Lawsuit Brought Against CWALT Amended
Lawsuit Brought Against CWALT Amended
Lawsuit Brought Against CWALT Amended
, a Delaware corporation; )
COUNTRYWIDE CAPITAL MARKETS; )
2 COUNTRYWIDE SECURITIES )
CORPORATION; )
3 J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES INC.; )
DEUTSCHE BANK SECURITIES INC.; )
4 BEAR, STEARNS & CO. INC.; )
BANC OF AMERICA SECURITIES LLC; )
5 UBS SECURITIES, LLC; )
MORGAN STANLEY & CO. )
6 INCORPORATED; )
EDWARD D. JONES & CO., L.P.; )
7 CITIGROUP GLOBAL MARKETS INC.; )
GOLDMAN, SACHS & CO.; )
8 CREDIT SUISSE SECURITIES (USA) LLC; )
GREENWICH CAPITAL MARKETS, INC. )
9 A.K.A. RBS GREENWICH CAPITAL; )
BARCLAYS CAPITAL INC.; )
10 HSBC SECURITIES (USA); )
BNP PARIBAS SECURITIES CORP.; )
11 MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & )
SMITH, INCORPORATED; )
12 STANFORD L. KURLAND; )
DAVID A. SPECTOR; )
13 ERIC P. SIERACKI; )
N. JOSHUA ADLER; )
14 RANJIT KRIPALANI; )
JENNIFER S. SANDEFUR; )
15 DAVID A. SAMBOL; )
THOMAS KEITH MCLAUGHLIN; )
16 THOMAS H. BOONE; )
JEFFREY P. GROGIN; )
17 ALTERNATIVE LOAN TRUST 2005-27; )
ALTERNATIVE LOAN TRUST 2005-28CB; )
18 ALTERNATIVE LOAN TRUST 2005-30CB; )
ALTERNATIVE LOAN TRUST 2005-31; )
19 ALTERNATIVE LOAN TRUST 2005-32T1; )
ALTERNATIVE LOAN TRUST 2005-33CB; )
20 ALTERNATIVE LOAN TRUST 2005-34CB; )
ALTERNATIVE LOAN TRUST 2005-35CB; )
21 ALTERNATIVE LOAN TRUST 2005-36; )
ALTERNATIVE LOAN TRUST 2005-37T1; )
22 ALTERNATIVE LOAN TRUST 2005-38; )
ALTERNATIVE LOAN TRUST 2005-40CB; )
23 ALTERNATIVE LOAN TRUST 2005-41; )
ALTERNATIVE LOAN TRUST 2005-42CB; )
24 ALTERNATIVE LOAN TRUST 2005-43; )
ALTERNATIVE LOAN TRUST 2005-44; )
25 ALTERNATIVE LOAN TRUST 2005-45; )
ALTERNATIVE LOAN TRUST 2005-46CB; )
26 ALTERNATIVE LOAN TRUST 2005-47CB; )
ALTERNATIVE LOAN TRUST 2005-48T1; )
27 )
[Caption continued on following page.]
28
28
3 by plaintiffs David H. Luther, Vermont Pension Investment Committee, Mashreqbank, p.s.c., Pension
4 Trust Fund for Operating Engineers, Operating Engineers Annuity Plan, Washington State Plumbing &
5 Pipefitting Pension Trust, and Maine State Retirement System, individually, and as a class action on
6 behalf of all persons or entities (“plaintiffs” or the “Class”) who purchased or otherwise acquired
7 (1) Alternative Loan Trust Certificates issued by, inter alia, Defendant CWALT, Inc. (“CWALT”);
8 (2) CWABS Asset-Backed Trust Certificates issued by, inter alia, Defendant CWABS, Inc.
9 (“CWABS”); (3) CHL Mortgage Pass-Through Trust Certificates issued by, inter alia, Defendant
10 CWMBS, Inc. (“CWMBS”); and (4) CWHEQ Revolving Home Equity Loan Trusts and Home Equity
11 Loan Trusts issued by, inter alia, Defendant CWHEQ, Inc. (“CWHEQ”) (collectively referred to as the
12 “Certificates”).
14 identified herein, issued the Certificates pursuant or traceable to 20 registration statements (the
15 “Registration Statements”) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), as set forth
16 herein. The Certificates were then sold to plaintiffs by the Underwriter Defendants, as defined herein,
17 pursuant to certain prospectuses (the “Prospectus Supplements”), which also were filed with the SEC
20 materially false and misleading statements and omitted material information in violation of Sections 11,
21 12(a)(2) and 15 of the Securities Act, 15 U.S.C. §§77k, 77l(a)(2), and 77o. As this Complaint is rooted
22 exclusively in theories of innocent and/or negligent conduct to which the strict liability provisions of the
23 foregoing statutes apply, it does not allege or intend to allege any claims or assertions of fraud.
24 4. The claims in this case stem from the activities of Defendant Countrywide Financial
25 Corporation (“CFC”), and its wholly owned subsidiary, Defendant Countrywide Home Loans, Inc.
26 (“CHL”) (collectively “Countrywide”). Countrywide is the nation’s largest residential mortgage lender.
27
28
-1-
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 In 2005 and 2006 alone, Countrywide originated in excess of $850 billion in home loans throughout the
2 United States.
3 5. Many of the loans Countrywide originated in 2005, 2006 and 2007 were pooled together
4 by Countrywide and deposited into qualifying special-purpose entities, referred to herein as the “Issuing
5 Trusts,” which were created by Defendants CWALT, CWABS, CWMBS and CWHEQ, wholly-owned
6 subsidiaries of Countrywide. These pools of mortgages were then securitized into mortgage-backed
7 securities (“MBS”) and sold by the Issuing Trusts (defined herein) and the Underwriter Defendants
8 (defined herein) to plaintiffs in the form of the Certificates. The Certificates entitled plaintiffs to
9 receive monthly distributions of interest and principal on cash flows from the mortgages held by the
10 Issuing Trusts. As borrowers paid their mortgages, distributions were made to plaintiffs in accordance
12 6. The investment quality of the Certificates was necessarily linked to the quality of the
13 mortgages pooled into each Issuing Trust. Countrywide, as originator of the mortgages held by the
14 Issuing Trusts, repeatedly touted the strength of its underwriting standards to assure plaintiffs that (i) the
15 mortgages held by the Issuing Trusts were issued to borrowers who satisfied certain thresholds of
16 credit-worthiness, including having the necessary income to repay the loans; and (ii) the real estate that
17 collateralized the loans was subjected to objective and independent real estate appraisals that met the
20 numerous representations about (i) the quality of the mortgage pools underlying the Issuing Trusts, such
21 as the underwriting standards employed to originate the mortgages, the value of the collateral securing
22 the mortgages, and the soundness of the appraisals used to arrive at this value; (ii) the mortgages’ loan-
23 to-value (“LTV”) ratios; and (iii) other criteria that was used to qualify borrowers for the mortgages.
24 These representations and others were essential to plaintiffs’ determination of the riskiness of the
25 mortgage pool and the quality of their investment in the Certificates.
26 8. The Certificates issued by each Issuing Trust were divided into several classes (or
27 “tranches”) which had different priorities of seniority, priorities of payment, exposure to default, and
28
-2-
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 interest payment provisions. Rating agencies, like Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), Fitch,
2 Inc. (“Fitch”) and/or Standard & Poor’s Corporation (“S&P”),1 rated the investment quality of the
3 Certificates based on information provided by the defendants about the quality of the mortgages in each
4 mortgage pool, and the seniority of the Certificate among the various Certificates issued by each Issuing
5 Trust. These ratings, in part, determined the price at which these Certificates were offered to the Class.
6 As borrowers repaid their mortgage loans, these Certificates entitled plaintiffs to receive a pre-
7 determined amount of the monthly interest and principal payments received by the Trust. If borrowers
8 failed to pay back their mortgages, these losses would flow to plaintiffs based on the seniority of their
9 Certificates.
11 mortgages pooled in the Issuing Trusts set forth in the Registration Statements and Prospectus
12 Supplements, the Rating Agencies assigned investment grade ratings on all tranches of the Certificates.
13 10. The highest investment rating used by the Rating Agencies is AAA, which signifies the
14 highest investment grade and suggests that there is a very low risk of investment loss or credit risk
15 associated with the security. Ratings of “AA,” “A” and “BBB” represent very high credit quality, high
16 credit quality, and good credit quality, respectively. There are various intermediate ratings between
17 BBB and AAA. Anything rated lower than BBB is considered speculative or “junk,” i.e., not
18 investment grade.
