe social distancing manner;

Trials One
                                                                                                                                BY JASON BOUSLIMAN, ESQ.              sure cases in New York and the
                court system, as to what is allowed; and USFN member firms           • Social Distancing in common ar-                                                slow pace is expected to contin-
                                                                                                                                MCCARTHY HOLTHUS, LLP
                around the country are up to date on the current status of their       eas, workspaces and courtrooms;                                                ue due to the enactment of the
                                                                                                                                USFN MEMBER (AZ, AR, CA, CO, ID,

Year into the
                courts. In Utah, New Mexico, New York, Louisiana, and Florida        • Courtrooms may have new ca-                                                    COVID-19 Emergency Eviction and
                                                                                                                                NV, NM, OR, TX, WA)
                the courts are open, and slowly but surely, moving forward with        pacity limits based upon the size                                              Foreclosure Act, signed into law on
                some foreclosure cases.                                                of the room; and                         In New Mexico, the majority of        December 28, 2020. Despite the
                                                                                                                                                                      stays and moratoriums, the courts

Pandemic
                                                                                     • Face covering is required for            civil hearings, bench trials, and
                BY JANE E. BOND, ESQ.                                                                                           mediations continue to be held        have adapted, and cases are mov-
                                                                                       court patrons and staff.
                MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC*                                                                             via Zoom, Microsoft Teams or          ing forward.
                USFN MEMBER (AL, CA, CT, FL, GA, IL, MS, NJ, NV, NY, OR, TX, WA)
                                                                                     Red Phase Response Plan                    Google Meet. At the outset of                          (continued on page 10)
                                                                                     Summary:                                   COVID-19, the Land of Enchant-
                                                                                     • All restrictions that apply to Yel-      ment moved quickly and ag-
                                                                                       low Phase, apply to Red Phase;           gressively away from in-person
                                                                                                                                                                                          SPRING 2021 | 7
Remote Hearings & Trials One Year into the Pandemic - USFN
signatures and make sure that electron-         employer used to ensure that the          credit profile. I was asked to provide
                                                                                                                                         ic signatures can be used in the default        employee who is claimed to have           front and back copies of my driv-
                                                                                                                                         process. While we are still in a very paper     signed was the one who executed           er’s license, which was likely quickly
                                                                                                                                         heavy world in foreclosure, this pandemic       on behalf of the company. The audit       validated against state driver’s license
                                                                                                                                         certainly accelerated certain movements         trails that are contained within many     records and it allowed me to make
                                                                                                                                         to virtual practice and emergency orders        of the industry leading programs are      a correction on the document in real
                                                                                                                                         and statutes were promulgated and en-           strong, are being tested in courts and    time before the notarial stamp was
                                                                                                                                         acted to allow less paper. These author-        are successfully defeating claims         electronically affixed by the notary.
                                                                                                                                         ities usually charge on a subscription          when one side asserts that they           The entire process was documented
                                                                                                                                         basis. Some are monthly or yearly, others       didn’t sign the contract.3                via video recording and it cost me $40.
                                                                                                                                         will be bundled with the licensing fee of                                                 States are limiting which RON plat-
                                                                                                                                         a particular software such as DocuSign,         eNotarizations
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   forms can be used and each has its
                                                                                                                                         Adobe, Nuance, and others.                      The growth of state adoption of
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   own list. Many providers are working
                                                                                                                                         When shopping for digital signature soft-       legal processes has been remark-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   to get on those lists and shopping for
                                                                                                                                         ware important considerations should            able during the pandemic. Through
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   the platform can be a bit confusing
                                                                                                                                         include:                                        a combination of statute, executive
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   and chaotic at the moment. The state
                                                                                                                                                                                         order and actual need, the map of
                                                                                                                                         1. Multi-factor authentication of us-                                                     offices who are administering the
                                                                                                                                                                                         the US is now almost fully colored
                                                                                                                                            ers accessing the tool: some of the                                                    program are suffering from work from
                                                                                                                                                                                         in with coverage for remote online
                                                                                                                                            more sophisticated tools are utilizing                                                 home delays and state employees
                                                                                                                                                                                         notarization processes4. Federal
                                                                                                                                            knowledge-based assessments and                                                        are trying hard to keep up with the
                                                                                                                                                                                         legislation, namely the Securing and
                                                                                                                                            picking questions from credit reports                                                  changes in their operations along with
                                                                                                                                                                                         Enabling Commerce Using Remote
                                                                                                                                            like Equifax and other credit reporting                                                the changes in the law. The dust will
                                                                                                                                                                                         and Electronic Notarization Act of
                                                                                                                                            agencies.                                                                              settle on all of this and in a few years
                                                                                                                                                                                         2020 (SECURE Notarization Act)5, was
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   from now we will be doing most of
                                                                                                                                         2. Audit trails contained within the tool: if   proposed in March 2020. The leg-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   our notarial actions via at a minimum
                                                                                                                                            the audit trail is being stored separate     islation was designed to put a floor
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   electronic and likely remote means.
    8                                                                                                                                       from the electronically signed docu-         into place, allow every US based
                                                                                                                                            ment, how does the company access            notary to perform Remote Online           For additional information on the
                                                                                                                                            the trail and for how long will that         Notarial (RON) acts, it would require     standards being employed by loan
                                                                                                                                            service be made available?                   multi-factor authorization, allow         originators to comply with GSE re-
                                                                                                                                                                                         signers outside of the US to utilize      quirements, check out the Fannie Mae

Endemics, eSignatures & eNotaries: The
                                                                                                                                         3. Where is the information stored:                                                       Selling Guide.6 These can be a useful
                                                                                                                                                                                         RON (thinking military personnel and
                                                                                                                                            Allowing the storage of the document                                                   guiding post for what to expect as
                                                                                                                                                                                         their families). There hasn’t been for-
                                                                                                                                            and/or the audit trail on your system

