Source: http://massrealestatelawblog.com/category/deeds/
Timestamp: 2019-04-26 14:37:04+00:00

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As I’ve written here before, I have been representing three families victimized in a well publicized criminal real estate scheme involving forged deeds and the theft of millions of dollars in real estate.
I’m happy to report that Attorney General Maura Healy’s Office has announced a new round of indictments issued by a statewide Grand Jury against the suspected mastermind of the scheme and his son. Allen Seymour, 50, was indicted on charges of larceny of more than $1,200 and four counts of forgery. Seymour’s son, Corey Seymour, 26, of Worcester, was indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and three counts of money laundering.
Thanks to my clients’ grand jury testimony, Seymour was previously indicted on 22 felony charges of forgery and money laundering. His former wife, Tina Seymour, was also indicted in the scheme.
Seymour, who used the alias “Rich Chase,” targeted elderly and unsophisticated homeowners, using forged deeds and fake notary stamps to sell their properties out from under them, flipping them to wealthy investors, and pocketing the cash. Seymour targeted properties in Cambridge, Brookline, and Somerville. As claimed in my lawsuits, Seymour also worked with a group of accomplices including Newton police lieutenant, Francis Foley III, who was not indicted but remains under investigation and on paid leave from the force.
I have filed three separate civil lawsuits seeking to undo the fraudulent transactions which remain pending. I am hopeful that all of my clients will receive the justice they deserve.
In what could be the first test case of a new theory to clear up defective foreclosure titles — and much welcome news for property owners stuck with toxic titles — Massachusetts Land Court Judge Gordon Piper has ruled that the theory of equitable assignment of an improperly foreclosed mortgage can be used to clear title of an improperly foreclosed property.
The case is Cavanaugh v. GMAC Mortgage LLC, et al., 11 MISC 447901 (embedded below) and was recently appealed by noted foreclosure attorney, Glenn Russell, Esq., who represented the prevailing homeowners in the landmark U.S. Bank v. Ibanez case. The case will now go up to the Massachusetts Appeals Court, or, given its importance, perhaps taken up by the Supreme Judicial Court on direct appellate review.
In this case, GMAC Mortgage foreclosed a mortgage given by Maureen Cavanaugh of Fairhaven, then granted a foreclosure deed to Fannie Mae. The foreclosure, however, was defective because notice of the foreclosure sale was not published in the local newspaper as required by Massachusetts foreclosure law. Fannie Mae later sold the property to Timothy Lowney.
Ms. Cavanaugh sued the lenders and Mr. Lowney in a Land Court “quiet title” action to re-claim her property back. This is essentially the same situation as presented in the Bevilacqua vs. Rodriguez case where a property owner was stuck with a defective foreclosure title. The Court in Bevilacqua suggested an alternative theory to solve the defective title by using the conveyance of the foreclosure deed as an equitable assignment of the original mortgage, so the new property owner could foreclose and obtain clear title in the process.
Judge Piper used this equitable assignment theory in the Cavanaugh case, ruling that Lowney, the new buyer, holds the GMAC Mortgage through equitable assignment, and may now foreclose upon Ms. Cavanaugh, thereby clearing the way to get clean title. Equally important, Judge Piper ordered GMAC and Fannie Mae to assign the underlying promissory note from Ms. Cavanaugh to Lowney so that he holds both the note and the mortgage as required by after the important Eaton v. Fannie Mae case several months ago.
This is an important and much-needed judicial development for assisting homeowners who have been unable to refinance or sell their properties due to “Ibanez” and other foreclosure related title defects. This case also illustrates the importance of obtaining an owner’s policy of title insurance which appears to have provided coverage to Mr. Lowney in this matter.
As first reported today by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, the bar association for Massachusetts real estate attorneys (REBA) has filed a lawsuit against National Loan Closers, Inc., a Kentucky closing services company, and a Holyoke attorney for allegedly conducting illegal “witness-only” real estate closings. REBA was behind last year’s landmark Supreme Judicial Court ruling in REBA v. National Real Estate Information Services, which held that Massachusetts attorneys are legally required to oversee all residential real estate closings in Massachusetts.
REBA’s suit against National Loan Closers is notable because NLC is alleged to have side-swiped the REBA v. NREIS court ruling by contracting with local attorneys to attend real estate closings. According to the suit, NLC’s model is for these contract attorneys to act similarly to the robo-signers who sign foreclosure documents, as they are simply there to witness and notarize documents and are contractually prohibited from giving legal advice to the parties at closing. Thus, this model runs afoul of the REBA ruling’s mandate that attorneys “substantially participate” in the closing process by reviewing the title and ensuring that title passes legally.
REBA argues, and I agree, that such closings put home buyers and mortgage lenders at risk, erode the public’s confidence in the state’s recording and registration system, and deprive the Massachusetts Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts program — IOLTA — of thousands of dollars of revenue.
No home buyer wants to close on the single biggest purchase of their life with a contract attorney who knows nothing about the transaction and cannot answer the most basic of legal questions. In the standard model, a supervisory Massachusetts attorney will examine the title and certify under state law that the title is good, clear and marketable, and often that same attorney (or a junior associate with full familiarity with the file and title) will be the closing attorney.
The complaint filed in The Real Estate Bar Association for Massachusetts, Inc. v. National Loan Closers Inc., et al. can be found by clicking here.
This is especially true in real estate transactions where a cash buyer is often perceived as better and less risky than a mortgage financed buyer. (Please note that we often encourage buyers to obtain a conventional mortgage where possible given the federal tax benefits through the mortgage interest deduction and also because of the low interest rates available).
