J. JONES, Justice.
The Federal National Mortgage Association ("FNMA") purchased Russell Hafer's home
Congress passed the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act in response to the economic crisis of the late 2000s. PL 110-343, Div. A, 122 Stat. 3765 (2008). The Act was designed to mitigate the effects of the recession by, among other things, "preserv[ing] home ownership." 12 U.S.C. § 5201. To that end, it authorized the Secretary of the Treasury to "implement a plan that seeks to maximize assistance for homeowners," encourage mortgage servicers to take advantage of existing options to minimize foreclosures, and "use loan guarantees and credit enhancements to facilitate loan modifications to prevent avoidable foreclosures." Id. § 5219(a)(1). In 2009, the Secretary exercised this authority by implementing a number of programs, including the Home Affordable Modification Program ("HAMP").
HAMP is an attempt to preserve home ownership by incentivizing mortgage loan servicers to enter into loan modification agreements with home owners at risk of foreclosure. Under the program, loan servicers enter into agreements with the Department of the Treasury to identify home owners who are at risk of foreclosure, but who may be able to stay in their homes with reduced mortgage payments. After contacting home owners who may benefit from the program, the servicer requests financial information to determine whether the home owner meets eligibility conditions for participation. If the home owner meets those initial eligibility conditions, the servicer provides the home owner with a Trial Period Plan ("TPP"), temporarily suspending payments under the original loan agreement and requiring payments at a revised rate determined by a formula promulgated by the Department of the Treasury. If the home owner successfully makes payments in accord with the TPP and provides additional documents establishing eligibility for a permanent loan modification, the servicer provides the home owner with a Permanent Modification Agreement ("PMA"). The Department of the Treasury pays servicers a fee for each such loan permanently modified.
Russell Hafer purchased the home in Meridian that is the subject of this action in January 2007. The purchase was financed through a loan secured by a deed of trust in favor of FNMA. Homeward has acted as servicer of the promissory note and trust deed. In August of 2010, Sandra was contacted by a Homeward representative who
Homeward approved Russell for a permanent modification and sent a PMA on June 28, 2011, which Russell completed and returned to Homeward. According to the transmittal letter, the PMA was due back to Homeward on July 13. Homeward first claimed that it did not receive the PMA until July 14 and later claimed that the PMA was improperly notarized. The Hafers claim that the first PMA was properly notarized and was delivered to Homeward on July 13. They support that claim with an affidavit from a notary public who claims to have notarized the document, and an attached UPS "Proof of Delivery" notice stating that a shipment sent by the Hafers was delivered to Homeward at 9:06 a.m. on July 13. It is undisputed that Homeward then sent a second PMA to Russell, but the parties disagree as to when the second PMA was sent and when it was due back to Homeward. Homeward claims that it was sent on July 14 and was due back no later than July 21. The Hafers claim that they were not told a second PMA was being sent until around July 26, did not receive it until around July 30, and that it was not due back until August 31. The second PMA was properly notarized on August 2 and was delivered to Homeward on August 3. By that time, Homeward had closed the loan modification file and sent a letter to Russell, dated July 26, stating that he was ineligible for participation in HAMP for failure to deliver a properly executed PMA. Homeward also sent a letter to Russell, dated July 30, asking him to begin the process of qualifying for a HAMP modification again. Russell did not do so.
The trustee of the deed of trust, Northwest Trustee Services, Inc., executed a notice of default on August 2, 2011. The notice was recorded the next day, a notice of a trustee's sale was issued on August 16, and the property was purchased by FNMA at the sale on December 15. FNMA filed a "Post Foreclosure Eviction Complaint for Ejection and Restitution of Property" in February of 2012. The Hafers answered and filed a third-party complaint against Homeward, asserting eleven causes of action:
The Hafers asked the district court to quiet title in Russell, enforce the terms of Homeward's contract to modify Russell's loan, enjoin Homeward from foreclosure proceedings, award special and general damages, and make a variety of findings. In answering FNMA's complaint, the Hafers argued that the notices of both the foreclosure and trustee's sale were deficient and that the trustee's sale was void because it was a result of fraud, mistake, and breach of contract. They requested a jury trial.
