Category Archives: statutes of limitations

Cracks in Commercial Real Estate Market Usher in All-Too-Familiar CMBS Putback Litigation and Risk of Broader Distress

It has been said that history repeats itself. This is perhaps not quite correct; it merely rhymes. – Theodor Reik, 1965, Curiosities of the Self: Illusions We Have about Ourselves  I am reminded frequently of the above quote when I … Continue reading

Posted in allocation of loss, banks, bondholder actions, bondholders, borrower fraud, broader credit crisis, Certificateholders, Chetrit, CMBS, contract rights, CRE, Deloitte and Touche, Fannie Mae, fraud, Freddie Mac, interest rates, investors, JPMorgan, lawsuits, liabilities, litigation, MBS, misrespresentation, mortgage fraud, mortgage market, pre-investment due diligence, putbacks, re-underwriting, rep and warranty, repurchase, responsibility, securities, securitization, sellers and sponsors, servicers, statutes of limitations, The Subprime Shakeout, underwriting practices | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Who’s Watching the Watchmen? RMBS Trustees Come Under Fire as Investors Launch Next Wave of Lawsuits

“When one door closes, another door opens; but we so often look so long and regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.” ― Alexander Graham Bell The face of RMBS litigation … Continue reading

Posted in ACE, Alt-A, appeals, Bank of New York, Bank of New York Mellon, banks, Bernstein Litowitz, BlackRock, BofA, bondholders, Certificateholders, Citigroup, Commerce Bank, Countrywide, Credit Unions, DB Structured Products, Deutsche Bank, Doubleline Capital, Federal Home Loan Banks, fiduciary duties, global settlement, HSBC, Institutional Investors, investors, JPMorgan, Justice Kornreich, Kathy Patrick, lawsuits, liabilities, litigation, MBS, New York State Supreme Court, Paul Clement, PIMCO, pooling agreements, putbacks, repurchase, RMBS, SEC, servicers, settlements, statutes of limitations, subprime, TIA, Trustees, US Bank, Wall St., Wells Fargo | 7 Comments

Upcoming Presentation: Trends in MBS Litigation

I am pleased to announce that I will be speaking in and presenting at an upcoming Strafford live phone/web seminar, “Mortgage-Backed Securities Litigation: Latest Developments” scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, November 15, 1:00pm-2:30pm EST. This will be largely geared towards attorneys … Continue reading

Posted in bondholder actions, broader credit crisis, class actions, Complaints, conflicts of interest, contract rights, costs of the crisis, counterparty risk, damages, derivative lawsuits, discovery, education, fraud, gatekeeper litigation, global catastrophe defense, global settlement, impact of the crisis, investors, irresponsible lending, Judicial Opinions, jury trials, lawsuits, liabilities, litigation, loss causation, MBS, misrespresentation, monoline actions, pooling agreements, Presentations, private label MBS, putbacks, rep and warranty, repurchase, research, responsibility, RMBS, securities, securities laws, securitization, sellers and sponsors, settlements, standing, statistical sampling, statutes of limitations, summary judgment, The Subprime Shakeout, Trustees, underwriting practices | 1 Comment

Investor End Games: All Is Not Well in the Garden

“As long as the roots are not severed, all is well.  And all will be well in the garden.” – Chance the Gardener, Being There (1979) With Judge Barbara Kapnick announcing earlier this month that the approval hearing in Bank … Continue reading

Posted in AIG, allocation of loss, ASF, Attorneys General, Bank of New York, banks, BlackRock, Bloomberg, BofA, bondholder actions, causes of the crisis, conflicts of interest, consitutionality, contract rights, costs of the crisis, Countrywide, damages, Deutsche Bank, discovery, eminent domain, fiduciary duties, foreclosure crisis, fraud, global settlement, Grais and Ellsworth, impact of the crisis, incentives, investors, irresponsible lending, Judge Barbara Kapnick, Judge Eileen Bransten, junior liens, Kathy Patrick, lawsuits, lenders, lending guidelines, liabilities, LIBOR manipulation, liquidity, litigation, litigation costs, lobbying, MBIA, MBS, misrespresentation, monoline actions, monolines, mortgage fraud, mortgage insurers, mortgage market, negative equity, Neil Barofsky, private label MBS, procedural hurdles, putbacks, recession, rep and warranty, repurchase, Residential Capital, responsibility, restructuring, RMBS, securities, securitization, sellers and sponsors, settlements, standing, statistical sampling, statutes of limitations, successor liability, summary judgment, The Subprime Shakeout, too big to fail, toxic assets, Treasury, Trustees, underwriting guidelines, underwriting practices, US Bank, vicarious liability, waiver of rights to sue, Wall St., Walnut Place, Way Too Big to Fail, Wells Fargo, William Frey | 2 Comments

Federal Judge Refuses to Narrow Mortgage Putback Claims, Paving Way for Lender Repurchase Liability

