DS News

54 BANKS COME OUT WINNERS IN RMBS CASE For the most part, when being investigated over their pre-crisis residential mortgage-backed securities practices, the nation's largest banks have come out having to pay billions of dollars in settlements and penalties. at changed in the case of National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) Board v. U.S. Bank NA et al in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York recently when Judge Katherine Forrest dismissed the NCUA's claims that Bank of America and U.S. Bancorp were liable for losses on approximately $6.8 billion in residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) which were discovered to have defects after they were sold to credit unions. e complaint that was dismissed was an amended version of a complaint by NCUA against the two banks which was dismissed by Forrest in May 2015. e trusts in question were purchased before the crisis by five credit unions, Constitution Corporate, Members United Corporate, Southwest Corporate, U.S. Central and Western Corporate, all of which failed over a two-year period in 2009 and 2010, according to a report from Reuters. e NCUA claimed in the suit that the two banks failed in their duties as trustee for 98 RMBS trusts. Forrest ruled that the credit union regulator lacked standing to sue in 89 of the trusts because the right to sue was previously assigned for those trusts—meaning the NCUA was left with only an interest in payment streams. On the remaining nine trusts, the judge dismissed claims from the NCUA that the banks acted in bad faith or breached their fiduciary duties. Spokespeople from both Bank of America and U.S. Bancorp declined to comment on the judge's ruling, and a spokesman from NCUA told DS News that the regulator was reviewing the judge's ruling. In May 2015, Judge Forrest dismissed claims in three separate decisions in lawsuits against U.S. Bancorp and Bank of America accusing the two banks of failing in their duties as trustees for RMBS trusts. In the first decision, a group of institutional investors, BlackRock Inc, Allianz SE's Pacific Investment Management Co and TIAA-CREF sued U.S. Bancorp, claiming the bank was responsible for 843 toxic mortgage-backed securities totaling about $778 billion in collateral. Forrest ruled that the claims were not pleaded correctly on 33 of the trusts and that the remaining 810 trusts did not fall under her jurisdiction. In the second decision, Forrest dismissed a claim from the NCUA, ruling that the regulator lacked standing to sue the Bank of America and U.S. Bancorp because the certificates for 74 trusts, which were purchased by the five corporate credit unions that later failed, had been re-securitized. NCUA later amended that complaint but the judge still ruled the NCUA lacked standing to sue. Likewise, in the third decision, Forrest ruled that investors based in Ireland and the Cayman Islands lacked standing to sue the two banks. DS News is the only publication in the country solely dedicated to providing default servicing professionals with news and content focused on their industry. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Call 214.525.6766 or subscribe online at DSNews.com. SUBSCRIBE TO THE LEADER IN DEFAULT SERVICING NEWS PINPOINTING REO VALUES When it comes to distressed addresses, the old adage rings true: It's all about location— of the asset, the economy, and the buyers. ENTER THE eNOTE Electronically signed promissory notes are landing on court dockets. Here's what pros need to know to avoid legal wranglings and get their judicial foreclosures off the ground. JUDICIOUS PROPERTY MANAGER NEEDED Amid budget cuts and promises to eliminate waste, the government is bleeding billions to maintain and secure vacant, underutilized federally owned properties. 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JUDICIOUS PROPERTY JUDICIOUS PROPERTY JUDICIOUS PROPERTY JUDICIOUS PROPERTY JUDICIOUS PROPERTY JUDICIOUS PROPERTY JUDICIOUS PROPERTY JUDICIOUS PROPERTY JUDICIOUS PROPERTY JUDICIOUS PROPERTY MANAGER NEEDED MANAGER NEEDED MANAGER NEEDED MANAGER NEEDED MANAGER NEEDED MANAGER NEEDED MANAGER NEEDED MANAGER NEEDED MANAGER NEEDED Amid budget cuts and Amid budget cuts and Amid budget cuts and Amid budget cuts and Amid budget cuts and Amid budget cuts and Amid budget cuts and Amid budget cuts and Amid budget cuts and promises to eliminate promises to eliminate promises to eliminate promises to eliminate promises to eliminate promises to eliminate promises to eliminate promises to eliminate waste, the government waste, the government waste, the government waste, the government waste, the government waste, the government waste, the government waste, the government is bleeding billions to is bleeding billions to is bleeding billions to is bleeding billions to is bleeding billions to is bleeding billions to is bleeding billions to maintain and secure vacant, maintain and secure vacant, maintain and secure vacant, maintain and secure vacant, maintain and secure vacant, maintain and secure vacant, maintain and secure vacant, maintain and secure vacant, underutilized federally underutilized federally underutilized federally underutilized federally underutilized federally underutilized federally underutilized federally underutilized federally underutilized federally owned properties. owned properties. owned properties. owned properties. owned properties. owned properties. owned properties. default servicing in print and online @ dsnews.com 04 .2013 Where Oh Where Did My REO Go? The once- strong stock of bank-owned homes is dialing down in many markets, and numbers seem programmed for a brusque ebb and fl ow. Cover Story

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