Homeward and FNMA submitted a joint motion for summary judgment in February of 2013. Homeward argued that while Russell was offered a permanent loan modification, he failed to accept the offer because he failed to submit either the first or second PMA timely and properly notarized. According to Homeward, because there was no contract to modify the loan terms, Russell was in default and the foreclosure was proper. FNMA argued that the trustee's deed was properly recorded and that Idaho Code section 45-1510 provides that that fact constitutes prima facie evidence of compliance with the relevant notice requirements, evidence that the Hafers did nothing to rebut. FNMA also argued that any impropriety on the part of Homeward is irrelevant to FNMA's right to possession of the property.
After a hearing, the district court issued a memorandum decision and order addressing the joint motion for summary judgment. The court granted summary judgment dismissing eight of the Hafers' eleven claims against Homeward, refusing to grant summary judgment only as to the second, sixth, and seventh. As to the claims it left in the case, the court concluded there was a disputed question of fact whether the letter dated July 30 from Homeward to Russell, suggesting that Russell may qualify for participation in HAMP and asking him to begin the application process anew, communicated that Russell was being considered for HAMP and that Homeward would not foreclose while he was under consideration. The district court granted summary judgment in favor of FNMA as to its claim for possession based on its conclusion that Russell was in default under the promissory note and deed of trust.
The district court entered judgment in favor of FNMA and certified the judgment as final under I.R.C.P. 54(b). The Hafers timely filed a notice of appeal. The district court then entered judgment dismissing the Hafers' first, third, fourth, fifth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh causes of action against Homeward, with prejudice, and dismissing the Hafers' eighth cause of action without prejudice. The judgment was certified as final under I.R.C.P. 54(b). The Hafers timely filed an amended notice of appeal.
Gray v. Tri-Way Const. Servs., Inc., 147 Idaho 378, 383, 210 P.3d 63, 68 (2009).
The Hafers first, third, and fourth causes of action — their claim that Homeward improperly foreclosed when Russell was not in default, their breach of contract claim, and their claim for violation of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing
The district court dismissed the Hafers' claims and granted summary judgment in favor of FNMA because it concluded that "the Hafers have not demonstrated a genuine issue of material fact as to whether a binding contract to modify the loan was executed." The court pointed to the fact that the Hafers had presented no evidence that a Homeward representative signed and returned a PMA to Russell. The court relied on a single provision of the PMA to conclude that, absent a signature from a Homeward representative, Homeward did not agree to modify Russell's loan:
The central dispute between the parties concerns whether Homeward made an offer to modify Russell's loan that Russell accepted, even if Homeward never signed a PMA.
In support of their claim that Homeward made an offer that Russell accepted by completing
Step two informs Russell of the need to continue making any remaining TPP payments. It is only when one looks to the fine print of the PMA accompanying the June 28, 2011, letter that one finds any indication that Homeward might yet claim the unilateral right to refuse to modify Russell's loan no matter how compliant Russell had been. Section 3 of the PMA states that:
Section 2 is titled "Acknowledgements and Preconditions to Modification." One of those preconditions, Section 2B, provides that the loan documents will not be modified "unless and until the Lender accepts this Agreement by signing and returning a copy of it to me, and the modification Effective Date (as defined in Section 3) has occurred."
These various statements appear to be conflicting. On the one hand, Russell was repeatedly told that he had received an offer for a loan modification that he could accept by making all of his TPP payments and providing all requested documents. If Russell did so, Homeward promised that his loan "will be permanently modified." On the other hand, the PMA appears to condition any modification of the loan on the signature of a Homeward representative. In determining that the PMA was not effective, absent a signature from a Homeward representative, the district court looked only to its Section 2B. It did not address any of the language in the letter accompanying the PMA, or the language in the earlier letter dated March 15, 2011.