It has been just over a month since I published my series on the Top 5 RMBS Cases to Watch this Summer.  In case you missed it, here’s a quick recap of my top five cases: No. 5 – Syncora … Continue reading

Posted in allocation of loss, Ambac, Bank of New York, banks, bondholder actions, contract rights, costs of the crisis, Countrywide, damages, emc, global catastrophe defense, incentives, Investor Syndicate, investors, Judge Eileen Bransten, Judge Paul Crotty, Judicial Opinions, lawsuits, lenders, liabilities, litigation, loss causation, loss estimates, MBIA, MBS, monoline actions, monolines, pooling agreements, private label MBS, public perceptions, putbacks, rep and warranty, repurchase, rescission, responsibility, RMBS, securitization, settlements, statutes of limitations, subprime, summary judgment, underwriting guidelines, underwriting practices | Tagged | 4 Comments

The Top 5 RMBS Cases to Watch this Summer: No. 1 – MBIA v. Countrywide, BofA

After a week-long build-up (I’m sure the suspense is killing you), we’ve reached the No. 1 case in our countdown of RMBS Cases to Watch this Summer.  You may wish to catch up with parts I, II, III, and IV, … Continue reading

Posted in accounting, allocation of loss, appeals, Bank of New York, banks, BofA, bondholder actions, contract rights, costs of the crisis, Countrywide, damages, discovery, fraud, global settlement, impact of the crisis, incentives, investors, irresponsible lending, Judge Barbara Kapnick, Judge Eileen Bransten, Judicial Opinions, jury trials, lawsuits, lenders, lending guidelines, liabilities, litigation, litigation costs, loss causation, MBIA, MBS, media coverage, misrespresentation, monoline actions, monolines, mortgage fraud, private label MBS, putbacks, quinn emanuel, rep and warranty, repurchase, responsibility, RMBS, securitization, settlements, statutes of limitations, subprime, successor liability, The Subprime Shakeout, timeline, Trustees, underwriting guidelines, underwriting practices, vicarious liability | 4 Comments

The Government Giveth and It Taketh Away: The Significance of the Game Changing FHFA Lawsuits

It is no stretch to say that Friday, September 2 was the most significant day for mortgage crisis litigation since the onset of the crisis in 2007.  That Friday, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), as conservator for Fannie Mae … Continue reading

Posted in acquisitions, Ambac, bailout, banks, Bear Stearns, BofA, bondholder actions, Complaints, contract rights, Countrywide, damages, Deutsche Bank, emc, Fannie Mae, Federal Home Loan Banks, FHFA, Freddie Mac, freeriders, Goldman Sachs, Government bailout, investors, irresponsible lending, JPMorgan, jury trials, lawsuits, lending guidelines, liabilities, litigation, litigation costs, loan files, loss causation, loss estimates, LTV, MBS, media coverage, Merrill Lynch, misrespresentation, monoline actions, mortgage fraud, motions to dismiss, negligence and recklessness, private label MBS, procedural hurdles, putbacks, quinn emanuel, ratings agencies, rep and warranty, repurchase, RMBS, securities, securities laws, securitization, shareholder lawsuits, sole remedy, sophistication, stability, standing, statistical sampling, statutes of limitations, subpoenas, successor liability, too big to fail, Trustees, underwriting practices, Wall St., WaMu | 6 Comments

Six Challenges to Countrywide RMBS Settlement Already; Rundown Shows Pact Will Be No Easy Sell for BofA

The BofA settlement blowback has already begun.  If you’ve been following my recent posts (here and here) about the proposed Bank of America (“BofA”) settlement involving the Bank of New York (“BoNY”) and the Kathy Patrick-led investor group (the “Investor … Continue reading

Posted in Attorneys General, Bank of New York, banks, BofA, bondholder actions, conflicts of interest, contract rights, Countrywide, Federal Home Loan Banks, FHFA, global settlement, Grais and Ellsworth, improper documentation, incentives, investigations, investors, lawsuits, lenders, liabilities, litigation, MBS, oversight, pooling agreements, private label MBS, procedural hurdles, putbacks, rep and warranty, repurchase, RMBS, securities fraud, servicers, settlements, standing, statutes of limitations, subpoenas, toxic assets, Trustees | 9 Comments

MBS Lawsuit Drivers Part II: Two More Reasons Why MBS Cases Should Jump in 2011

by Josh Silverman, guest blogger Mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”) litigation should expand this year, as Isaac Gradman correctly pointed out on The Subprime Shakeout in his Top 5 Reasons That MBS Lawsuits Are Just Beginning.   The sheer number of lawsuits continues … Continue reading

Posted in Allstate, banks, bondholder actions, class actions, Countrywide, Federal Home Loan Banks, guest posts, IndyMac, lawsuits, litigation, MBS, mortgage fraud, private label MBS, securities, securities fraud, statutes of limitations | Tagged , , | Leave a comment