Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance v. DB Structured Products, Inc.
Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance v. DB Structured Products, Inc.
Opinion of the Court
MEMORANDUM AND ORDER REGARDING PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT ON DEFENDANT DEUTSCHE BANKS DUE DILIGENCE AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE
I. Introduction
Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (“Plaintiff’) brought eleven related actions against various defendants, asserting violations of Mass. Gen. Laws ch. ' 110A, § 410, the Massachusetts Uniform Securities Act- (“MUSA”), for misstatements and omissions contained in the offering documents of certain residential mortgage-backed securities (“RMBS”). The instant action (ll-cv-30039-MGM), brought against Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. (“DBSI”), Anilesh Ahuja, Michael Commaroto, Richard D’AIbert, and Richard Ferguson (together, “Defendants”), was designated a “bellwether” case by Judge Saris on December 4, 2013.
Presently before the court is Plaintiffs motion for partial summary judgment to preclude DBSI from asserting a due diligence affirmative defense (Dkt. No. 333). For the following reasons, the court concludes that, for nine of the ten securitiza-tions, the reasonableness of DBSI’s due diligence is a question for the fact-finder and, therefore, will deny Plaintiffs motion as to those securitizations. For the ACE 2007-HE3 securitization, however, the court concludes that DBSI’s due diligence was inadequate as a matter of law, since over 80% of the loans comprising the secu-ritization derived from loan pools which were not subjected to in-depth diligence reviews at the time of acquisition, nor anytime thereafter. Accordingly, the court will grant Plaintiffs motion as to the ACE 2007-HE3 securitization.
II. STANDARD Of REVIEW
“Summary judgment is appropriate ‘if the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and
III. Background
The parties do not dispute the following facts, which are construed in the light most favorable to Defendants, the non-moving parties.
DBSI acted as the underwriter and its affiliate, DB Structured Products, Inc. (“DBSP”), acted as the sponsor for the ten securitizations at issue in this action. As sponsor, DBSP acquired the mortgage loans backing the securitizations from three sources: bulk whole loan purchases from third-party originators, individual loans and small loan pools obtained through its correspondent lending group (“CLG”),
The Acquisition Diligence included loan-level credit, compliance, and property valuation reviews between the time DBSP bid on a given loan-pool trade and the settle
DBSP also instructed third-party diligence vendor, Clayton Holdings LLC (“Clayton”), to perform a data integrity review for potential bulk whole loan purchases. (Id. ¶ 127.) After receiving the “bid tape” from a potential originator, DBSP would have Clayton compare data in the tape with the loan files and report any discrepancies to DBSP. (Id. ¶¶ 126-27.)
A. Credit and Compliance Diligence
Next, DBSP performed loan-level credit and compliance due diligence. For bulk whole loan acquisitions, DBSP usually reviewed a sample of loans for credit compliance, which would include re-underwriting the mortgage loans against the originator’s underwriting guidelines and assessing whether the borrower had the ability to repay the loan. (Id. ¶ 128; Stephens Decl., Ex. 13 at 159-60.)
After evaluating the loan files against applicable guidelines and overlays, Clayton used a grading system of 1 to 3 to grade each loan based, separately, on its credit and compliance due diligence findings. (Id. ¶ 144.) A grade of 1 meant that the loan fully met the originator’s underwriting guidelines and did not trigger one of DBSP’s overlays. (Id.) A grade of 3 signified a preliminary evaluation that the loan had a material exception to the originator’s guidelines, met the originator’s guidelines but triggered one of DBSP’s overlays, or was missing documentation or had other
DBSP played an active role in supervising and monitoring Clayton, and Mr. Swartz communicated regularly with Kathy Ireland, Clayton’s point person for DBSP’s due diligence reviews. (Defs.’s SOF ¶ 151.) Moreover, Clayton’s work for DBSP often involved assessing the accuracy or reasonableness of the information in the loan file. (Id. ¶ 154.) For example, DBSP’s overlay instructions explicitly stated that Clayton reviewers should consider stated income loans to “determine that the stated income is reasonable for the employment stated and also to determine that it is reasonable in light of the credit history provided and cash verified.” (Id.)
For loans acquired through DBSP’s CLG program, Lydian Data Services (“Lydian”), another third-party diligence vendor, performed a comprehensive loan-level credit, compliance, and legal documentation review on 100% of the loans.
