On March 29, 2017, Judge Andrew L. Carter, Jr., of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York granted Defendant GreenPoint Mortgage Funding, Inc.’s (“GreenPoint“) motion for summary judgment, dismissing all causes of action against it as time-barred and terminating the case in Lehman XS Trust et al. v. GreenPoint Mortgage Funding, Inc.

Plaintiff Trustee U.S. Bank National Association, on behalf of the Lehman XS Trust, Series 2006-GP2 (“GP2“), Lehman XS Trust, Series 2006-GP3 (“GP3“), and Lehman XS Trust, Series 2006-GP4 (“GP4“) (collectively, the “Trusts“), and Freddie Mac Conservator Federal Housing Finance Agency (collectively, “Plaintiffs“) brought consolidated claims against GreenPoint regarding GP2, GP3, and GP4. Plaintiffs alleged breach of contract and indemnification claims for specific performance and damages arising out of GreenPoint’s alleged breach of certain representations and warranties.

Citing N.Y. C.P.L.R. § 214(3), the Court first found that Plaintiffs’ breach of contract claims under the mortgage loan purchase agreements (“MLPA“) for all three Trusts were time-barred under New York state’s six-year statute of limitations for breach of contract actions. The Trusts’ respective MLPAs required GreenPoint to cure or repurchase the defective loans in the event that any of the mortgage loans breached these representations and warranties. The closing dates for the Trusts were as follows: GP2 on May 15, 2006; GP3 on June 15, 2006; and GP4 on July 17, 2006. FHFA filed summons with notice for GP2 on May 30, 2012; for GP3 on June 29, 2012; and for GP4 on July 30, 2012.

Judge Carter then rejected Plaintiffs’ indemnification claims arising out of GreenPoint’s alleged breaches of representations and warranties. Plaintiffs sought indemnification for its losses, costs, fees, and expenses arising out of and related to the breaches of GreenPoint’s representations and warranties. Since Plaintiffs did not face liability to a third party as a result of the alleged breaches, the Court held that Plaintiffs’ indemnification cause of action was “more appropriately characterized as one to recover losses incurred by breach of contract” and therefore also barred by the statute of limitations.

Finally, the Court dismissed as time-barred Plaintiffs’ newly alleged causes of action for breach of GreenPoint’s representations and warranties made in the Trusts’ Indemnification Agreements, which provide for indemnity to the Trusts and other entities for claims arising out of breaches of the representations and warranties made in the information provided by or on behalf of GreenPoint for inclusion in the Prospectus Supplements. Opinion.