RICHARD F. BOULWARE, II, District Judge.
Before the Court are Defendant Bank of America, N.A. ("BANA"), Counterclaimants Federal Housing Finance Agency ("FHFA"), and Federal National Mortgage Association's ("Fannie Mae") Motion for Summary Judgment ("Joint Motion for Summary Judgment"), and Defendant Bank of America, N.A's Motion for Summary Judgment. ECF Nos. 90, 91. For the following reasons, the Court grants the Joint Motion for Summary Judgment.
Plaintiff My Home Now, LLC ("My Home Now") sued Defendant Bank of America, N.A, ("BANA") in the Eight Judicial District Court of Nevada on October 6, 2014. ECF No. 1-1. In its complaint, My Home Now sought declaratory relief that it acquired property at a homeowner association (HOA) foreclosure sale free from any security interest asserted by BANA. My Home Now also asserted an unjust enrichment claim and requested preliminary and permanent injunctive relief. BANA removed the case to federal court on November 24, 2014. ECF No. 1. BANA filed its answer on November 25, 2014. ECF No. 4. On July 13, 2015, the Court granted the FHFA and Fannie Mae's Motion to Intervene. ECF No. 44. FHFA and Fannie Mae answered and asserted declaratory and quiet title claims against My Home Now and Westpark Community Association (the "HOA") on July 23, 2015. ECF No. 45.
My Home Now, LLC filed a motion for summary judgment. ECF No. 32. BANA also filed a motion for summary judgment. ECF No. 42. On February 25, 2016, the Court denied both motions without prejudice, and reopened discovery for 120 days limited to 1) BANA's alleged tender to the HOA, 2) whether BANA was Fannie Mae's servicer/agent for the note attached to the property at the time of the HOA foreclosure sale, and 3) whether and when Fannie Mae acquired its interest in the property. ECF No. 72. On November 22, 2016, the Court administratively stayed case pending the Ninth Circuit's mandate in the case
The Court makes the following findings of undisputed and disputed facts.
This matter concerns a nonjudicial foreclosure on a property located at 11315 Colinward Avenue, Las Vegas, Nevada 89135 (the "property"). The property sits in a community governed by the HOA. The HOA requires the community members to pay community dues.
Nonparties Patrick K. Haro and Noraishah Samsuddin borrowed funds from Ryland Mortgage Company to purchase the property in 2007. To obtain the loan, Haro and Samsuddin executed a promissory note and a corresponding deed of trust to secure repayment of the note. The deed of trust, which lists Haro and Samsuddin as the borrowers and Ryland Mortgage Company as the lender, and Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., ("MERS") as the beneficiary solely as nominee, was recorded on December 14, 2007. On December 6, 2011, MERS, as nominee for the lender, recorded an assignment of the deed of trust to BANA.
Haro and Samsuddin failed to pay the required HOA dues. From March 30, 2010 through January 3, 2014 the HOA, through its agent, recorded a notice of delinquent assessment lien concerning past-due assessments, followed by a subsequently recorded notice of default and election to sell and then a notice of foreclosure sale. On June 27, 2014, the HOA, through its agent, held a foreclosure sale on the property under NRS Chapter 116. My Home Now purchased the property at the foreclosure sale. A foreclosure deed in favor of My Home Now was recorded on June 30, 2014.
However, Fannie Mae previously purchased the note and the deed of trust in February 2008. While its interest was never recorded under its name, Fannie Mae continued to maintain its ownership of the note and the deed of trust at the time of the foreclosure sale. BANA serviced the note on behalf of Fannie Mae at the time of the foreclosure sale.
The relationship between Fannie Mae and its servicers is governed by Fannie Mae's Single-Family Servicing Guide ("the Guide"). The Guide provides that servicers may act as record beneficiaries for deeds of trust owned by Fannie Mae. It also requires that servicers assign the deeds of trust to Fannie Mae on Fannie Mae's demand. The Guide states:
The Guide also allows for a temporary transfer of possession of the note when necessary for servicing activities, including "whenever the servicer, acting in its own name, represents the interests of Fannie Mae in . . . legal proceedings." The temporary transfer is automatic and occurs at the commencement of the servicer's representation of Fannie Mae. The Guide also includes a chapter regarding how servicers should manage litigation on behalf of Fannie Mae. But the Guide clarifies that "Fannie Mae is at all times the owner of the mortgage note[.]" Finally, under the Guide, the servicer must "maintain in the individual mortgage loan file all documents and system records that preserve Fannie Mae's ownership interest in the mortgage loan."