B. Property Valuation Diligence
Along with the. credit and compliance due diligence, DBSP performed property valuation due diligence to assess the reasonableness of the subject property valuations. (Id. ¶ 169.) DBSP usually ran automated valuation models (“AVMs”) on 100% of the loans in a pool for the bulk whole loan trades. (Id. ¶ 170.) AVMs are computer programs that use statistical models to reach objective estimates of the market value of real property. (Id. ¶ 171; Duffy Deck, Ex. 51 at 27.) Where the AVM did not return a value, also known as a “no hit,” DBSP obtained a HistoryPro value, another computer tool which identified loans with a potentially high risk of mort
After receiving the BPO results, DBSP then reviewed the loans that had a variance of 15% or more between the appraised value and the BPO result. (Id. ¶ 176.) DBSP also considered additional information provided by originators that might explain discrepancies between the appraised value and the BPO and, sometimes, became comfortable that, the property value in the original appraisal was reasonable. (Id. ¶ 179.) If DBSP did not become comfortable with the original appraisal’s property value after receiving additional information, it would kick the loan from the pool. (Id.)
The CLG valuation due diligence was similar to the whole loan bulk purchase process. Lydian conducted a review of the valuation of all the loans by running an AVM. (Id. ¶ 183.) If the Lydian underwriter determined that the AVM result did not support the appraisal valuation, the Lydian underwriter elevated the loan to Lydian’s appraisal department and then to DBSP. (Id. ¶ 184.) If DBSP agreed with Lydian that there was a risk the valuation was unsupported, DBSP ordered a more detailed independent appraisal from a list of approved appraisers. (Id. ¶ 185.) Finally, if that independent appraiser agreed that the original property value was unsupported, DBSP did not purchase the loan. (Id.)
C. Chapel and MortgagelT
As mentioned, Deutsche Bank AG acquired Chapel in September, 2006, and MortgagelT in January, 2007. (Pl.’s SOF ¶¶ 52, 60.) Prior to their acquisitions, DBSP reviewed loans from these originators in the same manner as it did for any other originator. (Defs.’s SOF ¶ 187.) After their acquisitions, however, DBSP ceased conducting Acquisition Diligence on loans originated by Chapel and Mortga-gelT.
D. ACE 2007-HEI
The loans in the ACE 2007-HE4 securi-tization were selected from one whole loan pool acquired from ResMAE Mortgage Corp. (“ResMAE”) on February 1, 2007,
E. DBSI’s Involvement and Understanding of Due Diligence Work
Mr. Swartz, the head of DBSP’s due diligence group, would send findings from some diligence reviews and written reports summarizing the due diligence that was performed to Susan Valenti, who was the head of DBSI’s RMBS securitization group, or her colleagues in the securitization group. (Id. ¶ 190.) Ms. Valenti testified that “for the purpose of reviewing disclosures in the. prospectus supplement,” she received summaries of due diligence performed on samples of loans for securiti-zations that she oversaw or worked on. (Id. ¶ 191.) Sometimes, Ms. Valenti would consult with the trading desk, as well as Mr. Swartz, regarding the appropriate diligence samples size. (Id. ¶ 192.) In general, however, neither the securitization group nor the due. diligence group would consult the trading desk on such decisions; rather, the sample size was typically negotiated between the trading desk and the originator, which sought to limit the sample size. (Dkt. No. 399, Plaintiffs Response to Defendant’s Counterstatement of Material Facts (“PL’s Response SOF”) ¶ 192; PL’s SOF ¶ 27; Defs.’s Reply SOF ¶ 27.) Ms. Valenti sometimes received due diligence summary reports directly from the due diligence providers. (Defs.’s Reply SOF ¶193.) After receiving due diligence summaries, Ms. Valenti and Mr. Swartz, who worked on the same floor, often discussed the findings. (Id.)