19 11. As alleged more fully below, the Registration Statements and Prospectus Supplements
20 misstated and omitted material information regarding, inter alia, the process used to originate and the
21 quality of the mortgages that were pooled in the Issuing Trusts and were used as the financial basis for
22 the Certificates. For example, Countrywide did not follow the underwriting and appraisal standards
23 described in these Registration Statements and the Prospectus Supplements. Indeed, Countrywide
24 issued mortgages to borrowers that did not satisfy the requisite eligibility criteria as described in the
25
1
26 Moody’s, Fitch and S&P (collectively the “Rating Agencies”) are approved by the SEC as
“Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations” and provide credit ratings which are used to
27 distinguish among grades of creditworthiness of various securities under the federal securities laws.
28
-3-
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 Registration Statements and Prospectus Supplements. Likewise, the mortgages held by the Issuing
2 Trusts and underlying the Certificates were based on collateral appraisals that overstated the value of
3 the underlying properties, thus exposing the Issuing Trusts and plaintiffs to losses in the event of
4 foreclosure.
6 investors purchased securities that were far riskier than represented and the values of the securities have
7 collapsed as the truth about the quality of the mortgages underlying the Issuing Trusts has emerged.
8 13. For example, by mid-2007 the mortgages held by the Issuing Trusts and underlying the
9 Certificates began suffering accelerating delinquencies and defaults. The defaults led to real estate
10 foreclosures, which revealed that the properties underlying the mortgages were worth materially less
11 than the loans issued to the borrowers, and the borrowers did not have sufficient financial wherewithal
13 14. As a consequence of the foregoing, the Rating Agencies placed negative-watch labels on
14 many of the Certificates, and downgraded many of them, some to below investment grade level.
15 15. As a result of, inter alia, the mortgage defaults and Rating Agency downgrades that
16 resulted from Countrywide’s failure to comply with stated underwriting and appraisal guidelines,
17 Countrywide faced massive losses beginning in mid-2007. As these losses mounted from increasing
18 delinquencies and foreclosures in the loans it originated and underwrote, Countrywide spiraled toward
19 bankruptcy and was acquired by Bank of America for $4.1 billion in January 2008.
20 16. Countrywide’s lending practices, including the subjects of the misrepresentations and
21 omissions in the Registration Statements and Prospectus Supplements, are currently the target of
22 multiple state and federal investigations and proceedings. Various state attorneys general, including
23 those from California, Illinois, Connecticut, Florida, and Indiana, have brought lawsuits and/or initiated
24 investigations against Countrywide based on its lending, underwriting and appraisal practices for
25 mortgage loans. The complaint filed by the Attorney General of the State of California is attached
26 hereto as Exhibit A. The Florida Attorney General is investigating Countrywide for “unfair and
27 deceptive trade practices,” including the Company’s sales and marketing tactics and its subprime loan
28
-4-
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 underwriting, including whether Countrywide put borrowers “into mortgages that in the first place they
2 couldn’t afford or loans with rates that were not what they were advertising or that were misleading.”
3 17. According to the March 2008 policy statement of the President’s Working Group on
4 Financial Markets (the “President’s Working Group”), the underlying causes of the mortgage crisis
5 include, inter alia: (i) “a breakdown in underwriting standards for subprime mortgages”; and (ii) “a
6 significant erosion of market discipline by those involved in the securitization processes, including
7 originators [and] underwriters . . . related in part to failures to provide or obtain adequate risk
8 disclosures.”
9 18. The Certificates continue to diminish in value as a result of increasing delinquencies and
10 foreclosures related to the mortgages underlying the Certificates, and plaintiffs and other Class
12 19. On July 1, 2008, Defendant CFC completed a merger with a wholly-owned subsidiary of
13 Bank of America Corporation (“Bank of America”) pursuant to the terms of an Agreement and Plan of
14 Merger, dated as of January 11, 2008, by and among Bank of America and CFC and other entities
15 created to effectuate the merger. The entity surviving the merger was renamed Countrywide Financial
16 Corporation. On July 3, 2008, Defendant CHL completed the sale of some or substantially all of its
22 of the Securities Act (15 U.S.C. §77v), which explicitly states that “[e]xcept as provided in section
23 16(c) [15 U.S.C. §77p(c)], no case arising under this title and brought in any State court of competent
24 jurisdiction shall be removed to any court of the United States.” Section 16(c) of the Securities Act
25 refers to “covered class actions.” This action asserts claims under the Securities Act and is not a
26 “covered class action” within the meaning of Section 16(c), and therefore, pursuant to Section 22 of the
27 Securities Act, this action is not properly removable.
28
-5-
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 22. Venue is proper in this Court because the violations of law complained of herein
2 occurred in this County, including the preparation and dissemination of materially false and misleading
3 statements in the Registration Statements and the Prospectus Supplements. Furthermore, CFC and
4 CHL, and many of their affiliated entities, maintain their principal executive offices in this County, and
5 each of the Underwriter Defendants, defined herein, conduct business and/or are headquartered in this
6 County.
7 III. PARTIES
8 23. Plaintiff David H. Luther (“Luther”) and/or members of the Class acquired Certificates
9 pursuant and/or traceable to the Registration Statements and Prospectus Supplements. Each of these
11 similar or identical representations as every Registration Statement and Prospectus Supplement used to
12 issue the MBS acquired by Plaintiff Luther and/or the members of the Class, and this language was
13 rendered false and misleading as a consequence of the same course of conduct by defendants.
14 24. Lead Plaintiff Vermont Pension Investment Committee (the “VPIC”) makes and
15 manages investments for the State Teachers’ Retirement System of Vermont, the Vermont State
16 Employees’ Retirement System and the Vermont Municipal Employees’ Retirement System by
17 combining the three public pension funds’ assets. As such, VPIC manages the pension investments for
18 Vermont’s public school teachers, judges, law enforcement officers and municipal employees. The
19 VPIC and/or members of the Class acquired Certificates pursuant and/or traceable to the Registration
20 Statements and Prospectus Supplements. Each of these Registration Statements and Prospectus
21 Supplements, as described herein, contained substantially similar or identical representations as every
22 Registration Statement and Prospectus Supplement used to issue the MBS acquired by the VPIC and/or
23 the members of the Class, and this language was rendered false and misleading as a consequence of the
26 is the largest private bank in the United Arab Emirates. Plaintiff Mashreq and/or members of the Class
27 acquired Certificates pursuant and/or traceable to the Registration Statements and Prospectus
28
-6-
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 Supplements. Each of these Registration Statements and Prospectus Supplements, as described herein,
3 Prospectus Supplement used to issue the MBS acquired by Plaintiff Mashreq and/or the members of the
4 Class, and this language was rendered false and misleading as a consequence of the same course of
5 conduct by defendants.