Status of the Changing Landscape
                                                                                                                                                                                         ward progress outside of the com-         these processes move into the default
                                                                                                                                            of choice so that the provider doesn’t                                                 servicing realm.
                                                                                                                                                                                         mittee assignment for the bill but
                                                                                                                                            have control or extract extra charges
                                                                                                                                                                                         given the amount of work Congress         1
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     How well will vaccines work? The Econo-
                                                                                                                                            for the storage of the signed docu-
BY WENDY LEE, ESQ.                                                                                                                                                                       has had to do because of the emer-        mist, February 13th-19th 2021
                                                                                                                                            ment.
MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC*                                                                                                                                                      gency declaration it’s not a surprise.    2
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     (a) In General. To satisfy the requirement
USFN MEMBER (AL, CA, CT, FL, GA, IL, MS, NJ, NV, NY, OR, TX, WA)                                                                         4. What information is stored within            However, this back-burner project is      of authenticating or identifying an item of
                                                                                                                                            the audit trail: The audit trail should      highly likely to re-emerge.               evidence, the proponent must produce evi-
Given that we’ve been living with           be a focus for many employers into          identity of the signer. Though eSignatures          contain basic information such as the                                                  dence sufficient to support a finding that the
                                                                                                                                                                                         There are some hurdles to full
COVID-19 for over a year at this point      the next few years while we work to         have been legal for more than 20 years              identity, date, time and IP location of                                                item is what the proponent claims it is.
                                                                                                                                                                                         adoption across all states. Many
and given that it is not likely that our    strengthen the vaccine programs in this     due to the Uniform Electronic Transac-              the computer where the document
                                                                                                                                                                                         are going to wait until that occurs       3
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    IO Moonwalkers, Inc. v. Banc of Am. Merch.
nation’s vaccine program will erad-         country and around the world. Strong        tions Act (UETA) and the eSign Act, there           was stored. Other important, helpful
                                                                                                                                                                                         before implementing the process.          Servs., LLC, 258 N.C. App. 618, 814 S.E.2d 583,
icate the disease, it is important to       and secure electronic signatures and        is a significant move into the world of             features would include the amount
                                                                                                                                                                                         I recently obtained my electronic         2018 N.C. App. LEXIS 314, 2018 WL 1597441
start shifting our thinking away from       remote notarization programs will pro-      more secure digital signatures. A digital           of time that was spent reviewing the
                                                                                                                                                                                         endorsement on my notary license. I       and Moton v. Maplebear Inc., 2016 U.S. Dist.
emergency reactive policies into            vide a safe and efficient tool for a more   signature will require the creation of a            document before it was signed/closed.
                                                                                                                                                                                         have used RON procedures for some         LEXIS 17643, 2016 WL 616343 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 9,
long-term sustainable practices that        modern default servicing practice for       digital certificate that is secure and veri-     In addition to eSign and state UETA laws,       documents I needed to notarize            2016)
will acknowledge that there is a new        servicers, law firms, and trustees alike.   fiable. When the digital certificate is used     when these signatures need to be proven         utilizing an online platform. It took
disease, it is endemic and it isn’t going                                               on a document, it imbeds a code into
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   4
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     https://www.mba.org/audience/state-leg-
                                                                                                                                         in the context of a foreclosure case if         me less than five minutes to dial up
away completely this year1. To that end,    eSignatures                                 the document, and it can also encrypt            challenged by opposing counsel or even          a remote notary utilizing an app and
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   islative-and-regulatory-resource-center/
we should consider the need to have                                                     the document to make it secure and                                                                                                         remote-online-notarization
                                            Electronic signatures, otherwise known                                                       a judge, we can look at Federal Evidence        my phone. The platform multi-fac-
strong digital signature processes and      as eSignatures, is a broad catego-          incapable of being altered after the digital     Rule 901 “Authenticating or Identifying         tor authentication asked about an         5
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Senate Bill: https://www.congress.gov/
begin to adopt electronic and remote        ry describing a method for signing a        signature is affixed.                            Evidence”2 as the guiding standard. The         address I lived at during college, the    bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/3533
notarization practices where allowed        document. A digital signature is an         Servicers and firms should be engaging           standard isn’t high, but it must be ex-         address of my first house, and other      and House Bill: https://www.congress.
in the United States. Remote working        eSignature, but it often uses very spe-     with digital certificate authorities to enroll   plained in a contested case how the sig-        very specific information that con-
and reducing in person contacts will        cific secure technology to validate the                                                      nature was validated and the process the        nected me to what was likely my                                      (continued on page 11)
                                                                                        employees, create and maintain digital
8 | SPRING 2021                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               SPRING 2021 | 9
Remote Hearings & Trials One Year into the Pandemic - USFN
Remote Hearings & Trials                    ana courts are conducting electron-         Florida                                    Denying requests to stay cases and                                    tiary hearings. For evidentiary hear-                 e-Signatures & eNotaries
                                            ic/virtual hearings in order to allow                                                  Lack of Prosecution notices are                                       ings and trials, courts will vary, and
Continued from Page 7                       for safe participation by all parties.1
                                                                                        BY JANE E. BOND, ESQ.
                                                                                                                                   now becoming more frequent with                                       many will start to require in-person
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Continued from Page 9
                                            Federal Courts have mandated the            MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE,             no movement on pending cases                                          hearings as the pandemic wanes.                        gov/bill/116th-congress/house-
Appellate courts have been hearing
                                            use of electronic hearings until further    LLC*                                       for over one year. As the morato-                                                                                            bill/6364?s=1&r=63
matters virtually using video con-                                                                                                                                                                       1
                                                                                                                                                                                                           Supreme Court of Louisiana Order of Feb-
ferencing primarily through Micro-          notice2 and while these hearings are        USFN MEMBER (AL, CA, CT, FL, GA, IL,       ria continue, servicers will need to                                                                                          6
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   https://selling-guide.fanniemae.com/
                                                                                                                                                                                                         ruary 11, 2021 (Prohibiting jury trials until April
soft Teams. The attorney logs into          reducing the number of in-person            MS NJ, NV, NY, OR, TX, WA)                 start making the choice whether to                                                                                           Selling-Guide/Doing-Business-with-Fan-
                                                                                                                                                                                                         1, 2021 and encouraging the continued use
the video conference, in advance of         court appearances, there are chal-                                                     move forward with a case or dismiss                                                                                          nie-Mae/Subpart-A2-Lender-Contract/
                                                                                                                                                                                                         of remote hearings to reduce the spread of
the scheduled time to check in and          lenges inherent in such proceedings         Florida hearings and trials are con-       a case as there may be no other                                       Covid-19); Supreme Court of Louisiana Order
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Chapter-A2-4-Loan-Files-and-Records/
                                            and new requirements which prac-            tinuing on remote platforms, with          option. Keep in mind, attorneys’ fees                                                                                        Section-A2-4-1-Establishment-Owner-
ensure that he/she is properly con-                                                                                                                                                                      of January 11, 2021 (Prohibiting jury trials
                                            titioners must be aware of before                                                                                                                                                                                   ship-Retention-/1645975221/A2-4-1-03-
nected. Once checked in, the attorney                                                   specific Judges requesting in-person       may be due to opposing counsel                                        until March 1, 2021 and encouraging the use
                                            making a virtual appearance.                                                                                                                                                                                        Electronic-Records-Signatures-and-Trans-
