Question As To Whether Bank Possessed Note Before Starting Foreclosure Lawsuit

April 25, 2015 By Elliot S. Schlissel

Wells Fargo brought a foreclosure lawsuit against defendants in a Supreme Court Foreclosure Part in Kings County. The case was before Supreme Court Justice Carolyn Demarest. Wells Fargo eventually brought a motion to strike the defendant’s Answer and for summary judgment. The bank’s moving papers in the motion stated the defendants did not make a single payment on the note. The default was more than nine years old.

Note And Mortgage Assigned On Numerous Occasions

Justice Carolyn Demarest looked into the fact the note and mortgage had been assigned many times. Upon close examination she found all three assignments were assigned by a single person. This individual was identified only as an “authorized signator”. There was no explanation as to which entity the person was working for at the time he signed all three assignments. In addition, the bank alleged it had physical possession of the note before the commencement of the action. However, the judge found there was no explanation in the affidavit submitted by the bank’s servicer as to why assignment number three was dated more than a month before assignments one and two.

Bank’s Standing to Foreclose Challenged

The homeowners challenged the bank’s standing to proceed on this foreclosure lawsuit. Justice Demarest in her decision stated, the bank claimed the physical possession of the note, in and of itself, gave it standing at the time of the commencement of the lawsuit.

Summary Judgment and Motion to Dismiss Denied

Justice Demarest found the defendants had raised an issue of fact with regard to whether the bank actually had possession of the note before the action was initiated. Based on this, she denied the bank’s motion for summary judgment and to strike the defendant’s first and fifth affirmative defenses.

Conclusion

It is clear the bank’s representations cannot possibly be true in this case. As stated most eloquently by William Shakespeare, “there is something rotten in Denmark.”