6 26. Lead Plaintiff Pension Trust Fund for Operating Engineers provides benefits to members
7 of Operating Engineers Local Union No. 3, the largest of the 182 unions within the International Union
8 of Operating Engineers and the largest construction trades local in the United States. Pension Trust
9 Fund for Operating Engineers provides benefits to Local No. 3 members in Northern California,
10 Northern Nevada, Utah and Hawaii. The majority of the plan’s participants work in private
11 construction as heavy equipment operators, mechanics, drillers, concrete pumpers, soil testers, inspector
12 surveyors or dredgers. Plaintiff Pension Trust Fund for Operating Engineers and/or members of the
13 Class acquired Certificates pursuant and/or traceable to the Registration Statements and Prospectus
14 Supplements. Each of these Registration Statements and Prospectus Supplements, as described herein,
16 Prospectus Supplement used to issue the MBS acquired by Plaintiff Pension Trust Fund for Operating
17 Engineers and/or the members of the Class, and this language was rendered false and misleading as a
20 Operating Engineers Local Union No. 3. Plaintiff Operating Engineers Annuity Plan and/or members
21 of the Class acquired Certificates pursuant and/or traceable to the Registration Statements and
24 Statement and Prospectus Supplement used to issue the MBS acquired by Plaintiff Operating Engineers
25 Annuity Plan and/or the members of the Class, and this language was rendered false and misleading as a
28
-7-
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 28. Lead Plaintiff Washington State Plumbing & Pipefitting Pension Trust (“Washington”)
2 was formed in 1962 and is located in Seattle, Washington. Plaintiff Washington is a Taft-Hartley
3 pension fund representing four local unions across the State of Washington with over 6,000 active and
4 retired members, and manages approximately $550 million in assets. Washington and/or the members
5 of the Class acquired Certificates pursuant and/or traceable to the Registration Statements and
8 Statement and Prospectus Supplement used to issue the MBS acquired by Plaintiff Washington and/or
9 the members of the Class, and this language was rendered false and misleading as a consequence of the
11 29. Lead Plaintiff Maine State Retirement System (“MSRS”), established in 1942, operates
12 pursuant to the authority granted to it by the Maine State Legislature, and administers retirement
13 programs that cover Maine public employees, Maine’s public school teachers, judges, legislators, as
14 well as employees of approximately 267 municipalities and other public entities in Maine. As of June
15 30, 2006, MSRS serviced 92,341 members, including active employees and retirees. MSRS manages
16 net assets of over $9.5 billion. MSRS and/or members of the Class acquired Certificates pursuant
17 and/or traceable to the Registration Statements and Prospectus Supplements. Each of these Registration
18 Statements and Prospectus Supplements, as described herein, contained substantially similar or identical
19 representations as every Registration Statement and Prospectus Supplement used to issue the MBS
20 acquired by Plaintiff MSRS and/or the members of the Class, and this language was rendered false and
21 misleading as a consequence of the same course of conduct by defendants.
22 30. Defendant CFC is a Delaware corporation with its principal executive offices located at
23 4500 Park Granada, Calabasas, California. CFC is a holding company which, through its subsidiaries,
24 is engaged in mortgage lending and other real estate finance related businesses, including mortgage
25 banking, banking and mortgage warehouse lending, dealing in securities and insurance underwriting.
26 The Company operates through five business segments: Mortgage Banking, which originates,
27 purchases, sells and services non-commercial mortgage loans nationwide; Banking, which takes
28
-8-
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 deposits and invests in mortgage loans and home equity lines of credit; Capital Markets, which operates
2 an institutional broker-dealer that primarily specializes in trading and underwriting MBS; Insurance,
3 which offers property, casualty, life and disability insurance as an underwriter and as an insurance
4 agency; and Global Operations, which licenses and supports technology to mortgage lenders in the
5 United Kingdom.
6 31. Defendant CFC structured Defendants CWALT, CWMBS, CWABS, and CWHEQ as
7 limited purpose, wholly-owned, finance subsidiaries to facilitate its issuance and sale of the Certificates.
8 CWALT, CWMBS, CWABS and CWHEQ have no assets of their own and are controlled directly by
9 CFC, through its appointment of CFC executives as directors and officers of these entities. Revenues
10 flowing from issuance and the sale of Certificates issued by CWALT, CWMBS, CWABS and CWHEQ
11 and the Issuing Trusts (as defined herein) were passed through to CFC and consolidated into CFC’s
12 financial statements. Defendant CFC, therefore, exercised actual day to day control over Defendants
14 32. According to Defendant CFC’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007, filed
15 with the SEC on February 29, 2008 (“2007 Form 10-K”), Defendant CFC also “operate[s] an
16 institutional broker-dealer that primarily specializes in trading and underwriting MBS” known as CSC.
17 The financial results of CSC are set forth in the Capital Markets Segment of Defendant CFC’s financial
18 statements. Defendant CFC further stated in its 2007 Form 10-K that it was “ranked fourth among Non-
19 Agency MBS Underwriters” for 2007, but that its underwriting activities had tapered off towards the
22 mortgage banking business, and originates, purchases, sells and services mortgage loans. CHL’s
23 principal executive offices are located at 4500 Park Granada, Calabasas, California, the same location
24 as CFC. CHL served as the “Sponsor” or “Seller” of the Certificates, meaning that it provided the pools
25 of mortgage loans to the Issuing Trusts upon which the Certificates were based.
27 of CFC. CCM’s principal executive offices are located at 4500 Park Granada, Calabasas, California,
28
-9-
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 the same location as CFC. CCM operates through its two main wholly-owned subsidiaries, Defendant
3 Defendant CFC’s Form 10-K, “Capital Markets participates in both competitive bid and
4 negotiated underwritings and performs underwriting services for CHL, Countrywide Bank and third
5 parties.” The financial results of CCM are set forth in the Capital Markets Segment of Defendant CFC’s
6 financial statements.
8 subsidiary of CFC. CWALT’s principal executive offices are located at 4500 Park Granada, Calabasas,
9 California, the same location as CFC. CWALT served in the role of the “Depositor” in the
10 securitization of the Issuing Trusts as identified in ¶55 below, and was an “Issuer” of the Certificates
11 within the meaning of the Securities Act, 15 U.S.C §77b(a)(4), traceable to the following amended
20 California, the same location as CFC. Defendant CWMBS served in the role of the “Depositor” in the
21 securitization of the Issuing Trusts as identified in ¶55 below, and was an “Issuer” of the Certificates
22 within the meaning of the Securities Act, 15 U.S.C §77b(a)(4), traceable to the following amended
23 Registration Statements it filed with the SEC:
28
- 10 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 37. Defendant CWABS is a Delaware corporation and a limited purpose financing
2 subsidiary of CFC. CWABS’ principal executive offices are located at 4500 Park Granada, Calabasas,
3 California, the same location as CFC. Defendant CWABS served in the role of the “Depositor” in the
4 securitization of the Issuing Trusts as identified in ¶55 below, and was an “Issuer” of the Certificates
5 within the meaning of the Securities Act, 15 U.S.C §77b(a)(4), traceable to the following amended
13 California, the same location as CFC. Defendant CWHEQ served in the role of the “Depositor” in the
14 securitization of the Issuing Trusts as identified in ¶55 below and was an “Issuer” of the Certificates
15 within the meaning of the Securities Act, 15 U.S.C §77b(a)(4), traceable to the following amended
28
- 11 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 41. Defendant Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. (“Deutsche Bank”) acted as an underwriter for
2 the Certificates identified in ¶55 below, within the meaning of the Securities Act, 15 U.S.C.
3 §77b(a)(11), and drafted and disseminated the Prospectus Supplements pursuant to which the
5 42. Defendant Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. (“Bear Stearns”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of J.P.
6 Morgan Chase & Co. pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger by and between The Bear Stearns
7 Companies, Inc. and J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. dated March 16, 2008, acted as an underwriter for the
8 Certificates identified in ¶55 below, within the meaning of the Securities Act, 15 U.S.C. §77b(a)(11),
9 and drafted and disseminated the Prospectus Supplements pursuant to which the Certificates were sold
10 to plaintiffs. As of the date of the merger, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. is a successor in interest of Bear
11 Stearns.
12 43. Defendant Banc of America Securities LLC (“BoA”) acted as an underwriter for the
13 Certificates identified in ¶55 below, within the meaning of the Securities Act, 15 U.S.C. §77b(a)(11),
14 and drafted and disseminated the Prospectus Supplements pursuant to which the Certificates were sold
15 to plaintiffs.
