In re Thomas

• Decision Date: 09 February 2011
• Docket Number: Bankruptcy No. 10–40549–MSH.,Adversary No. 10–04086.
• Parties: In re Kathleen THOMAS, Debtor.Kathleen Thomas, Plaintiffv.CitiMortgage, Inc., Flagstar Bank, FSB and Allied Home Mortgage Capital Corporation, Defendants.
• Court: U.S. Bankruptcy Court — District of Massachusetts

447 B.R. 402

In re Kathleen THOMAS, Debtor.Kathleen Thomas, Plaintiff

v.CitiMortgage, Inc., Flagstar Bank, FSB and Allied Home Mortgage Capital Corporation, Defendants.

Bankruptcy No. 10–40549–MSH.

Adversary No. 10–04086.

United States Bankruptcy Court,D. Massachusetts,Central Division.

Feb. 9, 2011.

OPINION TEXT STARTS HEREWest CodenotesValidity Called into DoubtM.G.L.A. c. 183C, §§ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 Laird J. Heal, Laird J. Heal, Esq., Worcester, MA, for Plaintiff.Nathalie K. Salomon, Harmon Law Offices, Newton, MA, Rian Vernon, Harmon Law Offices, PC, Newton Highlands, MA, Donn A. Randall, Mary Ellen Manganelli, Bulkley, Richardson, and Gelinas, LLP, Diane M. Saunders, Sean P. O'Connor, Morgan, Brown & Joy, LLP, Boston, MA, for Defendants.

MEMORANDUM OF DECISION ON THE MOTION TO COMPEL ARBITRATION OF ALLIED HOME MORTGAGE CAPITAL CORPORATION, THE MOTION TO DISMISS OF FLAGSTAR BANK, FSB AND THE MOTION FOR JUDGMENT ON THE PLEADINGS OF FLAGSTAR BANK, FSB AND CITIMORTGAGE, INC.

MELVIN S. HOFFMAN, Bankruptcy Judge.

Before me is a motion of defendant Allied Home Mortgage Capital Corporation (“Allied”) to compel arbitration, a motion of defendant Flagstar Bank, FSB (“Flagstar”) to dismiss this adversary proceeding pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6), made applicable to this proceeding by Fed. R. Bankr.P. 7012 and a motion of Flagstar and CitiMortgage, Inc. (“CitiMortgage”) for judgment on the pleadings pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(c), made applicable by Fed. R. Bankr.P. 7012. Because the motions involve the same facts and underlying transaction, I will address them together.

Background

In 2006, the plaintiff, who is the debtor in the main bankruptcy case, engaged Allied to assist her in refinancing the mortgage on her home. On April 26, 2006, the plaintiff signed an arbitration agreement in which she agreed that any disputes with Allied would be resolved through arbitration. The refinancing transaction occurred on May 8, 2006, at which time the plaintiff executed a promissory note payable to Allied in the amount of $153,000, and a mortgage to secure her obligations under the note. Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. (“MERS”), acting solely as a nominee for Allied and its successors and assigns, was named as mortgagee. The note was subsequently indorsed to defendant Flagstar. Flagstar and CitiMortgage claim that Flagstar indorsed the note in blank by way of an allonge and sold the plaintiff's loan to CitiMortgage. CitiMortgage attached a copy of the note to its motion for judgment on the pleadings to support this claim.¹ The last page of the note is blank except for the following legend:

PAY TO THE ORDER OFWITHOUT RECOURSE

FLAGSTAR BANK, FSB

There are two entirely illegible signatures under this legend. On August 3, 2009, MERS executed an instrument entitled “Assignment of Mortgage” which purported, inter alia, to assign to CitiMortgage the “mortgage and the note and claim secured thereby.”

The plaintiff eventually fell behind in her mortgage payments and CitiMortgage began foreclosure proceedings. On February 2, 2010, the plaintiff filed a petition for relief under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code, 11 U.S.C. §§ 101–1532, in this court. On February 12, 2010, CitiMortgage filed a motion for relief from the automatic stay provisions of the Bankruptcy Code in order to proceed to foreclose its mortgage on the plaintiff's property. At a hearing on the motion for relief, I ordered the plaintiff to make adequate protection payments of $925 per month to CitiMortgage and upon the plaintiff's filing of her complaint, consolidated the motion for relief with this adversary proceeding.

The plaintiff alleges that the May 8, 2006 loan transaction violated the Massachusetts Predatory Home Loan Practices Act, Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 183C (“Chapter 183C”). The plaintiff also alleges that the promissory note was never properly negotiated to CitiMortgage and that CitiMortgage may not assert a secured claim in her bankruptcy case.

On July 1, 2010, Flagstar filed a motion to dismiss the adversary proceeding. On July 2, 2010, Allied filed a motion to compel arbitration and to dismiss, arguing that pursuant to the arbitration agreement signed by the plaintiff, she is required to submit to arbitration with respect to her claims against Allied. On October 4, 2010, CitiMortgage filed a motion for judgment on the pleadings. On October 7, 2010, I held a hearing on Flagstar's motion to dismiss and Allied's motion to compel arbitration. On December 1, 2010, I held a hearing on CitiMortgage's motion for judgment on the pleadings. Flagstar subsequently moved to join CitiMortgage's motion and on December 23, 2010, I entered an order allowing Flagstar to do so.