The term cash buyer means a buyer who plans to buy real estate without using a mortgage. The term can also apply to a buyer who plans on using a mortgage, but doesn’t plan on using a mortgage contingency with the purchase contract. (This carries significant financial risk, which we typically do not recommend except for rare instances).
Cash Deals On The Rise In Mass. and U.S.
Massachusetts cash real estate transactions have risen considerably in the last few years, as reported by the Boston Globe. Cash sales accounted for a surprising 34% of all Massachusetts residential real estate transactions in 2011, according to data provided by the Warren Group. According to the Globe, cash buyers include baby boomers downsizing to Boston condominiums with profits from the sales of their suburban houses, well-off parents purchasing homes for college-age children, and investors seeking discounted properties they can rent or sell. They are turning to cash for various reasons, including tighter lending guidelines that have made mortgages less attractive, dwindling bank financing for investment properties, and a volatile stock market that has sent people looking for other places to put their money.
If you are a cash buyer, or considering selling to one, you may ask whether the transaction will proceed the same way as in a mortgage based transaction and whether there are any other special considerations involved. The short answer is that the transaction, for the most part, will proceed in the same manner, and often with a shorter time-frame than a mortgage financed deal, but there are a few special considerations that a cash buyer needs to be aware of, which I’ll outline below.
Absolutely. A cash buyer needs a real estate agent for the same reasons a financed buyer needs one. Those reasons include market knowledge and savvy; skilled negotiation; being a critical liaison between the parties; and keeping the transaction and all the players on target for a successful closing. Plus, as with all transactions in Massachusetts, including cash, the seller, not the buyer, pays for the real estate commission.
Yes, it’s not only the smart choice but it’s the law. Massachusetts law now provides that only licensed attorneys can conduct real estate closings. In mortgage backed transactions, the lender will assign a closing attorney (who is often the same attorney working for the buyer) to close the transaction. With a cash transaction, however, there’s no lender, and thus, no lender appointed closing attorney to rely on. So a cash buyer must select his or her own attorney to close the transaction.
Conducting final title run-down then recording the Deed, MLC and Homestead.
Without an attorney, the cash buyer is simply lost. I would never recommend that the buyer hire the same attorney who is representing the seller. Not only is this a huge conflict of interest, but the seller’s attorney allegiance will rest with the seller, not the buyer.
As we always recommend, yes! There are two types of title insurance policies: lender’s and owner’s. In a cash transaction, there will be no lender’s policy, and the owner should always opt to obtain an owner’s owner’s title insurance policy. We’ve written extensively about owner’s title insurance here. It’s especially important in this day of paperwork irregularities with mortgage assignments and discharges, robo-signing, and botched foreclosures.
When Do I Need That Cash Again?
As with all transactions in Massachusetts, a cash buyer will put down between $500 – $1,000 with the Offer and 5% of the purchase price with the signing of the purchase and sale agreement. With no mortgage lender involved, the cash buyer must realize that at the closing they must have liquid funds for the remaining “cash to close” (usually hundreds of thousands) in the form of a cashier’s check or bank check at the closing. Accordingly, the cash buyer must make all investment withdrawals, transfers and receipt of gift funds well in advance of the closing date. Since cash deals proceed much quicker than financed deals, my advice to cash buyers is to have all necessary cash in hand and in a no-risk account when the purchase and sale agreement is signed. Don’t stick your cash in some stock fund which crashes weeks before the closing.
What Happens If I Have Second Thoughts or Don’t Have Enough Cash To Close?
This is where the cash buyer is at more risk than the mortgage financed buyer who has the benefit of a mortgage contingency. If the mortgage buyer cannot obtain financing within the agreed upon deadline, he can opt out of the deal with no penalty. By contrast, after signing the standard purchase and sale agreement, the cash buyer is locked in to going forward with the deal with little, if any, wiggle room to get out. Generally, if the cash buyer has to default, he will lose his deposit (5% of the purchase price). So for any cash buyer, make sure you don’t get any buyer’s remorse!
Richard D. Vetstein, Esq. and Marc Canner, Esq. are experienced Massachusetts real estate cash buyer’s attorneys. They can be reached by email at info@titlehub.com or 508-620-5352.
All of the Massachusetts registries of deeds now offer free online document search capabilities. The main portal for most registries is www.masslandrecords.com operated by the Secretary of State’s Office. Other registries have their own systems.
Here is the link to the Massachusetts Registry of Deeds County Map to determine in which county your town is located.
In the basic search form, you input the property owner’s last name and first name and hit search. For common names, this will often generate too many names results as the search function is not limited to town.
Massachusetts Registry of Deeds documents are organized by “book and page.” Before electronic records, land records were recorded in actual thick book volumes. The “book” reference refers to the volume number and the page refers to the page number. Each recorded instrument has its own unique book and page reference at the top of the document’s first page. Even with the proliferation of electronic records, the book and page reference is still in operation in Massachusetts.
A newer functionality, you can also search by street address. In my experience, however, the results are often inaccurate so I would not rely on this search method.
So, let’s give this a try. Find your registry where you live. Use the Registry County Map if you don’t know. In the basic search form, click advanced. Input your first and last name and click your town in the drop down menu. Press Search. Voilá, there’s a list of all recorded instruments on your title. For viewing and printing, click any of the documents. The details will appear on the right side of the search page. Click View Images and the image will appear in a new window. You can print from there.
Please note that the above is not a substitute from a full title exam by a qualified title examiner and should not be relied upon for any purchase, sale or refinance transactions. A statutory title certification covers a 50 year period and also checks bankruptcy and probate records.

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