waits in a virtual lobby until their case                                               hearings. Upon request by a party, the     upon the dismissal of a case, if a re-                                of remote hearings to reduce the spread of
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                actions-10-07-2020.htm?SearchType=SF
is called. Oral arguments are still re-     Many courts have developed rules            Judges will usually allow a remote ap-     sponsive pleading was filed. This can                                 Covid-19).                                             https://selling-guide.fanniemae.com/
corded and available for review online      specifying how to submit evidence           pearance if, due to COVID-19, there is     be costly to the servicer, a risk factor                                                                                     Selling-Guide/Doing-Business-with-Fan-
                                                                                                                                                                                                         2
                                                                                                                                                                                                           Amended General Order 2020-2 “All
and attorneys are still expected to         for electronic/virtual hearings. Typ-       an objection raised as to safety. Fore-    that should be considered before                                                                                             nie-Mae/Subpart-A2-Lender-Contract/
                                                                                                                                                                                                         hearings in this District will take place by
be dressed appropriately despite the        ically, evidence must be submitted          closure trials are moving forward on       dismissing a case.                                                                                                           Chapter-A2-4-Loan-Files-and-Records/
                                                                                                                                                                                                         teleconference, or by videoconference when
virtual format.                             electronically prior to the hearing date    remote platforms with some learning                                                                                                                                     Section-A2-4-1-Establishment-Owner-
                                                                                                                                   New issues will arise in 2021 as                                      necessary, until further notice.” Eastern Dis-
All lower court matters are conduct-        with copies provided to other parties.      curve for all involved. Trials may take    the moratoria continue to provide                                     trict of Louisiana.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                ship-Retention-/1645975221/A2-4-1-03-
ed by video conference via Microsoft        It is recommended that attorneys give       longer with the presenting of evidence                                                                                                                                  Electronic-Records-Signatures-and-Trans-
                                                                                                                                   homeowners relief under the pan-
Teams. Attorneys usually have the op-       themselves ample time to prepare for        on a shared screen, with some trials                                                                                                                                    actions-10-07-2020.htm?SearchType=SF
                                                                                                                                   demic. The remote platforms are a
tion of calling into the conference or      hearings and to call the judge’s cham-      taking up to six hours or more.            welcome addition as an alternative
proceeding by video. Appearances are        bers to determine how evidence is to
                                                                                        There are no moratoria in Florida on       to in-person hearings and trials,                                     THE AUTHORS                                           THE AUTHOR
conducted in normal fashion before          be submitted in that specific court.
                                                                                        the filing of a foreclosure or eviction,   and many courts will continue the
the judge, referee or law secretary.        A limiting aspect of virtual hearings       other than the investor moratoria.         remote hearings into the future with
The parties have the opportunity to         is the impossibility to assess the          Some judges in Florida are begin-          or without the pandemic.
make arguments and respond to both          demeanor of your witness. A recent          ning to become less patient with the
their adversary and the court. Some                                                                                                Most agree, remote hearings are
                                            example occurred during 341(a) ques-        lengthy moratoria and are becoming                                                                                   L. Graham      Jane         Michelle                    Wendy
courts place the attorney in a virtual      tioning of a husband and wife sus-                                                     here to stay for routine non-eviden-                                                                                             Lee, Esq.
                                                                                        concerned with the backlogs of cases.                                                                             Arceneaux, Esq. Bond, Esq. Maccagnano, Esq.
lobby where they are forced to wait         pected of hiding a creditor’s assets,       Addressing a legislative committee
until the case is called, while others      where pauses after questions and            in January 2021, Florida Supreme
assign a specific time to the matter        other cues made it apparent that the        Court Chief Justice Charles T. Canady                                                                                                                  Recognized as the industry leader in process server management,
                                                                                                                                                             THE STRENGTH OF A TRUSTED SOURCE
which has helped in reducing wait           husband was writing the answers for                                                                                                                                                                ProVest leverages industry expertise and technology to manage the
                                                                                        reported Florida courts are on track to                         IS BEST MEASURED BY THE DEPTH OF ITS ROOTS.
times in the virtual lobby.                 the wife to recite. This was a tele-                                                                                                                                                               service of process for companies specializing in default law. ProVest
                                                                                        dispose of 2.8 million cases this year                                                                                                                 will provide stability, soundness and security through financial
Virtual appearances in New York are         phonic hearing and, without video,          despite the pandemic, largely with the                                                                                                                 strength and investments in compliance, legal, audit, technology and
proceeding well overall, but the tech-      this could not be proven.                                                                                                                                                                          vendor management practices.
                                                                                        help of remote technology. But the
nology is not perfect, and glitches and     Technical issues are also common in         courts still expect to face 1.1 million
connectivity issues do occur. Despite       remote platforms. Testing the video         pending cases by the end of June,                                                                                                                      Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, ProVest offers nationwide service
these issues, which are occurring far       and audio before appearing ensures                                                                                                                                                                 with offices in 15 locations. ProVest works with some of the most
                                                                                        not counting an additional 145,000,
less frequently as time goes by, the                                                                                                                                                                                                           noted and trusted legal firms, with a goal of continuing to streamline
                                            any unexpected issues such as mak-          pandemic-generated cases, including                                                                                                                    the manner in which documents are served and a focus on the
ability to practice law remains fair and    ing an appearance as a cat! Attorneys       evictions and foreclosures, accord-                                                                                                                    highest level of quality, speed and accuracy.
effective and of course, an over-           can be deemed absent from elec-             ing to Justice Canady. “When we get
whelming benefit of the new virtual         tronic/virtual hearings and recorded        to things that are more like normal,                                                                                                                   Services include, but are not limited to: Service of Process for
format is the elimination of travel time    as making no appearance due to              there’s going to be a pile of work,” he                                                                                                                Foreclosure, Credit Collections, HOA/COA, and Insurance Litigation;
and commuting to court appearances.         technical difficulties such as failure to                                                                                                                                                          Home Retention Services; Skip Trace solutions including Data
                                                                                        said. “It’s a challenge that’s not going
                                            unmute audio. However, with all the                                                                                                                                                                Services, Heir and Military Searches plus borrowers Verification
                                                                                        to be met in just six months.”                                                                                                                         programs with Investigators on site; Court Services such as Document
Louisiana                                   potential hazards of appearing virtu-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Retrieval; Early Stage Delinquency and Occupancy Verification.
                                            ally, such appearances are beneficial       To move their dockets, a few judges,
BY L. GRAHAM ARCENEAUX, ESQ.                                                            on their own initiative, are starting to
                                            as they save both time and costs of                                                                                     STABLE                                           SECURE                    Don’t settle for less than ProVest.
GRAHAM ARCENEAUX ALLEN, LLC                                                             send Notices of Trial without any par-
                                            making in person appearances.
USFN MEMBER (LA)                                                                        ty requesting the same. In response,               20+ YEAR
                                                                                                                                                                                      SOUND
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Call us today:
                                            In Louisiana, litigation is taking place
                                                                                        motions to continue the trial are             INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE
                                                                                                                                                                                                                         SOC-2 ATTESTATION                                                     800.587.3357
General Orders issued by the Su-            based on a Zoom hearing. An appeal is
                                                                                        filed, sometimes granted and some-                                                 IN-HOUSE COUNSEL
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            info@ProVest.com
preme Court of Louisiana authorize          pending where the borrower claims the
                                                                                        times denied, as there seems to be
and encourage remote hearings in            Zoom hearing prejudiced his right to                                                        200+ NOTABLE LAW FIRM CLIENTS                                                DATA PROTECTION