16 44. Defendant UBS Securities, LLC (“UBS”) acted as an underwriter for the Certificates
17 identified in ¶55 below, within the meaning of the Securities Act, 15 U.S.C. §77b(a)(11), and drafted
18 and disseminated the Prospectus Supplements pursuant to which the Certificates were sold to plaintiffs.
19 45. Defendant Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated (“Morgan Stanley”) acted as an
20 underwriter for the Certificates identified in ¶55 below, within the meaning of the Securities Act, 15
21 U.S.C. §77b(a)(11), and drafted and disseminated the Prospectus Supplements pursuant to which the
24 the Certificates identified in ¶55 below, within the meaning of the Securities Act, 15 U.S.C.
25 §77b(a)(11), and drafted and disseminated the Prospectus Supplements pursuant to which the
28
- 12 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 47. Defendant Citigroup Global Markets Inc. (“Citigroup”) acted as an underwriter for the
2 Certificates identified in ¶55 below, within the meaning of the Securities Act, 15 U.S.C. §77b(a)(11),
3 and drafted and disseminated the Prospectus Supplements pursuant to which the Certificates were sold
4 to plaintiffs.
5 48. Defendant Goldman, Sachs & Co. (“Goldman Sachs”) acted as an underwriter for the
6 Certificates identified in ¶55 below, within the meaning of the Securities Act, 15 U.S.C. §77b(a)(11),
7 and drafted and disseminated the Prospectus Supplements pursuant to which the Certificates were sold
8 to plaintiffs.
9 49. Defendant Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC (“Credit Suisse”) acted as an underwriter
10 for the Certificates identified in ¶55 below, within the meaning of the Securities Act, 15 U.S.C.
11 §77b(a)(11), and drafted and disseminated the Prospectus Supplements pursuant to which the
13 50. Defendant Greenwich Capital Markets, Inc. a.k.a. RBS Greenwich Capital (“RBS”)
14 acted as an underwriter for the Certificates identified in ¶55 below, within the meaning of the Securities
15 Act, 15 U.S.C. §77b(a)(11), and drafted and disseminated the Prospectus Supplements pursuant to
17 51. Defendant Barclays Capital Inc. (“Barclays”) acted as an underwriter for the Certificates
18 identified in ¶55 below, within the meaning of the Securities Act, 15 U.S.C. §77b(a)(11), and drafted
19 and disseminated the Prospectus Supplements pursuant to which the Certificates were sold to plaintiffs.
20 52. Defendant HSBC Securities (USA) (“HSBC”) acted as an underwriter for the
21 Certificates identified in ¶55 below, within the meaning of the Securities Act, 15 U.S.C. §77b(a)(11),
22 and drafted and disseminated the Prospectus Supplements pursuant to which the Certificates were sold
23 to plaintiffs.
24 53. Defendant BNP Paribas Securities Corp. (“BNP”) acted as an underwriter for the
25 Certificates identified in ¶55 below, within the meaning of the Securities Act, 15 U.S.C. §77b(a)(11),
26 and drafted and disseminated the Prospectus Supplements pursuant to which the Certificates were sold
27 to plaintiffs.
28
- 13 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 54. Defendant Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Incorporated (“Merrill Lynch”) acted
2 as an underwriter for the Certificates identified in ¶55 below, within the meaning of the Securities Act,
3 15 U.S.C. §77b(a)(11), and drafted and disseminated the Prospectus Supplements pursuant to which the
4 Certificates were sold to plaintiffs. On September 15, 2008, Bank of America announced that it had
6 55. The Issuing Trusts were set up by CWALT, CWMBS, CWABS and CWHEQ to issue
7 hundreds of billions of dollars worth of Certificates pursuant to the Registration Statements and
8 Prospectus Supplements. The following chart identifies (1) each Issuing Trust, (2) the stated value of
9 the Certificates it issued, (3) the Registration Statements and Supplement Prospectuses pursuant to
10 which the Certificates were issued and sold, and (4) the identities of the Depositor/Issuer, Underwriters,
16
9/23/2004 JP Morgan/ CHL
17 Alternative Loan Deutsche Bank/
Trust 2005-10CB 3/28/2005 $1,132,559,959 CWALT UBS
18
Bear CHL
19 Alternative Loan Stearns/CSC/
Trust 2005-13CB 3/22/2005 $729,629,938 CWALT Edward Jones
20 Alternative Loan CHL
Trust 2005-14 3/28/2005 $1,223,957,100 CWALT BoA
21
Deutsche CHL
22 Alternative Loan Bank/JP
Trust 2005-18CB 3/29/2005 $228,023,117 CWALT Morgan
23
Deutsche CHL
24 Bank/JP
Alternative Loan Morgan/Credit
25 Trust 2005-1CB 1/27/2005 $1,068,597,926 CWALT Suisse
Alternative Loan CHL
26 Trust 2005-2 1/27/2005 $259,145,100 CWALT UBS
15
4/21/2005 Alternative Loan Deutsche CHL
16 Trust 2005-11CB 4/27/2005 $1,145,181,103 CWALT Bank/CSC
17 Alternative Loan CHL
Trust 2005-16 4/26/2005 $641,647,100 CWALT UBS
18
Alternative Loan CHL
19 Trust 2005-17 5/26/2005 $1,145,690,100 CWALT UBS
Bear Stearns/ CHL
20 Morgan
Alternative Loan Stanley/Edward
21 Trust 2005-19CB 4/25/2005 $414,809,999 CWALT Jones
22 Deutsche CHL
Alternative Loan Bank/CSC/
23 Trust 2005-20CB 5/25/2005 $1,137,170,938 CWALT Lehman
Alternative Loan Morgan CHL
24
Trust 2005-21CB 4/26/2005 $722,227,948 CWALT Stanley/CSC
25 Alternative Loan Citigroup/ CHL
Trust 2005-22T1 4/26/2005 $262,349,932 CWALT Goldman Sachs
26
Alternative Loan Credit CHL
27 Trust 2005-23CB 4/26/2005 $717,484,000 CWALT Suisse/CSC
28
- 15 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 Amended Issuing Trust Prospectus Principal Depositor/ Underwriter(s) Sponsor
Registration Supplement Amount Issuer
2 Statement Date
Date
3
Alternative Loan CHL
4 Trust 2005-24 5/26/2005 $1,425,304,100 CWALT CSC
Alternative Loan CHL
5
Trust 2005-25T1 5/23/2005 $292,299,470 CWALT Citigroup/CSC
6 Alternative Loan CHL
Trust 2005-26CB 5/24/2005 $493,999,752 CWALT RBS/CSC
7
Alternative Loan 6/28/2005 $1,524,298,100 CWALT UBS CHL
8 Trust 2005-27
Alternative Loan 6/27/2005 $831,895,756 CWALT Deutsche Bank/ CHL
9 Trust 2005-28CB JP Morgan
10 Alternative Loan 5/24/2005 $273,952,380 CWALT UBS/Bear CHL
Trust 2005-29 Stearns
11
Alternative Loan 6/27/2005 $521,202,999 CWALT Credit CHL
