County Clerks and Court Clerks Forbidden From Accepting Filings

The Chief Administrative Judge of the Courts has issued an order forbidding the filing of all non-essential papers in county clerks and court clerks. This order is statewide and will have far-reaching consequences.

The Order, a copy of which can be found HERE, states:

Pursuant to the authority vested in me, in light of the emergency circumstances caused by the continuing COVID-19 outbreak in New York State and the nation, and consistent with the Governor of New York's recent executive order suspending statues of limitation in legal matters, I direct that, effective immediately and until further order, no papers shall be accepted for filing by a county clerk or a court in any matter of a type not included on the list of essential matters attached as Exh. A. This directive applies to both paper and electronic filings.

Follow the link above to find a list of essential matters, most of which focus on the protection of the life, safety, and well-being of people.

The consequences of this Order are profound. For example, the Suffolk County and Nassau County clerks were both operating on a limited basis, but were still operating. The State's electronic court filing system was still accepting filings which enabled parties to continue litigating so long as it didn't require judicial intervention. New York County's online recording system, ACRIS, was still accepting electronic filings. Based on the wording of this Order, all of that ends today.

Despite this Order, Lieb at Law will proceed with our litigation matters to the maximum extent possible - as long as it doesn't require judicial intervention, we will push forward.

Look for a blog from Steven Siliato later today detailing the effects this Order will have on real estate transactions. Title examination? Race notice recording? GAP title insurance?

Governor Cuomo Issues Statewide Moratorium on Commercial and Residential Evictions and Foreclosures

Governor Cuomo has consolidated the patchwork of local foreclosure and eviction laws bubbling up in the wake of the COVID-19 quarantines - and it's a big one.

Executive Order 202.8 states:

There shall be no enforcement of either an an eviction of any tenant, residential or commercial, or a foreclosure of any residential or commercial property for a period of ninety days. 

Ninety days from the date of the Order puts us out to June 18, 2020.

One noteworthy aspect of this Order is its application to both residential and commercial properties. 

It is vital to note, however, that this does not mean you cannot be in default of your rent or mortgage for the ninety day period. It simply states that there shall be no enforcement of evictions or foreclosures. If you are delinquent on your rent or mortgage during the term of this order, your landlord or lender could commence an eviction or foreclosure proceeding after the order expires. 

The interplay of this Executive Order with Executive Order 202.9 (see our prior blog about that, here) creates an opportunity for borrowers to leverage a forbearance with their lender ensuring that they are not delinquent on their mortgage on June 18, 2020. 

NYS Mortgage Relief Plans Becomes Clearer, BUT Not Enough

On March 21, 2020, the Governor issued NYS Executive Order 202.9, which provides, in pertinent part, as follows:

Subdivision two of Section 39 of the Banking Law is hereby modified to provide that it shall be deemed an unsafe and unsound business practice if, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, any bank which is subject to the jurisdiction of the Department shall not grant a forbearance to any person or business who has a financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic for a period of ninety days... The Superintendent of the Department of Financial Services shall ensure under reasonable and prudent circumstances that any licensed or regulated entities provide to any consumer in the State of New York an opportunity for a forbearance of payments for a mortgage for any person or entity facing a financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Superintendent shall promulgate emergency regulations to require that the application for such forbearance be made widely available for consumers, and such application shall be granted in all reasonable and prudent circumstances solely for the period of such emergency. 

While a cursory reading shows that mortgage help is on the way, many uncertainties remain, including:

• What does subject to the jurisdiction of the Department mean in the Order? Specifically, there are two charting systems for banks; federal and state. The Federal Office of the Comptroller of the Currency controls federally chartered banks pursuant to the National Bank Act. Generally, you can tell that a bank is federally chartered because it has the initials N.A. after its name. As a result, NYS doesn't have jurisdiction over federally chartered banks so how does this work if you have a loan through a federal bank like many NYS residents do?
• When is the Superintendent promulgating emergency regulations and how are consumers going to understand those regulations if attorneys at law were not labeled as essential services under the quarantine and therefore are becoming less available by the minute? Yes, some law firms are open and working remotely, but for how long with many clerks' offices closed and all court deadlines tolled (yesterday's Executive Order 202.8), including "any specific time limit for the commencement, filing, or service of any legal action, notice, motion, or other process or proceeding."
• By adding the words business & entity, is it intended that this applies to both residential and commercial property?
• Is there a limit on the amount of the mortgage for this to be applicable?
• After the forbearance is over, what happens to the money deferred (i.e., back end balloon, recapitalized, ballooned immediately, something else)?
• Will the Superintendent of DFS be answering these questions or someone else; plus, will the answers be part of a regulation or just advisory? 

Please don't misunderstand this post. We 100% support the quarantine and also support the forbearance. Instead, this blog is designed to prevent further hardship to the vulnerable who take a leap of faith on their mortgage without first researching facts.

Get facts before you act and the facts aren't out yet - so, CONTINUE PAYING YOUR MORTGAGE for now.

NYS, FHA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Mortgage Relief Plans Do Not Automatically Waive Mortgage Payments

On March 19, 2020, Governor Cuomo announced a 90-day Mortgage Relief Plan ("Plan") for New York State mortgage borrowers. New York State mortgage servicers are directed to provide 90-day mortgage relief to borrowers affected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The Plan aims to provide the following relief:

• Waiving mortgage payments based on financial hardship;
• No negative reporting to credit bureaus;
• Grace period for loan modification;
• No late payment fees or online payment fees; and
• Postponing or suspending foreclosures.

While the Plan does bring immediate relief to homeowners affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19), the Plan does not simply waive mortgage payments due in the next 90 days. In his press conference, Governor Cuomo clarified, "We're not exempting people from the mortgage payments. We're just adjusting the mortgage to include those payments on the back end."

Currently, specific procedures on how to apply and/or how to qualify under the Plan is yet to be published, so stay tuned. Until then, borrowers should retain counsel to apply and negotiate with their mortgage lender or servicer for a forbearance plan to prevent incurring interest and fees for missed payments.

Mortgage relief plans are also in place for FHA, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac mortgages. Similar to New York State's Plan, however, borrowers should be aware that the mortgage payments are not automatically waived nor placed on hold and they should retain counsel to apply and negotiate with their mortgage servicer immediately.

Remote (Mail Away) Real Estate Closings are Here - Governor Issues Order

NYS' Governor Cuomo has ordered the permissibility of video notarization through April 18, 2020 as follows:

"Any notarial act that is required under New York State law is authorized to be performed utilizing audio-video technology provided that the following conditions are met:

• The person seeking the Notary's services, if not personally known to the Notary, must present valid photo ID to the Notary during the video conference, not merely transmit it prior to or after;
• The video conference must allow for direct interaction between the person and the Notary (e.g. no pre-recorded videos of the person signing);
• The person must affirmatively represent that he or she is physically situated in the State of New York;
• The person must transmit by fax or electronic means a legible copy of the signed document directly to the Notary on the same date it was signed;
• The Notary may notarize the transmitted copy of the document and transmit the same back to the person; and
• The Notary may repeat the notarization of the original signed document as of the date of execution provided the Notary receives such original signed document together with the electronically notarized copy within thirty days after the date of execution." 

Now, real estate brokers / salespersons / attorneys / loan officers, and the like, should get to work - we have real estate closings to get done!

Thank you Governor Cuomo for hearing our requests. 

NYS legislature should vote to make this permanent by passing S4352B as we discussed in 5 Real Estate Laws to Know in These Times.