In re Thornburg Mortgage, Inc. Securities Litigation

265 F.R.D. 571, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21584, 2010 WL 1038442
District Court, D. New Mexico·Decided February 27, 2010·No. No. CIV 07-0815 JB/WDS·Published·Cited by 25 cases

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

JAMES O. BROWNING, District Judge.

THIS MATTER comes before the Court on the Plaintiffs’ Opposed Motion for Leave to Amend Consolidated Class Action Complaint to Add Additional Representative Plaintiff, filed January 27, 2009 (Doc. 160). The Court held a hearing on April 22, 2009. The primary issue is whether the Court should permit the Plaintiffs to amend their Consolidated Class Action Complaint, filed May 27, 2008 (Doc. 68), to add an additional representative plaintiff. Because the Court finds that the prejudice to the Defendants is minimal, because the amendment is a response to a perceived deficiency to which the Defendants objected, and because it is too soon to argue in great detail about whether the proposed class will contain members with opposing interests, the Court will grant the motion and allow the Plaintiffs to add the new representative plaintiff.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

This case arises from what the Plaintiffs refer to as “a campaign of selective disclosure characterized by half-truths, outright falsehoods and strategic omissions.” Plaintiffs’ Opposition to Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss Consolidated Amended Complaint Filed by Thornburg Mortgage, Inc., Garrett Thornburg, Larry A. Goldstone, Joseph H. Badal, Paul G. Decoff, Clarence D. Simmons, Anne-Drue M. Anderson, David A. Ater, Eliot R. Cutler, Ike Kalangus, Owen M. Lopez, Francis I. Mullin, Jr., and Stuart C. Sherman at 3, filed December 22, 2008 (Docs.154, 155, 156, 157). The Consolidated Class Action Complaint, filed May 27, 2008 (Doc. 68)(“CCAC”) describes a series of public statements and filings dating back to early 2006 that the Plaintiffs assert were fraudu[574]*574lent material misrepresentations. The suit itself is a consolidated action which sets forth claims under the Securities Act of 1933, 15 U.S.C. §§ 77a to 77aa (“Securities Act”), and under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, 15 U.S.C. §§ 78a to 78oo (“Exchange Act”). Lead Plaintiffs (i) W. Allen Gage, individually and on behalf of J. David Wrather; (ii) Harry Rhodes; (in) FFF Investments, LLC; (iv) Robert Ippolito, individually and as Trustee for the Family Limited Partnership Trust; and (v) Nicholas F. Aldrich, Sr., individually and on behalf of the Aldrich Family, as well as the Plaintiffs (vi) Betty L. Manning and (vii) John Learch (collectively “the Plaintiffs”), represent the class and bring these claims. The Plaintiffs all purchased shares of Thornburg Mortgage, Inc. (“TMI”) stock during the Class Period—from April 19, 2007 to March 19, 2008, inclusive—at prices that they allege were artificially inflated. They assert that they were damaged as a result of these inflated-price purchases, now that the truth has been revealed. See CCAC ¶ 53, at 15-16. Manning acquired 550 shares of TMI common stock during the May 2007 Offering. See id. ¶ 54, at 16. She bought them on May 4, 2007 and paid $27.05 per share. See id. Learch, as trustee for the Learch Trust, acquired 400 shares of 7.5% Series E Cumulative Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock in the June 2007 Offering. See id. ¶ 55, at 16. He bought his shares on June 19, 2007 and paid $25.00 per share. See id. No particular Plaintiff alleges to have purchased any TMI stock in the September 2007 or January 2008 offerings.

1. Problems for TMI.

TMI has, historically, acquired capital through public offerings of its securities, short-term borrowings—including reverse repurchase agreements (“RPAs”)1—the issuance of asset-backed commercial paper (“ABCP”),2 and the issuance of collateralized debt obligations (“CDO”).3 See CCAC ¶ 6, at 3. TMI was “heavily leveraged”—meaning that it borrowed a large amount of money compared to the amount of money that it had available to it.

TMI recognized the potential risk of the real-estate market going south, but repeatedly reassured analysts and its investors that its liquidity position—its ability to satisfy debt obligations as they arise—was not at risk. See id. ¶¶ 7, 82, at 3, 24-25. As late as July 20, 2007, TMI reported that its unencumbered assets securing its highly leveraged financing were at their highest level “in the history of the organization.” Id. ¶ 7, at 3. TMI repeatedly stated in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) that its focus was to acquire and originate high quality, highly liquid mortgage assets such that sufficient assets could be readily converted to cash, if necessary, to meet its financial obligations. See id. ¶ 9, at 4.

One of the primary allegations that the Plaintiffs level against all of the Defendants [575]*575is that they improperly withheld that TMI held substantial “Alt-A” mortgage assets. The Plaintiffs explain that:

A1C-A loans are ‘alternatives’ to the gold standard of conforming, GSE-backed mortgages. Often an Alt-A borrower is unable to provide the proof of income or the verification of assets necessary to obtain a prime mortgage, but has a satisfactory credit score, or vice versa. In other words, Alt-A or ‘alternative’ loans are associated with and defined by a higher level of risk than prime loans due to a borrower’s inability to provide these fundamental guarantees

Id. ¶ 98, at 29. See id. ¶ 11, at 4. TMI’s multi-billion dollar asset portfolio during the Class Period was comprised of various mortgage-related assets. See id. ¶ 12, at 4. TMI’s mortgage-based holdings include both loans it originates, and loans it acquires or purchases. See id. ¶ 12 at 4-5. TMI also purchased mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”), which the Plaintiffs describe as “a series of fixed-income assets that [a]re bundled and sold as securities.” Id. ¶ 12, at 5. TMI frequently posts these MBS assets as the collateral under its many short-term borrowing agreements. See id. TMI would originate loans, securitize them, and sell off interests in the securitized assets to obtain additional financing. See id.

In 2006 and 2007, as the markets for sub-prime and Alt-A mortgages began to decline, and subprime and Alt-A borrowers began to default with increased frequency, many mortgage lenders announced that they were experiencing serious financial problems. See id. ¶ 13, at 5. TMI, however, represented that its stringent underwriting standards and “high quality” assets insulated it from the market downturn. Id. As the prices for MBSs backed by Alt-A loans as collateral declined throughout 2007, TMI never disclosed that it was holding billions of dollars worth of MBSs backed by Alt-A collateral on its balance sheets. See id. ¶ 14, at 5. Notwithstanding the representations of Defendant Larry A. Goldstone, President, Chief Operating Officer, and director of TMI,4 that TMI’s focus was on originating prime—rather than sub-prime or Alt-A—loans, several confidential witnesses stated that TMI originated Alt-A loans during the Class Period. See CCAC ¶ 14, at 5-6.

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In re Thornburg Mortgage, Inc. Securities Litigation, 265 F.R.D. 571, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21584, 2010 WL 1038442 (D.N.M. 2010).

265 F.R.D. 571 (In re Thornburg Mortgage, Inc. Securities Litigation) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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