12 Trust 2005-30CB Suisse/CSC
Alternative Loan 6/27/2005 $971,317,100 CWALT Deutsche Bank CHL
13 Trust 2005-31
28
- 16 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 Amended Issuing Trust Prospectus Principal Depositor/ Underwriter(s) Sponsor
Registration Supplement Amount Issuer
2 Statement Date
Date
3
7/25/2005 Alternative Loan 7/25/2005 $416,789,991 CWALT Deutsche Bank/ CHL
4 Trust 2005-34CB CSC/Edward
Jones
5
Alternative Loan 7/27/2005 $726,658,739 CWALT CSC/UBS CHL
Trust 2005-35CB
6
Alternative Loan 7/26/2005 $344,113,666 CWALT Morgan CHL
7 Trust 2005-37Tl Stanley/CSC
13
3/6/2006 Alternative Loan 1/24/2006 $763,457,959 CWALT RBS/CSC CHL
14 Trust 2006-11CB
Alternative Loan 1/27/2006 $624,731,141 CWALT UBS/JP CHL
15 Trust 2006-12CB Morgan
16 Alternative Loan 3/29/2006 $493,728,887 CWALT BoA/Deutsche CHL
Trust 2006-13T1 Bank
17
Alternative Loan 4/25/2006 $519,223,126 CWALT Deutsche Bank/ CHL
18 Trust 2006-14CB JP Morgan
Alternative Loan 4/24/2006 $366,789,456 CWALT RBS/Lehman CHL
19 Trust 2006-15CB
28
- 20 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 Amended Issuing Trust Prospectus Principal Depositor/ Underwriter(s) Sponsor
Registration Supplement Amount Issuer
2 Statement Date
Date
3
Alternative Loan 6/27/2006 $987,020,570 CWALT UBS/CSC CHL
4 Trust 2006-23CB
Alternative Loan 6/28/2006 $880,451,378 CWALT Bear CHL
5
Trust 2006-24CB Stearns/Morgan
Stanley
6
Alternative Loan 7/27/2006 $518,814,998 CWALT Deutsche CHL
7 Trust 2006-25CB Bank/CSC
28
- 22 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 Amended Issuing Trust Prospectus Principal Depositor/ Underwriter(s) Sponsor
Registration Supplement Amount Issuer
2 Statement Date
Date
3
Alternative Loan 6/29/2006 $1,237,208,100 CWALT CSC CHL
4 Trust 2006-OA11
Alternative Loan 7/27/2006 $984,619,100 CWALT CSC CHL
5
Trust 2006-OA12
6 Alternative Loan 9/29/2006 $949,619,100 CWALT BoA CHL
Trust 2006-OA14
7
Alternative Loan 8/29/2006 $1,336,380,100 CWALT CSC CHL
8 Trust 2006-OA16
Alternative Loan 9/28/2006 $1,560,610,100 CWALT CSC CHL
9 Trust 2006-OA17
10 Alternative Loan 11/14/2006 $498,492,256 CWALT CSC CHL
Trust 2006-OA18
11
Alternative Loan 11/29/2006 $1,199,267,100 CWALT CSC CHL
12 Trust 2006-OA19
Alternative Loan 3/28/2006 $1,292,642,100 CWALT CSC CHL
13 Trust 2006-OA21
28
- 24 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 Amended Issuing Trust Prospectus Principal Depositor/ Underwriter(s) Sponsor
Registration Supplement Amount Issuer
2 Statement Date
Date
3
Alternative Loan 2/27/2007 $989,260,100 CWALT Deutsche Bank CHL
4 Trust 2007-HY3
Alternative Loan 3/29/2007 $553,116,614 CWALT Deutsche Bank
5
Trust 2007-HY5R
6 Alternative Loan 2/27/2007 $583,156,580 CWALT CSC CHL
Trust 2007-J1
7
Alternative Loan 2/14/2007 $666,176,100 CWALT UBS CHL
8 Trust 2007-OA2
Alternative Loan 2/28/2007 $1,137,053,100 CWALT BoA CHL
9 Trust 2007-OA3
10 Alternative Loan 3/28/2007 $717,258,300 CWALT Goldman Sachs CHL
Trust 2007-OA4
11
Alternative Loan 3/29/2007 $771,733,100 CWALT CSC CHL
12 Trust 2007-OA7
Alternative Loan 5/26/2006 $416,626,008 CWALT RBS RBS
13 Trust
Resecuritization
14 2006-22R
28
- 25 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 Amended Issuing Trust Prospectus Principal Depositor/ Underwriter(s) Sponsor
Registration Supplement Amount Issuer
2 Statement Date
Date
3
Alternative Loan 6/28/2007 $1,166,488,020 CWALT Credit Suisse/ CHL
4 Trust 2007-19 Deutsche Bank
Alternative Loan 6/27/2007 $296,399,844 CWALT RBS/UBS CHL
5
Trust 2007-20
6 Alternative Loan 7/27/2007 $769,186,604 CWALT Deutsche Bank CHL
Trust 2007-21CB
7
Alternative Loan 7/27/2007 $791,348,018 CWALT UBS CHL
8 Trust 2007-22
Alternative Loan 7/30/2007 $1,030,214,330 CWALT Bear Stearns CHL
9 Trust 2007-23CB
10 Alternative Loan 8/29/2007 $537,168,947 CWALT UBS CHL
Trust 2007-24
11
Alternative Loan 9/27/2007 $660,495,859 CWALT CSC CHL
12 Trust 2007-25
Alternative Loan 6/18/2007 $228,622,100 CWALT CSC CHL
13 Trust 2007-AL1
11
2/8/2005 CHL Mortgage 6/20/2005 $412,924,044 CWMBS Morgan CHL
12 Pass-Through Stanley/ CSC/
Trust 2005-15 Edward Jones
13 CHL Mortgage 6/15/2005 $791,873,100 CWMBS CSC CHL
Pass-Through
14 Trust 2005-HYB4
17
7/25/2005 CHL Mortgage 7/26/2005 $412,924,740 CWMBS Goldman CHL
18 Pass-Through Sachs/Lehman
Trust 2005-16
19
CHL Mortgage 7/25/2005 $629,201,708 CWMBS UBS/CSC CHL
20 Pass-Through
Trust 2005-17
21 CHL Mortgage 8/25/2005 $413,919,844 CWMBS Goldman CHL
Pass-Through Sachs/CSC
22 Trust 2005-18
27
28
- 28 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 Amended Issuing Trust Prospectus Principal Depositor/ Underwriter(s) Sponsor
Registration Supplement Amount Issuer
2 Statement Date
Date
3
CHL Mortgage 10/27/2005 $593,432,100 CWMBS CSC CHL
4 Pass-Through
Trust 2005-HYB8
5
CHL Mortgage 7/27/2005 $381,311,999 CWMBS CSC CHL
Pass-Through
6
Trust 2005-J3
7 CHL Mortgage 10/26/2005 $200,059,714 CWMBS CSC CHL
Pass-Through
8 Trust 2005-J4
27
28
- 29 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 Amended Issuing Trust Prospectus Principal Depositor/ Underwriter(s) Sponsor
Registration Supplement Amount Issuer
2 Statement Date
Date
3
3/6/2006 CHL Mortgage 3/29/2006 $600,481,743 CWMBS Bear CHL
4 Pass-Through Stearns/BoA
Trust 2006-10
5
CHL Mortgage 4/24/2006 $626,849,839 CWMBS Credit CHL
Pass-Through Suisse/CSC
6
Trust 2006-11
7 CHL Mortgage 5/22/2006 $652,719,878 CWMBS CSC CHL
Pass-Through
8 Trust 2006-12
27
28
- 30 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 Amended Issuing Trust Prospectus Principal Depositor/ Underwriter(s) Sponsor
Registration Supplement Amount Issuer
2 Statement Date
Date
3
CHL Mortgage 3/28/2006 $415,909,999 CWMBS Barclays/CSC CHL
4 Pass-Through
Trust 2006-9
5
CHL Mortgage 4/26/2006 $966,897,100 CWMBS CSC CHL
Pass-Through
6
Trust 2006-HYB3
7 CHL Mortgage 5/26/2006 $443,360,100 CWMBS CSC CHL
Pass-Through
8 Trust 2006-HYB4
27
28
- 31 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 Amended Issuing Trust Prospectus Principal Depositor/ Underwriter(s) Sponsor
Registration Supplement Amount Issuer
2 Statement Date
