Forbes v. Citimortgage, Inc.

998 F. Supp. 2d 541, 87 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 1326, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21762, 2014 WL 683848
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Texas
DecidedFebruary 20, 2014
DocketCivil Action No. 3:11-CV-409
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 998 F. Supp. 2d 541 (Forbes v. Citimortgage, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Forbes v. Citimortgage, Inc., 998 F. Supp. 2d 541, 87 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 1326, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21762, 2014 WL 683848 (S.D. Tex. 2014).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

MELINDA HARMON, District Judge.

Pending before the Court in the above referenced foreclosure action are four motions: (i) the Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. 39) filed by Defendant CitiMortgage, Inc. (“CitiMortgage”); (ii) the Motion to Dismiss (Doc. 40) filed by Plaintiff Gwenyth D. Forbes (“Forbes”); (iii) the Motion to Strike Evidence (Doc. 47) filed by CitiMortgage; and the Motion for Leave to File Supplement Summary Judgment Evidence (Doc. 48), also filed by CitiMortgage.1

Having considered the pleadings, the factual and procedural history of this dispute, and the applicable law, the Court concludes that (i) the motion to dismiss should be denied; (ii) the motion to strike evidence should be granted; (iii) the motion to supplement summary judgment evidence should be granted; and (iv) the motion for summary judgment should be granted in part and denied in part.

I. Factual Background

In March 2006, Forbes executed a Texas Home Equity Note (the “Note”) to obtain a home equity loan in the amount of $320,000 from ABN AMRO Mortgage Group, Inc. (“ABN AMRO”). Note, Doc. [544]*54439, Ex. A-1. Forbes secured payment of the Note by executing a Texas Home Equity Security Instrument (the “Security Instrument”) securing to ABN AMRO her rights in the real property located at 8128 Tri City Beach Rd., Baytown, Texas 77520 (the “Property”). Security Instrument, Doc. 39, Ex. A-2. Simultaneously with the execution of the Note, the parties entered into an Escrow Waiver Agreement (the “Escrow Waiver”), whereby Forbes paid $800.00 as consideration for ABN AMRO waiving its requirement that her monthly loan payments be deposited into an escrow account. Escrow Waiver, Doc. 39, Ex. A-3. Under the terms of the Escrow Waiver, Forbes agreed to be “solely responsible” for the direct and timely payment of any and all “Escrow Items” affecting the Property, including, property taxes and insurance. Id. In the event that Forbes failed to timely pay any Escrow Items or that it became necessary for ABN AMRO to advance funds to pay all or any portion of the Escrow Items, ABN AMRO retained its rights under the Escrow Waiver to enforce the requirement of an escrow account. Id. In addition to the rights provided to ABN AMRO under the Escrow Waiver, the Security Instrument provided:

“If Borrower is obligated to pay Escrow Items directly, pursuant to a waiver, and Borrower fails to pay the amount due for an Escrow Item, Lender may exercise its rights under Section 9 and pay such amount and Borrower shall then be obligated under Section 9 to repay to Lender any such amount. Lender may revoke as to any or all Escrow Items

Security Instrument at ¶ 3.

On February 2, 2007, Forbes paid her 2006 property taxes to Chambers County in the amount of $1,834.89. 02/02/07 Tax Receipt, Doc. 39, Ex. B-1. Forbes received a receipt from the Chambers County Tax Authority showing a zero balance; however, for reasons that are not clear from the record, additional amounts were owed for the 2006 tax year amounting to $307.95. Id.; Aff. of Chambers County Tax Office at ¶ 6, Doc. 39, Ex. B. This amount remained unpaid and incurred additional fees and penalties, bringing the total amount owed to $443.44. Id. On August 30, 2007, ABN AMRO established an escrow on Forbes’s account and on September 6, 2007, ABN AMRO advanced the full amount of the delinquent taxes to the Chambers County Tax Authority. Id. On September 11, 2007, ABN AMRO sent Forbes an Escrow Account Disclosure Statement, which informed Forbes that an escrow account had been established on her account with a balance of -$443.42. 09/11/07 Escrow Account Disclosure Statement, Doc. 39, Ex. A-6. The notice did not provide any details regarding the reason that the escrow account was established, but it did notify Forbes of the payment necessary to correct the shortage, and also provided an alternative schedule of the modified monthly payments necessary to maintain enough money in her account fulfill her obligations going forward. Id.

