THE BANK DID NOT DEMONSTRATE STRICT COMPLIANCE WITH RPAPL 1304 IN THIS FORECLOSURE ACTION; SUMMARY JUDGMENT SHOULD HAVE BEEN AWARDED TO DEFENDANT (FIRST DEPT).
The First Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the plaintiff bank’s motion for summary judgment should not have been granted and, upon a search of the record, summary judgment should have been granted to defendant in this foreclosure action. The proof of mailing of the notice required by RPAPL 1304 was not sufficient:
Plaintiff failed to establish prima facie its strict compliance with RPAPL 1304 … . The copy of the certified mail receipt it submitted is undated and blank in other parts, and shows the signature of someone other than defendant. The copy of the pre-paid first-class mail envelope has no recipient’s name or address on it. Further, the affidavits plaintiff submitted do not demonstrate the loan servicer’s employees’ familiarity with the mailing practices and procedures of the servicer that had mailed the 90-day notices and the notice of default. U.S. Bank, N.A. v Calhoun, 2021 NY Slip Op 00398, First Dept 1-26-21
