Glendale Federal Savings & Loan Ass'n v. Fox

481 F. Supp. 616
CourtDistrict Court, C.D. California
DecidedOctober 17, 1979
DocketCV 77-3274-WMB
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 481 F. Supp. 616 (Glendale Federal Savings & Loan Ass'n v. Fox) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, C.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Glendale Federal Savings & Loan Ass'n v. Fox, 481 F. Supp. 616 (C.D. Cal. 1979).

Opinion

ORDER

WM. MATTHEW BYRNE, Jr., District Judge.

A “due-on-sale” clause in a loan instrument provides the lender an option to declare immediately due and payable all of the sums owed to the lender if all or any part of the real property securing the loan is sold or otherwise transferred by the borrower without the lender’s prior consent. 1 This action involves the question whether state regulation of the validity and exercisability of due-on-sale clauses contained in the loan instruments of federal savings and loan associations executed after June 8, 1976, is preempted by federal law.

I. BACKGROUND

Plaintiff, Glendale Federal Savings and Loan Association (“Glendale Federal”), is a federally chartered savings and loan association organized and operating under the Home Owners’ Loan Act of 1933, as amended, 12 U.S.C. Section 1461, et seq. (hereinafter “HOLA”). The Federal Home Loan Bank Board (“the Bank Board”) defendant and cross-claimant, is an independent agency of the United States in the Executive Branch, 12 U.S.C. Section 1437(b), which, under authority delegated by Congress through Section 5(a) of the HOLA, is responsible for the chartering, examining, supervision, and regulation of federal savings and loan associations. 12 U.S.C. § 1464(a). 2

The Bank Board has promulgated regulations specifying the provisions which a federal savings and loan association shall and *619 may include in its loan contracts. 12 C.F.R. § 545.6-11. With respect to the use of due-on-sale clauses by federal savings and loan associations the Bank Board, in April, 1976, adopted certain amendments specifically authorizing the use of such clauses and prescribing certain limitations on their exercise. 12 C.F.R. § 545.6-ll(f) & (g). These regulations, which became effective June 8, 1976, state in pertinent part:

“A federal association continues to have the power to include, as a matter of contract between it and the borrower, a provision in its loan instruments whereby the association may, at its option, declare immediately due and payable all of the sums secured by the association’s security instrument if all or any part of the real property securing the loan is sold or transferred by the borrower without the association’s prior written consent. Except as provided in paragraph (g) of this section .... exercise by an association of such an acceleration option (hereafter called a due-on-sale clause) shall be governed exclusively by the terms of the contract between the association and the borrower . . .12 C.F.R. § 545.6-11(f)- 3

Defendants Fox, DeClercq, and Silberman (hereafter “state defendants”) are, respectively, the Real Estate Commissioner of the State of California, a Deputy Real Estate Commissioner of the State of California, and the Secretary of the Business and Transportation Agency of the State of California. California real estate law requires that the Commissioner of Real Estate examine any proposed “subdivision,” 4 and, unless there are grounds for denial, issue to the subdivider a public report authorizing the sale or lease in California of the lots or parcels within the subdivision. 5 The sale or lease, or offer for sale or lease, of any lots or parcels contained in a subdivision without first obtaining such a public report is prohibited. 6 In connection with the examination of a proposed subdivision, the Real Estate Department requires that the developer of such subdivision identify any lender that will be providing take-out loans to prospective purchasers and submit to the Department sample copies of the lender’s notes, deeds of trust, mortgages or other *620 security instruments to be executed in connection with such take-out loans. 7

In late June or early July, 1977, Glendale Federal agreed with the developer of a partially constructed forty unit condominium project located in California (the “Casa del Rey Project”) to provide take-out loans to prospective purchasers of the units. Shortly thereafter, the developer of the Casa del Rey Project notified defendant DeClercq of the Department of Real Estate that Glendale Federal would be providing take-out loans to purchasers of units in the project and provided to DeClercq sample forms of Glendale Federal’s standardized notes and deeds of trust.

In early August, 1977, Glendale Federal was contacted by a representative of the Casa del Rey Project and advised that the Department of Real Estate had determined that the standardized note and deed of trust forms of Glendale Federal were “illegal” and that Glendale Federal could not serve as the take-out lender on the project unless its note and deed of trust were revised. Thereafter, Glendale Federal was provided by the developer with a letter authored by DeClercq stating that “the sample form note and deed of trust do not conform to California Civil Code Section 2924.6, which limits the exercisability of due-on-sale clauses. 8 Concurrent with Glendale Federal’s receipt of DeClercq’s letter, the association received written notice from the developer that in light of the position taken by the Department of Real Estate it would be unable to use Glendale Federal as the takeout lender on the Casa del Rey Project or on another project planned by the same developer.

Glendale Federal alleges in its complaint that defendants failed to issue a public report in this and other instances because the sample notes and deed of trust provided to the developer by Glendale Federal did not conform to California Civil Code Section 2924.6. The complaint seeks a judgment declaring that federal law exclusively governs the validity and exercisability of the “due-on-sale” clause utilized by Glendale Federal in its loan instruments, and an injunction restraining defendants from refusing to issue a public report under the Subdivided Lands Act, or refusing to act on an application for such a public report, on the ground that the notes or deeds of trust of Glendale Federal do not conform to California Civil Code Section 2924.6. Glendale Federal has abandoned its claim for injunctive relief in light of state defendants’ statement that it is not now their policy to deny public reports on this basis. 9 See United States v. W. T. Grant, 345 U.S. 629, 73 S.Ct. 894, 897, 97 L.Ed.

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Bluebook (online)
481 F. Supp. 616, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/glendale-federal-savings-loan-assn-v-fox-cacd-1979.