On July 17, Judge Denise Cote of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled that the Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”) can pursue certain RMBS-related claims against affiliates of Residential Capital LLC (“ResCap”). ResCap, which has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, brought a motion before Judge Cote to enjoin the FHFA from pursuing claims against ResCap’s non-debtor affiliates or, in the alternative, to extend the automatic stay protection afforded by its Chapter 11 status. Judge Cote denied ResCap’s motion. The underlying FHFA complaint alleges that defendants (including Ally Financial, Ally Securities, and GMAC Mortgage) made false or misleading statements or omissions in the offering materials for $6 billion worth of RMBS. Decision.
GMAC
Assured Guaranty Sues GMAC Entities in Connection with RMBS Insurance
On May 11, 2012, Assured Guaranty filed suit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against several GMAC entities alleging that the defendants induced Assured to issue financial guaranty insurance for certain RMBS by making misrepresentations about the underlying mortgage loans. Assured’s allegations concern two securitizations, one issued in 2004 and one in 2008, with respect to which Assured has thus far paid out $55.7 million in claims. Assured alleges that the defendants violated their own underwriting standards and contractual loan-level repurchase obligations. Assured asserts causes of action for breach of contract, indemnification, and reimbursement, and seeks compensatory damages. Complaint.
Insurer Seeks Rescission and Damages in Connection with Coverage for $3.8 Billion in RMBS
On November 29, 2011, the Financial Guaranty Insurance Co. (“FGIC”) filed three lawsuits in New York state court against the mortgage divisions of Ally Financial. FGIC alleged that GMAC and the Residential Funding Company misrepresented to FGIC the quality of loans underlying RMBS valued at $3.8 billion in order to obtain insurance policies from FGIC that were purportedly necessary for the RMBS to be given a AAA credit rating. FGIC’s insurance policies guaranteed principal and interest payment on the securities at issue. FGIC asserts a number of causes of action in each case, including claims for various contractual breaches, fraudulent inducement, and tortious interference. Complaint A. Complaint B. Complaint C.
Independent Foreclosure Review
On November 1, the OCC announced that, in connection with the enforcement actions taken against 14 large mortgage servicers in April 2011, borrowers with foreclosure proceedings on their primary residences initiated by those servicers between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2010 can request an independent consultant to review the potential foreclosure deficiencies if the borrowers believe they have suffered financial injury as a result of errors, misrepresentations, or other deficiencies in foreclosure proceedings. The Fed also announced that the four large mortgage servicers subject to enforcement actions that are supervised by the Fed (GMAC, HSBC, SunTrust, and EMC) will be required to conduct this program as part of their compliance with Fed procedures. The independent review is free of charge for borrowers. Requests for review by the servicers’ independent consultants must be received by April 30, 2012. OCC Release. Fed Release.