Category Archives: negligence and recklessness

Wells Fargo Asks Court to Reject JPMorgan’s “Ostrich Defense” to CMBS Representation and Warranty Breaches, as Additional Putback Litigation Hits Civil Dockets

UPDATE: Following the publication of this post, on October 5, 2026, Judge Ho entered an Order (Dkt. 115) denying both parties’ requests for leave to file summary judgment motions, noting that summary judgment would be “inappropriate in these circumstances.” Order … Continue reading →

Posted in allocation of loss, banks, bondholders, Chetrit, CMBS, Complaints, contract rights, CRE, discovery, fraud, gatekeeper litigation, improper documentation, investors, irresponsible lending, JPMorgan, Judicial Opinions, junior liens, knowledge qualifiers, lawsuits, lenders, lending guidelines, litigation, misrespresentation, mortgage fraud, negligence and recklessness, Ostrich Defense, private label MBS, putbacks, rep and warranty, repurchase, responsibility, securitization, sellers and sponsors, summary judgment, underwriting guidelines, underwriting practices, Wells Fargo | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Motion to Exclude Frey Testimony from Article 77 Raises Eyebrows, Questions About Role of BlackRock and PIMCO

The backyard brawl between the AIG-led objecting investors on one hand and Bank of New York Mellon (BNYM) and the investors supporting BofA’s $8.5 billion settlement on the other is about to get even messier.  As I last wrote on … Continue reading →

Posted in AIG, allocation of loss, appeals, Bank of New York, banks, bench trials, BlackRock, BofA, bondholder actions, conflicts of interest, contract rights, Countrywide, demand letter, Event of Default, Fannie Mae, FHFA, fiduciary duties, global settlement, incentives, Investor Syndicate, investors, Judge Barbara Kapnick, Judge William Pauley, Judicial Opinions, Kathy Patrick, lawsuits, liabilities, litigation, MBS, negligence and recklessness, PIMCO, private label MBS, putbacks, remand, rep and warranty, repurchase, responsibility, RMBS, servicers, Trustees, William Frey | Leave a comment

Way Too Big to Fail Goes to Washington (Book Tour Day 3)

After a hiatus over the holidays, I return with Part IV of this five-part series on my experiences during a recent book tour to promote the release of Way Too Big to Fail: How Government and Private Industry Can Build … Continue reading →

Posted in Adam Levitin, bailout, balance sheets, banks, BofA, book tour, chain of title, Citigroup, conflicts of interest, Congress, foreclosure crisis, Government bailout, improper documentation, legislation, lobbying, MBS, mortgage market, negligence and recklessness, pooling agreements, regulation, Regulators, RMBS, robo-signers, Senate staffers, Servicer Safe Harbor, Timothy Geithner, too big to fail, Treasury, Way Too Big to Fail, William Frey | Leave a comment

Rakoff’s Rejection of SEC Settlement with Citi Sends Stern Message to Wall Street’s Primary Regulator

Two days after the release of one of the most scathing judicial opinions in recent memory, the importance of federal Judge Jed Rakoff’s rejection of the SEC’s $285 million settlement with Citigroup is just beginning to sink in.  In just … Continue reading →

Posted in abacus, banks, CDOs, Citigroup, Complaints, consitutionality, costs of the crisis, damages, Goldman Sachs, investigations, investors, JPMorgan, Judge Jed Rakoff, Judicial Opinions, lawsuits, liabilities, litigation, media coverage, negligence and recklessness, oversight, Paulson and Co., probes, regulation, Regulators, SEC, securities laws, settlements, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

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