Finally, the Guide "permits the servicer that has Fannie Mae's [limited power of attorney] to execute certain types of legal documents on Fannie Mae's behalf." The legal documents include full or partial releases or discharges of a mortgage; requests to a trustee for a full or partial reconveyance or discharge of a deed of trust, modification or extensions of a mortgage or deed of trust; subordination of the lien of a mortgage or deed of trust, conveyances of a property to certain entities; and assignments or endorsements of mortgages, deeds of trust, or promissory notes to certain entities.
In 2008, Congress passed the Housing and Economic Recovery Act ("HERA"), 12 U.S.C. § 4511 et seq., which established the Federal Housing Finance Agency ("FHFA"). HERA gave FHFA the authority to oversee Fannie Mae. In accordance with its authority, FHFA placed Fannie Mae under its conservatorship in 2008. Neither FHFA nor Fannie Mae consented to the foreclosure extinguishing Fannie Mae's interest in the property in this matter.
The facts in this matter are mostly undisputed.
Summary judgment is appropriate when the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show "that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law." Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a);
The Federal Foreclosure Bar, 46 U.S.C. § 4617(j)(3) resolves this matter. The Ninth Circuit held that the Federal Foreclosure Bar preempts foreclosures conducted under NRS Chapter 116 from extinguishing a federal enterprise's property interest while the enterprise is under FHFA's conservatorship unless FHFA affirmatively consented to the extinguishment of the interest.
Despite
The Court first considers the argument pertaining to recordation. My Home Now contends that Fannie Mae failed to record its interest in the property, listing itself as the record beneficiary under the deed of trust, as required by the Nevada's recording statutes.
My Home Now's argument under the statute of frauds is also unsuccessful. My Home Now contends that Fannie Mae failed to comply with the Nevada statute of frauds, precluding Fannie Mae from acquiring an interest in the property. But My Home Now was not a party to the sale of the note and the deed of trust to Fannie Mae in 2008. Thus, My Home Now does not have standing to assert an argument under the Nevada statute of frauds.
The Court also finds that My Home Now cannot defeat summary judgment in favor of BANA by asserting the bona fide purchaser doctrine. The Court is again guided by the
The Court next considers if BANA provided the proper foundation and sufficient evidence to show it acquired a property interest prior to the foreclosure sale. To establish Fannie Mae's property interest, Fannie Mae attaches printouts from its electronic database. The printouts are accompanied by a declaration of John Curcio, one of Fannie Mae's Assistant Vice Presidents, along with declarations from Shalini Parker, a BANA employee, and Eric Maltese, another Fannie Mae employee. My Home Now argues that this evidence is insufficient to establish Fannie Mae's ownership.
The Court disagrees. Curcio translates the printouts and identifies the Guide. In doing so, he specifically declares that the records were made throughout the course of business by persons with knowledge as to the business events. He also specifically identifies the portions of the printouts that detail the date that Fannie Mae acquired the note and the deed of trust and that recount when BANA began serving as a servicer. The Parker declaration also confirms and authenticate records showing that BANA's internal database listed Fannie Mae as the owner of the loan, and the Maltese declaration further explains the process by which Fannie Mae acquires loans from the secondary mortgage market.
Further, the Ninth Circuit has allowed FHFA and the federal enterprises, such as Fannie Mae, to prove a property interest with materially identical evidence on multiple occasions.
The printouts, in conjunction with the Guide, establish that a principal-agency relationship existed between Fannie Mae and BANA, as required in
Finally, My Home Now argues that the Federal Foreclosure Bar violates its procedural due process rights. However, the Ninth Circuit has already rejected this premise in
Based on the forgoing, the Court grants summary judgment in favor of BANA on counterclaim one and declares that the Federal Foreclosure Bar prevented the foreclosure sale from extinguishing Fannie Mae's interest in the property. The Court finds this holding to be decisive as to all claims in this matter and dismisses the remaining claims and counterclaims as a result.