Date
3
CHL Mortgage 3/29/2007 $620,703,100 CWMBS CSC CHL
4 Pass-Through
Trust 2007-HYB2
5
CHL Mortgage 1/29/2007 $309,676,683 CWMBS CSC CHL
Pass-Through
6
Trust 2007-J1
7
28
- 32 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 Amended Issuing Trust Prospectus Principal Depositor/ Underwriter(s) Sponsor
Registration Supplement Amount Issuer
2 Statement Date
Date
3
CHL Mortgage CWMBS CHL
4 Pass-Through
Trust 2007-21 12/27/2007 $778,228,036 CSC
5
CHL Mortgage CWMBS CHL
Pass-Through JP Morgan/
6
Trust 2007-6 4/26/2007 $746,250,000 CSC
7 CHL Mortgage CWMBS CHL
Pass-Through
8 Trust 2007-7 4/26/2007 $746,236,970 RBS/CSC
4
6/10/2005 CWABS Asset- 9/15/2005 $695,001,100 CWABS CSC/Deutsche CHL
Backed Bank/JP
5
Certificates Trust Morgan
2005-10
6
CWABS Asset- 9/23/2005 $1,929,704,100 CWABS CSC/Morgan CHL
7 Backed Stanley/ RBS
Certificates Trust
8 2005-11
28
- 34 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 Amended Issuing Trust Prospectus Principal Depositor/ Underwriter(s) Sponsor
Registration Supplement Amount Issuer
2 Statement Date
Date
3
CWABS Asset- 6/23/2005 $1,694,050,100 CWABS CSC/Bear CHL
4 Backed Stearns/JP
Certificates Trust Morgan
5 2005-6
CWABS Asset- 6/24/2005 $2,138,899,100 CWABS CSC/Bear CHL
6
Backed Stearns/RBS
Certificates Trust
7
2005-7
8 CWABS Asset- 8/25/2005 $621,372,100 CWABS CSC/Lehman CHL
Backed
9 Certificates Trust
2005-8
10
CWABS Asset- 9/22/2005 $1,281,150,100 CWABS CSC/RBS/ CHL
11 Backed Merrill Lynch
Certificates Trust
12 2005-9
CWABS Asset- 6/16/2005 $1,000,000,100 CWABS CSC/Bear CHL
13 Backed Stearns/Credit
Certificates Trust Suisse
14 2005-AB2
15 CWABS Asset- 9/21/2005 $631,475,100 CWABS CSC/Barclays/ CHL
Backed BoA
16 Certificates Trust
2005-AB3
17
CWABS Asset- 11/23/2005 $1,592,000,100 CWABS CSC/Deutsche CHL
18 Backed Bank/JP
Certificates Trust Morgan
19 2005-AB4
CWABS Asset- 12/23/2005 $695,800,100 CWABS CSC/RBS CHL
20 Backed
Certificates Trust
21 2005-AB5
28
- 35 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 Amended Issuing Trust Prospectus Principal Depositor/ Underwriter(s) Sponsor
Registration Supplement Amount Issuer
2 Statement Date
Date
3
CWABS Asset- 11/29/2005 $1,088,954,000 CWABS CSC CHL
4 Backed
Certificates Trust
5 2005-HYB9
CWABS Asset- 8/23/2005 $897,285,100 CWABS CSC CHL
6
Backed
Certificates Trust
7
2005-IM1
8 CWABS Asset- 10/26/2005 $715,077,100 CWABS CSC CHL
Backed
9 Certificates Trust
2005-IM2
10
CWABS Asset- 12/19/2005 $1,094,500,100 CWABS CSC CHL
11 Backed
Certificates Trust
12 2005-IM3
CWABS Asset- 2/8/2006 $756,643,100 CWABS CSC/Lehman CHL
13 Backed
Certificates Trust
14 2006-1
15 CWABS Asset- 1/27/2006 $697,200,100 CWABS CSC CHL
Backed
16 Certificates Trust
2006-IM1
17
27
28
- 36 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 Amended Issuing Trust Prospectus Principal Depositor/ Underwriter(s) Sponsor
Registration Supplement Amount Issuer
2 Statement Date
Date
3
CWABS Asset- 7/27/2006 $1,602,525,100 CWABS CSC/Bear CHL
4 Backed Stearns/
Certificates Trust Lehman
5 2006-13
CWABS Asset- 2/23/2006 $801,975,100 CWABS CSC/BoA/JP CHL
6
Backed Morgan
Certificates Trust
7
2006-2
8 CWABS Asset- 2/23/2006 $1,361,500,100 CWABS CSC/Barclays/ CHL
Backed Deutsche Bank
9 Certificates Trust
2006-3
10
CWABS Asset- 3/15/2006 $606,775,100 CWABS CSC/JP CHL
11 Backed Morgan/
Certificates Trust Lehman
12 2006-4
CWABS Asset- 3/24/2006 $672,135,100 CWABS CSC/Bear CHL
13 Backed Stearns/
Certificates Trust Lehman
14 2006-5
15 CWABS Asset- 3/27/2006 $1,762,200,100 CWABS CSC CHL
Backed
16 Certificates Trust
2006-6
17
CWABS Asset- 6/26/2006 $1,017,378,100 CWABS CSC CHL
18 Backed
Certificates Trust
19 2006-7
CWABS Asset- 6/26/2006 $1,946,000,100 CWABS CSC CHL
20 Backed
Certificates Trust
21 2006-8
28
- 37 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 Amended Issuing Trust Prospectus Principal Depositor/ Underwriter(s) Sponsor
Registration Supplement Amount Issuer
2 Statement Date
Date
3
CWABS Asset- 5/26/2006 $629,525,100 CWABS CSC CHL
4 Backed
Certificates Trust
5 2006-BC2
CWABS Asset- 8/29/2006 $579,300,100 CWABS CSC CHL
6
Backed
Certificates Trust
7
2006-BC3
8 CWABS Asset- 6/26/2006 $230,875,100 CWABS Credit Suisse/ CHL
Backed Deutsche Bank
9 Certificates Trust
2006-SPS1
10
28
- 38 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 Amended Issuing Trust Prospectus Principal Depositor/ Underwriter(s) Sponsor
Registration Supplement Amount Issuer
2 Statement Date
Date
3
CWABS Asset- 11/29/2006 $1,069,750,100 CWABS CSC/JP CHL
4 Backed Morgan/RBS
Certificates Trust
5 2006-21
CWABS Asset- 11/29/2006 $1,556,000,100 CWABS CSC/Barclays/ CHL
6
Backed RBS
Certificates Trust
7
2006-22
8 CWABS Asset- 12/7/2006 $1,553,600,100 CWABS CSC/JP CHL
Backed Morgan/RBS
9 Certificates Trust
2006-23
10
CWABS Asset- 12/28/2006 $1,305,024,100 CWABS CSC/RBS CHL
11 Backed
Certificates Trust
12 2006-24
CWABS Asset- 12/28/2006 $1,507,375,100 CWABS CSC/RBS CHL
13 Backed
Certificates Trust
14 2006-25
15 CWABS Asset- 12/28/2006 $1,167,600,100 CWABS CSC/RBS CHL
Backed
16 Certificates Trust
2006-26
17
CWABS Asset- 9/27/2006 $579,000,100 CWABS CSC CHL
18 Backed
Certificates Trust
19 2006-BC4
CWABS Asset- 12/28/2006 $729,003,100 CWABS CSC CHL
20 Backed
Certificates Trust
21 2006-BC5
28
- 39 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 Amended Issuing Trust Prospectus Principal Depositor/ Underwriter(s) Sponsor
Registration Supplement Amount Issuer
2 Statement Date
Date
3
CWABS Asset- 2/27/2007 $1,513,980,100 CWABS CSC/RBS CHL
4 Backed
Certificates Trust
5 2007-2
CWABS Asset- 3/28/2007 $735,711,100 CWABS CSC/RBS CHL
6
Backed
Certificates Trust
7
2007-3
8 CWABS Asset- 3/28/2007 $959,500,100 CWABS CSC/RBS CHL
Backed
9 Certificates Trust
2007-4
10
CWABS Asset- 3/29/2007 $1,150,000,100 CWABS CSC/RBS CHL
11 Backed
Certificates Trust
12 2007-5
CWABS Asset- 3/29/2007 $966,000,100 CWABS CSC/RBS CHL
13 Backed
Certificates Trust
14 2007-6
15 CWABS Asset- 2/27/2007 $467,750,100 CWABS CSC CHL
Backed
16 Certificates Trust
2007-BC1
17
28