A large number of courts in a variety of jurisdictions have addressed similar issues involving HAMP modifications and have reached varying conclusions. See Tammy J. Raduege, Annotation, Enforceability of Trial Period Plans (TPP) Under the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), 88 A.L.R. Fed.2d 331 (2014) ("Many homeowners have entered into TPPs and have been disappointed when the loan servicer refused to make a permanent modification and instead foreclosed on the home. This scenario has led to a deluge of mostly federal litigation where frustrated homeowners assert state law claims seeking to enforce the
Id. at 563 (internal citations omitted). See also Corvello v. Wells Fargo Bank, NA, 728 F.3d 878, 883 (9th Cir.2013), as amended on reh'g in part (Sept. 23, 2013) (with facts nearly identical to Wigod, holding that the signature provision "cannot convert a purported agreement setting forth clear obligations into a decision left to the unfettered discretion of the loan servicer").
We find the reasoning in Wigod persuasive. "Formation of a valid contract requires a meeting of the minds as evidenced by a manifestation of mutual intent to contract. This manifestation takes the form of
Here, Homeward clearly communicated to Russell that it was making an offer. The March 15, 2011, letter sent by Homeward explicitly characterizes itself as doing so and instructs Russell how to accept. It promises that Russell's loan "will be permanently modified" if he timely makes his TPP payments and submits the documents requested by Homeward. It does not contain the slightest hint that Homeward can unilaterally, for any reason or none, refuse to grant a permanent modification even if Russell made all of his TPP payments, remained eligible for a permanent modification, and submitted all of the documents requested by Homeward. The letter clearly conditions the permanent modification on compliance with the program, not on the whim of Homeward. Likewise, the June 28, 2011, letter accompanying the PMA promises a permanent modification if Russell returns the PMA signed and notarized by the appropriate date, having made all of his TPP payments. It also makes no mention of Homeward having unbridled discretion to refuse a permanent loan modification.
If Homeward made an offer for a permanent loan modification that was accepted by Russell when he completed his TPP payments and timely delivered all requested documents, the PMA cannot unilaterally walk back Homeward's existing obligation to modify the loan. That is so even if the signature provision is read as an unambiguous attempt to provide Homeward with unbridled discretion to refuse a permanent modification. To the extent that Homeward's communications with Russell are conflicting and ambiguous, the signature provision should be construed against Homeward. "[I]f two clauses relating to the same thing are so repugnant that they cannot stand together, the first will be received and the later one rejected, especially when the latter is inconsistent with the general purpose and intent of the instrument and would nullify it." Morgan v. Firestone Tire & Rubber Co., 68 Idaho 506, 518, 201 P.2d 976, 983 (1948). The letter Homeward sent to Russell on March 15, 2011, states: "The Making Home Affordable Program was created to help millions of homeowners refinance or modify their mortgages. As part of this program, we — your mortgage servicer — and the Federal Government are working to offer you options to help you stay in your home." The June 28 letter contained almost identical language. A provision that permits Homeward to unilaterally and arbitrarily refuse to grant a permanent modification and foreclose on a home owner who qualifies, has made all TPP payments, and has submitted all of the required paperwork is inconsistent with the goal of helping home owners to modify their loans and stay in their homes. This is also a contract of adhesion drafted by Homeward. A contract of adhesion is "an agreement between two parties of unequal bargaining strength, expressed in the language of a standardized contract, written by the more powerful bargainer to meet its own needs, and offered to the weaker party on a `take-it-or-leave-it basis.'" Lovey v. Regence BlueShield of Idaho, 139 Idaho 37, 43, 72 P.3d 877, 883 (2003). Ambiguities in a contract of adhesion should be construed against the drafter. See Farm Bureau Ins. Co. of
Respondents rely primarily on this Court's decision in Intermountain Forest Management, Inc. v. Louisiana Pacific Corporation, 136 Idaho 233, 31 P.3d 921 (2001), for the proposition that Homeward did not offer to modify Russell's loan. Intermountain Forest Management's ("IFM") President, Gary Briggs, and a Louisiana Pacific Corporation ("LPC") employee, Laurie Stone, were discussing a logging contract when Briggs suggested terms, Stone recorded those terms on an unsigned contract, and Briggs signed without making changes. Id. at 234-35, 31 P.3d at 922-23. Briggs was aware at the time that Stone was not authorized to sign the contract and that it would need to be reviewed, approved, and signed by a supervisor, but the contract was never executed by a representative of LPC. Id. When IFM sued for breach of contract, this Court affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment dismissing the claim. Id. at 236, 31 P.3d at 924. IFM argued that when Stone presented the unsigned contract to Briggs, doing so constituted an offer that Briggs accepted by signing. Id. at 237, 31 P.3d at 925. This Court noted that a communication does not constitute an offer "if the person to whom it is addressed knows or has reason to know that the person making it does not intend to conclude a bargain until he has made a further manifestation of assent." Id. (quoting Restatement (Second) of Contracts § 26 (1981)). The Court held that "[t]he undisputed facts in the record reasonably support the district judge's conclusion that the presentation of the contract to Briggs for a signature was not an offer and Briggs was not justified in assuming his assent would conclude the bargain...." Id.
