In re Residential Capital, LLC

524 B.R. 465, 2015 Bankr. LEXIS 261, 2015 WL 368721
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. New York
DecidedJanuary 29, 2015
DocketCase No. 12-12020 (MG) Jointly Administered
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 524 B.R. 465 (In re Residential Capital, LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Residential Capital, LLC, 524 B.R. 465, 2015 Bankr. LEXIS 261, 2015 WL 368721 (N.Y. 2015).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER SUSTAINING THE RESCAP BORROWER CLAIMS TRUST’S OBJECTION TO CLAIM NUMBER 5800 FILED BY WEKESA MADZI-MOYO

MARTIN GLENN, UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY JUDGE

Wekesa Madzimoyo (“Madzimoyo”) filed Claim Number 5800 (the “Claim”) against Debtor GMAC Mortgage, LLC (“GMACM”), seeking relief in the amount of $2,275,000.00. Madzimoyo asserts causes of action under Georgia law for fraud, wrongful foreclosure, wrongful attempted foreclosure, and quiet title relating to foreclosure notices issued with respect to a loan (the “Loan”) secured by real property located at 852 Brafferton Place, Stone Mountain, Georgia 30083 (the “Property”). Debtor GMACM was the servicer to the Loan' when those foreclosure notices were issued. The ResCap Borrower Claims Trust (the “Trust”) objects to the Claim arguing that the Debtors are not liable under any of Madzi-moyo’s theories of relief (the “Objection,” ECF Doc. # 7643).1

As explained below, the Trust adequately shifted the burden by rebutting the prima facie validity of Madzimoyo’s Claim and Madzimoyo then failed to meet his burden to establish the viability of his Claim (the. “Opposition,” ECF Doc. # 7783).2 Therefore, the Objection is SUSTAINED and the Claim is DISALLOWED and EXPUNGED.

I. BACKGROUND

The Claim was timely filed on November 7, 2012. On March 21, 2013, the Court entered the Procedures Order (ECF Doc. # 3294) requiring the Debtors (and now the Trust), before objecting to certain Borrower claims, to send the Borrower a letter (a “Request Letter”) asking for additional documentation supporting the asserted claim. {See Procedures Order at 4.) A Request Letter was sent to Madzimoyo and Madzimoyo submitted a [471]*471response (the “Diligence Response,” Pri-ore Decl. Ex. A).

The Debtors previously objected to a different claim filed by Madzimoyo, Claim Number 3691, in the Debtor’s Eighth Omnibus Objection to Claims (Redundant Claims) (EOF Doc. # 927), on the grounds that it was duplicative of the Claim now subject to the pending Objection. The Court sustained the objection to Claim Number 3691 (ECF Doe. # 4242).

A. Madzimoyo’s Loan History

1. The Loan’s Chain of Title

On March 23, 1999, FT Mortgage Companies d/b/a/ Equibanc Mortgage Corporation (“Equibanc”) originated the Loan in the amount of $140,660.00, secured by the Property, and evidenced by a note (the “Note,” Priore Decl. Ex. B) and security deed (the “Security Deed,” id. Ex. C). Debtor Residential Funding Corporation (“RFC”) purchased the Note from Equi-banc, verified by an endorsement on the Note. {Id. Ex. B.) On June 1, 1999, the Loan was securitized (the “1999 Securitization”); RFC transferred its interest in the Note to First National Bank of Chicago as Trustee. (Priore Decl. ¶ 6; see also id. Ex. B.) Equibanc assigned its interest in the Security Deed to First National Bank of Chicago as Trustee on March 26, 1999; the assignment was recorded on February 5,2001. {Id. Ex. D.)

