Sayre v. Customers Bank

• Decision Date: 29 May 2015
• Docket Number: CIVIL ACTION NO. 14-3740
• Court: U.S. District Court — Eastern District of Pennsylvania
• Parties: ROBERT D. SAYRE, Plaintiff, v. CUSTOMERS BANK, Defendant.

ROBERT D. SAYRE, Plaintiff, v. CUSTOMERS BANK, Defendant.

CIVIL ACTION NO. 14-3740

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA

May 29, 2015

OPINION

Slomsky, J.

I. INTRODUCTION

Plaintiff Robert D. Sayre was employed by ISN Bank, the predecessor of Defendant Customers Bank, as Vice President and Counsel from June 20, 2005 through March 31, 2010. (Doc. No. 22 ¶ 9.) Plaintiff brings this lawsuit against Defendant Customers Bank only, claiming that Customers Bank and its predecessor, ISN Bank, violated Pennsylvania law by breaching Plaintiff's severance agreement and collecting certain fees and payments due under a mortgage loan agreement between Plaintiff and ISN Bank. Plaintiff also alleges that Defendant's efforts to collect these fees and payments violated the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

In the seven-count Amended Complaint, Plaintiff alleges the following claims: (Count I) violation of the Pennsylvania Loan Interest and Protection Law ("Act 6"), 41 Pa. Stat. Ann. §§ 101-605; (Count II) violation of the Pennsylvania Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law ("UTPCPL"), 73 Pa. Stat. Ann. §§ 201-1 to -9.3; (Count III) violation of the Pennsylvania Mortgage Satisfaction Act, 21 Pa. Stat. Ann. §§ 721-1 to -12; (Count IV) Breach of Contract; (Count V) Setoff; (Count VI) Breach of the Duty of Good Faith and Fair Dealing; and(Count VII) violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ("FDCPA"), 15 U.S.C. § 1692 (2013). (Doc. No. 22.)

On October 27, 2014, Defendant filed a Motion to Dismiss all seven counts of the Amended Complaint. (Doc. No. 26.) On November 11, 2014, Plaintiff filed a Response in Opposition to Defendant's Motion. (Doc. No. 29.) On December 22, 2014, the Court held a hearing on the Motion. (Doc. No. 33.) Defendant's Motion to Dismiss the Amended Complaint (Doc. No. 26) is now ripe for disposition. For reasons that follow, Counts I and II of the Amended Complaint will be dismissed in part.¹ Counts III, V, VI, and VII will be dismissed in their entirety. Count IV will not be dismissed.

II. BACKGROUND

A. The Parties

Plaintiff Robert D. Sayre is a lawyer and resides at 85 Mt. Pleasant Road, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. (Doc. No. 22 ¶ 1.) Defendant Customers Bank is a Pennsylvania state chartered bank and a wholly owned subsidiary of Customers Bancorp, Inc., a Pennsylvania corporation with an office located at 1501 N. Broad Street, Suite 20, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Id. ¶ 2.)

B. The Mortgage Loan Transaction Between Plaintiff and ISN Bank

Plaintiff was employed by ISN Bank, a New Jersey state chartered bank, as Vice President and Counsel from June 20, 2005 through March 31, 2010. (Id. ¶¶ 5, 9.) While employed at ISN Bank, Plaintiff purchased on September 19, 2007 real property located at 2219 Gaul Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (the "Property"). (Id. ¶ 3.) In connection with the purchase, Plaintiff entered into a mortgage loan transaction with ISN evidenced by a promissory note (the "Note") and a mortgage (the "Mortgage"). (Id. ¶¶ 4, 6; Doc. No. 44, Exs. A, B.) In accordance with the terms of the Note and Mortgage, ISN made a $98,000 loan to Plaintiff secured by a first priority mortgage lien on the Property. (Doc. No. 22 ¶ 6, 7; Doc. No. 44, Exs. A, B.)

C. Plaintiff's Severance Agreement and Termination of Employment

On February 7, 2008, Benjamin S. Friedman, President of ISN, sent Plaintiff an e-mail memorializing ISN's agreement to provide Plaintiff with a minimum of six months severance pay in the event Plaintiff is terminated without cause. (Doc. No. 22 ¶ 11; Doc. No. 44, Ex. C.) On May 12, 2008, Plaintiff and Karl A. Towns, the new President of ISN, executed an agreement formalizing Plaintiff's severance terms (the "Severance Agreement"). (Doc. No. 22 ¶ 12; Doc. No. 44, Ex. D.) In relevant part, the Severance Agreement states that "in the event [Plaintiff] is terminated without cause, [Plaintiff] shall be entitled to six months continued salary at the same level that [Plaintiff] receive[s] at the present time." (Doc. No. 44, Ex. D.) The Severance Agreement defines "cause" as follows:

"Cause" shall mean a determination by a majority of the Management that Employee: (i) has misappropriated, stolen or embezzled funds or property of [ISN] or an affiliate of [ISN] or secured or attempted to secure personally any profit in connection with any transaction entered into on behalf of [ISN] or any affiliate of [ISN]; (ii) has, notwithstanding not less than thirty (30) days' prior written notice from Management, willfully and persistently failed to perform (other than by reason of illness or temporary disability, regardless of whether suchtemporary disability is or becomes a permanent disability, or by reason of vacation or approved leave of absence) his material duties; (iii) has been convicted of, or entered a plea of "nolo contendere" to, a felony (other than traffic violations); or (iv) has willfully or through gross negligence violated or breached any material provision of this Agreement, any material law or regulation or any written policy or code of business conduct or ethics of [ISN] to the material detriment of [ISN] or any affiliate of [ISN] or its business. For purposes of this definition, no act or failure to act, on the part of [Plaintiff], shall be considered "willful" unless it's done, or omitted to be done, by [Plaintiff] in bad faith or with gross negligence. Any act, or failure to act, based upon authority given pursuant to a resolution duly adopted by Management or based upon the advice of counsel for [ISN] shall be conclusively presumed to be done, or omitted to be done, by [Plaintiff] in good faith and in the best interests of [ISN]. The cessation of employment of [Plaintiff] shall not be deemed to be for Cause unless and until there shall have been delivered to [Plaintiff] a copy of [a] resolution, duly adopted by the affirmative action vote of not less than a majority of the membership of the Management at a meeting of the Management called and held for such purpose (after reasonable notice is provided to [Plaintiff] and [Plaintiff] is given an opportunity, together with counsel, to be heard before Management), finding that, in the good faith opinion of Management, [Plaintiff] was guilty of the conduct set forth in the clauses above, and specifying in writing the particulars thereof in detail.

(Id.)

In February 2010, Plaintiff informed ISN that he had cancer and would be required to undergo surgery and follow-up treatment. (Doc. No. 22 ¶ 12.) On March 30, 2010, a few days before a scheduled surgery, ISN advised Plaintiff that his employment with ISN would be terminated at the close of business on March 31, 2010. (Id. ¶ 14.) On March 31, 2010, ISN sent Plaintiff a letter terminating his employment. (Id. ¶ 15; Doc. No. 44, Ex. E.) At the time of his termination, Plaintiff's base salary was $127,500. (Doc. No. 22 ¶ 20.)

D. Plaintiff Attempts to Set Off His Mortgage Debt; ISN Is Acquired by Customers Bank

On June 24, 2010, Plaintiff sent a letter to ISN, advising that he would exercise his rights under federal and state law, including his right to setoff the remaining balance due on his mortgage loan by the $63,750 payment he claims ISN owed to him under his Severance Agreement. (Id. ¶¶ 22, 23; Doc. No. 44, Ex. F.) Plaintiff included with this letter a check for$9,295.00, which he calculated to be the amount he owed ISN after the setoff. (Id.) Plaintiff stated in the letter that this check, combined with the setoff, represented payment in full of the Note and Mortgage, and he requested that ISN file a notice that the Mortgage was satisfied as required by Pennsylvania's Mortgage Satisfaction Act. (Doc. No. 22 ¶¶ 22, 23; Doc. No. 44, Ex. F.) ISN apparently did not agree that Plaintiff was owed a $63,750 severance payment, and declined to follow Plaintiff's request to file the mortgage satisfaction notice. (Doc. No. 22 ¶ 24.) Nevertheless, Plaintiff stopped making Mortgage payments to ISN in June 2010. (Id. ¶ 25.) ISN thereafter reported Plaintiff's Mortgage loan as past due to various consumer reporting agencies. (Id. ¶ 26.)

In September 2010, Defendant Customers Bank acquired the assets of ISN. (Id. ¶ 27.) Defendant also reported Plaintiff's Mortgage loan as past due to various consumer reporting agencies. (Id. ¶ 29.)

On September 27, 2011, Defendant sent Plaintiff a letter notifying him that he was in default under the terms of the Note. (Id. ¶ 30; Doc. No. 44, Ex. G.) Defendant attached to this letter an "Act 6/91 Notice"² informing Plaintiff that he could cure the default by paying $14,900.55, which was the total amount past due plus interest and fees. (Id. ¶ 31; Doc. No. 44, Ex. G.) This sum included a $385 appraisal fee. (Id. ¶ 33; Doc. No. 44, Ex. G.)

On October 25, 2011, Plaintiff sent a letter to Defendant requesting that Defendant comply with the FDCPA, including a demand that Defendant provide evidence of its purported ownership of the Mortgage loan. (Id. ¶ 36; Doc. No. 44, Ex. G.) In December 2011, Plaintiffpaid Defendant the amounts that Defendant asserted were due on the Mortgage because Plaintiff was advised that he would be unable to obtain a mortgage or any additional credit as long as the Mortgage was reported as past due. (Doc. No. 22 ¶ 39.) As a result, Defendant did not commence a foreclosure suit against Plaintiff. (Id. ¶ 40.) On December 9, 2011, Plaintiff sent Defendant another letter demanding that Defendant comply with the FDCPA. (Id. ¶ 41; Doc. No. 44, Ex. K.)

In the spring of 2013, Plaintiff entered into an agreement of sale for the Property and closing was scheduled for late June 2013. (Doc. No. 22 ¶ 42.) On June 25, 2013, Defendant provided a Payoff Request Letter (misdated June 25, 2012) seeking payment of, among other sums, the remaining mortgage balance of $54,624.64, attorney's fees of $2,934.01, and an appraisal fee of $535. (Id. ¶ 43; Doc. No. 44, Ex. L.) On or about June 27, 2013, Plaintiff advised De...