On September 15, 2007, CitiMortgage assumed responsibilities for servicing Forbes’s loan. 08/22/07 Letter, Doc. 39, Ex. A-7. Beginning in October 2007, Forbes’s monthly account statements included a monthly escrow payment in addition to her usual principal and interest payment. 10/12/07 Mortgage Account Statement, Doc. 39, Ex. A-8. Despite her receipt of these statements, Forbes continued to make her monthly payments of principal and interest only in the amount of $1,944.35. See Loan Ledger at p. 1, Doc. 48, Ex. E-11. In November 2007, Forbes began incurring late fees as a result of her monthly payments being held in the escrow account. Id.; Nov.-Dec. Mortgage Account Statements, Doc. 39, Ex. A-8. Having revoked the Escrow Waiver, CitiMortgage paid Forbes’s property taxes [545]*545for tax years 2007 and 2008. Aff. of Chambers County Tax Office at ¶ 6; 01/09/08 Tax Receipt, Doc. 39, Ex. B — 3; 01/07/09 Tax Receipt, Doc. 39, Ex. B-4; Aff. of Barbers Hill Independent School District Tax Office at ¶ 6, Doc. 39, Ex. C; 10/03/07 Tax Statement, Doc. 39, Ex. C — 1; 10/17/08 Tax Statement, Doc. 30, Ex. B-3. CitiMortgage added the amount of these tax payments to Forbes’s escrow account balance. See Loan Ledger at 1-2. Forbes continued to make her monthly payments of $1,944.35 without regard for the increasing escrow balance. See Loan Ledger at p. 1-2.

On February 26, 2009, CitiMortgage sent Forbes a letter explaining the circumstances existing with respect to the escrow account (the “Letter”). 02/26/09 Letter, Doc. 48, Ex. E-12. The Letter explained that the escrow account was opened in order to satisfy past due taxes owed to Chambers County for the 2006 tax year, and that thereafter, CitiMortgage continued to pay Forbes’s property taxes. Id. The letter goes on to state:

“As an originally non escrowed account, the escrow account can be deleted once the escrow balance is brought to a zero or positive amount. Although your payment had increased to due to [sic ] addition of escrow, you continued to send the principal and interest payment of $1,944.35. This caused your payments to be short, and your account to become delinquent. When escrow funds were received, the application to escrow was not specified. Therefore, the funds were applied to past due payments. Funds have now been received which brought your escrow balance to $0.00. We have complied with you request to discontinue the escrow on your loan. Your new monthly payment, effective January 2009 is $1,944.35. You will receive an Escrow Account Disclosure Statement separately. We have confirmed with Chambers County and Barbers Hill ISD that your taxes are paid current, and there has not been an overpayment. Your next real estate tax bill is due in January 2011. It is now your sole responsibility to ensure timely payment of your homeowners insurance and property taxes. Should you fail to make payments prior to the delinquency date or expiration date, CitiMortgage reserves the right to pay these past due amounts, and reestablish the escrow account.”

In conjunction with the mailing of the Letter, Forbes’s escrow account balance was brought to zero. See Loan Ledger at p. 2; Supp. Aff. of CitiMortgage, Inc. at ¶ 5, Doc. 48, Ex. E.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
998 F. Supp. 2d 541, 87 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 1326, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21762, 2014 WL 683848, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/forbes-v-citimortgage-inc-txsd-2014.