Kimbrell Realty/Jeth Court, LLC v. Federal National Mortgage Ass'n (In re Kimbrell Realty/Jeth Court, LLC)

483 B.R. 679
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, C.D. Illinois
DecidedDecember 7, 2012
DocketBankruptcy No. 12-81454; Adversary No. 12-8047
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 483 B.R. 679 (Kimbrell Realty/Jeth Court, LLC v. Federal National Mortgage Ass'n (In re Kimbrell Realty/Jeth Court, LLC)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, C.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kimbrell Realty/Jeth Court, LLC v. Federal National Mortgage Ass'n (In re Kimbrell Realty/Jeth Court, LLC), 483 B.R. 679 (Ill. 2012).

Opinion

[682]*682 OPINION

THOMAS L. PERKINS, Chief Judge.

This matter is before the Court on the motion for summary judgment filed by the Plaintiff, Kimbrell Realty/Jeth Court, LLC (DEBTOR), against the Defendant, Federal National Mortgage Association (FANNIE MAE). The Complaint seeks a declaratory judgment that a prepayment premium, default interest and certain additional charges sought to be imposed by FANNIE MAE are impermissible. The motion addresses only the prepayment premium and default interest. This is a core proceeding, both statutorily and constitutionally, under 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(2)(B) and (K).

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

1. DEBTOR owns and operates a forty-five unit rental complex located in Peoria, Illinois, commonly known as Jeth Court.
2. The DEBTOR filed a voluntary petition for protection under chapter 11 on June 18, 2012, and is operating its apartment rental business as debtor in possession.
3. As of August 1, 2008, the DEBTOR obtained a loan from Royal Bank of Canada in the principal amount of $2,264,000.00 payable with interest at 6.55% in monthly installments of $14,385.55 over a term of 84 months, with the remaining balance due August 1, 2015, which the Note defines as the “Maturity Date.”
4. The loan is evidenced by an instrument entitled Multifamily Note, identified as a Fannie Mae Multifamily Recourse Fixed Rate Note — Multistate, Form 4100-R, 10-05.
5. Neither “prepayment” nor “prepayment premium” is defined in the definitions paragraph of the Note.
6. The term “prepayment” is used in paragraph 10 of the Note to include both voluntary extra payments made when the borrower is not in default, and involuntary payments collected from the borrower after a default and acceleration, including the application of collateral.
7. The Note provides in paragraph 10 that the “prepayment premium” is payable whether the prepayment is voluntary or involuntary.
8. Paragraph 10(e) of the Note provides that borrower recognizes that any prepayment, voluntary or involuntary, will cause lender a loss, the amount of which is difficult to ascertain, and that borrower agrees that the prepayment premium formula represents a reasonable estimate of the damages lender will incur because of a prepayment.
9. Attached to the Note is a schedule entitled “Schedule A, Prepayment Premium,” which sets out a formula for calculating the prepayment premium.
10. The Note is secured by a Multifamily Mortgage, Assignment of Rents and Security Agreement, granting a mortgage on the real estate owned by the DEBTOR.
11. FANNIE MAE is the assignee of Royal Bank of Canada and is entitled to enforce the Note and Mortgage.
12. Prior to bankruptcy, the DEBTOR defaulted on its obligations under the Note and Mortgage and FANNIE MAE exercised its right to accelerate the entire unpaid principal balance under the Note.
[683]*683IB. On February 7, 2012, FANNIE MAE filed an action to foreclose the mortgage in the Peoria County Circuit Court.
14. In addition to principal of $2,185,859.78 and scheduled and accrued interest of $48,917.72, the foreclosure complaint alleges, among other charges, default interest in the amount of $22,344.34 and a prepayment/yield maintenance amount due of $400,962.55.
15. The proof of claim filed by FANNIE MAE includes the following amounts due as of September 30, 2012:
Principal Balance $2,185,859.78
Yield Maintenance 400,962.55
Interest Due 145,560.05
Default Interest Due 81,362.56
The “Interest Due” is calculated based upon 366 days at 6.55%. The “Default Interest Due” is based upon 335 days at 4.00%.
16. The Note separately defines “Default Rate” to mean “a rate equal to the lesser of 4 percentage points above the Interest Rate or the maximum interest rate which may be collected from Borrower under applicable law.”
17. Paragraph 8 of the Note provides, in part, that so long as any payment remains past due for 30 days or more, interest shall accrue on the unpaid principal balance from the due date of any such payment at the Default Rate.
18. The total amount due according to the proof of claim is $2,898,588.71.
19. The DEBTOR concedes that FANNIE MAE is oversecured.
20. The DEBTOR is attempting to obtain a take-out loan to refinance the debt and pay off FANNIE MAE in full. The purpose of this proceeding is to obtain a determination of the amount of FANNIE MAE’S allowed secured claim so that refinancing may proceed.

SUMMARY OF ARGUMENTS

The adversary complaint is filed in six counts. Counts I and II deal with the prepayment premium and III and IV deal with default interest. Counts V and VI deal with certain other additional charges included in the payoff statement. The motion does not address Counts V and VI and is thus properly construed as a motion for partial summary judgment.

Counts I and III are brought under section 502(b)(1) of the Bankruptcy Code, providing for disallowance of a claim to the extent that “such claim is unenforceable against the debtor and property of the debtor, under any agreement or applicable law for a reason other than because such claim is contingent or unmatured.”

Counts II and IV are brought under section 506(b) of the Bankruptcy Code, providing that an oversecured creditor shall be allowed “interest on such claim, and any reasonable fees, costs, or charges provided for under the agreement” under which its claim arose.

The DEBTOR contends that because the Note has been accelerated the prepayment premium is not enforceable as a matter of Illinois law. Alternatively, the DEBTOR contends that if a prepayment premium is allowed, the additional interest due on account of default is not enforceable under Illinois law and is not a reasonable charge. FANNIE MAE argues that the prepayment premium and default interest are provided for by the Note and are not prohibited by applicable law.

SUMMARY JUDGMENT STANDARDS

Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56(c), made applicable to adversary pro[684]*684ceedings by Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 7056, summary judgment is proper if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with any affidavits, show that there is no genuine issue of material fact, and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett,

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Bluebook (online)
483 B.R. 679, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kimbrell-realtyjeth-court-llc-v-federal-national-mortgage-assn-in-re-ilcb-2012.