Analysis

Allied's Motion to Compel Arbitration

Allied argues that the arbitration agreement of April 20, 2006 obligates the plaintiff to submit her claims against Allied to binding arbitration and, therefore, seeks dismissal and an order compelling arbitration. Through the affidavit of Joseph James, Allied's senior counsel, Allied submitted a copy of the agreement on which it relies. The plaintiff has contested the enforceability of the agreement. The agreement is signed by the plaintiff only and not by Allied. In fact, there is no reference to Allied by name anywhere in the agreement. Rather than identifying Allied by name, the agreement consistently refers to the plaintiff's counterparty obscurely using the pronouns “we”, “our” and “us.” The second paragraph of the agreement states that “[t]his Agreement is effective and binding on both you and your heirs, successors and assigns and us when it is signed by both parties.”

Allied correctly observes that in Massachusetts a contract may be enforceable if signed by only one party if the other party manifests acceptance. Haufler v. Zotos, 446 Mass. 489, 498–99, 845 N.E.2d 322, 331(2006). Allied also notes specific cases in which courts enforced arbitration agreements lacking one party's signature. Samincorp South American Minerals & Merchandise Corp. v. Lewis, 337 Mass. 298, 302–03, 149 N.E.2d 385, 388 (1958); Gvozdenovic v. United Airlines, Inc., 933 F.2d 1100, 1105 (2d Cir.1991).

While the law in Massachusetts may permit the enforcement of an arbitration agreement that is not signed by both parties, such would not be the case when the express language of the agreement requires the signature of both parties. In All State Home Mortgage, Inc. v. Daniel, 187 Md.App. 166, 977 A.2d 438 (2009), the Court of Special Appeals of Maryland addressed this issue with respect to a form of agreement nearly identical to the one in the present case. The court held that while a signature may not always be required for an arbitration agreement to be enforceable, an arbitration agreement that specifically provided for it to be “effective and binding to [sic] you and your heirs, successors and assigns and us when both parties sign it” established that execution by both parties was a condition precedent to enforcement of the contract. Id. at 171, 977 A.2d 438. Because the language of the arbitration agreement was unambiguous and because it was not signed by the lender, the court refused to enforce it. Id. at 183, 977 A.2d 438. Massachusetts contract law appears to be no different than Maryland's in this regard. See Tilo Roofing Co. v. Pellerin, 331 Mass. 743, 745, 122 N.E.2d 460, 462 (1954) (holding that if a condition precedent to the enforcement of a contract is “shown not to have been performed, the writing does not become a binding obligation.”). The arbitration agreement between the plaintiff and Allied is explicit-both parties must sign before the agreement is “effective and binding.” Because Allied did not sign the agreement, it never became binding on the parties and is unenforceable.

Flagstar's Motion to Dismiss

In deciding a motion to dismiss under Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6), made applicable here by Fed. R. Bankr.P. 7012, a court must review the complaint and the documents attached to it to determine if the complaint contains sufficient facts, accepted as true, to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face. Bell Atlantic v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 1966, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007); Rederford v. U.S. Airways, Inc., 589 F.3d 30, 35 (1st Cir.2009). A court must accept as true the factual allegations of the complaint but not the legal conclusions, even if couched as facts. Ashcroft v. Iqbal, ––– U.S. ––––, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 1947, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009). Recitations of the elements of a cause of action supported only by legal conclusions are insufficient to withstand a motion to dismiss. Id.

In its motion, Flagstar seeks dismissal of Count I (violation of Chapter 183C) and Count II (determination of extent of mortgage lien due to Chapter 183C violation) of the plaintiff's complaint on the grounds that Chapter 183C is preempted by federal law because Flagstar is a federal savings bank. Flagstar notes that the Home Owners' Loan Act, 12 U.S.C. §§ 1461–70 (2009) (“HOLA”), authorized the Office of Thrift Supervision (“OTS”) (formerly the Federal Home Loan Bank Board) to promulgate regulations providing “for the organization, incorporation, examination, operation, and regulation” of federal savings associations and federal savings banks (collectively referred to as “federal thrifts”) such as Flagstar. Id. § 1464(a).

The OTS received broad rulemaking authority to preempt state laws that would otherwise govern the banking activities of federal thrifts. Id. § 1465; Fidelity Fed. Sav. & Loan Ass'n v. de la Cuesta, 458 U.S. 141, 102 S.Ct. 3014, 73 L.Ed.2d 664 (1982). Accordingly the OTS promulgated a regulation, 12 C.F.R. § 560.2, occupying the field in connection with the lending operations of federal thrifts. This regulation expressly preempts state laws like Chapter 183C which regulate loan- related fees. ² The OTS has issued interpretive letters concluding that the anti-predatory lending laws of New York, New...