IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF IOWA

No. 21-0498

Filed June 15, 2022

GREENSTATE CREDIT UNION,

Plaintiff-Appellee,

vs.

PROPERTY HOLDERS, LTD., and CHARLES DAVISSON,

Defendants-Appellants,

and

PARTIES IN POSSESSION,

Defendants.

________________________________________________________________

Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Linn County, Lars Anderson, Judge.

Defendants appeal the district court’s grant of summary judgment to 

GreenState Credit Union on its mortgage foreclosure claims. AFFIRMED AND 

REMANDED.

Peter C. Riley of Tom Riley Law Firm, P.L.C., Cedar Rapids, for appellants.

Siobhan Briley and Ryan J. Prahm of Pugh Hagan Prahm PLC, Coralville, 

for appellee.

Considered by May, P.J., Greer, J., and Carr, S.J.*

*Senior judge assigned by order pursuant to Iowa Code section 602.9206 

(2022).
2

CARR, Senior Judge.

Property Holders, Ltd. and Charles Davisson (together Property Holders) 

appeal the district court’s grant of summary judgment for GreenState Credit Union 

on its mortgage foreclosure claims. GreenState’s acceptance of a payment after 

the debt was accelerated is not a waiver of its right to collect the full amount owed. 

We determine the district court did not abuse its discretion in ordering Property 

Holders to pay trial attorney fees. We remand to the district court for a 

determination of appellate attorney fees.

I. Background Facts & Proceedings

This case involves eight consolidated mortgage foreclosure actions.1 In 

each case, Property Holders obtained a loan by a promissory note from 

GreenState that was secured by a mortgage on real property in Cedar Rapids.2 

Property Holders failed to make payments in November 2019 as required by the 

promissory notes and came into default. 

 

1 EQCV094983 involves a debt of $113,132.00 for two properties and was filed on 

February 14, 2020. EQCV094985 involves a debt of $84,416.09 for a property 

and was filed on February 14. EQCV095003 involves a debt of $83,373.76 for a 

property and was filed on February 18. EQCV095004 involves a debt of 

$65,731.40 on a property and was filed on February 18. EQCV095008 involves a 

debt of $52,229.67 on a property and was filed on February 18. EQCV095015 

involves a debt of $365,695.25 on six properties and was filed on February 19. 

EQCV095024 involves a debt of $61,990.08 on a property and was filed on 

February 20. EQCV095025 involves a debt of $74,098.53 on a property and was 

filed on February 20. 

GreenState additionally filed a mortgage foreclosure action against 

Property Holders, EQCV095000, which was subsequently dismissed because the 

mortgage indebtedness was paid in full. That action is not a subject of this appeal.

2 Davisson is the owner of Property Holders, and he personally guaranteed the 

obligations.
3

On November 19, GreenState gave Property Holders a fifteen-day notice to 

cure. The debt was not cured within fifteen days. On December 16, GreenState 

gave notice that the outstanding debt was accelerated and was due within fourteen 

days. Property Holders did not timely pay the accelerated balance. In February 

2020, GreenState filed actions in district court to foreclose the mortgages.

In July, Property Holders made a payment at a GreenState branch office 

and the payment was applied to the debts of Property Holders. In its answer to 

the petitions filed by GreenState, Property Holders stated it had continued to make 

periodic payments on the debts and these payments were accepted by 

GreenState. Property Holders claimed GreenState waived any right to accelerate 

and demand full payment of the promissory notes or to foreclose the mortgages. 

GreenState applied the payment to the outstanding debt of Property Holders.

GreenState filed a motion for summary judgment, asking that it be permitted 

to foreclose the mortgages. Property Holders resisted the motion, claiming there 

was a genuine issue of material fact on the affirmative defense of waiver. Davisson 

submitted an affidavit stating that he worked with a loan officer at GreenState who 

subsequently left to take a position with a different credit union and Davisson was 

in the process of refinancing the loans at this different credit union. Davisson

claimed that GreenState continued to accept his loan payments and all of the loans 

with GreenState were made current by his payments in July.

GreenState responded that once a debt is accelerated, only payment of the 

entire amount due can cure the default. It stated that its acceptance of payments 

by Property Holders reduced the amount of the debt but should not be considered 

a waiver of its right to foreclosure. GreenState also noted that under the terms of 
4

the business loan agreement, only a written waiver would be effective. Property 

Holders resisted GreenState’s response.

