PLAINTIFF BANK DID NOT DEMONSTRATE STANDING TO BRING THE FORECLOSURE ACTION; THE REQUIRED BUSINESS RECORDS WERE NOT SUBMITTED (SECOND DEPT).
The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined plaintiff bank failed to demonstrate standing to bring the foreclosure action with admissible evidence:
Although the plaintiff can establish standing by attaching the blank-endorsed note to the complaint when commencing the action … here, the record demonstrates that the plaintiff only attached the mortgage to the complaint. Moreover, although Wallace [representing the plaintiff bank’s loan servicer] stated in her affidavit, based on her review of certain business records, that the plaintiff or its agent had possession of the note prior to commencement, the affidavit was insufficient to establish standing because the records themselves were not submitted by the plaintiff … . Deutsche Bank Natl. Trust Co. v Szal, 2021 NY Slip Op 02274, Second Dept 4-14-21