- 40 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 Amended Issuing Trust Prospectus Principal Depositor/ Underwriter(s) Sponsor
Registration Supplement Amount Issuer
2 Statement Date
Date
3
CWABS Asset- 5/3/2007 $1,070,850,100 CWABS CSC/RBS CHL
4 Backed
Certificates Trust
5 2007-7
CWABS Asset- 5/30/2007 $1,264,900,100 CWABS CSC/Lehman/ CHL
6
Backed RBS
Certificates Trust
7
2007-8
8 CWABS Asset- 6/7/2007 $1,171,200,100 CWABS CSC/Lehman/ CHL
Backed RBS
9 Certificates Trust
2007-9
10
CWABS Asset- 4/26/2007 $615,875,100 CWABS CSC CHL
11 Backed
Certificates Trust
12 2007-BC2
CWABS Asset- 6/28/2007 $551,418,100 CWABS CSC CHL
13 Backed
Certificates Trust
14 2007-BC3
15
28
- 41 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 Amended Issuing Trust Prospectus Principal Depositor/ Underwriter(s) Sponsor
Registration Supplement Amount Issuer
2 Statement Date
Date
3
CWHEQ 8/26/2005 $2,000,000,000 CWHEQ CSC CHL
4 Revolving Home
Equity Loan
5 Trust, Series
2005-D
6
CWHEQ 8/26/2005 $2,000,000,000 CWHEQ CSC CHL
Revolving Home
7
Equity Loan
Trust, Series
8
2005-E
9 CWHEQ 9/27/2005 $2,706,750,000 CWHEQ CSC CHL
Revolving Home
10 Equity Loan
Trust, Series
11 2005-F
26
27
28
- 42 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 Amended Issuing Trust Prospectus Principal Depositor/ Underwriter(s) Sponsor
Registration Supplement Amount Issuer
2 Statement Date
Date
3
CWHEQ 12/27/2005 $2,000,000,000 CWHEQ CSC/Lehman/ CHL
4 Revolving Home HSBC
Equity Loan
5 Trust, Series
2005-M
6
CWHEQ 2/24/2006 $800,000,000 CWHEQ CSC CHL
Revolving Home
7
Equity Loan
Trust, Series
8
2006-A
9 CWHEQ 3/28/2006 $1,150,000,000 CWHEQ CSC CHL
Revolving Home
10 Equity Loan
Trust, Series
11 2006-B
28
- 44 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 Amended Issuing Trust Prospectus Principal Depositor/ Underwriter(s) Sponsor
Registration Supplement Amount Issuer
2 Statement Date
Date
3
CWHEQ 9/28/2006 $1,000,000,000 CWHEQ CSC CHL
4 Revolving Home
Equity Loan
5 Trust, Series
2006-H
6
CWHEQ 12/27/2006 $2,100,000,000 CWHEQ CSC CHL
Revolving Home
7
Equity Loan
Trust, Series
8
2006-I
9 CWHEQ 1/30/2007 $1,200,000,000 CWHEQ CSC CHL
Revolving Home
10 Equity Loan
Trust, Series
11 2007-A
18
5/22/2007 CWHEQ 5/30/2007 $900,000,000 CWHEQ CSC CHL
19 Revolving Home
Equity Loan
20 Trust, Series
2007-D
21 CWHEQ 5/30/2007 $900,000,000 CWHEQ CSC CHL
Revolving Home
22 Equity Loan
Trust, Series
23 2007-E
27
28
- 45 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 56. The Issuing Trusts, CWALT, CWMBS, CWABS and CWHEQ, and CFC are
3 57. Defendants CFC, CCM, CSC, JP Morgan, Deutsche Bank, Bear Stearns, BoA, UBS,
4 Morgan Stanley, Edward Jones, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, RBS, Barclays, HSBC, BNP,
6 58. The Issuing Defendants and Underwriting Defendants are collectively referred to herein
8 59. Defendant Stanford L. Kurland (“Kurland”) was, at relevant times, the Chief Executive
9 Officer (“CEO”), President and Chairman of the Board of Directors for CWALT, CWMBS and
10 CWABS. Defendant Kurland signed: CWALT’s January 13, 2004, June 17, 2005, July 25, 2005,
11 February 7, 2006, and March 6, 2006 Registration Statements; CWMBS’ October 28, 2002, June 20,
12 2005, July 25, 2005, February 8, 2006, and March 6, 2006 Registration Statements; CWABS’ October
13 18, 2004, February 6, 2006, February 21, 2006, July 18, 2006, and August 8, 2006 Registration
14 Statements; and CWHEQ’s December 17, 2004, August 4, 2005, and April 12, 2006 Registration
15 Statements. Defendant Kurland was concurrently the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating
17 60. Defendant David A. Spector (“Spector”) was, at relevant times, Vice President and a
18 member of the Board of Directors for CWALT, CWMBS, CWABS and CWHEQ. Defendant Spector
19 signed: CWALT’s January 13, 2004, June 17, 2005, July 25, 2005, February 7, 2006, and March 6,
20 2006 Registration Statements; CWMBS’ October 28, 2002, June 20, 2005, July 25, 2005, February 8,
21 2006, and March 6, 2006 Registration Statements; CWABS’ October 18, 2004, February 6, 2006,
22 February 21, 2006, July 18, 2006, and August 8, 2006 Registration Statements; and CWHEQ’s
23 December 17, 2004, August 4, 2005, and April 12, 2006 Registration Statements. Defendant Spector
24 was concurrently the Senior Managing Director of Secondary Marketing of Defendant CFC.
25 61. Defendant Thomas Keith McLaughlin (“McLaughlin”) was, at relevant times, the
26 Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”) and Treasurer for CWALT, CWMBS,
27 CWABS and CWHEQ. Defendant McLaughlin signed: CWALT’s January 13, 2004 Registration
28
- 46 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 Statement; CWMBS’ October 28, 2002 Registration Statement; CWABS’ October 18, 2004
2 Registration Statement; and CWHEQ’s December 17, 2004 Registration Statement. Defendant
3 McLaughlin was concurrently the Executive Vice President and CFO of Defendant CFC.
4 62. Defendant Eric P. Sieracki (“Sieracki”) was, at relevant times, the Executive Vice
5 President, CFO, Treasurer and member of the Board of Directors for CWALT, CWMBS, and CWABS.
6 Defendant Sieracki signed: CWALT’s June 17, 2005, July 25, 2005, February 7, 2006, March 6, 2006,
7 February 28, 2007, and April 24, 2007 Registration Statements; CWMBS’ June 20, 2005, July 25,
8 2005, February 8, 2006, March 6, 2006, February 28, 2007, and April 24, 2007 Registration Statements;
9 CWABS’ February 6, 2006, February 21, 2006, July 18, 2006, August 8, 2006, February 28, 2007, and
10 April 24, 2007 Registration Statements; and CWHEQ’s August 4, 2005, April 12, 2006 and May 22,
11 2007 Registration Statements. Defendant Sieracki was concurrently the Executive Vice President and
13 63. Defendant Thomas H. Boone (“Boone”) was, at relevant times, a member of CWALT’s
14 and CWMBS’ Board of Directors. Defendant Boone signed CWALT’s January 13, 2004 Registration
15 Statement and CWMBS’ October 28, 2002 Registration Statement. Defendant Boone was concurrently
16 the Senior Managing Director and Chief Administrative Officer of Defendant CFC.
