In the case of David Scoggin vs. Listerhill Employees Credit Union, the Alabama Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling in favor of the credit union. Here, the credit union repossessed a member’s Dodge Dynasty and sold the vehicle at auction for the highest bid of $5,000. The vehicle’s odometer displayed mileage of 18,334 miles, […]

Question: Are credit union Home Equity and/or Second Mortgages subject to modification by a debtor’s Chapter 13 Plan? Answer: Yes. In the U.S. Bankruptcy Courts located within the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, and applicable to the Federal Bankruptcy Courts located within the State of Michigan, this issue is currently governed by the rulings in the case […]

Here, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court ruled that a creditor’s recorded mortgage was invalid simply because the notary’s acknowledgement did not recite who appeared before the notary and acknowledged execution of the mortgage. In this case, debtors borrowed more than $148,000 from Calumet National Bank and signed a mortgage on their real estate securing the debt. […]

The Michigan Supreme Court has held that the Credit Union is protected as a secured party under the “loss payable” clause of an insurance policy, even if the Credit Union member burned the collateral and made false statements to the insurance company on its claim of loss. Here, the Credit Union member executed an installment note with State Employees Credit Union secured […]

In this case, two debtors applied for and closed on a mortgage with American General Finance, Inc. (hereinafter “American General”). The debtors represented to American General that they only had one mortgage on their residence. American General intended to grant the debtors a loan secured by a second mortgage; American General obtained a title search […]

Right of Rescission: Michigan Court Ruled Each Borrower Must Receive Two Notices of Right to Cancel. The Michigan Court of Appeals has held that a mortgagor who is entitled to a notice of the right to rescind is in fact entitled to two copies of that notice for each borrower. In this case, each borrower […]

In this case, the Colorado Court of Appeals held that the credit union’s lien on a borrower’s mobile home was superior to a mortgage held on the real estate upon which the mobile home was permanently built. Here, ENT Federal Credit Union (hereinafter “ENT”) granted a loan to Alice Ripley secured by her mobile home. The […]

The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act includes a section requiring certain financial institutions, including credit unions, to report discharges of indebtedness of $600 or more during any calendar year to the IRS on Form 1099-C, entitled “Cancellation of Debt”. The IRS has published regulations implementing the law requiring credit unions and other financial institutions to report annually on […]

In this case, a California Appellate Panel rendered an opinion favoring creditors who refinance a debt in reliance upon a fraudulent financing statement, even though no new money is advanced. In this case, debtors had an existing loan with the bank and were unable to make the agreed payments. Debtors requested an extension of time to […]

Here, debtor, a former police officer, applied for and was approved for a loan from Hartford Police Federal Credit Union for $150,000. The loan was for the purpose of paying off an existing second mortgage on debtor’s residence and for the purchase of a business. At the closing on the credit union’s new mortgage, debtor executed the closing […]