F. Securitization
Following Acquisition Diligence, DBSP selected the mortgage loans to include in' each securitization from a combination of one or more bulk whole loan trades, loans acquired from the CLG channel, or loans acquired from affiliated originators Chapel and MortgagelT. Specifically, the loan pools underlying six of the ten securitiza-tions (DBALT 2006-AF1, DBALT 2006-AR2, DBALT 2006-AR3, DBALT 2006-AR5, DBALT 2006-AR6, and ACE 2007-HE4) were comprised of loans from between 16 and 100 different bulk whole loan trades, combined with loans from other channels such as the CLG. (PL’s SOF ¶ 25.) Two securitizations (ACE ' 2007-HE3 and ACE 2007-WM2) were comprised of loans from single bulk whole loan trades. (Id. ¶¶ 17-18; Defs.’s Reply SOF ¶ 24.) And, as mentioned, two securitiza-tions (ACE 2006-ASAP4 and ACE 2007-ASAP1) were comprised of loans from the CLG. (Defs.’s Reply SOF ¶ 89.) DBSP collateral analysts in the financial engineering group combined loans to achieve the desired structure, including cash-flow and ratings, for the securitization. (Stephens Deck, Ex. 1 at 77-80, 193-95; Ex. 5 at 355-356, 359; Ex. 31 at 271-73.) The period of time during which DBSP held loans between acquisition and securitization varied greatly; many loans were held
After the loans were aggregated and securitized, certificates representing rights to principal and interest payments from the underlying loan pool were issued for sale to investors. DBSI marketed and sold the certificates to Plaintiff pursuant to offering documents which included representations about underwriting guidelines used to originate the loans, appraisal standards used to value the mortgaged properties, and loan characteristics. (PL’s SOF ¶ 8.) DBSI did not substantively review the loans at the time' of securitization. (Id. ¶ 3.)
G. Mr. Grice’s Expert Report
DBSI submitted an expert report by Charles Grice, who holds a Master’s Degree from Harvard University and has over 30 years of experience working as a .consultant with financial institutions on regulatory and risk management matters, including work for the Federal Reserve Board, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Office of Thrift Supervision, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. (Defs.’s Reply SOF ¶ 199; Duffy Deck, Ex. 3 ¶ 1-2, 9.) Among other matters, Mr. Grice reviewed Deutsche Bank’s due diligence practices, focusing on the trades that contributed the majority of loans to the securitizations at issue. (Defs.’s Reply SOF ¶ 200; Duffy Deck, Ex. 3.) In particular, he examined the procedural documentation associated with each trade, the size and makeup of the sample, the credit and compliance loan-level results, and the valuation loan-level results for all the Major Bulk Trades.
TV. Musa’s Due Diligence Defense
Under § 410(a)(2) of MUSA, a defendant may avoid liability for misstate
Y. Analysis
Plaintiff asserts DBSI’s due diligence affirmative defense fails as a matter of law. In particular, Plaintiff argues DBSI failed to conduct an independent investigation to verify the accuracy of the statements in the offering documents; rather, it improperly relied on DBSP’s Acquisition Diligence. Plaintiff also contends that, even if DBSI could rely on DBSP’s due diligence, those reviews were unreasonable because they were conducted on different pools of loans than the pools backing the securitiza-tions, the samples were inadequate, and DBSI ignored red flags raising concerns about originator non-compliance with underwriting guidelines and inflated property values. Lastly, Plaintiff argues that DBSI cannot prove any investigation occurred regarding loans that contributed all or a vast majority of loans to three securitiza-tions: those comprised entirely of loans from the CLG (ACE 2006-ASAP4 and ACE 2007-ASAP1), as well as ACE 2007-HE4. Except as to the ACE 2007-HE4 securitization, discussed below, the court concludes that Plaintiffs arguments raise questions reserved for the fact-finder as to the reasonableness of the due diligence conducted.
As an initial matter, the court rejects Defendants’ assertion that a plaintiff may not seek to preclude the due diligence defense until after it proves its prima facie case. As Judge Cote explained in Fed. Hous. Fin. Agency v. Nomura Holding
The court also disagrees with Plaintiffs assertion that DBSI must demonstrate a “reasonable investigation” to sustain its due diligence defense, as opposed to “reasonable care,” to the extent these standards differ in any meaningful way. Section 410(a)(2) of MUSA, like Section 12(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, uses the language “reasonable care” to describe the level of diligence a defendant must demonstrate. MASS. GEN. LAWS ch. 110A, § 410(a)(2); see also 15 U.S.C. § 77i(a)(2). In contrast, Section 11 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 provides that, for the non-expert portions of the registration statement, a defendant must show it conducted a “reasonable investigation” to ensure the statements were true and did not omit material facts in order to sustain the due diligence defense. 15 U.S.C. § 77k(b)(3). This reading — that a defendant must only show “reasonable care” and not a “reasonable investigation” — is consistent with the SEC’s own interpretation issued in 2005. See SEC Release No. 8591, 2005 WL 1692642, at *79 (Aug. 3, 2005) (“We believe, however, as we have stated previously, that the standard of care under Section 12(a)(2) is less demanding than that prescribed by Section 11 or, put another way, that Section 11 requires a more diligent investigation than Section 12(a)(2).”).
