National Credit Union Administration Board v. HSBC Bank USA, National Ass'n

117 F. Supp. 3d 392, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 94384, 2015 WL 4429265
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedJuly 20, 2015
DocketNo. 15-cv-2144 (SAS)
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 117 F. Supp. 3d 392 (National Credit Union Administration Board v. HSBC Bank USA, National Ass'n) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
National Credit Union Administration Board v. HSBC Bank USA, National Ass'n, 117 F. Supp. 3d 392, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 94384, 2015 WL 4429265 (S.D.N.Y. 2015).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

SHIRA A. SCHBINDLIN, District Judge. - . .

I. INTRODUCTION

Plaintiffs in this case -and three related cases allege the failure of HSBC Bank USA, National Association (“HSBC”) to discharge its duties as a trustee for residential mortgage.. backed securities (“RMBS”) trusts.- This Court previously ruled on HSBC’s .motion to dismiss in the three related cases,1 and those arguments were incorporated in the motion to dismiss this Complaint.2 HSBC also moves to dismiss the Complaint on the .grounds that the National Credit Union Administration (“NCUA”) Board lacks standing to sue and that NCUA’s claims are barred by the applicable statute of limitations. For the following reasons, HSBC’s motion to dismiss is denied.

II. BACKGROUND3

NCUA is an independent agency of the Executive Branch of the United States Government that, among other things, regulates federal credit, unions.4 The NCUA [396]*396Board manages NCUA, and under 12 U.S.C. § 1787 has the authority to close an insured credit union and appoint itself the liquidating agent for the credit union.5 As the liquidating agent for a faded credit union, the NCUA Board succeeds to all rights, titles, powers, and privileges of the credit union.6

The five corporate credit unions7 at issue in this case held mortgage-backed securities issued by thirty-seven trusts for which HSBC served as Indenture Trustee.8 In 2009 and 2010, after these securities became distressed, the NCUA Board placed the corporate credit unions into conservatorship and then into involuntary liquidation and appointed itself liquidating agent.9 In 2010, NCUA created the NCUA Guaranteed Note (“NGN”) Program to liquidate the distressed securities (the “Legacy Assets”) from the five failed corporate credit unions.10 The NGN Program created ten new Delaware statutory trusts — the NGN Trusts — and transferred all but five of the Legacy Assets into these new trusts.11 The Bank of New York Mellon (“BNY Mellon”) serves as Indenture Trustee for the NGN Trusts and Wells Fargo Delaware Trust Company, N.A. (“Wells Fargo”) serves as Owner Trustee.12 The NGN Trusts re-securitized these Legacy Assets by issuing approximately $28.3 billion of NCUA Guaranteed Notes, backed by the cash flows from the Legacy Assets and guaranteed by NCUA in its agency capacity.13 The NCUA Board holds certificates that represent a beneficial ownership interest in the NGN Trusts (the “Owner Trust Certificates”).14 These Certificates entitle the NCUA Board to payments from the NGN Trusts after the principal balance of the senior notes issued by the NGN Trusts has been reduced to zero; all accrued and unpaid interest on the senior notes has been paid; all amounts owed to the Guarantor have been reimbursed; and the Indenture Trustee, the Administrator, and the Owner Trustee have been paid.15

NCUA, acting in its capacity as Guarantor, issued a written demand to BNY Mellon, in its capacity as the Indenture Trustee of the NGN Trusts, to take action to assert claims on behalf of the NGN Trusts.16 On February 25, 2015, BNY Mellon declined to do so, stating that

BNY Mellon as Indenture Trustee on the various NCUA resecuritization trusts does not intend to pursue the claims outlined in the Amended Complaints .... We take no position on the merits, but acknowledge and agree that the Guarantor [NCUA] has the right to pursue claims based on the re-securitization Trust Indentures when the Indenture Trustee fails to do so after receiving notice (which we have for the claims in the Amended Complaints).17

[397]*397NCUA as Guarantor assigned any right, title, and interest that it possessed with respect to the NGN Trusts’ claims to the NCUA Board.18

III. APPLICABLE LAW

A. Rule 12(b)(1)

Rule 12(b)(1) provides for the dismissal of a claim when the federal court “lack[s] ... jurisdiction over the subject matter.” Plaintiff bears the burden of establishing subject matter jurisdiction by a preponderance of the evidence.19

In considering a motion to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, “[t]he court must take all facts alleged in the complaint as true and draw all reasonable inferences in favor of the plaintiff, but jurisdiction must be shown affirmatively, and that showing is not made by drawing from the pleadings inferences favorable to the party asserting it.”20 “[W]here jurisdictional facts are placed in dispute, the court has the power and obligation to decide issues of fact by reference to evidence outside the pleadings, such as affidavits.”21

B. Rule 12(b)(6)

In deciding a motion to dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6), the court must “aceept[ ] all factual allegations in the complaint as true and draw[ ] all reasonable inferences in the plaintiffs favor.”22 The court evaluates the sufficiency of the complaint under the “two-pronged approach” set forth by the Supreme Court in Ashcroft v. Iqbal.23 Under the first prong, a court may “begin by identifying pleadings that, because they are no more than conclusions, are not entitled to the assumption of truth.”24 For example, “[t]hreadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory statements, do not suffice.”25 Under the second prong of Iqbal, “[w]hen there are well-pleaded factual allegations, a court should assume their veracity and then determine whether they plausibly give rise to an entitlement for relief.”26 A claim is plausible “when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for [398]*398the misconduct alleged.”27 “The plausibility standard is not akin to a probability requirement” because it requires “more than a sheer possibility that a defendant has acted unlawfully.”28

C. Leave to Amend

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 15(a)(2) provides that, other than ámend-ments as a matter of course, “a party may amend [its pleading] only by leave of court or by written consent of the adverse party.” 29 Although “[t]he Court should freely give leave when justice so requires,”30 it is “within the sound discretion of the district court to grant or deny leave to amend.”31 When a motion to dismiss is granted, “ ‘[i]t is- the usual practice -... to allow leave-to replead.’ ”32 Where a.

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Bluebook (online)
117 F. Supp. 3d 392, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 94384, 2015 WL 4429265, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/national-credit-union-administration-board-v-hsbc-bank-usa-national-assn-nysd-2015.