Court Cases
September 21, 2010
DEEDS OF TRUST
Perlas v. GMAC Mortgage (PDF)
Borrowers filed an action against a lender to set aside a deed of trust, setting forth numerous causes of action. Borrowers' loan application (apparently prepared by a loan broker) falsely inflated the borrowers' income. In the published portion of the opinion. The court held in favor of the lender, explaining that a lender is not in a fiduciary relationship with borrowers and owes them no duty of care in approving their loan. A lender's determination that the borrowers qualified for the loan is not a representation that they could afford the loan. One interesting issue in the unpublished portion of the opinion was the court's rejection of the borrowers' argument that naming MERS as nominee invalidated the deed of trust because, as borrower argued, the deed of trust was a contract with MERS and the note was a separate contract with the lender.
Cal.App. 1st Dist. (A125212) 8/11/10
