Willows II, LLC v. Branch Banking & Trust Co. (In re Willows II, LLC)

485 B.R. 528, 2013 Bankr. LEXIS 105
United States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. North Carolina·Decided January 10, 2013·No. Bankruptcy No. 12-02876-8-SWH; Adversary No. 12-00086-8-SWH·Published·Cited by 3 cases

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING SUMMARY JUDGMENT

STEPHANIW. HUMRICKHOUSE, Bankruptcy Judge.

The matter before the court is the motion for summary judgment filed by Branch Banking and Trust Company (“BB & T”). A hearing on this matter was conducted in Raleigh, North Carolina, on October 16, 2012. For the reasons that follow, BB & T’s motion will be granted.

JURISDICTION

The court has subject-matter jurisdiction over this adversary proceeding pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 151, 157, and 1334, and [530] the General Order of Reference entered by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina dated August 3, 1984. This is a core proceeding pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(2), which this court may hear and determine.

BACKGROUND

On September 8, 2005 the debtor executed a deed of trust (“Deed of Trust”) in favor of Coastal Federal Bank. The Deed of Trust provides in part that it secures “(A) payment of the Indebtedness and (B) performance of any and all obligations under the Note, the Related Documents, and this Deed of Trust.” The collateral described within the Deed of Trust consists of real estate located in Brunswick County, North Carolina.

The Deed of Trust contains a definitional section in which the term “Indebtedness” is defined as “all principal, interest, and other amounts, costs and expenses payable under the Note or Related Documents, together with all renewals of, extensions of, modifications of, refinancings of, consolidations of and substitutions for the Note or Related Documents.” The term “Note” is defined as “the promissory note dated September 7, 2005, in the original principal amount of $675,000.00 from Grantor to Lender, together with all renewals of, extensions of, modifications of, consolidations of, and substitutions for the promissory note or agreement.” Finally, the term “Related Documents” is defined within this section as “all promissory notes, credit agreements, loan agreements, environmental agreements, guaranties, security agreements, mortgages, deeds of trust, security deeds, collateral mortgages, and all other instruments, agreements and documents, whether now or hereafter existing, executed in connection with the Indebtedness.”

The Deed of Trust also has a section titled “Future Advances.” It provides in part that the “Indebtedness secured by this Deed of Trust is for present and future obligations and this Deed of Trust is given to secure all present and future obligations of Grantor to Beneficiary.” It then recites the language necessary to comply with N.C. Gen.Stat. § 45-68, such as setting out $675,000.00 as the maximum principal amount to be secured by the Deed of Trust at any one time.

Although the Deed of Trust references a promissory note dated September 7, 2005, the note attached to BB & T’s proof of claim is dated September 8, 2005 (“the Note”). The Note also provides that the actual loan date was in fact September 8, 2005. BB & T has failed to produce any note dated September 7, 2005, and the debtor asserts that it is unaware of any note executed on that date.

The Deed of Trust contains other relevant information regarding the Indebtedness. The loan numbers referenced on the Deed of Trust and Note are identical, with each providing that the loan number is 3330059186. They both refer to, and incorporate, a commitment letter described as “Commitment Letter No. 354/05 dated July 19, 2005.” Both documents reference an original principal balance of $675,000.00 and they each identify the debtor as the borrower and Coastal Federal Bank as the lender.1 Finally, the Deed of Trust specifically refers to a note with a variable interest rate; the Note has a variable interest rate.

[531] On September 28, 2006, the debtor entered into a Change in Terms Agreement that extended the maturity date of the Note to March 8, 2007. The Change in Terms Agreement refers to the same parties, original principal balance and loan number as the Note, and unlike the Deed of Trust, it refers to the correct date of the Note, i.e. September 8, 2005. It also describes the collateral secured by the Note as a “Deed of Trust Securing Future Advances dated September 8, 2005 given by The Willows II, LLC to Lender [Coastal Federal Bank] recorded on September 9, 2005 in the records of the Brunswick County, North Carolina, in Register of Deeds Book 2233 Page 747.... ”

The parties have stipulated to the following facts: (1) the Deed of Trust was recorded on September 9, 2005 in the Office of the Register of Deeds of Brunswick County in Book 2233 at Page 747; (2) it is indexed under the debtor’s correct legal name; and (3) a search of the Brunswick County real estate records under the debt- or’s name as grantor returns four documents, one of which is the Deed of Trust. The debtor represented to the court, and BB & T has not disputed, that the Note and the Change in Terms Agreement are not recorded.

The debtor filed for relief under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code on April 13, 2012 and is currently operating as a debt- or-in-possession pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 1107(a). BB & T filed a proof of claim on May 11, 2012, asserting a secured claim in the amount of $603,648.74. It attached, among other documents, the Note and Deed of Trust to support its claim. On May 8, 2012, the debtor filed an adversary proceeding against BB & T contesting the secured status of the bank’s claim. The debtor specifically argues that the Deed of Trust is invalid and unenforceable because it refers to a note dated September 7, 2005 when in fact no note of that date exists.

After filing an answer to the complaint on June 8, 2012, BB & T moved for summary judgment on three alternative grounds. First, the Note is secured by the Deed of Trust because it is covered by the Deed of Trust’s future advance clause. Second, the Deed of Trust properly identifies the Note, even though the two documents contain different dates, because they reference the same parties, original principal balance and loan number. Finally, principles of estoppel bar the debtor from contesting the validity of the Deed of Trust.

DISCUSSION

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Willows II, LLC v. Branch Banking & Trust Co. (In re Willows II, LLC), 485 B.R. 528, 2013 Bankr. LEXIS 105 (N.C. 2013).

485 B.R. 528 (Willows II, LLC v. Branch Banking & Trust Co. (In re Willows II, LLC)) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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