Arabia v. BAC Home Loans Servicing, L.P.

208 Cal. App. 4th 462, 145 Cal. Rptr. 3d 678, 2012 WL 3264380, 2012 Cal. App. LEXIS 869
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedAugust 13, 2012
DocketNo. D060923
StatusPublished
Cited by29 cases

This text of 208 Cal. App. 4th 462 (Arabia v. BAC Home Loans Servicing, L.P.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Arabia v. BAC Home Loans Servicing, L.P., 208 Cal. App. 4th 462, 145 Cal. Rptr. 3d 678, 2012 WL 3264380, 2012 Cal. App. LEXIS 869 (Cal. Ct. App. 2012).

Opinion

Opinion

HUFFMAN, Acting P. J.

In this case, we are asked to determine if Code of Civil Procedure1 section 725a prohibits a loan servicer from filing a judicial [466]*466foreclosure action in its name. We conclude it does not so long as the right to foreclose has been assigned to the loan servicer.

James R. Arabia refinanced his home with a mortgage loan secured by a deed of trust recorded against his home. Arabia experienced financial difficulties and stopped making his mortgage payments. Nonjudicial foreclosure proceedings were commenced and suspended numerous times. Arabia brought suit against the loan servicer, BAC Home Loans Servicing, L.P. (BAC), for claims arising out of the nonjudicial foreclosure attempts. In response, BAC filed a cross-complaint for judicial foreclosure.

The court granted BAC’s motion for summary judgment on the judicial foreclosure cross-complaint and entered a decree authorizing foreclosure. Arabia appeals, contending that section 725a does not permit a loan servicer to bring a judicial foreclosure action in its name. He also claims the foreclosure decree includes improper provisions, and the court was required to add a junior lienholder as a cross-defendant in the judicial foreclosure action.

Because we conclude section 725a does not prohibit a loan servicer from initiating a judicial foreclosure action, we reject Arabia’s challenge to the court’s granting of BAC’s motion for summary judgment. In addition, except for determining the judicial foreclosure decree improperly ordered Arabia to pay BAC rent, we otherwise affirm the judgment.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Arabia owns a home (the property) in San Diego. On or about September 12, 2005, Arabia refinanced the property with a $2,846,250 mortgage loan (the First Loan) from Countrywide Home Loans, Inc., doing business as America’s Wholesale Lender (Countrywide). The First Loan was evidenced by a promissory note signed by Arabia in favor of Countrywide and secured by a deed of trust recorded against the property. The deed of trust included a clause authorizing Countrywide to foreclose on it if Arabia failed to make his monthly mortgage loan payments.

On or about September 12, 2005, Countrywide provided a home equity line of credit (HELOC) to Arabia in the amount of $1,035,000. It was evidenced by a home equity credit agreement and secured by a deed of trust recorded against the property. The HELOC was junior in priority to the First Loan.

On February 1, 2006, BAC, Countrywide, the Bank of New York Mellon formerly known as the Bank of New York (BONY), CWMBS, Inc., and other [467]*467entities entered into a pooling and servicing agreement (PSA). Under the PSA, Countrywide agreed to “sell[], transfer[], assign[], set[] over and otherwise convey[], without recourse, all of its respective right, title, and interest,” in certain mortgage loans to CWMBS. CWMBS agreed to sell, transfer, assign, set over, and otherwise convey all rights, title, and interest in those same mortgage loans to BONY as trustee for the certificate holders of CWMBS, Inc., CHL Mortgage Pass-Through Trust 2006-TM 1 Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates, Series 2006-TMI (the Trust). The PSA further decreed that BAC would be the master servicer of all the loans in the Trust and had the authority to foreclose on deeds of trust securing loans that were in default.2

In 2007, Arabia experienced financial difficulties and was unable to make his mortgage loan payment on the First Loan in November 2007. Indeed, Arabia has not made a payment on the First Loan since October 2007.

On February 24, 2010, Countrywide, through its nominee Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. (MERS), transferred its interest in the First Loan and its deed of trust to BONY as trustee for the Tmst.

In June 2010, Arabia filed a first amended complaint naming BAC and others as defendants. The first amended complaint alleges nonjudicial foreclosure irregularities, breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and promissory estoppel. The first amended complaint details the defendants’ alleged improper nonjudicial foreclosure efforts and Arabia’s attempts to negotiate a resolution to his mortgage loan woes over a two-year period. As part of this suit, Arabia is seeking, among other things, damages for the property’s lost equity.

In response to the first amended complaint, BAC filed a cross-complaint for judicial foreclosure. On April 14, 2011, prior to Arabia answering the cross-complaint, BAC filed an amended cross-complaint for judicial foreclosure. The amended cross-complaint added CWMBS and Countrywide as cross-complainants.

BAC subsequently moved for summary judgment on its cross-complaint. The court denied the motion because it believed BAC did not address the existence of junior lienholders and whether they had notice of the suit. The court also ruled BAC had not shown the First Loan was a recourse loan. At oral argument, the court explained its denial was without prejudice and encouraged BAC to “clean up” the motion and refile it.

[468]*468Addressing the court’s concerns, BAC filed a subsequent motion for summary judgment. Arabia filed an opposition, but did not address the issue of BAC failing to name the junior lienholder (Countrywide) as a cross-defendant.

In a thorough five and one-half page order, the court granted the motion. The court then entered a decree of judicial foreclosure. Arabia timely appealed.

DISCUSSION

I

SECTION 725A DOES NOT PROHIBIT A LOAN SERVICER FROM INITIATING A JUDICIAL FORECLOSURE ACTION IN ITS NAME

A. Standard of Review and Arabia’s Contentions

We review summary judgment de novo. (Saelzler v. Advanced Group 400 (2001) 25 Cal.4th 763, 767 [107 Cal.Rptr.2d 617, 23 P.3d 1143].) We also review de novo the interpretation of any statutes. (California Teachers Assn. v. San Diego Community College Dist. (1981) 28 Cal.3d 692, 699 [170 Cal.Rptr. 817, 621 P.2d 856].)

Here, Arabia’s primary attack on the granting of BAC’s motion for summary judgment is that section 725a does not allow a loan servicer to initiate a judicial foreclosure action in its name. Instead, he argues that section 725a only permits the beneficiary or the trustee under a deed of trust to bring a judicial foreclosure action. Because BAC is the loan servicer, Arabia argues that it may not commence a judicial foreclosure action in its name under section 725a, and the court’s granting of the motion for summary judgment was thus incorrect.

B. Interpretation of Section 725a

In this appeal, we must interpret section 725a.3 In construing statutes, we determine and effectuate legislative intent. (People v. Woodhead (1987) 43 [469]*469Cal.3d 1002, 1007 [239 Cal.Rptr. 656, 741 P.2d 154]; People ex rel. Younger v. Superior Court (1976) 16 Cal.3d 30, 40 [127 Cal.Rptr. 122, 544 P.2d 1322].) To ascertain intent, we look first to the words of the statutes.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
208 Cal. App. 4th 462, 145 Cal. Rptr. 3d 678, 2012 WL 3264380, 2012 Cal. App. LEXIS 869, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/arabia-v-bac-home-loans-servicing-lp-calctapp-2012.