The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined plaintiff bank included other notice with the notice of default, a violation of RPAPL 1304 (the separate envelope rule):
“[P]roper service of RPAPL 1304 notice on the borrower or borrowers is a condition precedent to the commencement of a residential foreclosure action” … . Here, the defendants established, prima facie, that the plaintiff did not comply with RPAPL 1304, since additional notices were sent in the same envelope as the 90-day notice required by RPAPL 1304, and a single notice was jointly addressed to both of the defendants … . HSBC Bank USA, N.A. v Schneps, 2022 NY Slip Op 06234, Second Dept 11-9-22
Practice Point: The separate envelope rule (RPAPL 1304) which requires that nothing else be included with the notice of default is a condition precedent to a foreclosure action.