According to Respondents, because the PMA included the provision requiring a signature from a Homeward representative, Russell "had reason to know that Homeward did not intend to conclude a bargain until Homeward had made a further manifestation of assent." The facts of this case are clearly distinguishable from those in Intermountain Forest. In Intermountain Forest, Briggs knew when presented with the unsigned contract that the purported offeror, Stone, was not authorized to make an offer. Id. at 238, 31 P.3d at 926. There was simply no question that Briggs, the purported offeree, was not justified in understanding that his assent would conclude the bargain. Because both parties knew that Stone was not authorized to make an offer, Stone was not making an offer. Here, the communications were coming directly from Homeward to Russell. Russell had no reason to believe that Homeward was not authorized to offer a modification of his loan, or that Homeward was doing anything other than making such an offer when it explicitly stated that it was doing so and instructed Russell how to accept.
"An offer is judged by its objective manifestations, not by any uncommunicated beliefs, mental reservations, or subjective interpretations or intentions of the offeror." 17A Am.Jur.2d Contracts § 49. Likewise, "[a] response to an offer amounts to an acceptance if an objective, reasonable person is justified in understanding that a fully enforceable contract has been made, even if the offeree subjectively does not intend to be legally bound." Justad, 147 Idaho at 512, 211 P.3d at 121 (quoting 17A Am.Jur.2d Contracts § 91). Whether there was a meeting of the minds is an objective inquiry that does not focus on the subjective beliefs or intentions of Russell or Homeward. As discussed above, Homeward's communications with Russell strongly suggested that it was making an offer for a permanent loan modification that Russell could accept by making his TPP payments and providing all documents requested by Homeward. If he did those things, an objective, reasonable person would be justified in understanding Russell as having accepted. That is so even if Homeward subjectively thought that Russell did not accept and even if Russell later thought he might be required to submit a second PMA.
Homeward made an offer for a permanent loan modification in its letter of March 15, 2011, and instructed Russell that to accept he needed to complete his TPP payments and submit all of the documents requested by Homeward. If Russell accepted in the manner dictated by Homeward, Homeward cannot subsequently assert the right to unilaterally refuse a permanent loan modification. The district court erred in concluding that the signature provision of the PMA entitled Homeward to do so.
Respondents further contend that they were entitled to summary judgment because, even if Homeward made an offer for a permanent loan modification, there is no genuine dispute that Russell failed to accept it because he did not return a properly notarized PMA by the deadline. Respondents make two arguments. They first contend that the first PMA arrived at their office a day late. They then argue that, even if the document was timely returned, it was not properly notarized. They do not contend that Russell had not signed it in the proper place.