On December 22, the district court granted the motion for summary 

judgment. The court ruled:

In the present case, the Court finds that Plaintiff exercised the 

acceleration clause by sending Defendants a notice to cure on 

November 19, 2019, and a subsequent notice of acceleration on 

December 16, 2019, after Defendants failed to cure the default. At 

that time, the balance became accelerated, and the entire balance 

was due to cure the default. The Court finds that any payment made 

and accepted after the balance was accelerated only served to 

reduce the total balance owed to Plaintiff on the note and does not 

constitute a waiver. Defendants’ argument that Plaintiff accepted full 

payments and waived the acceleration clause, therefore, fails.

Plaintiff accepted payment to which they were entitled. The Court 

further does not find that Plaintiff acted in bad faith in pursuing 

foreclosure and an emergency receiver. In viewing the facts in a light 

most favorable to Defendants, it is undisputed that Plaintiff exercised 

the acceleration clause and is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. 

Summary judgment is appropriate.

Costs for the action were assessed to Property Holders. The court entered a 

foreclosure decree.

Property Holders filed a motion pursuant to Iowa Rule of Civil Procedure 

1.904(2), asserting the court did not correctly calculate the amount due on the 

mortgages, as it had continued to make payments. Property Holders also resisted 

the award of attorney fees to GreenState. The court determined the amount due 

on the mortgages should be recalculated. The court found the amount GreenState 

requested for attorney fees was reasonable. Property Holders was ordered to pay 

$20,646.50 for GreenState’s attorney fees. Property Holders appeals the district 

court’s decision.
5

II. Standard of Review

We review a district court’s decision granting summary judgment for the 

correction of errors of law. Jones v. Univ. of Iowa, 836 N.W.2d 127, 139 (Iowa 

2013). The Iowa Supreme Court has stated:

A court should grant summary judgment if the pleadings,

depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file,

together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue

as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a

judgment as a matter of law. In other words, summary judgment is

appropriate if the record reveals a conflict only concerns the legal

consequences of undisputed facts. When reviewing a court’s

decision to grant summary judgment, we examine the record in the

light most favorable to the nonmoving party and we draw all

legitimate inferences the evidence bears in order to establish the

existence of questions of fact.

Id. at 139–40 (quoting Pitts v. Farm Bureau Life Ins. Co., 818 N.W.2d 91, 96–97

(Iowa 2012)). The party seeking summary judgment has the burden to show there

are no genuine issues of material fact and the party is entitled to a judgment as a

matter of law. Morris v. Steffes Grp., Inc., 924 N.W.2d 491, 496 (Iowa 2019).

III. Waiver

Property Holders contends that by continuing to accept payments 

GreenState waived its ability to foreclose on the mortgages. It asserts that 

GreenState accepted the payments over a period of time and applied the 

payments to its outstanding debts. Property Holders claims there was a waiver of 

acceleration of the debts by GreenState based on its acceptance of the late 

payments.

A useful authority states:

The option to accelerate the debt upon default is a waivable right, as 

is any contract right. Failure to exercise the option or acceptance of 

late payment of the amount due will constitute waiver. Conversely, 
6

payment of an amount less than the full amount due does not 

constitute waiver per se, as “[t]he mortgagee cannot be penalized for 

the mere receipt of that to which he is in equity and good conscience 

entitled.” Acceptance of the partial payment, then, typically will 

merely reduce the balance due on the mortgage.

Waiver may be established by evidence of a course of dealing 

between the parties. Thus, a lender who regularly accepts late 

payments waives the right to accelerate the debt for a subsequent 

late payment. Similarly, evidence that a lender had “abundant 

opportunity” to demand payment but refrained from doing so may be 

used in attempting to show waiver. Once a waiver has been 

established, the lender must notify the borrower if it intends to 

withdraw the waiver and strictly enforce the terms of the mortgage.

17 David M. Erickson & Christopher Talcott, Iowa Prac. Series: Real Estate Law &

Practice § 3:5 (Nov. 2021 update) (footnotes omitted).

