Miller v. Citibank, N.A. (In re Miller)

558 B.R. 146
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedOctober 13, 2016
DocketCase No. 13-20559-AMC; Adv. Proc. No. 14-361-AMC
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 558 B.R. 146 (Miller v. Citibank, N.A. (In re Miller)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Miller v. Citibank, N.A. (In re Miller), 558 B.R. 146 (Pa. 2016).

Opinion

OPINION

Ashley M. Chan, United States Bankruptcy Judge

I. INTRODUCTION

The Debtor in this adversary proceeding seeks to void the second mortgage against his principal residence as wholly unsecured under § 506(d) of the Bankruptcy Code. However, in order to prove this, the Debt- or needed to demonstrate that the value of his residence was less than the amount of the first mortgage against his residence. The Debtor has failed to do so. As a result, the Court finds in favor of the defendant in this proceeding.

II. FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

A. Background

The Debtor owns and resides in a 3,600 square foot house built in 1948 that is located at 4108 Bensalem Boulevard in Bensalem, Pennsylvania (“Property”). Am. Compl. ¶ 4 & Ex. A, at 1, ECF No. 11. On December 9, 2011, the Debtor executed a note and mortgage against his Property in favor of Citibank, N.A. (“Citibank”), in the amount of $249,250 (“First Mortgage”). Claim 8-1 Ex. B, at 3-5, Bankr. No. 13-20559 (Bankr. E.D. Pa. Feb. 10, 2014). On April 5, 2013, Citibank assigned the First Mortgage to CitiMortgage, Inc. (“Citi-Mortgage”). Id. Ex. C, at 1-2. On October 9, 2013, the Debtor and CitiMortgage entered into a loan modification of the First Mortgage whereby the parties agreed, inter alia, that the amount due under the First Mortgage was $254,364.84, as of October 1, 2013. Id. Ex. D, at 1. The Debtor subsequently executed another note and mortgage against his Property in favor of Citibank in the amount of $200,000 (“Second Mortgage”). Am. Compl. ¶ 8; Answer ¶ 8, ECF No. 17.

On December 5, 2013, the Debtor filed a voluntary Chapter 13 bankruptcy petition. On the list of secured claims in Schedule D, the Debtor included his First Mortgage with CitiMortgage in the amount of $254,364 and his Second Mortgage with Citibank in the amount of $206,055. Voluntary Petition Schedule D, at 1, Bankr. No. 13-20559 (Bankr. E.D. Pa. Dec. 5, 2013), ECF No. 1. On February 10, 2014, Citi-Mortgage filed a secured proof of claim in the amount of $254,140.98 in connection with the First Mortgage. Claim 8-1, supra, at 1. Citibank did not file a proof of claim in connection with the Second Mortgage.

On August 18, 2014, the Debtor filed an adversary complaint (“Complaint”) against Citibank seeking to void the Second Mortgage as wholly unsecured pursuant to § 506(d), based upon the Debtor’s alleged lack of equity in the Property after application of the First Mortgage. Compl. ¶ 15, ECF No. 1. As evidence of the Debtor’s lack of equity in the Property, the Debtor attached an appraisal of the Property dated September 16, 2013 (“Debtor’s First Appraisal”), which listed the fair market value of the Property as $255,000 and referenced the amount of the First Mortgage as $254,140.97. Id. ¶¶ 10-11 & Ex. A, at 2.

On September 30, 2014, Citibank filed an answer to the Complaint and correctly observed that, even if the Debtor’s First Appraisal was accurate, the Debtor could not void the Second Mortgage under § 506(d) because there still existed a de minimis equity cushion of $859.03 in the Property after the First Mortgage (i.e., $254,140.97) was deducted from the Property’s alleged fair market value (i.e., $255,000). Resp. ¶ 15, ECF No. 5.