The summary judgment record is remarkably incomplete and confused when it comes to the key documents at issue in this case. In support of summary judgment, Cindi Ellis, the Vice President of Homeward, submitted an affidavit including three attachments. The attachments are identified in the affidavit as being (A) the letter sent by Homeward, dated March 15, notifying Russell of his eligibility for a TPP; (B) the first PMA sent by Homeward on June 28 and returned on either July 13 or 14 and the accompanying letter; and, (C) the second PMA, mailed by Homeward either on or after July 14 and returned to Homeward, signed and notarized by Russell, on August 3. The affidavit misidentifies attachments B and C, however. Attachment C is the letter dated July 26 from Homeward to Russell, notifying him that he is not eligible for participation in HAMP for failure to timely return a properly notarized PMA. Though Attachment B includes a letter dated June 28, 2011, congratulating Russell on his eligibility for a HAMP modification and referencing an attached PMA, the PMA included as part of Attachment B is signed by Russell on July 26 and was notarized August 2. That document is apparently the second PMA. The first PMA is not part of the record, despite what Ellis' affidavit claims, and neither is any letter accompanying the second PMA. During oral argument before the Court, Homeward's counsel advised that the first PMA and the transmittal
The first PMA was due back to Homeward no later than July 13, 2011. Respondents claim that it was not received until July 14. To support their claim that the PMA was late, Respondents cite Cindi Ellis' affidavit as claiming that Homeward's business records reflect the PMA was received on July 14. Ellis did not include those records as an attachment to her affidavit and they are not included by Respondents elsewhere in the record. In support of their claim that the PMA was delivered on July 13, the Hafers both submitted affidavits in which they testify that they sent the PMA to Homeward by UPS overnight delivery on July 12. Sandra attached a UPS notice of delivery of the shipment to Homeward at 9:06 a.m. on July 13, 2001. In her affidavit, Sandra testifies that she was informed by Homeward in a phone call on July 26 that it had not received the PMA but that in a subsequent conversation Homeward "acknowledged that they received the [PMA], but that it was not properly notarized." Respondents do not address this evidence.
Respondents also argue that there is no genuine dispute of fact that the first PMA was improperly notarized. As an initial matter, it is not clear that to accept Homeward's offer Russell was required to have the PMA notarized. While the letter of June 28, 2011, instructs Russell that the attached PMA must be notarized, the March 15, 2011, letter provided that Russell's loan "will be permanently modified" if he timely made his TPP payments and "submitted all the required documents." There is no dispute that Russell made all of his TPP payments and submitted all of the documents required by Homeward, including the PMA, even if that document was not notarized.
Even assuming that Russell was required to have his signature notarized in order to accept Homeward's offer, the Respondents do not so much as gesture at an explanation concerning how the document was improperly notarized. Because the first PMA is not in the record, there is no direct evidence as to how the document was notarized. Instead, Respondents cite only Cindi Ellis' affidavit as claiming that Homeward's business records state that the first PMA was improperly notarized. She makes the conclusory statement that the document "was not properly notarized and was therefore invalid." No supporting business records are included in the summary judgment record. In oral argument before the Court, Homeward's counsel was unable to explain how the notarization of the first PMA was improper. Since Homeward appears to have lost the first PMA, and since Homeward does not say how the notarization is improper, there is no competent evidence in the record to indicate that there was any infirmity in the notarization of the first PMA. The Hafers claim in separate affidavits that Russell signed the first PMA in front of a notary public on July 8, 2011. Russell states that he believes he signed in the correct area and that the document was properly notarized. The Hafers also introduced an affidavit from a notary public, Clela N. Hoadley, who states she notarized a document for Russell on July 8, 2011, and that she has "never been accused of improperly notarizing a document, or notarizing a document in the wrong place."
As to the second PMA, the parties disagree only as to whether it was timely returned to Homeward. Though they agree it was returned to Homeward on August, 3, 2011, they disagree as to when it was due. According to Respondents, the second PMA was sent to the Hafers on July 14 and was due July 21. Though what appears to be the second PMA is in the record,
There is simply no way to sustain the judgment in favor of Homeward on the Hafers' first, third and fourth causes of action. Therefore, we vacate the judgment in favor of Homeward on the first, third and fourth causes of action, and remand the case for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
The Hafers argue that the district court erred in granting summary judgment in favor of FNMA because Russell's agreement with Homeward resolved his default. They claim that, as a result, Russell was not in default at the time of the non-judicial foreclosure sale, the sale was invalid, and FNMA is not entitled to possession of the property. Respondents argue that the district court properly granted summary judgment on FNMA's claim for possession because the trustee's sale was final and cannot now be invalidated.
