James R. v. Associates Financial Services Co.

2004 MT 397, 104 P.3d 1080, 325 Mont. 290, 2004 Mont. LEXIS 680
CourtMontana Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 30, 2004
Docket03-808
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 2004 MT 397 (James R. v. Associates Financial Services Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Montana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
James R. v. Associates Financial Services Co., 2004 MT 397, 104 P.3d 1080, 325 Mont. 290, 2004 Mont. LEXIS 680 (Mo. 2004).

Opinions

JUSTICE WARNER

delivered the Opinion of the Court.

¶1 Respondents James R. and Elizabeth Ann Wombold (“Wombolds”) initiated this action against Appellant Associates Financial Services Company of Montana, Inc., (“Associates”) alleging Associates, a licensed lender under the Montana Consumer Loan Act (“CLA”), utilized illegal lending practices in violation of the CLA in its real estate- secured loans to Wombolds. This suit has now been certified as a class action. A subclass was also certified; this appeal concerns Wombolds and other plaintiffs who are a part of the subclass.

[292]*292¶2 The District Court granted Wombolds’ motion for partial summary judgment to the effect that there is a private right of action under the CLA and points charged by Associates violated the act. Associates now appeal. Wombolds cross-appeal from the District Court’s denial of that part of their motion whereby they sought to have the loans in question declared void.

¶3 We restate the issues on appeal as follows:

¶4 1. Does the CLA confer a private right of action on borrowers?

¶5 2. Does the CLA prohibit licensees from charging a “prepaid finance charge/loan fee/discount points” on the origination of real estate-secured loans?

¶6 3. In the alternative, does the CLA require a licensee to refund a portion of the “prepaid finance charge/loan fee/discount points” when a real estate-secured loan is paid in full before its maturity date?

¶7 4. Did the District Court err in not declaring the loans void under the CLA after it found that Associates had violated the act?

¶8 We affirm.

STATEMENT OF FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

¶9 The parties agreed to a Statement of Uncontroverted Facts essentially as follows. From January 1, 1995, through November 8, 1999, Associates operated within the State of Montana through Associates Financial Services Company of Montana, Inc., a Montana corporation, that operated a consumer loan business subject to the requirements of the Montana Consumer Loan Act (Title 32, Chap. 5, MCA). From November 8, 1999, through December 31, 2000, the successor in merger to the Montana entity, Associates Financial Services Company, Inc., operated a consumer loan business within the State of Montana subject to the requirements of the Montana Consumer Loan Act.

¶10 From January 1, 1995, through December 31, 2000, Associates made 3,833 real estate-secured loans in Montana. Of these loans, 1,111 were second mortgage loans. The remaining 2,722 real estate-secured loans were first mortgage loans.

¶11 Associates at times imposed a charge on the Montana real estate-secured loans from January 1, 1995, through December 31, 2000, which could be characterized as prepaid finance charges, loan fees, or points. Hereafter these prepaid finance charges/loan fees/points will simply be called “points.”

¶12 The points were calculated as a percentage of the amount financed by the underlying promissory note and varied from zero [293]*293percent (0%) to ten percent (10%) of the amount financed.

¶13 Associates charged points on 2,818 real estate-secured loans it made between January 1,1995, and December 31, 2000.

¶14 Except in rare instances, the points were not directly related to expenses incurred by Associates in relation to services provided to Associates by a third-party, including but not limited to recording fees, reconveyance fees, and other similar fees. Even in those instances, where a third-party expense was incurred by Associates, the majority of the funds received as points constituted gross income to Associates.

¶15 The points were added to and made a part of the principal balance of the loan. As they were added to the principal balance of the loan, interest was charged on the points at the agreed rate of interest of the loan.

¶16 With respect to every real estate-secured loan Associates made in Montana from January 1, 1995, through December 31, 2000, and on which points were collected, Associates did not refund any portion of these points when the loan was prepaid by a cash payment derived from a source other than an Associates refinance of the previous loan.

¶17 With respect to every real estate-secured loan Associates made in Montana from January 1, 1995, through December 31, 2000, and on which points were charged and collected, Associates did not refund any portion of those points when the loan was prepaid, or when Associates accelerated the amount due after the debtor had defaulted on the underlying obligation.

¶18 With respect to every real estate-secured loan Associates made in Montana from January 1,1995, through December 31,2000, on which points were charged, Associates did not refund any portion of those points when the loan was prepaid from the proceeds of a new loan made more than one year from the original loan.

¶19 With respect to those loans made from January 1,1995, through December 31, 2000, which were refinanced by Associates within one year, a portion of the points was refunded, with the refund calculated based on a ratio of the number of unexpired months in the one year period over 12.

¶20 All second mortgage loans Associates made in Montana from January 1, 1995, through December 31, 2000, are governed by the Montana Consumer Loan Act.

¶21 Additional facts are stated as necessary.

¶22 In 1997 the Legislature amended the CLA to exclude first mortgage loans from the CLA’s regulation. This litigation concerns first mortgage loans made by Associates from January 1, 1995, to [294]*294October 1, 1997, and second mortgage loans made from January 1, 1995, through December 31, 2000.

¶23 In June 2001 Wombolds initiated this action against Associates alleging Associates engaged in illegal lending practices. Associates answered denying Wombolds’ claim.

¶24 In December 2001 Wombolds moved to amend their complaint to seek certification as a Class Action. The District Court granted the motion and also certified a specific subclass consisting of those persons whose consumer loans were secured by a mortgage on real property. This appeal concerns members in this subclass. The subclass members claim that points charged by Associates on real estate-secured loans violate the CLA. These points, typically one percent of the amount borrowed for each point, in some cases ran as high as eight to ten percent of the note amount. The points were added to the principal amount of the loan at the outset, and interest was charged upon the new principal amount which included the points.

¶25 The CLA contemplates two types of loans: first, add-on interest loans where the total interest to be charged on a loan is added to the amount borrowed and the resulting sum is divided by the number of months over which payment is to be made, resulting in the required monthly payment; and second, interest-bearing loans where interest at the agreed rate is charged on the principal balance remaining after each payment is applied first to interest and the remainder to principal.

¶26 The loans in question were set up as interest-bearing loans, not add-on interest loans. Thus, the interest rate and the amount of the loan was agreed on, as well as the points to be charged. The amount of the loan was advanced to the borrower, and Associates kept the points.

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James R. v. Associates Financial Services Co.
2004 MT 397 (Montana Supreme Court, 2004)

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Bluebook (online)
2004 MT 397, 104 P.3d 1080, 325 Mont. 290, 2004 Mont. LEXIS 680, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/james-r-v-associates-financial-services-co-mont-2004.