[149]*149On January 4, 2015, however, a leak in the second floor bathroom caused “substantial water damage throughout” the Property (“Water Damage”). Am. Compl. Ex. A, at 1; Joint Pretrial Statement ¶ B.5, EOF No. 26. The Water Damage consisted of: exposed ceiling and drywall damage, flooring damage, and removed cabinets in the kitchen; exposed ceiling and drywall damage, and flooring damage in the basement; and flooring, sheetrock, and trim damage in the master bedroom and bath. Answer Ex. A, at 7.

On February 3, 2015, the Debtor filed an Amended Complaint against Citibank alleging that the fair market value of the Property had dropped from $255,000 to $245,000 based upon the Water Damage and attached an updated appraisal of the Property (“Debtor’s Second Appraisal”) dated January 23, 2015 (“Valuation Date”). Am. Compl. ¶ 10 & Ex. A, at 1-2. Based upon the drop in the Property’s value, the Debtor again alleged that there was no equity in the Property after application of the First Mortgage and requested that the Court void the Second Mortgage as wholly unsecured pursuant to § 506(d). Id. ¶¶ 11, 15.

On June 4, 2015, Citibank filed an answer to the Amended Complaint and attached its own appraisal of the Property (“Citibank Appraisal”), which listed the fair market value of the Property, as of the Valuation Date, at $374,000. Answer Ex. A, at 8. The Citibank Appraisal also concluded that, after the Water Damage was repaired, the Property would be worth $404,000. Id. Therefore, Citibank argued that, at all times, the Debtor retained equity in the Property after application of the First Mortgage such that the Second Mortgage could not be voided. Id. ¶ 15.

B. The Trial

A trial was scheduled for June 2, 2016. In their Joint Pretrial Statement, the parties agreed that, based on their conflicting appraisals, “[t]he only fact in dispute is the value of the property in question.” Joint Pretrial Statement ¶ C.l. The parties also agreed that the Second Mortgage could only be voided under § 506(d) if the Court determined that the fair market value of the Property was less than or equal to the amount of the First Mortgage, or $254,140.97.1 Id. ¶ E.1.

1. Debtor’s Property

As mentioned above, the Property is located in Bensalem and was built in 1948. In 2009, the Property was “fully remodeled and expanded” and now has an upgraded exterior, flooring, kitchen, baths, heating and air-conditioning, and electrical components, as well as a finished basement and a “hair salon” that is used as a “home-based business.” Am. Compl. Ex. A, at 2; Answer Ex. A, at 7. The Property is surrounded by other residential properties of various styles, as well as commercial and industrial properties, and is located on a busy, main road that experiences a high volume of traffic and noise. Answer Ex. A, at 7.

2. Testimony of Debtor’s Appraiser and Debtor

Henry Hoffman (“Mr. Hoffman”) prepared the Debtor’s Second Appraisal and testified that he has been an appraiser in the Philadelphia suburbs since 1978. Trial Tr. 5:4-8, ECF No. 31. In preparing the Debtor’s Second Appraisal, Mr. Hoffman inspected the Property, searched public [150]*150records for taxes and lot size, examined the market to find sales of similar properties and compared those sales and types of properties to the Property.2 Am. Compl. Ex. A, at 4; Trial Tr. 7:14-21. Ultimately, Mr. Hoffman- used the following three properties which he determined to be similar to the Property (“Debtor’s Compara-bles”):

(1) 1700 Dixon Avenue in Croydon, Pennsylvania (“Dixon Avenue”), which sold for $247,000 on March 24, 2014;
(2) 2148 Andrea Drive in Bensalem, Pennsylvania (“Andrea Drive”), which sold for $265,000 on January 20, 2015; and
(3) 4751 Yates Road in Bensalem, Pennsylvania (“Yates Road”), which sold for $820,000 on February 14, 2014.

Am. Compl. Ex. A, at 2.

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Bluebook (online)
558 B.R. 146, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/miller-v-citibank-na-in-re-miller-paeb-2016.