When a mortgage contains an acceleration clause, the lender may waive 

the right to acceleration. Collins v. Nagel, 203 N.W. 702, 704 (Iowa 1925); Farmers 

& Merchants’ Bank v. Daiker, 133 N.W. 705, 705 (Iowa 1911). “Waiver is the 

voluntary and intentional waiver of a known right.” Babb’s, Inc. v. Babb, 169 

N.W.2d 211, 213 (Iowa 1969). “It is largely a matter of intent which may be 

ascertained from a person’s conduct.” Id. A lender may waive the time for 

payment of a debt. See Gottschalk v. Simpson, 422 N.W.2d 181, 184 (Iowa 1988).

The Iowa Supreme Court has stated:

[I]n no case has it been held that the acceptance of a payment of 

less than the total amount of interest, per se, constituted a waiver of 

the right to foreclose. The mortgagee cannot be penalized for the 

mere receipt of that to which he is in equity and good conscience 

entitled.

Jewell v. Logsdon, 206 N.W. 136, 138 (Iowa 1925); see also Babb’s, 169 N.W.2d 

at 214 (“One can accept partial payments of a real estate mortgage obligation quite 

consistently with foreclosure. Such payments merely reduce the balance due the 

mortgagee.”).
7

A party may waive its contractual rights by a course of dealing, such as the 

acceptance of late payments over a period of time. See Dunn v. Gen. Equities of 

Iowa, Ltd., 319 N.W.2d 515, 517 (Iowa 1982) (“Consequently we hold that the 

holder of an installment note who has engaged in a course of dealing of accepting 

late payments waives the right to accelerate the obligation upon a subsequent late 

payment unless the holder has notified the obligor that future late payments will 

not be accepted.”); see also Malott Bevard Props., L.C., No. 19-0381, 2020 WL 

4200834, at *5 (Iowa Ct. App. July 22, 2020) (“When a lender regularly accepts 

late payments . . . it constructively waives the right to accelerate the debt unless 

and until it serves the borrower a notice of its intention to strictly enforce the terms 

of the mortgage.”); ABN AMRO Mortg. Grp., Inc. v. Tullar, No. 06-0824, 2009 WL 

1066511, at *6 (Iowa Ct. App. Apr. 22, 2009) (“We recognize that continued 

acceptance of late payments can result in a waiver, requiring the creditor to give 

notice to the debtor before using a future late payment as grounds for 

acceleration.”).

In this case, GreenState informed Property Holders on December 16, 2019, 

that the outstanding debt was accelerated and was due within fourteen days. 

Property Holders did not timely pay the accelerated balance. 

Because acceleration provisions are not self-executing, the relative 

timing of an attempted cure and the affirmative act of accelerating 

the debt is important. Before the debt has been accelerated, the 

borrower need only make payment on portions of the debt then due 

in order to cure. However, because acceleration has the effect of 

calling the full amount of the debt plus all interest immediately due, 

after the lender acts to accelerate the borrower may only cure by 

tendering the full amount.

17 Iowa Prac. Series: Real Estate Law & Practice, § 3:5 (footnote omitted). 
8

After GreenState accelerated the loan, Property Holders could only cure the 

default by paying the full amount due. See id. Property Holders did not pay the 

full amount due. It paid only the amount that would have made the debt current if 

GreenState had not accelerated the loan. GreenState’s acceptance of payments 

of less than the total amount due did not constitute a waiver of the right to foreclose. 

See Jewell, 206 N.W. at 138. “The mortgagee cannot be penalized for the mere 

receipt of that to which he is in equity and good conscience entitled.” Id. Property 

Holders has not shown GreenState waived its ability to foreclose on the mortgages 

by continuing to accept payments.

IV. Attorney Fees

A. Property Holders contends the district court abused its discretion in 

awarding attorney fees to GreenState. In the motion for summary judgment, 

GreenState asked for $21,096.50 in attorney fees.3 Property Holders asked the 

court to set a hearing to determine “what attorney fees, if any,” GreenState should 

be awarded. GreenState replied that the request for a hearing on attorney fees 

should be denied, “on the basis the amount of attorney fees requested are, on their 

face, reasonable under the circumstances.”

