HSBC Bank USA, National Ass'n v. Miller

26 Misc. 3d 407
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 29, 2009
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 26 Misc. 3d 407 (HSBC Bank USA, National Ass'n v. Miller) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
HSBC Bank USA, National Ass'n v. Miller, 26 Misc. 3d 407 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2009).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Mark M. Meddaugh, J.

The plaintiff filed a motion for leave to reargue the decision and order of this court, which granted the motion of the defendant, Jeffrey F. Miller, dismissing the complaint in the above-referenced matter on the grounds that the plaintiff lacks standing to maintain this foreclosure action.

The court found, in its prior decision, that the assignment of mortgage attached to the plaintiffs papers in opposition to the original motion only referred to the assignment of the mortgage, and made no reference to the note. The court noted that the assignment had only the vague reference that “the said assignor hereby grants and conveys unto said assignee, the assignor’s beneficial interest under the mortgage” which the court found was insufficient to establish that both the note and the mortgage had been assigned to the plaintiff.

Upon reargument, plaintiffs counsel asserts that the assignment provides in pertinent part that “[s]aid assignor hereby assigns unto the above named Assignee the said Mortgage, and the full benefit of all powers and of all covenants and Provisions therein contained, and the said Assignor hereby grants and conveys unto the Assignee, the Assignor’s beneficial interest under the mortgage.” (Emphasis added by plaintiffs counsel.)

Plaintiffs counsel then relies on language appearing in page three of the mortgage as follows:

“BORROWERS TRANSFER TO LENDER OF RIGHTS IN THE PROPERTY
“I mortgage, grant and convey the property to MERS (solely as nominee for the lender and lender’s successors in interest) and its successors in interest subject to the terms of the Security Instrument. This means that, by signing this Security Instrument, I am giving Lender those rights that Applicable Law gives to Lenders who hold mortgages on real property. I am giving Lender those rights to [409]*409protect Lender from possible losses that might result if I fail to:
“(A) Pay all the amounts that I owe Lender as stated in the Note including, but not limited to, all renewals, extensions, and modifications of the Note;
“(B) Pay, with interest, any amounts that lender spends under this Security Interest to protect the value of the Property and Lender’s rights in the Property;
“(C) Keep all of my other promises and agreements under this Security Instrument and the Note.” (Emphasis added by plaintiffs counsel.)

Plaintiffs counsel also refers to page four of the mortgage in the section entitled Covenants under the Mortgage which provides:

“I promise and agree with the Lender as follows:
“1. Borrower’s Promise to Pay. I will pay to the Lender on time Principal and Interest due under the Note and any prepayment, late charges and other amounts under the Note and any prepayment, late charges and other amounts under the Note. I will also pay all amounts for Escrow Items under Section 3 of this Security Instrument,
“Payment due under the Note and this Security Instrument shall be made in U.S. Currency.” (Emphasis added by plaintiffs counsel.)

Plaintiff argues when the assignment and mortgage are read “as a totality they make clear that the Note was transferred along with the Mortgage by and through (sic) the Assignment in this matter.”

It is further argued that the note holder has standing to maintain a foreclosure action so long as the mortgage and note have been delivered to that party. It is further argued that case law provides that a mortgage can be transferred by delivery, without a written assignment.

The defendant, Jeffrey Miller, by his attorney, argues that the prior decision was correct in finding that, in the absence of proof that both the note and the mortgage sought to be foreclosed have been assigned to the plaintiff, the plaintiff is without standing to maintain a foreclosure action. The defendant further argues that the plaintiff has again failed to establish that it is the holder of both the mortgage and the underlying debt.

[410]*410In reply, the plaintiffs counsel argues that the Court of Appeals held that where a mortgage is recorded with the Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. (MERS) named as the lender’s nominee and mortgagee on the instrument, the beneficial ownership and servicing rights may be transferred among MERS members, and that a reading of the mortgage, note and assignment “makes clear” that both the mortgage and note were assigned.

Conclusions of Law

The plaintiff herein is requesting that the court reconsider its decision that the plaintiff failed to establish that it has standing in this action, due to the lack of a reference to the note in the assignment of the mortgage.

The plaintiffs counsel is apparently abandoning the arguments which she made in opposition to the defendant’s prior motion to dismiss, in which she first cited nonexistent language in the assignment, claiming that the assignment explicitly assigned the mortgage “together with the bond or obligation described in said mortgage, and the moneys due to grow thereon with interest” (emphasis added by plaintiffs counsel; see affirmation of Megan B. Szeliga, Esq., affirmed on Mar. 6, 2009). The second assertion made by plaintiffs counsel was that “[a]s a matter of course, the note also follows the mortgage,” and that “title to the Note passed upon physical delivery from MERS to the Plaintiff’ (see affirmation of Megan B. Szeliga, Esq., affirmed on Mar. 6, 2009, H 16). The assertion that the note follows the mortgage is unsupported by any law, and the assertion that the original note was transferred by physical delivery to the plaintiff is made only in an affirmation by plaintiffs counsel and is unsupported by any evidentiary factual support from a person with personal knowledge of the facts.

The plaintiffs counsel acknowledges that the note is a negotiable instrument (see affirmation of Megan B. Szeliga, Esq., affirmed on Mar. 6, 2009, 11.19). In Slutsky v Blooming Grove Inn (147 AD2d 208, 212 [2d Dept 1989]), the Court held that when

“[t]he note secured by the mortgage is a negotiable instrument (see, UCC 3-104) [it] requires indorsement on the instrument itself ‘or on a paper so firmly affixed thereto as to become a part thereof (UCC 3-202 [2]) in order to effectuate a valid ‘assignment’ of the entire instrument (cf., UCC 3-202 [3], [4]).”

[411]*411In the case at bar, the note attached to the plaintiffs papers contains the following undated, unexplained indorsement on the last page thereof, “Pay to the Order of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. without recourse by: Real Estate Mortgage Network, Inc., Eric Hahn, Vice President.” It would appear, therefore, that the beneficial interest in the note was transferred to Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., and that it is Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. who is entitled to receive payments under the note. No date was provided for that transfer. By contrast, in Mortgage Elec. Registration Sys., Inc. v Coakley (41 AD3d 674 [2d Dept 2007]), the Court outlined the history of indorsement from the original mortgage, to another transferee, followed by an indorsement in blank which was ultimately transferred and tendered to MERS. The Coakley

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
26 Misc. 3d 407, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hsbc-bank-usa-national-assn-v-miller-nysupct-2009.