Court Partially Grants Motion to Dismiss in RMBS Certificateholder Suit

On March 2, 2018, Judge Louis L. Stanton of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York granted in part and denied in part a motion by RMBS issuers and underwriters to dismiss five new claims asserted in a second amended complaint filed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC“) as receiver for Colonial Bank. As previously covered, the FDIC’s initial and first amended complaints asserted claims for violations of Sections 11 and 15 of the Securities Act of 1933 (the “1933 Act“), alleging that defendants made, or controlled entities that made, untrue or misleading statements in registration statements relating to certain RMBS. The court dismissed the claims as time-barred, but the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reversed. After remand, the second amended complaint added five new claims under the Alabama Securities Act, Nevada Uniform Securities Act, and Section 12(a)(2) of the 1933 Act. Judge Stanton granted the defendants’ motion to dismiss as to the FDIC’s claims under the Nevada Uniform Securities Act and Section 12(a)(2) of the 1933 Act, on the ground that those claims were barred by applicable statutes of repose. Judge Stanton also granted the motion to dismiss as to the FDIC’s Alabama Securities Act claims against the defendant banks that served as depositors on certain RMBS certificates because FDIC did not allege that those defendants acted as sellers of the certificates, as required by law. The remainder of the claims survived defendants’ motion to dismiss. OrderSecond Amended Complaint.