The district court’s ruling on the motion for summary judgment did not 

specifically address the issue of attorney fees, stating only that costs were 

 

3

In EQCV094983, GreenState requested attorney fees of $2613.00. In 

EQCV094985, GreenState requested attorney fees of $2503.00. In EQCV095003, 

GreenState requested attorney fees of $2503.00. In EQCV095004, GreenState 

requested attorney fees of $3053.00. In EQCV095008, GreenState requested 

attorney fees of $2778.00. In EQCV095015, GreenState requested attorney fees 

of $2640.50. In EQCV095024, GreenState requested attorney fees of $2503.00. 

In EQCV095025, GreenState requested attorney fees of $2503.00. In total, 

GreenState requested attorney fees of $21,096.50.
9

assessed to Property Holders. The decree of foreclosure, however, ordered 

Property Holders to pay $20,646.50 for GreenState’s attorney fees.4 

In a motion pursuant to Iowa Rule of Civil Procedure 1.904(2), Property 

Holders again asked for a hearing on the issue of attorney fees. The district court 

ruled:

In considering the factors necessary to reach a determination 

regarding the reasonableness of the attorney fee request in this 

case, the Court finds nothing unreasonable about the time spent or 

amount requested by [GreenState’s] counsel on this case. The Court 

has reviewed [GreenState’s] attorney fee affidavit, and in sum, when 

the whole picture is viewed, and applying the Court’s independent 

judgment with the benefit of hindsight, the Court finds that it is the 

experience of the Court that the amount requested for attorney fees 

in this case is a typical amount for a normal foreclosure action. The 

Court finds that the amount requested is appropriate. The fees 

sought by [GreenState] are reasonable, and [the] request for a 

hearing regarding the matter is denied.

Property Holders appealed the district court’s ruling.

Iowa Code section 625.22 (2020) provides, “When judgment is recovered 

upon a written contract containing an agreement to pay an attorney fee, the court 

shall allow and tax as a part of the costs a reasonable attorney fee to be 

determined by the court.” The amount of attorney fees that can be awarded is 

limited to those fees that are reasonable. NCJC, Inc. v. WMG, L.C., 960 N.W.2d 

58, 67 (Iowa 2021). We review an award of attorney fees for an abuse of 

discretion. GreatAmerica Leasing Corp. v. Cool Comfort Air Conditioning & 

Refrigeration, Inc., 691 N.W.2d 730, 732 (Iowa 2005). “Reversal is warranted only 

 

4

In EQCV095003, GreenState requested $2503.00 in attorney fees but the district 

court awarded $2053.00. GreenState requested a total of $21,096.50 in attorney 

fees but because of the reduced award in EQCV095003, it was awarded 

$20,646.50.
10

when the court rests its discretionary ruling on grounds that are clearly 

unreasonable or untenable.” Gabelmann v. NFO, Inc., 606 N.W.2d 339, 342 (Iowa 

2000).

The district court considered the amount of attorney fees requested and 

found “that the amount requested for attorney fees in this case is a typical amount 

for a normal foreclosure action.” The court made this ruling based on its

experience in other foreclosure actions. The court appropriately considered 

whether the requested attorney fees were reasonable. See Iowa Code § 625.22; 

NCJC, 960 N.W.2d at 67. We conclude the district court did not abuse its 

discretion by ruling Property Holders should pay $20,646.50 for GreenState’s 

attorney fees.

B. GreenState also seeks attorney fees for this appeal. Where attorney 

fees are awarded under section 625.22, a party may also be awarded appellate 

attorney fees. Bankers Tr. v. Woltz, 326 N.W.2d 274, 278 (Iowa 1982). “[T]he 

issue of appellate attorney fees is ‘frequently determined in the first instance in the 

district court because of the necessity for making a record.’” Schaffer v. Frank 

Moyer Constr., Inc., 628 N.W.2d 11, 23 (Iowa 2001) (quoting Lehigh Clay Prods., 

Ltd. v. Iowa Dep’t of Transp., 545 N.W.2d 526, 530 n.2 (Iowa 1996)). In general, 

“[w]e prefer that the district court determine the reasonable amount of attorney fees 

plaintiffs should be awarded on this appeal.” Bankers Tr., 326 N.W.2d at 278. 

Therefore, we remand the case to the district court to determine the reasonable 

amount of appellate attorney fees. See Iowa Code § 625.22.
11

We affirm the decision of the district court and remand for an award of 

appellate attorney fees.

AFFIRMED AND REMANDED.