IN THIS ACTION TO CANCEL AND DISCHARGE A MORTGAGE BASED UPON THE RUNNING OF THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS FOR A FORECLOSURE ACTION, THE BANK RAISED A QUESTION OF FACT WHETHER THE BANK WHICH SERVED THE 2008 COMPLAINT SEEKING FORECLOSURE HAD STANDING AND, THEREFORE, WHETHER THE DEBT WAS ACCELERATED IN 2008 (SECOND DEPT).
The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the bank had raised a question of fact about whether the mortgage had been accelerated such that the six-year statute of limitations for bringing a foreclosure action had run:
Pursuant to RPAPL 1501(4), a person having an estate or an interest in real property subject to a mortgage can seek to cancel and discharge that encumbrance where the period allowed by the applicable statute of limitations for the commencement of an action to foreclose the mortgage has expired, provided that the mortgagee or its successor was not in possession of the subject real property at the time the action to cancel and discharge the mortgage was commenced … . An action to foreclose a mortgage is governed by a six-year statute of limitations (see CPLR 213[4] ….). “[E]ven if a mortgage is payable in installments, once a mortgage debt is accelerated, the entire amount is due and the Statute of Limitations begins to run on the entire debt” … . …
The defendants raised a triable issue of fact as to whether Greenpoint had standing to commence the 2008 foreclosure action and, therefore, whether the service of the 2008 complaint was effective to constitute a valid exercise of the option to accelerate the debt … . The affidavits submitted by the defendants were sufficient to raise a triable issue of fact as to whether the note was physically delivered to the defendant U.S. Bank, National Association (hereinafter US Bank), on September 27, 2006, two years before US Bank’s assignor, Greenpoint, commenced the 2008 foreclosure action … . Halfon v U.S. Bank, Natl. Assn., 2019 NY Slip Op 00860, Second Dept 2-6-19