This interpretation is not inconsistent with the First Circuit’s much earlier decision in Glassman v. Computervision Corp., 90 F.3d 617 (1st Cir. 1996), in which it indicated in a single citation sentence that “the two articulations of due diligence are ‘similar,’ if not identical.” Id. at 628 (citing In re Software Toolworks Inc., 50 F.3d at 621). For purposes of its decision in Glassman, the First Circuit did not need to consider whether the § 12 due diligence standard (or, by analogy, the MUSA standard) is actually less demanding than the § 11 standard because the First Circuit found the plaintiffs allegations were insufficient with.respect to either.
The main question is whether DBSI’s reliance on DBSP’s Acquisition Diligence was unreasonable as a matter of law. Plaintiff contends that it was DBSI’s responsibility as the underwriter to guard against material misrepresentations and omissions. Plaintiff asserts DBSI had an even greater obligation to conduct independent due diligence reviews because it was financially intertwined with DBSP, its affiliate. The reasonableness of DBSI’s reliance on the Acquisition Diligence, the court concludes, is a jury question. As Defendants point out, this case, involving RMBS, is different from the typical corporate securities offering. In the typical securities context, it is the financial health of. the issuing company which matters to an investor; here, it is the assets acquired from the originators, the residential mortgages, that provides the value. Accordingly, the originators are somewhat more analogous to the issuers in the typical securities setting, and the concerns about financial ties between the issuer and the underwriter are not necessarily at play.
Moreover, conducting the reviews at the time of acquisition may have been reasonable. It makes some sense to review the loans at acquisition, which is closer to the origination date, rather than at the securi-tization stage. Granted, post-origination information may also shed light on the accuracy of the loan information as of origination, and it may be unreasonable not to update that information by the effective date of the offering. For purposes of summary judgment, however, Plaintiff has not demonstrated that the Acquisition Diligence was stale as a matter of law. As for Plaintiffs argument that DBSP conducted the Acquisition Diligence on different pools of loans than the ones underlying the secu-ritizations, that is true, but the statistics regarding the specific loans selected for securitization followed the loans into the newly constructed loan pools. The real question is whether the sampling was under-representative such that DBSI did not have reasonable grounds to believe the representations in the offering documents were accurate; but, again, this is a jury question as to the reasonableness of the sampling methodology.
Plaintiffs contention that DBSP and DBSI ignored red flags also raises a jury question. See In re WorldCom, 2005 WL 638268, at *8 (“What constitutes a red flag is an exquisitely fact intensive inquiry that depends upon the circumstances surrounding a particular issue [and] the alleged misstatements.... ”). In particular, relatively high “kick” rates do not necessarily demonstrate a red flag, as any loans that were kicked did not make it into the secu-ritization pools, and elevated kick rates are somewhat to be expected for adverse sampling, which focuses on potentially high risk credit characteristics.
The court notes that Judge Cote granted summary judgment for the plaintiff, precluding the defendant from asserting the due diligence defense, in Fed. Hous. Fin. Agency v. Nomura Holding America Inc., 68 F.Supp.3d 439 (S.D.N.Y. 2014), a similar RMBS case. She concluded the
The court, however, reaches a different conclusion as to the ACE 2007-HE4 securitization.
VI. Conclusion
For these reasons, the court ALLOWS Plaintiffs motion for partial summary judgment on Deutsche Bank’s diligence affirmative defense (Dkt. No. 333) as to the ACE 2007-HE4 securitization but otherwise DENIES the motion.
It is So Ordered.
. The second bellwether action, 1 l-cv-30215-MGM, was settled by the parties and closed by the court on December 24, 2014. (See 11-cv-30125, Dkt. No. 421.)
. Through the CLG, DBSP acquired individual loans and small pools of loans underwritten to its own guidelines, rather than the originator’s guidelines. (Dkt. No. 376, Defs.’s Local Rule 56.1 Reply to Plaintiff’s Statement of Undisputed Material Facts (''Defs.’s Reply SOF”) ¶ 89.)
. DBSI’s parent company, Deutsche Bank AG, acquired Chapel in September, 2006, and MortgagelT in January, 2007. (Dkt. No. 347, Pl.’s Statement of Material Undisputed Facts ("PL's SOF”) ¶¶ 52, 60.)
. As discussed below, however, not all bulk whole loan purchases were subject to this review; in particular, loans from certain originators in the ACE 2007-HE4 securitization were not subjected to Acquisition Diligence. (Pl.'s SOF ¶¶ 4144.)
