Slapikas v. First American Title Insurance

298 F.R.D. 285, 2014 WL 899355, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 29974
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedMarch 7, 2014
DocketCivil Action No. 06-0084
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 298 F.R.D. 285 (Slapikas v. First American Title Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Slapikas v. First American Title Insurance, 298 F.R.D. 285, 2014 WL 899355, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 29974 (W.D. Pa. 2014).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

CONTI, Chief Judge.

Anthony L. Slapikas and Alice B. Slapikas (the “Slapikases”) and Ivy J. Fodor (“Fo-dor”) (collectively “plaintiffs”) brought this [288]*288suit on behalf of themselves and a class of similarly situated consumers alleging that agents of First American Title Insurance Company (“First American”) overcharged them for title insurance obtained in connection with refinancing their mortgages. (ECF No. 1.) Pending before the court is First American’s motion for decertification (ECF No. 366), First American’s motion for summary judgment (ECF No. 367), and plaintiffs’ renewed motion for partial summary judgment (ECF No. 370). The court will GRANT both of First American’s motions because plaintiffs are unable to establish an essential element of their claim, i.e. justifiable reliance, and no other representative plaintiff could do so on this record. Plaintiffs’ motion is thereby rendered moot.

I. Factual Background

A. Title Insurance Rates

First American is a national title insurance underwriter that issues title insurance policies in Pennsylvania through a network of agents. (ECF No. 433 Part A: ¶ 1.) First American and third-party defendant Mezzo Land Services, LLC (“Mezzo”) entered into an agency agreement on November 16, 2001 under which Mezzo employees completed various tasks prior to and during real estate closings on behalf of First American. (Id. ¶¶4, 7.) Mezzo’s employees prepared the HUD-1 Settlement Statement (“HUD-1”), which listed the title insurance premium to be charged. (Id. ¶ 4) First American was issued monthly remittance reports reflecting the premium fees due to the insurer for each transaction. (ECF No. 433 Part C: ¶ 3.) There is some dispute regarding the details of the agency relationship between Mezzo and First American. (See, e.g., ECF No. 433 Part A: ¶¶ 1, 3, 6, 7.) These disputes are construed in the plaintiffs’ favor for purposes of deciding the instant action and Mezzo will be treated as an agent acting on behalf of First American. (Id.)

Pennsylvania law requires every title insurance company to file a manual specifying the rules, plans, schedules of fees, and modifications for the rates it plans to charge. 40 Pa. Stat. § 910-37(a). Approved rates are recorded in the Manual of the Title Insurance Rating Bureau of Pennsylvania (“Rate Manual”) which provides that all charges for title insurance policies must correspond to the rates filed with and approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Insurance. 40 Pa. Stat. § 910-37(h). (ECF No. 188-3.) The Rate Manual used by First American contained three separate rate tiers that a customer could be charged: (1) the basic rate, (2) the reissue rate, which is 90% of the basic rate, and (3) the refinance rate, which is 80% of the reissue rate. (ECF No. 311 at 2-3.) Under section 5.3 and 5.6 of the Rate Manual a customer may qualify for the lower reissue or refinance rate if she purchased title insurance for an identical property within the applicable “look-back” period. (ECF No. 215 ¶¶ 22-23, 38-39.) Plaintiffs contend that they qualified for discounted title insurance rates but were charged the basic rate instead. (ECF No. 188 ¶¶ 27, 41.)

The charge for title insurance is memorialized on line 1108 of the HUD-1 for each transaction. (ECF No. 433 Part A: ¶ 10.) The settlement agent is required to itemize clearly “all charges imposed upon a borrower” on the HUD-1.12 U.S.C. § 2603(a). Under 24 C.F.R. § 3500.8(b)(1), “[t]he settlement agent shall state the actual charges paid by the borrower and seller on the HUD-1 ... and separately itemize each third party charge paid____” Following each transaction Mezzo placed the proceeds from the closing into a fiduciary trust account. (ECF No. 433 Part B: ¶ 11.) Mezzo used this account to pay First American its premium due from each transaction. (Id.)

B. Plaintiffs’ Transactions

1. Slapikases’ Transaction

On June 24, 2003, the Slapikases refinanced a parcel of property (the “Slapikases Property”) through the proceeds of a loan provided by the National City Mortgage Corporation (“National City”) in the amount of $168,000.00. (ECF No. 433 Part A: ¶ 12.) Mrs. Slapikas testified that the “low mortgage rate” was “what made us want to” refinance. (Id. ¶ 27.) Mr. Slapikas testified that he focused on “two numbers” stating, “[o]ne, I want the rate. Two, what is the total rolled up closing costs. Giving very [289]*289little thought to the individual pieces of it.” (Id. ¶ 25.) He further explained that, “there wasn’t much on my end in terms of attention paid to the specifics.” (Id.) Mr. Slapikas testified, “[w]e expected the close [sic] was going to be done with the correct numbers, with the professionalism that you would expect from a transaction____” (Id. ¶ 26.)

Mezzo prepared and executed the documentation for the Slapikases’ refinancing. (Id. ¶ 13) The Slapikases played no role in selecting Mezzo. (Id. ¶ 14.) Mrs. Slapikas testified that she recalled that a woman, whom she later identified as “Lisa,” had signed the HUD-1 for Mezzo as the “settlement agent.” (Id. ¶ 15.) The Slapikases did not have any other contact with Lisa, or anyone else representing Mezzo, before or after the closing. (Id. ¶24.) The record does not reflect that the Slapikases knew Lisa’s last name. The Slapikases do not recall any discussion with anyone concerning title insurance before, during or after the closing. (Id. ¶¶ 19, 20, 22.)

The title insurance policy was purchased by the Slapikases for a premium of $1,198.75, which was consistent with the basic rate under the Rate Manual. (Id. ¶¶ 16, 18.) The difference between the basic rate and the refinance rate (i.e., the rate the Slapikases assert they should have been charged) was $335.65. (ECF No. 166 at 8.) The record is devoid of any evidence that the Slapikases read line 1108 of the HUD-1. There is no evidence in the record to indicate that the Slapikases would have refused to refinance their mortgage if they knew about the purported title insurance overcharge.

2. Fodor Transaction

Fodor is the record owner of a parcel of property (the “Fodor Property”). (ECF No. 433 ¶ 28.) On February 5, 2004, Fodor refinanced the Fodor Property through the proceeds of a loan from America’s Wholesale Lender (“AWL”) in the amount of $110,000.00. (Id. ¶ 29.) Fodor testified that the interest rate was the “most important consideration” in her decision to refinance. (Id. ¶ 40.) Third-party defendant Mezzo prepared and executed the documentation for the Fodor refinancing. (Id. ¶29.) Fodor was not consulted regarding the decision to choose Mezzo. (Id. ¶ 33.) Fodor stated she “was not sure” if David Gould, her mortgage broker and then-boyfriend, or someone else in his company choose Mezzo. (Id. ¶¶ 30, 32.) Fodor does not recall having any conversations with Mr. Gould about title insurance. (Id. ¶ 36.)

Fodor did not read the HUD-1 or the other closing documents before signing them. (Id.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
298 F.R.D. 285, 2014 WL 899355, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 29974, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/slapikas-v-first-american-title-insurance-pawd-2014.