NO. 86206-1 SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON CERTIFICATION FROM UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR ‘THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON IN: KRISTIN BAIN, Plaintiff, v. MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC., et. al, Defendants. BRIEF OF AMICUS CURIAE NATIONAL CONSUMER LAW CENTER David A. Leen Geoff Walsh WSBA No. 3516 VT. Sup. Ct. No. 2570 520 East Denny Way 7 Winthrop Square Seattle, WA 98122 Boston, MA 02110 (206) 325-6022 (617) 542-8010 Attorney for Amicus Curiae Attorney for Amicus Curiae Leen & O'Sullivan, PLLC National Consumer Law CenterTABLE OF CONTENTS L INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT.. Il, STATEMENT AND INTEREST OF AMICUS CURIAE. II. STATE OF THE CASE. IV. ARGUMEDT.. A. The Authority to Foreclose in Non-Judicial Foreclosure States. B. The plain meaning of RCW 61.24.005(2) and the context of the DTA preclude MERS from acting as a “beneficiary” to foreclose under the statutory scheme... C. _ MERS" role is limited to selling loan identification labels and selling to employees of other companies the right to sign documents in MERS’ name. D. —_ MERS cannot be “solely” a nominee and at the same time have other rights and obligations under the mortgage and not E. Foreclosure by MERS was not necessary by law or custom... F, The courts have consistently recognized that MERS has no right to benefit from the underlying debt obligation......15 G. —__MERS’ agency arguments do not support a right to foreclose under the DTA. H. The Michigan courts’ Saurman decisions V. CONCLUSION,TABLE OF AUTHORITIES Cases Inre Chong, 2009 WL 6524286 (D. Nev. Dec. 4, 2009)... Inre Doble, 2011 WL 1465559 (Bankr. S.D. Cal. April 14, 2011).. BAC Home Loans Servicing, L.P. v. White, 256 P.3d 1014 (Okla. App. 2010) Bank of New York v. Raftogianis, 13 A.3d 435 (NJ. Super. 2010) Bank of New York v. Silverberg, 86 A.D. 3d 274, 926 N.Y.S. 2d 532 (NY.A.D. 2011). Bellistri v Ocwen Loan Servicing, 284 SW3d 619 (Mo. Ct. App. 2009) Culhane v. Aurora Loan Services of Nebraska, ~- F, Supp. 2d -- , 2011 WL 5925525 (D. Mass. Nov. 28, 2011)... passim Felton v, Menan Starch Co., 66 Wash. 2d 792, 405 P. 2d 585 (1965).. 12 Fidel v. Deutsche Bank National Trust Co. 2011 WL 2436134 (W.D. Wash. Jan. 14, 2011)... Graham v. Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., 247 P.3d 223 (Kan. App. 2010 Guy Stickney, Inc. v. Underwood, 67 Wash. 2d, 410 P.2d 7 (1966) Home Bldg. & Loan Ass'n v. Blaisdell, 290 U.S. 398 (1934). Hone v. Carlson, 2001 WL 27382 (Wash. App. Jan. 11, 2011) Hooker v. Northwest Trustee Services, Inc., 2011 WL 2119103 (D. Or. May 25, 2011) In re Adams 693 S.E. 2d 705 (N.C. Ct. App. 2010) Inve Agard, 444 BR. 231 (Bankr. E.D.N.Y. 2011 Inre Alcide, 450 B.R. 526 (Bankr. E.D. Pa. 2011) Inre Box, 2010 WL 2228289 Bankr. W.D. Mo. June 3, 2010). 16,17