                                                                                        no uniformity even within the same                                                          COMPLIANCE & AUDIT

the State of Louisiana due to the           present evidence, but there has been
                                                                                        judicial circuit.
COVID-19 pandemic and most Louisi-          no ruling as of the date of this article.                                                                     FINANCIAL STRENGTH
                                                                                                                                                                                                             INSTRUCTIVE VENDOR MANAGEMENT
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10 | SPRING 2021
Remote Hearings & Trials One Year into the Pandemic - USFN
provided in the letter. And further,
                                                                                                                        the Court held that a foreclosure
                                                                                                                                                                Modifications, Motivations
Report: Foreclosure                                                                                                     complaint that fails to plead that
                                                                                                                        the loan had been modified simi-
                                                                                                                        larly does not serve to accelerate
                                                                                                                                                                & Statements of Future
                                                                                                                        the mortgage debt. These aspects

Statute of Limitations Landscape                                                                                                                                Intent
                                                                                                                        of the landmark decision provide
                                                                                                                        additional relief to servicers inso-
                                                                                                                        far as they further limit the popu-

Drastically Changed in New York,                                                                                                                                The Law of Acceleration and De-
                                                                                                                        lation of loans potentially suffering
                                                                                                                        from a statute of limitations bar.
                                                                                                                                                                Acceleration in New York Foreclosures
But Litigation Persists
                                                                                                                        While the import of the deci-
                                                                                                                        sion cannot be understated for
                                                                                                                        servicers, investors, and their         BY KEITH ABRAMSON, ESQ. | FRENKEL LAMBERT WEISS WEISMAN &
                                                                                                                        law firms, statute of limitations       GORDON, LLP*
BY RICHARD P. HABER, ESQ. & BRIAN P. SCIBETTA, ESQ. | MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC*                               litigation will not simply cease in     USFN MEMBER (FL, NJ, NY)
USFN MEMBER (AL, CA, CT, FL, GA, IL, MS, NJ, NV, NY, OR, TX, WA)                                                        New York. Questions have already
                                                                                                                        arisen as to whether the volun-         On February 18, 2021, the New York State Court of Appeals issued an opinion in four
                     The recent New      creative arguments for tolling,        There are three populations of          tary discontinuance must occur          cases involving the application of New York’s statute of limitations with respect to
                     York Court of       resetting of the limitations period,   loans that should be reviewed.          within the initial six-year limita-     mortgage foreclosure claims. This article focuses on the issues raised in two of
                     Appeals deci-       de-acceleration and/or that the        First, cases pending in the trial or    tions period in order for Engel to      those cases: Wells Fargo v. Ferrato and Vargas v. Deutsche Bank.
                     sion in Freedom     loan was never accelerated in the      appellate courts potentially need       apply.
                                                                                                                                                                General Principles
                     Mortgage Corp. v.   first place, based on the unique       action, such as supplemental brief-
                                                                                                                        Issues also persist with cases that     The central focus of the opinion in both Wells Fargo v. Ferrato and Vargas v. Deutsche
                     Engel, and three    facts of any given case.               ing or a new motion addressing the
                                                                                                                        were not voluntarily discontinued       Bank is on the event of acceleration, a contractual right typically enjoyed by note-
                     related matters,                                           impact of the Engel decision. Next,
                                                                                                                        by the lender, but rather were          holders upon a default by the borrower, whereby the noteholder may demand
                     provided wel-                                              you should look at any cases that
                                                                                                                        dismissed by the court for lack or      immediate payment in full of the entire balance of the loan, and which permits the
come relief to servicers and inves-                                             were dismissed on statute of lim-
tors. The central holding provides         While the import of                  itations grounds to determine if the
                                                                                                                        prosecution or some other reason.
                                                                                                                        And, in concurring and dissent-
                                                                                                                                                                noteholder to commence an action seeking the remedy of foreclosure.

