Epstein v. Goldome FSB

49 Pa. D. & C.3d 551, 1987 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 73
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Delaware County
DecidedMarch 6, 1987
Docketno. 84-11739
StatusPublished

This text of 49 Pa. D. & C.3d 551 (Epstein v. Goldome FSB) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Delaware County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Epstein v. Goldome FSB, 49 Pa. D. & C.3d 551, 1987 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 73 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1987).

Opinion

PRESCOTT, J.,

— Plaintiffs, Harold Epstein and Beverly Epstein, his wife, and defendant, Goldome FSB (a federal savings bank), have each filed a motion for summary judgment. The issues raised by the aforesaid motions are:

(1) Whether the exercise of a due on sale clause in-a mortgage prohibits the mortgagee’s right to contemporaneously impose a prepayment charge on the mortgagor;

(2) Whether plaintiffs are entitled to treble damages against defendant pursuant to the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Act, 73 P.S. §201-1 et seq.

This opinion is written in disposition of the. aforesaid motions and the issues raised thereby.

The facts of the case are as follows:

Prior to November 14, 1983, plaintiffs were the owners of certain real estate known as Robindale Apartments situated in Haverford Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Said real estate was subject to two mortgages, one dated June 14, 1963, and the second dated May 26, 1970. These mortgages were subsequently assigned to defendant, Goldome Bank, formerly known as Buffalo Savings Bank. By a “Consolidation and Modification Agreement” dated May 26, 1970, between plaintiffs and defendant (then known as Buffalo Savings Bank) the two mortgages in question were consolidated and modified.

The consolidated mortgage, by its terms, is a non-recourse mortgage, i,e., the mortgage is secured by [553]*553the mortgaged real estate itself, without recourse to the personal assets of plaintiffs.

The consolidated mortage - also contains two clauses material to the issues before the court as follows:

(1) The Due-on-Sale Clause:

“It is also further understood and agreed that in the event the hereinabove described premises are sold or conveyed, the mortgagee, at its option, may declare the mortgage in default, and the principal balance then remaining unpaid, together with interest as provided in the bond and mortgage, to be immediately due and payable.”

(2) The Prepayment Penalty Clause:

“The party of the first part, their heirs, executors, administrators and assigns, shall have the privilege of prepaying the full amount of the principal sum thereof then remaining unpaid, after the first five years of amortization, on giving to the holder of the bond, 30 days’ written notice of their intention to do so, and paying to the holder of the bond, simultaneously with such notice, a prepayment consideration in a sum equal to five percent of the unpaid balance of the principal sum secured by the bond if such prepayment is made during the second' five years of amortization; three percent during the third five years and two percent thereafter; except, however, the party of the first part shall have the privilege of paying an amount equal to 15 percent of the principal sum in any one year without penalty, which shall not be cumulative. It is understood and agreed that such prepayment consideration shall be in addition to principal and interest unpaid on the date that the prinicpal and interest are paid in full.”

By an agreement dated February 16, 1983, plaintiffs agreed to sell the subject premises to a certain purchaser. On or about October 18, 1983, plaintiffs [554]*554forwarded a written request to defendant’s agent, Fidelity Bond and Mortgage Company, inquiring whether defendant would permit the purchaser to take under and subject to the aforesaid consolidated mortgage which defendant held. By letter dated November 7, 1983, defendant notified plaintiffs that it would not authorize or permit the purchaser to assume the mortgage and/or take subject and under thereto.

By a statement dated November 10, 1983, defendant advised plaintiffs that the amount necessary to be paid in order to satisfy the consolidated mortgage loan would have to include a prepayment penalty of three percent of the outstanding principal balance as well as the outstanding balance due on the mortgage. The three percent prepayment penalty amounted to $19,402.19. Plaintiffs advised defendant that settlement on the sale of the subject property would be held on November 14, 1983, and that in order to complete settlement plaintiffs would pay the prepayment penalty “under protest and with full and complete reservation of rights. ”

Settlement on the subject premises was concluded and thereafter plaintiffs instituted the instant cause of action to recover the three percent prepayment penalty payment along with damages provided for under the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Act, supra. After the pleadings were closed and discovery was completed, each party filed a motion for summary judgment seeking favorable relief.

As hereinbefore stated the first issue before the court is:

Whether the exercise of a due-on-sale clause in a mortgage prohibits the mortgagee’s right to contemporaneously impose a prepayment charge ón the mortgagor.

[555]*555In the opinion of this court, the case of Bell Savings and Loan Assn. v. Walkenstein, 70 Delaware Rep. 512 (1983), affirmed mem., 345 Pa. Super. 612 (1985) is dispositive of this issue.

In that case, defendants executed a mortgage to the plaintiff bank which mortgage contained due on sale and prepayment penalty clauses essentially the same as those present in the case at bar. Five years thereafter, defendants negotiated a sale of the property to a third party who desired to assume the existing mortgage. Alternatively, if plaintiff bank did not agree to the mortgage assumption, defendants requested a pay-off statement be forwarded to them. In fact, plaintiff bank did not agree to the mortgage assumption but, rather, presented defendants and the third party purchaser with a pay-off statement which included a prepayment charge.

The court in Bell Savings, supra, held-that it was improper to permit a mortgagee to exercise the due-on-sale clause contemporaneously with an exercise of the prepayment penalty clause. The reasoning of the court was that the language of the prepayment penalty clause clearly makes the penalty payable only upon a debtor’s exercise of the reserved privilege to prepay. The debtor paid the balance of the loan not on account of their exercise of the privilege to prepay but, rather on account of the bank’s demand for full payment in connection with its exercise of the due-on-sale clause.

The language of the subject clauses is clear and essentially the same as the language contained in the clauses in Bell Savings, supra. The facts in the instant case clearly demonstrate that defendant refused an assumption of the mortgage and demanded that the entire outstanding balance on the subject mortgage be paid at the time of settlement. By [556]*556so acting, defendant exercised its rights under the due-on-sale clause and, consistent with the holding in Bell Savings, supra this court finds that it was improper for the subject defendant to charge and collect a prepayment penalty in addition thereto. Therefore, this court concludes that plaintiffs are entitled to a refund of the prepayment penalty charge which they paid at the time of settlement.

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49 Pa. D. & C.3d 551, 1987 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 73, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/epstein-v-goldome-fsb-pactcompldelawa-1987.