TD Banknorth, N.A. v. Babineau

27 Mass. L. Rptr. 155
CourtMassachusetts Superior Court
DecidedJune 22, 2010
DocketNo. 061855B
StatusPublished

This text of 27 Mass. L. Rptr. 155 (TD Banknorth, N.A. v. Babineau) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Superior Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
TD Banknorth, N.A. v. Babineau, 27 Mass. L. Rptr. 155 (Mass. Ct. App. 2010).

Opinion

Kaplan, Mitchell H., J.

This case is before the court on the third-party defendant, James A. Peterson’s, motion for summary judgment. While the overall case involves a number of parties and claims, the issue raised by Peterson’s motion is quite narrow and rests upon a single question of law: Does G.L.c. 93, §70 create a duty on the part of counsel for a mortgagee bank to the mortgagor when the bank makes a loan to the mortgagor secured by a two-family dwelling in which the mortgagor resides and the attorney renders a certification of title to the mortgagor and to the mortgagee? For the reasons set forth below, the court finds that it does and, therefore, denies Peterson’s motion for summaiy judgment.

DISCUSSION

The facts relevant to the pending motion may be summarized briefly and are not in dispute. Banknorth4 held a judgment against a number of parties, including Henry Babineau (“Henry”), the father of the defendant/third-party plaintiff, Guy Babineau. Banknorth obtained injunctive relief prohibiting Hemy from transferring any real estate in Massachusetts. On September 8, 2003, Henry, as Trustee of the Five Barton Street Salem Realty Trust (a nominee trust), conveyed legal title to a two-family residential property in Salem (the “Property”) to Guy and his wife Teresa (the “Babineaus”). Although the Babineaus lived in the Property, Banknorth alleges that Guy had a substantial beneficial interest in it. In this action, Banknorth, among other things, asserts that this transfer was fraudulent and seeks to satisfy its judgment against Guy through sale of the Property.

Peterson was the closing attorney for St. Joseph Credit Union which loaned funds to the Babineaus in connection with the September 8, 2003 transaction; the loan was secured by a first mortgage on the Property. As part of the closing, Peterson prepared a certification of title and provided it to both the Credit Union and the Babineaus. The certification did not reference the injunction prohibiting Guy from transferring his interest in the Properly.

In connection with the closing, the Babineaus acknowledged receipt of a form containing the following disclosure required by G.L.c. 184, §17B:

1. The responsibility of the attorney for the Mortgagee is to protect the interest of the Mortgagee.
2. The Mortgagor may, at his own expense, engage an attorney of his own selection to represent his own interests in the transaction.

The Babineaus also acknowledged receipt of a loan commitment letter from the Credit Union that included the following additional, relevant disclosures:

TITLE EXAMINATION: A title examination shall be completed by our attorney and such examination shall evidence title satisfactory for mortgage purposes. The attorney representing the Credit Union in this loan transaction is: James A. Peterson.
LEGAL FEES: The borrower shall pay all of the Credit Union’s costs incurred in connection with this loan, including legal expenses . . .

The Babineaus’ third-party complaint alleges that Peterson failed “to accurately certify title to the [Babineaus]” and “failed to perform his agreed obligation to [the Babineaus],” and asserts two claims against Peterson: breach of contract and negligence.

The standards for entry of summaiy judgment are well-known and need not be recited here. If Peterson owed a duly to the Babineaus, whether denominated as contractual, professional or by operation of statute, there exist disputed questions of fact as to whether he fulfilled that duty, or if he did not, whether his failure to do so caused injuiy to the Babineaus that may be recovered through a third-party action. Peterson’s motion turns on the question whether G.L.c. 93, §70 created such a duty.5

§70 has been amended several times over the past few decades. Prior to 1979, the first paragraph read, in relevant part, as follows:

Whenever, in connection with the granting of any loan or credit to be secured by a mortgage on real estate improved with a dwelling designed to be occupied by not more than four families and occupied or to be occupied in whole or in part by the [156]*156mortgagor, the mortgagor is required or agrees to pay or to be responsible for any fee or expense charged or incurred by any attorney acting for or on behalf of the mortgagee, the mortgagor or his attorney shall be given a copy of any certification of title to the mortgaged property rendered by the mortgagee’s attorney, and such certification shall be deemed to have been rendered for the benefit of the mortgagor to the same extent as it is for the mortgagee . . .

By St. 1979, c. 531, approved August 20, 1979, that paragraph was amended to read as follows:

Whenever, in connection with the granting of any loan or credit to be secured by a purchased money first mortgage on real estate improved with a dwelling designed to be occupied by not more than four families and occupied or to be occupied in whole or in part by the mortgagor, if the mortgagor is required or agrees to pay or be responsible for any fee or expense charged or incurred by any attorney acting for or on behalf of the mortgagee in connection with the rendering of a certification of title to the mortgaged premises such certification shall be rendered to the mortgagor and to the mortgagee.

Then, by St. 1994, c. 350, §3, approved January 13, 1995, the paragraph was further amended to read:

In connection with the granting of any loan or credit to be secured by a purchase money first mortgage on real estate improved with a dwelling designed to be occupied by not more than four families and occupied or to be occupied in whole or in part by the mortgagor, an attorney acting for or on behalf of the mortgagee shall render a certification of title to the mortgaged premises to the mortgagor and to the mortgagee.

Peterson argues that the deletion of the clause, “and such certification shall be deemed to have been rendered for the benefit of the mortgagor to the same extent as it is for the mortgagee,” in 1979 evidenced an intention on the part of the legislature to eliminate potential liability on the part of an attorney for the mortgagee to the mortgagor when he certifies title to the mortgaged premises. See Kramer-Rutter v. Cinella, 7 Mass. L. Rptr. 85 (1997). The court disagrees.

First, there were two material and related changes to this paragraph made in 1979. The language quoted above was eliminated: however, in addition the following clause was also eliminated: “the mortgagor or his attorney shall be given a copy of any certification of title to the mortgaged property rendered by the mortgagee’s attorney.” In its place the legislature inserted the following: “if the mortgagor is required or agrees to pay or be responsible for any fee or expense charged or incurred by any attorney acting for or on behalf of the mortgagee in connection with the rendering of a certification of title to the mortgaged premises such certification shall be rendered to the mortgagor and to the mortgagee.” There is a manifest difference between an obligation to provide a copy of the certification to the mortgagor and an obligation to “render” the certification to the mortgagor as well as the mortgagee.

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Related

Page v. Frazier
445 N.E.2d 148 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1983)
Kramer-Rutter v. Cinella
7 Mass. L. Rptr. 85 (Massachusetts Superior Court, 1997)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
27 Mass. L. Rptr. 155, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/td-banknorth-na-v-babineau-masssuperct-2010.