Wilmington Trust, Nat'l Ass'n v. Rob
Opinion
Kcevin and Angel Rob defaulted on a home equity loan. The Robs' lender, Wilmington Trust, sued for a judgment permitting foreclosure. The district court granted summary judgment in Wilmington Trust's favor. The Robs appeal, arguing that Wilmington Trust is not entitled to foreclosure because the company failed to prove that it provided adequate notice of intent to accelerate. Agreeing, we reverse the summary judgment and render a judgment of dismissal. 1
I.
On July 26, 2007, appellant Kcevin Rob executed a note in the principal amount of $113,600. On the same day, Kcevin and his wife Angel executed a Texas Home Equity Security Instrument, which secured payment of the note with a lien on the Robs' home in Austin, Texas. In 2014, following a series of assignments, Wilmington Trust, as trustee for ARLP Securitization Trust, Series 2014-2, came into possession of the Robs' loan.
By the time Wilmington Trust acquired it, the Robs' loan had a tumultuous history. The Robs stopped making payments on the loan in March 2011. On April 15, 2011, one of Wilmington Trust's predecessors mailed Kcevin a notice of default and intent to accelerate. 2 On June 22, 2011, Kcevin was sent a notice of acceleration. On March 6, 2012, the predecessor sent a second notice of default and intent to accelerate, followed by a second notice of acceleration on May 22, 2013. On November 3, 2014, Wilmington Trust, having taken assignment of the loan, sent the Robs a "NOTICE OF RESCISSION OF ACCELERATION." That document stated that the lender "hereby rescinds Acceleration of the debt and maturity of the Note" and that the "Note and Security Instrument are now in effect in accordance with their original terms and conditions, as though no acceleration took place."
On June 25, 2015, Wilmington Trust sued the Robs in the Western District of Texas seeking a judgment for foreclosure *176 or, alternatively, a judgment of equitable subrogation. In August 2015, Wilmington Trust filed an Amended Complaint, which alleged that the total debt owed on the note was $159,949.07. The Amended Complaint also stated that Wilmington Trust "accelerates the maturity of the debt and provides notice of this acceleration through the service of this Amended Complaint."
On August 26, 2016, Wilmington Trust moved for summary judgment. The district court granted Wilmington Trust's motion, and entered judgment permitting Wilmington Trust to foreclose on the Robs' home. This appeal followed.
II.
We review a grant of summary judgment de novo, applying the same standard as the district court.
Auguster v. Vermilion Parish Sch. Bd.
,
III.
"[W]hether a holder has accelerated a note is a fact question."
Holy Cross Church of God in Christ v. Wolf
,
"Texas courts disfavor acceleration because it imposes a severe burden on the mortgagor."
Schuhardt Consulting Profit Sharing Plan v. Double Knobs Mountain Ranch, Inc.
,
Consistent with this caution, Texas common law imposes notice requirements before acceleration. In Texas, "[e]ffective acceleration requires two acts: (1) notice of intent to accelerate, and (2) notice of acceleration."
Wolf
,
Texas courts require pre-acceleration notice to be "clear and unequivocal."
Wolf
,
Texas courts have not squarely confronted whether a borrower is entitled to a new round of notice when a borrower re-accelerates following an earlier rescission. Forced to make an
Erie
guess, we hold that the Texas Supreme Court would require such notice, and that Wilmington Trust has therefore failed to meet its summary judgment burden. Abandonment of acceleration "restor[es] the contract to its original condition."
Boren
,
Because Wilmington Trust failed to meet its burden to show clear and unequivocal *178 notice of intent to accelerate prior to filing suit, it is not entitled to a foreclosure judgment. Accordingly, we hold that Wilmington Trust has not met its burden and reverse the district court's grant of summary judgment.
IV.
The summary judgment is REVERSED, and a judgment of dismissal is RENDERED.
The Robs also argue the loan documents do not meet the requirements for foreclosure-eligibility contained in Article XVI, Section 50(a)(6) of the Texas Constitution. We do not reach this issue.
Acceleration is "[t]he advancing of a loan agreement's maturity date so that payment of the entire debt is due immediately." Acceleration , Black's Law Dictionary (10th ed. 2014).
See
Smither v. Ditech Fin., L.L.C.
,
A borrower may waive its right to notice of intent to accelerate, but the waiver must be unequivocal.
Shumway v. Horizon Credit Corp.
,
Reference
- Full Case Name
- WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, Not in Its Individual Capacity but as Trustee of ARLP Securitization Trust, Series 2014-2, Plaintiff-Appellee v. Angel ROB; Kcevin Rob, Defendants-Appellants
- Cited By
- 15 cases
- Status
- Published