Idaho Code section 45-1505 provides, in part, that a
In Taylor v. Just, 138 Idaho 137, 59 P.3d 308 (2002), this Court held that Idaho Code section 14-1505(2) "requires that the default exist at the time of the sale. It states that the trustee may foreclose a trust deed if there `is' a default by the grantor, not if there `has been a default by the grantor.'" Id. at 140, 59 P.3d at 311. In Taylor, because the home owners had resolved their default by agreement prior to the foreclosure sale, the Court held that the foreclosure sale was not authorized by statute and was void. Id. at 141, 59 P.3d at 312.
The March 15, 2011, letter provides that Russell's "existing loan and loan requirements remain in effect and unchanged during the trial period." With respect to foreclosure, Homeward states that "if [Russell] makes [his] new payments timely,
Respondents cite Spencer v. Jameson, 147 Idaho 497, 211 P.3d 106 (2009), for the proposition that "under the Idaho Trust Deeds Act, the legislature did not intend for a sale to be set aside once a trustee accepts a bid as payment in full unless there are issues surrounding the notice of the sale." The section of Idaho's Trust Deeds Act addressed to finality, and the section discussed in Spencer, is Idaho Code section 45-1508, which provides that
In Taylor, this Court determined the foreclosure sale "was void for failure to comply with Idaho Code § 45-1505(2), which requires that there be a default in order to sell the real property secured by a deed of trust" and that Idaho Code section 45-1508 did not suggest that the sale was nevertheless final. Id. at 142, 59 P.3d at 313. Spencer does not conflict with this view of Idaho Code section 45-1508. Spencer involved a foreclosure sale in which the original owners of property challenged the sale of that property on the ground that the bidder failed to comply with Idaho Code section 45-1506(9), which requires full payment of the bid at the time of sale. Spencer, 147 Idaho at 503-04, 211 P.3d at 112-13. This Court held that the sale was final and valid despite that failure, though the terms of Idaho Code section 45-1508 might initially have suggested otherwise. Id. Spencer is irrelevant to this Court's prior holding in Taylor that, where there is no default at the time of a foreclosure sale, the sale is not a "sale made by a trustee under this act" and so is not valid.
The district court granted summary judgment to FNMA, based on its conclusion that there was no valid agreement between Russell and Homeward to modify his loan in accordance with the terms of the first PMA. There is certainly evidence in the record to support the proposition that Russell and Homeward did enter into a valid agreement to modify the loan. That is an issue to be determined on remand. Because the district court erred in granting summary judgment to Homeward, it also erred in granting summary judgment in favor of FNMA. We therefore vacate the judgment in favor of FNMA and remand the case for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
The Hafers request fees on appeal under Idaho Code section 12-120(3), claiming that the present dispute arose out of a commercial transaction. That section provides that "[i]n any civil action to recover on ... any commercial transaction unless otherwise provided by law, the prevailing party shall be allowed a reasonable attorney's fee to be set by the court, to be taxed and collected as costs." I.C. § 12-120(3). The statute defines
In Bajrektarevic v. Lighthouse Home Loans, Inc., 143 Idaho 890, 155 P.3d 691 (2007), this Court held that a breach of contract claim involving the refinancing of a home loan was not a commercial transaction under Idaho Code section 12-120(3) because the transaction was for "personal or household purposes." Id. at 893, 155 P.3d at 694. The transaction at issue here was to modify the Hafers home loan and is likewise for "personal or household purposes." It was therefore not a commercial transaction under Idaho Code section 12-120(3) and that statute does not authorize fees on appeal.
We vacate the judgment in favor of Homeward on the Hafers' first, third, and fourth causes of action, as well as the judgment in favor of FNMA on its claim for possession, and remand the case for further proceedings consistent with this opinion. The Hafers' request for attorney fees pursuant to Idaho Code section 12-120(3) is denied. Costs are awarded to the Hafers.
Chief Justice BURDICK, and Justices EISMANN, W. JONES, and HORTON concur.