that the voluntary discontinuance                                               Engel decision compels a different                                              The option to exercise this contractual right (of acceleration) is typically a matter
of a foreclosure action automati-          the decision cannot                  result, and whether it would still be
                                                                                                                        ing opinions issued in Engel, two
                                                                                                                        justices raised the question of
                                                                                                                                                                within the noteholder’s discretion and requires an “unequivocal overt act” such as
cally revokes the acceleration and                                              timely to have that dismissal re-                                               the filing of a foreclosure complaint demanding repayment of the entire outstand-
de-accelerates the debt, where the         be understated for                   versed by either the trial or appel-
                                                                                                                        whether the right to revoke actu-
                                                                                                                                                                ing debt. Because a cause of action to recover the entire balance of the debt ac-
                                                                                                                        ally exists, something not directly     crues at the time the loan is accelerated, it is the event of acceleration that triggers
filing of the foreclosure complaint
was the act of acceleration.               servicers, investors,                late court.
                                                                                                                        decided because that issue was          the six-year statute of limitations to commence a foreclosure action.
                                                                                Finally, consideration should be giv-   not before the Court.
This is critical because a signifi-        and their law firms,                 en to any loans where foreclosure       Notwithstanding the inevitability
                                                                                                                                                                Wells Fargo v. Ferrato and Vargas v. Deutsche Bank each involves a dispute as to
                                                                                                                                                                whether, and when, a valid acceleration of the debt occurred, triggering the six-year
cant number of loans with statute                                               was never started because there         that litigation will continue, the
of limitations concerns follow that        statute of limita-                   was previously no viable argument       industry should nevertheless take
                                                                                                                                                                limitations period to commence a foreclosure claim.
fact pattern – a prior foreclosure                                              or good faith basis to proceed. In      joy in being on the right side of the   Wells Fargo Bank N.A. v. Ferrato (Modifications and Motivations)
complaint that served to accelerate        tions litigation will                instances where the Engel decision      Engel decision, and having leverage
the debt ultimately resulted in a                                               now alters that analysis, foreclo-                                              The central issue in Wells Fargo Bank v. Ferrato was whether the commencement of
voluntarily discontinuance.                not simply cease in                  sure may again be an option.
                                                                                                                        in many situations moving forward.
                                                                                                                                                                either of two prior foreclosure actions, where the plaintiff sought to foreclose upon
                                                                                                                                                                the original note and mortgage – without reference to a 2008 loan modification –
If the loan was not separately
de-accelerated during the six-year
                                           New York.                            In addition to the main holding, the
                                                                                decision also overturns two Ap-
                                                                                                                                                                was sufficient to accelerate the mortgage debt.
period starting with the filing of the                                          pellate Division rulings concerning     THE AUTHORS                             The case at bar concerns no less than five foreclosure actions involving the same
earlier foreclosure complaint, and                                              whether acceleration has actual-                                                property, the last of which was commenced in December 2017. Ferrato moved to
a new complaint was either filed         Much of that maneuvering will no       ly happened. The Court held that                                                dismiss the 2017 action, arguing that the debt was accelerated by the commence-
after the expiration of the six-year                                            acceleration does not occur auto-                                               ment of a prior foreclosure action (the second) in September 2009, and that the
                                         longer be required as the Engel
period or not at all, total lien loss                                           matically after a servicer sends a                                              statute of limitations expired in September 2015, rendering the 2017 action untimely.
                                         decision provides a clear path to
was a common result.                     foreclosure for many loans that        default notice containing language         Richard       Brian P.
                                                                                                                          Haber, Esq. Scibetta, Esq.            It was undisputed “that the parties modified the original loan in 2008 after Ferrato’s
For years, servicers and their law       were either at risk for total lien     that the servicer “will accelerate”                                             initial default, changing the terms by altering the interest rate and increasing the
firms have struggled to save as          loss or thought to be heading          the mortgage debt if the default                                                principal amount of the loan by more than $60,000.” Nevertheless, in two prior
many liens as possible, through          down that path.                        is not cured by the specific date
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   (continued on page 18)

12 | SPRING 2021                                                                                                                                                                                                                 SPRING 2021 | 13
Remote Hearings & Trials One Year into the Pandemic - USFN
Report: Legal Issues
Texas Supreme Court Additional
Protections to Lenders from Statute
of Limitations Defenses
BY RYAN BOURGEOIS, ESQ. | BARRETT DAFFIN FRAPPIER TURNER & ENGEL, LLP*
USFN MEMBER (AZ, CA, CO, GA, NV, TX)

