Victor Balderas v. Countrywide Bank, N.A.

664 F.3d 787, 2011 U.S. App. LEXIS 25957, 2011 WL 6824977
Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit·Decided December 29, 2011·No. 10-55064·Published·Cited by 14 cases

Opinions

Opinion by Chief Judge KOZINSKI; Concurrence by Judge IKUTA.

OPINION

KOZINSKI, Chief Judge:

The Balderases allege that they are immigrants who were rooked by a bank that signed them up for loans it knew they couldn’t afford, on terms they didn’t agree to. These are the facts as recited in the complaint: Mor Cazakov, a mortgage broker, cold-called the Balderases, representing that he could refinance their home, switch them to a fixed rate mortgage and let them cash out $50,000, all without a penalty. Subsequently, Soraya Qassim, a “duly authorized agent” of Countrywide Bank (Countrywide), filled out a uniform residential loan application (URLA) for them and showed up unannounced at their home, urging the Balderases to sign it. But the form was in English, which they can’t read, and it overestimated their income by over $40,000 per year. Qassim told them it was an informal document the bank needed, so the Balderases signed.

Three days later, on the evening of Monday, September 25, 2006, Cazakov showed up at their home with a notary public and loan documents also written in English. He told them that Countrywide “demanded” their signatures “that night” and he couldn’t and wouldn’t leave without getting them. The Balderases protested and asked to arrange the loan signing when their English-literate daughter could attend. But Cazakov said that Countrywide had instructed him to stay until he got the signatures, and he “engaged in a series of actions designed to intimidate, harass, and pressure [the Balderases] into signing the loan documents.” After six hours of unrelenting pressure by Cazakov and several unsuccessful attempts to read the paperwork, the Balderases capitulated and signed the documents just after midnight. On Wednesday, they called Cazakov and asked him to rescind the loans. He refused. They then called Countrywide a day later seeking the same relief. Countrywide also refused, falsely representing it was too late. In fact, the three-day statutory rescission period extended through the next day, Friday, September 29.

The Balderases filed a complaint alleging, among other things, a violation of the Truth In Lending Act (TILA). See 15 U.S.C. § 1601 et seq. Countrywide filed a 12(b)(6) motion, which the district court granted. This timely appeal followed.

The TILA is a federal consumer protection statute designed to promote “the informed use of credit” and assure “meaningful disclosure of credit terms to consumers.” Ford Motor Credit Co. v. Milhollin, 444 U.S. 555, 559, 100 S.Ct. 790, 63 L.Ed.2d 22 (1980) (quoting 15 U.S.C. [789] § 1601(a)) (internal quotation marks omitted). Under the “borrower’s remorse” provision, consumers can rescind a loan up to three business days after the loan transaction. See 15 U.S.C. § 1635(a). But this right is extended up to three years “[i]f the required notice or material disclosures are not delivered.” 12 C.F.R. § 226.23(a)(3); see also 15 U.S.C. § 1635(f).

The Balderases claim they were given defective copies of the Notice of Right to Cancel. The disclosures they received were missing material provisions, in particular the date of closing and the date on which the right to rescind expired. When, as here, the notice is given in writing, rather than in electronic form, Regulation Z instructs creditors to “deliver two copies of the notice of the right to rescind to each consumer entitled to rescind,” and those copies must include “[t]he date the rescission period expires.” 12 C.F.R. § 226.23(b)(1). The disclosures must be set forth “clearly and conspicuously in writing, in a form that the consumer may keep.” 12 C.F.R. § 226.17(a)(1).

The Balderases’ experience illustrates why lenders must allow borrowers to keep fully completed and accurate copies of the disclosure notices. Without this information, borrowers are left to guess when their right to rescind the loan transaction expires. Did the clock start ticking the day the Balderases signed the URLA? When they signed the loan documents? When Cazakov submitted the paperwork to Countrywide for processing? When Countrywide actually processed the paperwork? To add to the confusion, the Balderases claim that Cazakov falsely promised not to submit their paperwork to Countrywide “for a few days” in case they decided “not to proceed with the loan after their daughter had reviewed the contents.” And, when the Balderases tried to exercise their right to rescind, Cazakov and Countrywide told them, incorrectly, that it was too late, instead of telling them, correctly, that their rescission notice was timely but had to be submitted in writing.

If the Balderases can prove that they were not allowed to keep two completed and accurate copies of the disclosure notice, the bank will have forfeited the benefit of the three-day cooling off period and the Balderases would have three years to rescind. See Semar v. Platte Valley Fed. Sav. & Loan Ass’n, 791 F.2d 699, 701-02 (9th Cir.1986) (“If the lending institution omits the expiration date ... the borrower may rescind the loan within three years after it was consummated.”). We need not consider whether the false statements as to the expiration of the rescission period allegedly made by phone when the Balderases tried to rescind orally operated as a separate waiver of the three-day rescission period.

The district court erroneously held that the Balderases were entitled only to a three-day rescission period because they had, in fact, gotten a rescission notice that complied with the statutory requirements. In reaching this conclusion, the district court relied on Exhibit 14 to the complaint. Exhibit 14 is the rejection letter Countrywide sent in response to the Balderases’ written rescission demand. The Balderases attached the letter to their complaint, an important object lesson as to why it’s unwise to use a complaint as an ersatz document production. Attached to the rejection letter is a properly completed Notice of Right to Cancel bearing the Balderases’ signatures. Immediately above the signatures is a statement to the effect that the borrower “acknowledge[s] receipt of two copies of NOTICE of RIGHT TO CANCEL.” Countrywide’s rejection letter points out that the Balderases acknowledged they had received proper notice, [790] which meant the period to rescind was only three days.

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Victor Balderas v. Countrywide Bank, N.A., 664 F.3d 787, 2011 U.S. App. LEXIS 25957, 2011 WL 6824977 (9th Cir. 2011).

664 F.3d 787 (Victor Balderas v. Countrywide Bank, N.A.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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