JP Morgan Chase Bank, National Ass'n v. Ilardo

36 Misc. 3d 359
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 5, 2012
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 36 Misc. 3d 359 (JP Morgan Chase Bank, National Ass'n v. Ilardo) 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
JP Morgan Chase Bank, National Ass'n v. Ilardo, 36 Misc. 3d 359 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2012).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Thomas F. Whelan, J.

It is ordered that this motion (No. 001) by the llardo defendants for summary judgment dismissing this mortgage foreclosure action and directing the plaintiff to modify its mortgage in accordance with the terms of a trial period modification plan offered by the plaintiff under the Federal Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) and an order “waiving” all interest accrued on the loan from implementation of the HAMP offer to the resolution of this action and “expunging any alleged deficiencies in payment” is denied.

This mortgage foreclosure action arises out of a mortgage given by the llardo defendants on August 23, 2004 to secure a $320,000 mortgage loan in connection with the purchase of residential real property situated in Centerport, New York. The complaint was filed on July 13, 2011, in response to which the llardo defendants filed an answer with counterclaims. That answer was amended by the defendants’ service of an amended [362]*362answer with counterclaims dated September 16, 2011, in response to which the plaintiff replied in October of 2011.

On December 7, 2011, the answering defendants served the instant motion in which they seek a judicially imposed loan modification and other relief. The defendants claim an entitlement to such relief under the terms of a trial plan program loan modification (hereinafter TPP) to which the parties agreed in September of 2009. The llardos further claim an entitlement to such relief by reason of the deceptive and bad faith conduct on the part of the plaintiff and its representatives in corresponding with the llardos in connection with their unsuccessful attempts to secure a permanent modification of the subject loan and the plaintiffs bad faith and prejudicial conduct in prosecuting this action other than in accordance with court rules and notions of fairness and justice. The llardos urge this court to apply principles of contract law and/or invoke this court’s equity powers and issue an order that (1) compels the plaintiff to provide the defendants with a permanent loan modification as of October 1, 2009 providing for a reduced monthly payment in the amount set forth in the trial program implemented by the parties during the last three months of 2009; (2) eradicates all interest and deficits in payment that accrued under the original loan documents; and (3) dismisses this foreclosure action.

Underlying these demands for relief are the following factual allegations, all of which are advanced in the affidavit of defendant, Dina llardo, that is attached to the moving papers. In August of 2004, the llardo defendants purchased their home with the aid of the $320,000 mortgage that is the subject of this action and they regularly paid the monthly installment due for principal, interest, taxes, insurance and escrow from the loan’s inception until May of 2009. At that time, the llardos were experiencing difficulties in meeting their financial responsibilities and began a 27-month pursuit of a modification of their mortgage loan. The llardos missed their first mortgage payment on August 1, 2009, allegedly at the direction of the plaintiff’s agents.

In the month preceding the August 1, 2009 default, Dina llardo was purportedly told by agents of Chase Bank, the loan servicer, to “stop paying” the mortgage (see 1Í12 of the llardo affidavit). Such advice was allegedly issued when Ms. llardo called Chase in July of 2009 to follow up on a buyer’s assistance form completed by her in May of 2009 in connection with her initial efforts to secure a mortgage loan modification. Ms. llardo [363]*363claims that she was told that a loan default was a necessary element of eligibility for a loan modification.

On or about September 1, 2009, the llardos received correspondence from Chase advising them that they were past due on the August installment. Ms. llardo “immediately” called Chase and “was assured not to worry because we were now in a temporary modification program,” the “specific amounts of which were confirmed in that conversation” (see H 14 of the llardo affidavit). On September 10, 2009, the llardos received written confirmation of a Home Affordable Modification Trial Period Plan (TPP) from Chase in which a three-month, trial term period was scheduled to begin on October 1, 2009. The plan provided for a reduction of the llardos’ monthly installment payments from $2,432 to $1,953. The llardos believed that if they paid the three trial payments beginning on October 1, 2009 and ending on December 1, 2009, Chase would provide them with a Home Affordable Modification Agreement (see H 16 of the llardo affidavit).

The llardos allege that they timely made the trial payments and that they continued to pay the reduced monthly installment following the expiration of the trial term for “months” even though Chase advised them that they were in arrears. In response, Dina llardo called Chase three times in January of 2010 and was allegedly told “not to worry” since they were in “a loan modification” (see 1Í1Í18-19 of the llardo affidavit). On February 11, 2010, Ms. llardo was advised by “Cindy” at Chase that “our application was still in review but that Chase may have to place us in a different program” (see 1i 20 of the llardo affidavit). According to Ms. llardo, she continued to converse with Chase representatives through July of 2010 and continued to send to them financial documentation in connection with obtaining a loan modification under programs other than the HAMP program which provided the three-month TPP beginning in October of 2009.

On January 12, 2011, Chase returned the llardos’ monthly payment (see H 25 of the llardo affidavit). The llardos continued to receive notices from Chase advising of loan deficiencies (see 11 28 of the llardo affidavit). Ms. llardo nevertheless claims that she was only notified by letter dated June 1, 2011 that Chase was unable to offer a HAMP loan modification or a modification under any Chase modification programs (see H 31 of the llardo affidavit). The llardos made no further payments to Chase following receipt of that letter (see H 27 of the llardo affidavit). [364]*364Undaunted by these circumstances, Ms. llardo continued to pursue loan modification possibilities with Chase until August 23, 2011 (see 1Í1Í 33-34 of the llardo affidavit).

The plaintiff challenges the accuracy and completeness of Ms. llardo’s narrative of the conversations she purportedly had with Chase. Such challenges are premised on the self-serving and unsubstantiated nature of Ms. llardo’s factual allegations regarding her dialogue with Chase representatives. The plaintiff also points to a glaring omission on the part of Ms. llardo and her counsel in failing to mention or include a copy of Chase’s April 27, 2010 rejection letter. Therein, Chase advised the llardos that it was unable to offer a HAMP modification because the llardos’ housing expense was less than 31% of the gross monthly income and that they did not qualify for a modification under any programs offered by Chase, including the Making Homes Affordable program to which the defendants were first referred in February of 2010. The April 27, 2010 rejection letter references the trial plan documentation and advises that delinquencies in the loan must be addressed to avoid the “negative impact a possible foreclosure may have on your credit rating, the risk of a deficiency judgment being filed against you and the possible adverse tax effects of a foreclosure on your Property.” The plaintiff further challenges Ms.

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Bluebook (online)
36 Misc. 3d 359, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jp-morgan-chase-bank-national-assn-v-ilardo-nysupct-2012.