Franklin American Mortgage Co. v. Chicago Financial Services, Inc.

145 F. Supp. 3d 725, 93 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 139, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 152345, 2015 WL 7015648
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Tennessee
DecidedNovember 10, 2015
DocketNo. 14-00753
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 145 F. Supp. 3d 725 (Franklin American Mortgage Co. v. Chicago Financial Services, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Franklin American Mortgage Co. v. Chicago Financial Services, Inc., 145 F. Supp. 3d 725, 93 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 139, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 152345, 2015 WL 7015648 (M.D. Tenn. 2015).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM

KEVIN H. SHARP, District Judge.

Pending before the Court is the fully-briefed Motion for Summary Judgment (Docket No. 39), filed by Franklin American Mortgage Company (“FAMC”). For the reasons that follow, the Court finds in favor of FAMC on its breach of contract claim against Defendant Chicago Financial Services, Inc. (“CFS”), and will hold a jury trial on damages on the date already scheduled for trial.

I. FACTUAL BACKGROUND

FAMC is a mortgage company; CFS originates, underwrites and funds mortgage loans and then sells them. In 2007, FAMC and CFS entered into a Correspondent Loan Purchase Agreement (“CLPA”) and a Delegated Underwriting Agreement (“DUA”) under which FAMC purchased residential mortgage loans originated by CFS.

On April 4,2008, CFS originated a mortgage loan to borrower Coleman Newell that was underwritten in accordance with an agreement CFS then had with JP Morgan Chase Bank (“Chase”).- CFS .took a security interest in the property (a 3 bedroom/2 bath condominium) located at 4020 South - Ellis Avenue Unit G, in Chicago, Illinois. That loan was sold to FAMC on August 14, 2008, under the terms of the CLPA, and it is that loan which serves as the basis for this lawsuit.

In applying-' for the loan, Newell repeatedly indicated that he would occupy the condominium. He did so by (1) completing an application which stated it would be his primary residence; (2) signing an Occupancy and Financial Status Affidavit under oath which indicated that he either occupied the property, or would do so within sixty days after signing the security instrument for the loan, and would continue to reside in the property for at least one year; and (3) signed a Borrower’s Certification that - stated he would occupy the property within a reasonable'time after the closing of the loan. CFS relied on those documents in approving the loan.

When the loan was sold to FAMC, the Lock-In Confirmation Sheet stated that the property was owner occupied. However, Newell did not occupy the residence as promised. In fact, a'signed lease agreement in the loan file suggest Newell rented the property to Curtis Harrison and [729]*729Doris Banks on May 1, 2008, which was less than thirty days after the closing on the loan.

After purchasing the loan from CFS, FAMC sold it to Wells Fargo Funding, Inc. (“Wells Fargo”). On May 16, 2011, Wells Fargo sent FAMC an email regarding “misrepresentation of occupancy” in relation to the loan, that stated a third party records check indicated that Newell “did not occupy the subject property following origination of the subject loan,” and that a signed lease agreement showed the property being rented from' Newell on May 1, 2008. The following day FAMC notified CFS of the issue identified by Wells Fargo and requested an explanation.

In a June 13, 2011 email response, Philip Brilliant, CFS’s President, wrote that “[t]he ' closed loan documents include a lease for the subject unit dated within 30 days of the April 4, 2008 closing,” but that he did “not have a reason why this lease was included with the application” because “[i]t contradicts the borrower’s statement that he intended to live in the property as an owner occupied borrower.” (Docket No. 40-2 at 5). Mr. Brilliant also wrote that because CFS does “not service loans after a closing” it “was not given any indication as to [Newell’s] actions over the course of the 12 month following his closing.” {Id. at 6). A few days later, Mr. Brilliant sent another email in which he stated that CFS did not “knowingly write an owner occupied loan to Coleman Newell while knowing that [Newell] did not intend to move into the property”; that the loan was “re-engineered to be delivered to Franklin American” after Chase announced that it was cancelling its correspondence agreement with CFS; that “Newell had several rental properties at the time ... and submitted 7 leases to [the] post closing department”; that the “post closing department did not study the leases or match- them to the properties,” but merely forwarded to FAMC “what the borrower sent in”; and that CFS was “in-nocen[t] in this situation.” (Docket No. 40-1 at 25-26).

On July 20,'2011, Wells Fargo demanded that FAMC repurchase' the Newell loan pursuant to the agreement between the parties. In turn, FAMC demanded that CFS either repurchase the loan outright, or pay a settlement amount lower than the repurchase price. CFS refused. Ultimately, FAMC entered into a settlement agreement with Well Fargo in which it repurchased the loan for a payment of $153,754.77.

CFS has not paid anything to indemnify FAMC for losses on "the Newell loan, prompting this lawsuit' for breach of contract.

II. Standard of Review

The standard of review for motions for summary judgment is well known. A party,-may obtain - summary judgment if the evidence establishes there are no genuine issues of material fact for trial and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. See FED. R. CIV. P. 56(c); Covington v. Knox Cnty. Sch. Sys., 205 F.3d 912, 914 (6th Cir.2000). A genuine issue exists “if the evidence is such that a reasonable jury could return a verdict for the nonmoving party.” Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). In ruling, on a motion, for summary judgment, the Court. must, construe the evidence in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party, drawing all justifiable inferences in his or her favor. See Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 587, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986).

III. Application of Law

FAMC’s breach of contract claim is based upon an alleged breach by CFS. of a [730]*730portion of Section 6 of the CLPA which in relevant part provides:

Section 6: Seller’s Representations as to Mortgage Loans
At all times the Seller makes the following representations and warranties
% * *
6.2 There is no fact or circumstance with respect to the Mortgage Loan that would entitle: a) an Agency to demand repurchase of a Mortgage Loan; b) an Agency or insurer to deny or reduce benefits under an insurance policy or guarantee; c) a third party, including but not limited to, an Agency and/or insurer, to claim indemnification or damages; or d) an Agency or other party deem a Mortgage Loan to be ineligible for a Pool. Each Mortgage Loan complies with the Agency Guide. The Seller is not now and has not within the last 24 months been subject to any administrative sanction imposed by an Agency-

(Docket No. 1-1 at 13). FAMC’s claim also alleges certain breaches of Section 8 of the CLPA, which provides in pertinent part:

Section 8: Mortgage Loan Repurchases
Seller agrees to repurchase one or more Mortgage Loans from Buyer, upon terms and conditions hereinafter set forth in the event that

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145 F. Supp. 3d 725, 93 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 139, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 152345, 2015 WL 7015648, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/franklin-american-mortgage-co-v-chicago-financial-services-inc-tnmd-2015.