                     The Texas Su-       over the statute of limitations, added    run on the underlying loan. Based on
                     preme Court         a claim for foreclosure under its         its ruling in Zepeda, the court held
                     handed mort-        equitable subrogation rights. PNC         that equitable subrogation rights are
                     gage lenders        argued that, under Texas Law, a           fixed at the time the proceeds are
                     a significant       lender which pays off a prior lien on     used to discharge an earlier lien. A
                     victory in Tex-     a property steps into the shoes of        lender’s failure to protect its own
                     as over statute     that prior lender up to the amount        lien does preclude the lender of its
                     of limitations      advanced to pay off the prior lien.       rights in equity to bring claims under
claims by borrowers. The court           The lender may exercise the same          an earlier lien that was satisfied       We deliver the expertise
ruled in PNC Mortg. v. Howard, ___       rights the prior lender may have          from the proceeds of its lien. The
‎S.W.3d ___, 2021 WL 297579, at *1       had in that prior lien. However, the      court reasoned that allowing equi-       and tech-enabled services you
(Tex. 2021) (per curiam) that despite    trial court held that PNC’s right to      table subrogation provides a hedge
a mortgagee’s deed of trust being        foreclose was barred by the stat-         to lenders against the risk of paying    need to continually improve
barred by the statute limitations, the   ute of limitations including its rights   of prior liens thereby increasing the
mortgagee may still assert equita-       under equitable subrogation which         availability of credit to borrowers.     outcomes and expedite turn times.
ble subrogation rights in a separate     was barred when the underlying lien       This ruling gives lenders additional
action.                                  became unenforceable. The appeals         protections should their lien be-
The borrowers in this case pur-          court later confirmed this decision.      come unenforceable by the statute        Shaped by over 50 years of client-focused partnership,
chased their house in 2003 with two      After the appellate court issued its      of limitations. In order to enforce      ServiceLink’s foreclosure attorney and trustee clients are offered
purchase money loans. In 2008, the       ruling, the Texas Supreme Court           the equitable subrogation rights,
borrowers refinanced their home          in Fed. Home Loan Mortg. Corp. v.         the lender will need to file a sepa-     comprehensive foreclosure title services, auction services, and
with Bank of Indiana and paid off        Zepeda, 601 S.W.3d 763, 764 (Tex.         rate action again the borrower. Their    performance reporting - led by an unrivaled team of industry experts.
the two purchase money loans. The        2020) ruled that a lender was en-         rights would also only be protected
loan was later assigned to National      titled to enforce a lien based on         up to the amount they advanced
City Mortgage which later merged         equitable subrogation even when           to pay off prior liens and lenders       Foreclosure Title Services         Auction Services             Attorney Reporting Toolkit
with PNC, eventually defaulted, and      the lender had failed to cure a fatal     should consult with local counsel        • Pre-Foreclosure Title Search     • Publication                • Default Performance and
Bank of Indiana foreclosed on the        defect in a Texas Home Equity Loan.       on how best to enforce these new         • Trustee’s Sale Guarantee         • Posting                        Vendor Report
property. The borrower sued alleging     Based on this ruling, PNC appealed        rights on qualifying loans.              • Litigation Guarantee             • Short Sale                 • Stage Status Report
Bank of Indiana did not have stand-      to the Supreme Court arguing that
                                                                                                                            • Foreclosure Certificate          • Foreclosure                • Stage Status Dashboard
ing to sue since the loan had been       the appellate court decision should
assigned to National City Mortgage.      be reversed based on the opinion in                                                                                   • Newly Foreclosed           • Bulk Update
                                                                                   THE AUTHOR
The trial court voided the foreclo-      Zepeda.                                                                                                               • Bank-Owned                 • A50 Reporting Suite
sure, leaving only the borrowers         The Supreme Court agreed with PNC
remaining claims.                        and held that the equitable subroga-
PNC then counterclaimed for judicial     tion claims of PNC were not barred                                                                                     Contact us to achieve your goals, seamlessly.
foreclosure, but due to concerns         by the statute of limitations having          Ryan
                                                                                   Bourgeois, Esq.                                                              800.777.8759 | svclnk.com
14 | SPRING 2021
Remote Hearings & Trials One Year into the Pandemic - USFN
Report: Foreclosure                                                                                                                          REAL PARTNERSHIPS,
Connecticut Appellate Court Decision
                                                                                                                                             REAL SUCCESS.
                                                                                                                                             With over 14 years of experience, Auction.com
Limits Jurisdiction Challenges                                                                                                               is your disposition industry authority.

BY WILLIAM R. DZIEDZIC, ESQ. | BENDETT & MCHUGH, P.C.*
USFN MEMBER (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)

                     The Connecticut Appellate Court in Bank of New        vacate the foreclosure judgment on the grounds that the
                     York Mellon v. Achyut Tope Et al, 202 Conn. App.      plaintiff did not have standing. In denying the motion, the
                     540 (2021), affirmed a judgment of foreclosure        trial court reasoned that the court will not continue to
                     where the appellant sought to open and vacate         revisit issues that have been previously decided and that
                     a judgment based on a lack of subject matter          constitute the law of the case. The trial court had previ-
                     jurisdiction. In Connecticut, the rules of practice   ously ruled on the issue of standing in granting summary
                     allow for an attack on subject matter jurisdic-       judgment and ruling on a similar motion to open the
                     tion at any time. The trial court denied the mo-      judgment.
                     tion. In affirming the judgment, the appellate        On appeal, the defendant claimed the trial court erred
court reasoned that Defendant’s post judgment motion constituted           in denying his motion. The appellate court disagreed
an impermissible collateral attack on the foreclosure judgment.            and reasoned that the defendant was afforded multiple
According to the record, the defendant filed a motion to open and          opportunities to present his arguments in full to the trial
                                                                           court. And, absent facts and circumstances that consti-
                                                                           tute the exceptional case in which the lack of jurisdiction
                                                                           was so manifest as to warrant review it declined to con-
                                                                           sider the collateral attack to the subject matter jurisdic-
                                                                           tion of the court.
                                                                           This decision by the Connecticut Appellate Court puts a
                                                                           limitation on a foreclosure defendant’s ability to continue
                                                                           to challenge subject matter jurisdiction vis-`a-vis lack of
                                                                           standing. Absent facts or circumstances showing that the
                                                                           trial court’s lack of subject matter jurisdiction is obvious it
                                                                           will be considered an impermissible collateral attack on
                                                                           the foreclosure judgment.
                                                                           There was a dissenting opinion. The dissent reasoned
                                                                                                                                             GO BEYOND SUCCESS AT AUCTION.COM
                                                                           that because the challenge to standing implicated the             From real time technology and tools to customized disposition programs,
                                                                           court’s subject matter jurisdiction, it would reverse the         Auction.com is the ideal operational partner for trustees, attorneys and loan
                                                                           judgment and remand the case for a determination on               servicing professionals.
                                                                           the jurisdictional issue. With this split decision it is pos-
                                                                                                                                             Trust Auction.com to deliver proven disposition practices:
                                                                           sible the Connecticut Supreme Court will examine the
                                                                           issue in the future.                                              • 32.6 million annual website visitors to Auction.com offer unmatched reach and visibility
                                                                                                                                             • More than 451,000+ residential properties valued at over $52+ billion have closed on Auction.com
                                                                                                                                             • Supporting quality control practices in abidance of mortgage industry regulations
                                                                                                                                             • Driving business efficiencies through innovative technology
                                                                           THE AUTHOR

                                                                               William
                                                                            Dziedzic, Esq.

