More mortgage reminders
August 18, 2014Chavez v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., No. 13-11325 (Aug. 13, 2014, unpublished) reminds of 2 black-letter principles in mortgage servicing litigation:
1. A claim under section 392.304(a)(19) of the Texas Finance Code requires proof of a misleading affirmative statement. “Chavez does not allege that Wells Fargo ever affirmatively represented that he qualified for the modification program. Here, even assuming that Wells Fargo told Chavez ‘not to worry’ about whether he qualified, this is not an affirmative statement.”
2. As to negligent misrepresentation, “Chavez argues that Wells Fargo made negligent misrepresentations that it would not foreclose on Chavez during the loan modification process and that it he should not make payments during the process. However, ‘representations regarding future loan modifications and foreclosure constitute promises of future action rather than representations of existing fact.” .