. Although the parties were not able to collect Lydian's due diligence documents because of its bankruptcy, there are other documents and testimony in the record which reflect the due diligence work that Lydian and DBSP did. (Id. ¶ 155.)
. Although, as mentioned, three securitiza-tions (DBALT 2006-AR5, DBALT 2006-AR6, and ACE 2007-HE4) included loans from affiliated originators Chapel and MortgagelT, it appears that only ACE 2007-HE4 included loans which derived from these originators after DBSP formally acquired them and, thus, it is only these loans on which DBSP did not conduct Acquisition Diligence. (Pl.’s SOF ¶ 43-44.) The ACE 2007-HE4 securitization is discussed in more detail below. For the other two securitizations, DBSP appears to have settled, or purchased, loans from Chapel and Mortgage IT between the time it entered into an agreement to acquire these originators and formal acquisition. (Defs.’s Reply SOF ¶¶ 52, 60; Stephens Decl., Exs. 119-121.) Accordingly, looking at the facts in the light most favorable to Defendants, DBSP did conduct Acquisition Diligence on the loans originated by Chapel and MortgagelT for the DBALT 2006-AR5 and DBALT 2006-AR6 sec-uritizations.
. DBSI did, however, hire a third-party accountant, Deloitte & Touche LLP ("Deloitte”), to confirm calculations in the offering documents based on the data listed in the loan tape, but Deloitte did not examine the accuracy of the data. (Defs.’s Reply SOF ¶¶ 1, 196; Pl.’s SOF ¶ 21.) DBSI also received “negative assurance letters” for the securitizations from outside counsel, McKeen Nelson LLP and Thacher Proffitt & Wood, LLP, in which counsel stated that it was not aware of any material misstatements or omissions in the offering documents. (Defs.’s Reply SOF ¶¶ 1, 197.) However, these negative assurance letters explicitly stated that counsel were not engaged to "establish or confirm factual matters” in the offering documents, did not "verify independently any of the matters” in the offering documents, and did not "assume any responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the statements contained in” the offering documents. (Pl.’s SOF ¶ 22.)
. Mr. Grice defined "Major Bulk Trades” as those whole loan trades from originators who contributed 5% or more and 100 or more loans to a securitization. (Duffy Dec!., Ex. 3 ¶ 104.)
. Because § 410(a)(2) of MUSA “is almost identical with § 12(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, 15 U.S.C. § 77Z(a)(2),” the Supreme Judicial Court and the Massachusetts Legislature have directed courts to interpret MUSA in coordination with Section 12(a)(2) of the federal Securities Act. Marram, 809 N.E.2d at 1025 (internal quotation marks omitted). The court also looks to interpretations of § 11 of the Securities Exchange Act for the reasons discussed below.
. The SEC’s interpretation is entitled to deference under Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., 467 U.S. 837, 844, 104 S.Ct 2778, 81 L.Ed.2d 694 (1984). See, e.g., S.E.C. v. Cavanagh, 445 F.3d 105, 114 (2d Cir. 2006).
. Notably, the First Circuit in Glassman was not addressing due diligence as an affirmative defense asserted by the defendant. Rather, it was addressing the plaintiff's claim that the defendant made material misrepresentations in the prospectus supplement in asserting that due diligence had been performed. Id. at 627.
. Rather, any financial ties between the originator and the issuer and/or underwriter would be more concerning in the RMBS context.
. Mr. Blum, Plaintiff’s due diligence expert, offered no opinion on the sample sizes. (Duffy Dec!., Ex. 19 at 197-98.) And, although he did opine that adverse sampling was insufficient, this and other conflicts in expert testimony generally must be resolved by the jury. See Abbott GmbH & Co., KG v. Centocor Ortho Biotech, Inc., 870 F.Supp.2d 206, 250 (D.Mass. 2012).
. As for the two securitization comprised entirely of loans from the CLG program, ACE 2006-ASAP4 and ACE 2007-ASAP1, the court rejects Plaintiff's assertion that Defendants have presented no evidence of diligence reviews. In fact, Defendants have presented evidence showing Lydian conducted credit, compliance, and valuation reviews on 100% of the loans backing these securitizations. Moreover, as Defendants explain, Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56(c) permits a party to defeat summary judgment through any admissible evidence, not just documentary evidence, which is missing from the record through no fault of the parties.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- MASSACHUSETTS MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY v. DB STRUCTURED PRODUCTS, INC.
- Cited By
- 4 cases
- Status
- Published