16 | SPRING 2021
Remote Hearings & Trials One Year into the Pandemic - USFN
New York Foreclosures                         is NOT revoked””. Affirming the trial     made his required payments, but that
                                              court’s order, the Appellate Division     he could cure the default by paying
Continued from Page 13                        held “that Wells Fargo could not          approximately $8,000 “on or before 32
foreclosure actions (the second and           de-accelerate because it “admitted        days from the date of [the] letter.” The
third), Wells Fargo attached only the         that its primary reason for revoking      letter further advised that, should he
original note and mortgage to the             acceleration of the mortgage debt         fail to cure his default, the noteholder
complaint and failed to acknowledge           was to avoid the statute of limita-       “will accelerate [his] mortgage with the
the existence of the modification             tions””.                                  full amount remaining accelerated and
agreement (“the only oblique evi-             The Court of Appeals reversed, ex-        becoming due and payable in full, and
dence of a modification was in an             pressly rejecting the theory reflected    foreclosure proceedings will be initiat-
attached schedule stating a principal         in several Appellate Division and Su-     ed at that time” [emphasis added].
dollar amount consistent with the             preme Court decisions, “that a lender     However, the letter went on to warn
modified debt”). Notably, Ferrato             should be barred from revoking ac-        that the “[f]ailure to cure your default
successfully moved to dismiss both            celeration if the motive of the revoca-   may result in the foreclosure and sale
prior actions based on these defi-            tion was to avoid the expiration of the   of your property” [emphasis added].
ciencies.                                     statute of limitations on the acceler-    On these facts, the Court of Appeals
While it is well settled that the filing of   ated debt.” To the contrary, the Court    held that the letter “did not seek
a verified foreclosure complaint may          of Appeals held that a noteholder’s       immediate payment of the entire,
evince an election to accelerate, the         motivation for exercising a contractual   outstanding loan, but referred to ac-
Court of Appeals, in Wells Fargo, held:       right is generally irrelevant.            celeration only as a future event”. Nor,
  [H]ere the filings did not accelerate       Finally, the Court noted that a note-     according to the Court, was the letter
  the modified loan (underlying the           holder may be equitably estopped          “a pledge that acceleration would im-
  foreclosure action) because the             from revoking its election to acceler-    mediately or automatically occur upon
  bank failed to attach the modified          ate, but only upon a showing that the     expiration of the 32-day cure period.”
  agreements or otherwise acknowl-            defendant materially changed her          The Court noted that the letter “subse-
  edge those documents, which had             position in detrimental reliance upon     quently makes clear that the failure to
  materially distinct terms. Under            the loan acceleration.                    cure “may” result in the foreclosure of
  these circumstances – where the                                                       the property, indicating that it was far
  deficiencies in the complaints              Juan Vargas v. Deutsche                   from certain that either the accelera-
  were not merely technical or de             Bank National Trust Compa-                tion or foreclosure action would follow,
  minimis and rendered it unclear             ny (Statements of Future                  let alone ensue immediately at the
  what debt was being accelerated             Intent)                                   close of the 32-day period.”
  – the commencement of these                 In Vargas, an action pursuant to RPA-     It is clear from the holding in Vargas
  actions did not validly accelerate          PL 1501(4) to discharge a mortgage        that acceleration may be accom-
  the modified loan.                          as time-barred, the parties disputed      plished through an unequivocal ac-
Thus, while the Wells Fargo opinion           whether a default letter issued by the    celeration notice transmitted to the
was favorable to the plaintiff in terms       bank’s predecessor in interest validly    borrower, and a different result may
of statute of limitations implica-            accelerated the debt. The Court ac-       have been reached if not for the in-
tions, foreclosing plaintiffs should be       knowledged, consistent with settled       consistent and somewhat ambiguous
forewarned that a failure to refer-           case law, “that the acceleration of a     language contained in the default letter
ence modifications to the original            mortgage debt may occur by means          in Vargas. Accordingly, lenders must be
note and mortgage in the complaint            other than the commencement of a          careful to avoid the use of unequivocal
renders the complaint subject to              foreclosure action, such as through       language of acceleration in their default
dismissal as insufficient to accelerate       an unequivocal acceleration notice        letters unless it is their intention to
the mortgage debt.                            transmitted to the borrower.”             accelerate the debt by such notice.

The Court addressed one more issue            The issue before the Court was
in Wells Fargo v. Ferrato, where, in          whether the language of the default
another prior action (the fourth),            letter was sufficiently unequivocal to
Wells Fargo had moved to both vol-            constitute a valid election to accel-
                                                                                        THE AUTHOR
untarily discontinue the action and to        erate. The Court’s decision in Vargas
revoke the acceleration of the loan.          was heavily fact-dependent and re-
The trial court granted the motion to         lied upon a thorough examination of
discontinue but denied revocation,            the default letter. The letter at issue
stating, without explanation, that            informed Vargas that his loan was in
                                                                                            Keith
“the acceleration of the subject loan         serious default because he hadn’t         Abramson, Esq.

18 | SPRING 2021
ed “in a misleading or inaccurate         Correspondingly, in Spuhler, which        sidered contacting the defendant
                                                                                                                            statement of the debt’s amount.”          also involved an allegation of im-        to dispute or verify the debt. So

Report: Debt Collection                                                                                                     Bazile v. Fin. Sys. of Green Bay, Inc.,
                                                                                                                            2020 U.S. App. LEXIS 39433, *9,
                                                                                                                            (7th Cir.) However, the Court point-
                                                                                                                                                                      propriety due to an alleged accru-
                                                                                                                                                                      ing interest omission, the Court
                                                                                                                                                                      stated that the “exclusion must
                                                                                                                                                                                                                there was no risk that the defen-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                dant’s error could have caused her
                                                                                                                                                                                                                to lose section 1692g’s statutory
                                                                                                                            ed out that further evidence was          have detrimentally affected the           protections because she did not

