No, You Cannot Enforce A Mortgage That Has Already Been Paid In Full

by: Peter J. Gallagher (@pjsgallagher)

The Appellate Division recently dealt with an unusual situation involving a borrower trying to enforce a mortgage, which had been satisfied years earlier, against a lender that was foreclosing on a different loan. While disputes occasionally arise between lenders regarding which loans have priority over others for the purpose of foreclosure, it is highly unusual for a borrower to attempt to enforce a mortgage, much less one that had been fully satisfied. Nonetheless, this was precisely what the Appellate Division faced in Valley National Bank v. Meier.

The facts of Meier were not disputed. In 1999, the Meiers obtained a loan from Community Bank of Bergen County for $168,000, which was secured by a purchase money mortgage. At the time, Mr. Meier was the president, CEO, and chairman of the board of Community Bank, which later merged with Valley. Six years later, the Meiers obtained a home equity loan from Community Bank that was also secured by a mortgage on the same property. Two years after that, Mr. Meier paid off the original mortgage, allegedly using pre-martial assets to do so. At some point prior to paying off the mortgage, the Meiers divorced. Instead of getting a discharge of the mortgage after paying off the note, Mr. Meier received a written assignment of the mortgage which he subsequently recorded.