According to the Debtors’ books and records, the Loan was removed from the 1999 Securitization in late 2005, but was securitized again on April 1, 2006 (the “2006 Securitization”). (Priore Decl. ¶ 6.) When the Loan was removed from the 1999 Securitization, the Note was transferred back to RFC. (Priore Supp. ¶ 9.) This transfer of the Note is reflected in the endorsement from Bank One, N.A., ffk/a First National Bank of Chicago as Trustee to RFC on the Allonge to Promissory Note, attached to the Note. (Reply ¶ 20 (citing Priore Decl. Ex. B).) To effect the 2006 Securitization, RFC sold the Loan to its affiliated depositor Residential Asset Mortgage Products, Inc. (“RAMP”). (Priore Supp. ¶ 5.) RAMP then deposited the Loan with the issuer, RAAC Series 2006RP2.3 {Id.) Simultaneously, JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. (“JP Morgan”) was appointed as the successor Trustee for the issuer (RAAC Series 2006RP2), taking on the role as the holder of the Note and Security Deed. (Priore Decl. ¶ 6.) JP Morgan became the named Trustee as a result of corporate mergers involving JP Morgan, Bank One, N.A., and the First National Bank of Chicago. (Priore Supp. ¶ 9 n.2.)

The Allonge to Promissory Note includes an endorsement transferring the Note from RFC to JP Morgan as Trustee. (Reply ¶ 20 (citing Priore Decl. Ex. B).) At some time between JP Morgan’s appointment as Trustee and February 2010, The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A. (the “Bank of N.Y.”) became the successor to JP Morgan as a result of the Bank of N.Y.’s purchase of JP Morgan’s trust business. (Priore Supp. ¶ 6.) To reflect this succession in interest and the 2006 Securitization’s effect on the underlying secured creditor-in-interest, the Note and Security Deed were assigned by the Bank of N.Y. as successor Trustee for Bank One, N.A., to the Bank of N.Y. as Trustee for “RAMP 2006RP2” (the “2010 Note/Security Assignment,” Obj. Ex. 5, Proof of Claim, Compl. Ex. 2). The 2010 Note/Security Assignment was executed on February 8, 2010, by John Kerr and known “robo-signer”' Jeffrey Stephan [472]*472(“Stephan”),4 and was recorded on February 18, 2010. (Id.) The name of the “Assignor” reads: “The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, National Association fka The Bank of New York Trust Company, N.A. as successor to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. as Trustee s/b/m to Bank One N.A.” (Id.) The name of the “Assignee” reads: “The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, National Association fka The Bank of New York Trust Company, N.A. as successor to JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A. as Trustee for RAMP 2006RP2.” (Id.) The Trust alleges that this assignment designates the Bank of N.Y. as the successor Trustee and documents that Madzimoyo’s Loan was sold to RAMP. (Reply ¶ 9.) The Trust further alleges that RAMP then deposited the Loan with the issuer, RAAC Series 2006RP2. (Id.)

On January 18, 2011, a Corrective Assignment of Security Deed was executed “in order to correct the corporate names of the Assignee and Assignor” (the “First • Corrective Assignment,” Priore Decl. Ex. E). It was subsequently recorded on January 24, 2011. (id.) The name of the “Assignor” reads: “The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, National Association fka The Bank of New York Trust Company, N.A. as successor to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. as Trustee s/b/m to Bank One, N.A. as Trustee s/b/m to The First National Bank of Chicago as Trustee.” (Id.) The name of the “Assignee” reads: “The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, National Association fka The Bank of New York Trust Company, N.A. as successor to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. as Trustee s/b/m to Bank One, N.A. as Trustee s/b/m to The First National Bank of Chicago as Trustee for RAMP 2006RP2.” (Id.) The Trust admits in its Reply that this First Corrective Assignment was erroneous in that it listed the underlying trust name as “RAMP 2006 RP2” instead of “RAAC Series 2006RP2.” (Reply ¶ 10 (citing Priore Decl. Ex. E).) The Trust submits that this corrective assignment was not necessary, but rather was done “out of an abundance of caution” to reflect the merger of Bank One, N.A. into JP Morgan. (Id.) The First Corrective Assignment also reflects the fact that the Bank of N.Y. purchased JP Morgan’s trust business and therefore became successor Trustee on the Loan. (Priore Supp. ¶ 6.)

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
524 B.R. 465, 2015 Bankr. LEXIS 261, 2015 WL 368721, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-residential-capital-llc-nysb-2015.