No FDCPA Harm, No FDCPA Foul
                                                                                                                            still necessary, as the debt col-         debtors’ handling of their debts…”        ever consider using them.”
                                                                                                                            lector had argued that no interest        in order for the case to proceed.         Therefore, the Court has clearly
                                                                                                                            had or would accrue on the debt,          Spuhler v. State Collection Serv., 2020   stated, again and again, that an
                                                                                                                            implying that the debtor “could not       U.S. App. LEXIS 39434, *7, (7th Cir.).    improper FDCPA notice absent
BY LAUREN RIDDICK, ESQ. | CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C.
                                                                                                                            have suffered an injury from the          And in Nettles, where the debt-           actual harm fails to give rise to a
USFN MEMBER (IL)
                                                                                                                            letter’s omission concerning inter-       or admitted that the only injury          cognizant legal action, which may
                                                                                                                            est accrual.” Id. at *11.                 was the “receipt of a noncompli-          greatly stem the FDCPA litigation
                    The United States    amount of debt owed. Each of the          PA disclosures would likely suffice.     Moreover, the Court noted that it’s       ance collection letter,” the Court        flood of late, at least in the Sev-
                    Court of Appeals     Seventh Circuit’s six cases dealt with    Id. at *9-10.)                           the Court’s own responsibility to         summarily dismissed the matter.           enth Circuit.
                    for the Seventh      various consumer attacks upon these       In Brunett, the Court further ex-        ensure that standing exists, even         “Because Nettles has not alleged
                    Circuit has re-      requisite notices, whether for state-                                              where the parties fail to raise the       that she suffered an injury from
                                                                                   plained that a debtor confused by
                    cently released      ments alleged to have been improp-                                                 matter. “Federal courts ‘have an in-      the claimed FDCPA violations, she
                                                                                   the required notice “may be injured
                    a veritable ava-     erly made, or for statements alleged                                               dependent obligation to ensure that       has failed to plead facts to sup-
                                                                                   if she acts, to her detriment, on                                                                                            THE AUTHOR
                    lanche of debt       to have been improperly omitted.                                                   they do not exceed the scope of           port her standing to sue.” Nettles v.
                                                                                   that confusion—if, for example, the
                    collector-friendly   In each of these cases, the Court                                                  their jurisdiction, and therefore they    Midland Funding LLC, 2020 U.S. App.
                                                                                   confusion leads her to pay some-
                    opinions regard-     repeatedly emphasized the need for                                                 must raise and decide jurisdictional      LEXIS 40012, *8, (7th Cir.). Nota-
                                                                                   thing she does not owe, or to pay a
ing “standing” under the Fair Debt       actual harm to have occurred as a                                                  questions that the parties either         bly, the Court added “She did not
                                                                                   debt with interest running at a low
Collection Practices Act (FDCPA)         result of the allegedly improper state-                                            overlook or elect not to press.’(cita-    claim, for example, that she tried
                                                                                   rate when the money could have                                                                                                   Lauren
which, given the relative dearth of      ment or omission in order for the                                                  tion omitted)” Id. at *11-12.             to dispute the debt or even con-           Riddick, Esq.
                                                                                   been used to pay a debt with in-
lender-slanted opinions in this legal    FDCPA action to be viable.
                                                                                   terest running at a higher rate. But
niche, seems practically momentous.      In Larkin, the Court dismissed the        the state of confusion is not itself
As of the time of writing, no fewer      case for lack of standing, explain-       an injury…If it were, then everyone
than six opinions on this narrow top-    ing that alleging actual harm was         would have standing to litigate
ic were issued over little more than a   necessary regardless of whether the       about everything.” Brunett v. Conver-
week in mid-December 2020, leav-         violation alleged was procedural or       gent Outsourcing, Inc., 2020 U.S. App.
ing the distinct impression that the     substantive in nature. Larkin v. Fin.     LEXIS 39270, *4, (7th Cir.).
Court is sending a message.              Sys. of Green Bay, 2020 U.S. App.
Standing is a party’s right to sue and   LEXIS 39058, *10, (7th Cir.). As the      Similarly, in Gunn, where a debt-
only exists if a party has suffered a    Court stated, the debtor failed to        or argued that an improper no-
harm, as courts are not supposed to      argue that the allegedly improper         tice resulted in annoyance and
ponder the mere theoretical. In other    notice caused them “to pay debts          intimidation, the Court was hardly
words, a party that hasn’t suffered      they did not owe or created an            impressed. As the Court chid-
an injury won’t typically be permitted   appreciable risk that they might do       ed: “Indeed, it is hard to imagine
to proceed with suit. In legal terms,    so,” or that they “were confused or       that anyone would file any lawsuit
the need to allege harm is typical-      misled to their detriment by the          without being annoyed (or worse).
ly referred to as the “injury in fact”   statements,” or “otherwise relied to      Litigation is costly for both the
requirement, although how it applies     their detriment on the contents of        pocketbook and peace of mind.
to the FDCPA has been the subject        the letters…” Id. at *12.                 Few people litigate for fun. Yet the
of considerable debate. Namely,                                                    Supreme Court has never thought
                                         Therefore, according to the Court,
the quandary has centered around                                                   that having one’s nose out of joint
                                         the debtors sought “to invoke the
whether a statutory violation alone is                                             and one’s dander up creates a case
                                         power of the federal courts to liti-
sufficient, or whether some resulting                                              or controversy.” Gunn v. Thrasher,
                                         gate an alleged FDCPA violation that
actual harm must also have occurred.                                               Buschmann & Voelkel, P.C., 2020 U.S.
                                         did not injure them in any concrete
                                                                                   App. LEXIS 39267, *5-6, (7th Cir.).
The FDCPA is a federal statute dictat-   way, tangible or intangible,” which it
ing debt collection practices, one of    deemed to be impermissible. Id. at        In Bazile, the debtor alleged that
which is the requirement that debt       *13. (The Court did caution, however,     the FDCPA notice failed to mention
collectors send consumers written        that suing a debtor after failing to      interest accrual, thereby depriving
notices which clearly disclose the       provide any of the mandatory FDC-         her of information which result-

20 | SPRING 2021                                                                                                                                                                                                                   SPRING 2021 | 21
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