A federal appeals court revived a lawsuit accusing the Department of Housing and Urban Development of setting up its reverse-mortgage program in a way that makes it more likely a surviving spouse will end up in foreclosure.
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington today ruled that a case brought by two widowers challenging HUD regulations on
“We admit to being somewhat puzzled as to how HUD can justify a regulation that seems contrary to the governing statute,” U.S. Circuit Judge Laurence Silberman wrote in the 13-page opinion.
Brian Sullivan, a spokesman for HUD, had no immediate comment on the decision.
Reverse-mortgage loans pay out a home’s equity to the homeowner, often in installments, and are usually repaid when the borrower dies or moves out of the house. Borrowers are considered in arrears if they don’t keep current on their property taxes and insurance.
The lawsuit involves changes to the program that were mandated by Congress in 1987 in authorizing HUD to administer a mortgage-insurance program. The language HUD crafted when implementing the law states that the balance of the loan is due and payable in full “if a mortgagor dies and the property is not the principal residence of at least one surviving mortgagor.”
HUD said in its response to the lawsuit that it was concerned a homeowner, after taking out a reverse mortgage, might marry a young spouse, which would increase a lender’s risk.
The lawsuit had been dismissed by a lower court judge who found that because the widowers weren’t borrowers on the loans at issue, winning the lawsuit wouldn’t save their homes because it was the lender’s decision as to whether to foreclose.
In establishing that the widowers have the authority to sue, the appeals court said today that HUD could come up with a remedy that would allow them to keep their homes.
“HUD could accept assignment of the mortgage, pay off the balance of the loans to the lenders, and then decline to foreclose,” Silberman said.
Craig Briskin, one of the lawyers for the plaintiffs, said he’s “thrilled with the decision.”
“The ball is really in HUD’s court right now,” Briskin, of Mehri & Skalet PLLC in Washington, said in an interview. “The D.C. Circuit clearly told HUD it made a mistake.”
