Bowmer v. NovaStar Mortgage Funding Trust, Series 2006-1

711 F. Supp. 2d 390, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 43770
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedMay 5, 2010
DocketCivil Action No. 08-5869
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 711 F. Supp. 2d 390 (Bowmer v. NovaStar Mortgage Funding Trust, Series 2006-1) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bowmer v. NovaStar Mortgage Funding Trust, Series 2006-1, 711 F. Supp. 2d 390, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 43770 (E.D. Pa. 2010).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM

O’NEILL, District Judge.

Plaintiff filed her first amended complaint on March 10, 2009 seeking rescission of her home mortgage refinancing transaction with NovaStar Home Mortgage, Inc. pursuant to the Truth in Lending Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1601, et seq.1 The remaining defendants have moved to dismiss plaintiffs first amended complaint and I also have before me plaintiffs response and defendants’ reply. I will deny defendants’ motion.

BACKGROUND

Plaintiff owns a home on Farrington Road in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In late 2005, she received a letter from NovaStar Home Mortgage containing an offer to refinance her house and obtain some cash. She contacted NovaStar Home Mortgage and was sent a Truth in Lending Disclosure Statement2 dated November 16, 2005, which said the estimated annual percentage rate on her home loan would be 9.656% and the estimated total finance charge would be $198,018.88. A second TILDS dated January 5, 2006 stated that the estimated APR for the loan was 10.819% and that the estimated total finance charge was $255,409.28. A third TILDS dated January 9, 2006 stated that the APR for the loan was 10.736% and the total finance charge was $254,037.54. The amounts on the third TILDS did not indicate they were estimates.

Plaintiff also was given a Pennsylvania Application Disclosure dated January 9, [392]*3922006, that listed various non-refundable application costs such as a $350.00 appraisal fee, a $33.90 credit report fee and a $1,183.75 “Other Third Party Fee.”

In January 2006, plaintiff received a loan of $111,600 from NovaStar Home Mortgage. NovaStar Home Mortgage then transferred plaintiffs mortgage to defendant Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. In or about April 2006, the mortgage was assigned to NovaStar Mortgage Funding Trust, Series 2006-1 and JP Morgan Chase acted as trustee for the Trust.3 Plaintiff paid off the mortgage in or about February 2008. In or about October and November 2008, plaintiff sent letters to defendants rescinding her mortgage transaction. When the transaction was not rescinded, plaintiff filed this action.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) permits a court to dismiss all or part of an action for “failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.” Fed. R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6). Typically, “a complaint attacked by a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss does not need detailed factual allegations,” though plaintiffs obligation to state the grounds of entitlement to relief “requires more than labels and conclusions, and a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action will not do.” Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007). “Factual allegations must be enough to raise a right to relief above the speculative level on the assumption that all of the allegations in the complaint are true (even if doubtful in fact).” Id. (citations omitted). The complaint must state “ ‘enough facts to raise a reasonable expectation that discovery will reveal evidence of the necessary element.” Wilkerson v. New Media Tech. Charter School Inc., 522 F.3d 315, 321 (3d Cir.2008) (quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 556, 127 S.Ct. 1955). The Court of Appeals has recently made clear that after Ashcroft v. Iqbal, — U.S. -, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 1955, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009), “eonclusory or ‘bare-bones’ allegations will no longer survive a motion to dismiss: ‘threadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory statements, do not suffice.’ To prevent dismissal, all civil complaints must now set out ‘sufficient factual matter’ to show that the claim is facially plausible.” Fowler v. UPMC Shadyside, 578 F.3d 203, 210 (3d Cir.2009) (quoting Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. at 1949). The Court also set forth a two part-analysis for reviewing motions to dismiss in light of Twombly and Iqbal: “First, the factual and legal elements of a claim should be separated. The District Court must accept all of the complaint’s well-pleaded facts as true, but may disregard any legal conclusions. Second, a District Court must then determine whether the facts alleged in the complaint are sufficient to show that the plaintiff has a ‘plausible claim for relief.’ ” Id. at 210-11 (iquoting Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. at 1950). The Court explained, “a complaint must do more than allege the plaintiffs entitlement to relief. A complaint has to ‘show’ such an entitlement with its facts.” Id. (citing Phillips v. County of Allegheny, 515 F.3d 224, 234-35 (3d Cir.2008)). “Where the well-pleaded facts do not permit the court to infer more than the mere possibility of misconduct, the complaint has alleged-but it has not ‘show[n]’-‘that the pleader is entitled to relief.’ ” Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. at 1949.

[393]*393ANALYSIS

TILA is intended to “assure a meaningful disclosure of credit terms so that the consumer will be able to compare more readily the various credit terms available to him and avoid the uninformed use of credit.” 15 U.S.C. § 1601(a). Further, “[b]eeause the TILA is a remedial consumer protection statute, ... it should be construed liberally in favor of the consumer.” Rossman v. Fleet Bank (R.I.) Nat. Ass’n, 280 F.3d 384, 390 (3d Cir.2002) (internal quotations omitted). The statute “requires creditors to provide borrowers with clear and accurate disclosures of terms,” Beach v. Ocwen Federal Bank, 523 U.S. 410, 412, 118 S.Ct. 1408, 140 L.Ed.2d 566 (1998), and imposes strict liability on creditors who do not, see 15 U.S.C. § 1640(a) (“[A]ny creditor who fails to comply with any requirement imposed under this part ... with respect to any person is liable to such person.”).

TILA and its implementing regulations, known collectively as Regulation Z, require lenders to make a series of “material disclosures”4 to borrowers for transactions such as plaintiffs consumer credit transaction.5 See 15 U.S.C. § 1638 (listing required disclosures); 12 C.F.R. §§ 226.17, 226.18 (requiring disclosures). Specifically, the lender is required to disclose the finance charge, the amount financed and the annual percentage rate. 15 U.S.C.

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Related

Deutsche Bank National Trust Co. v. Gardner
46 Pa. D. & C.5th 135 (Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, 2015)
Bowmer v. NOVASTAR MORTG. FUNDING TRUST
711 F. Supp. 2d 390 (E.D. Pennsylvania, 2010)

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711 F. Supp. 2d 390, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 43770, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bowmer-v-novastar-mortgage-funding-trust-series-2006-1-paed-2010.