17 64. Defendant Jeffrey P. Grogin (“Grogin”) was, at relevant times a member of CWALT’s
18 and CWMBS’ Board of Directors. Defendant Grogin signed CWALT’s January 13, 2004 Registration
19 Statement and CWMBS’ October 28, 2002 Registration Statement.
20 65. Defendant N. Joshua Adler (“Adler”) was, at relevant times, President, CEO and a
21 member of the Board of Directors for CWALT, CWMBS, CWABS and CWHEQ. Defendant Adler
22 signed: CWALT’s February 28, 2007 and April 24, 2007 Registration Statements; CWMBS’ February
23 28, 2007 and April 24, 2007 Registration Statements; CWABS’ February 28, 2007 and April 24, 2007
26 CWMBS’, CWABS’ and CWHEQ’s Board of Directors. Defendant Kripalani signed CWALT’s
27 February 28, 2007 and April 24, 2007 Registration Statements; CWMBS’ February 28, 2007 and April
28
- 47 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 24, 2007 Registration Statements; CWABS’ February 28, 2007 and April 24, 2007 Registration
2 Statements; and CWHEQ’s May 22, 2007 Registration Statement. Defendant Kripalani was
5 CWALT’s, CWMBS’, CWABS’ and CWHEQ’s Board of Directors. Defendant Sandefur signed
6 CWALT’s February 28, 2007 and April 24, 2007 Registration Statements; CWMBS’ February 28, 2007
7 and April 24, 2007 Registration Statements; CWABS’ February 28, 2007 and April 24, 2007
8 Registration Statements; and CWHEQ’s May 22, 2007 Registration Statement. Defendant Sandefur
9 was concurrently the Senior Managing Director and Treasurer of Defendant CHL.
10 68. Defendant David A. Sambol (“Sambol”) was, at relevant times, President, CEO and a
11 member of the Board of Directors for CWHEQ. Defendant Sambol signed CWHEQ’s January 10,
12 2007, March 2, 2007 and April 17, 2007 Registration Statements. Defendant Sambol was concurrently
14 69. Defendants Kurland, Spector, McLaughlin, Boone, Grogin, Sieracki, Adler, Kripalani,
15 Sandefur and Sambol are collectively referred to hereinafter as the “Individual Defendants.”
19 loan originator) extending a loan to a prospective home buyer in exchange for a promissory note from
20 the home buyer to repay the principal and interest on loan. The loan originator also held a lien against
21 the home as collateral in the event the home buyer defaulted on the obligation. Under this simple
22 model, the loan originator held the promissory note until it matured and was exposed to the concomitant
23 risk that the borrower may fail to repay the loan. As such, under the traditional model, the loan
24 originator had a financial incentive to ensure that (1) the borrower had the financial wherewithal and
25 ability to repay the promissory note, and (2) the underlying property had sufficient value to enable the
26 originator to recovery its principal and interest in the event that the borrower defaulted on the
27 promissory note.
28
- 48 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 71. Beginning in the 1990s, persistent low interest rates and low inflation led to a demand
2 for mortgages. As a result, banks and other mortgage lending institutions took advantage of this
4 expanding mortgage market. As discussed below, these innovations altered (1) the foregoing traditional
5 lending model, severing the traditional direct link between borrower and lender, and (2) the risks
7 72. Unlike the traditional lending model, an asset securitization involves the sale and
8 securitization of mortgages. Specifically, after a loan originator issues a mortgage to a borrower, the
9 loan originator sells the mortgage in the financial markets to a third-party financial institution. By
10 selling the mortgage, the loan originator obtains fees in connection with the issuance of the mortgage,
11 receives upfront proceeds when it sells the mortgage into the financial markets, and thereby has new
12 capital to issue more mortgages. The mortgages sold into the financial markets are typically pooled
13 together and securitized into what are commonly referred to as mortgage-backed securities or MBS.
14 In addition to receiving proceeds from the sale of the mortgage, the loan originator is no longer subject
15 to the risk that the borrower may default; that risk is transferred with the mortgages to investors who
17 73. As illustrated below, in a mortgage securitization, mortgage loans are acquired, pooled
18 together or “securitized,” and then sold to investors in the form of MBS, whereby the investors acquire
19 rights in the income flowing from the mortgage pools.
20
21
22
23
24
25
28
- 49 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 74. When mortgage borrowers make interest and principal payments as required by the
2 underlying mortgages, the cash-flow is distributed to the holders of the MBS certificates in order of
3 priority based on the specific tranche held by the MBS investors. The highest tranche (also referred to
4 as the senior tranche) is first to receive its share of the mortgage proceeds and is also the last to absorb any
5 losses should mortgage-borrowers become delinquent or default on their mortgage. Of course, since
6 the investment quality and risk of the higher tranches is affected by the cushion afforded by the
7 lower tranches, diminished cash flow to the lower tranches results in impaired value of the higher
8 tranches.
9 75. In this MBS structure, the senior tranches received the highest investment rating by the
10 Rating Agencies, usually AAA. After the senior tranche, the middle tranches (referred to as mezzanine
11 tranches) next receive their share of the proceeds. In accordance with their order of priority, the
13 76. The process of distributing the mortgage proceeds continues down the tranches through
14 to the bottom tranches, referred to as equity tranches. This process is repeated each month and all
15 investors receive the payments owed to them so long as the mortgage-borrowers are current on their
16 mortgages. The following diagram illustrates the concept of tranches within a MBS comprised of
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
(Source: The Wall Street Journal)
26
27
28
- 50 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 77. As illustrated below, in the typical securitization transaction, participants in the
2 transaction are (1) the servicer of the loans to be securitized, often called the “sponsor,” (2) the
3 depositor of the loans in a trust or entity for securitization, (3) the underwriter of the MBS, (4) the entity
4 or trust responsible for issuing the MBS, often called the “issuing trust,” and (5) the investors in the
5 MBS.
6 78. Viewing the securitization process as a series of arms-length transactions, the process of
7 securitization begins with the sale of mortgage loans by the sponsor – the original owner of the
8 mortgages – to the depositor in return for cash. The depositor then sells those mortgage loans and
9 related assets to the trust, in exchange for the trust issuing certificates to the depositor. The depositor
10 then works with the underwriter of the trust to price and sell the certificates to investors.
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18 79. Thereafter, the mortgage loans held by the trusts are serviced, i.e, principal and interest
19 are collected from mortgagors, by the servicer, which earns monthly servicing fees for collecting such
20 principal and interest from mortgagors. After subtracting a servicing fee, the servicer sends the remainder
21 of the mortgage payments to a trustee for administration and distribution to the trust, and ultimately, to
24 were not arms-length transactions as CFC controlled all three entities. CFC set up Defendants
25 CWALT, CWMBS, CWABS, and CWHEQ, the depositors in this case, as “limited purpose finance
26 entities” solely for the purpose for issuing the Certificates. CHL acted as the servicer of the mortgages
27 and CSC, Countrywide’s underwriting division, along with the other Underwriter Defendants, marketed
28
- 51 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 and sold the securities. While Defendants CWALT, CWMBS, CWABS, and CWHEQ served as the
2 Depositors for the Issuing Trusts and issued the Registration Statements, this process was directed by
3 CFC.
4 81. With respect to the MBS Certificates at issue here, the Registration Statements and each
5 of the Prospectus Supplements contained material statements concerning, inter alia, (1) the
6 underwriting process and standards by which mortgages held by the Issuing Trusts were originated, and
7 (2) a representation of the value of the real-estate securing the mortgages pooled in the Issuing Trusts,
8 expressed in part as the average LTV ratios of the underlying mortgages and the appraisal standards by
10 82. Each Certificate sold to plaintiffs was sold pursuant to a Registration Statement, which
11 incorporated by reference, a Prospectus Supplement, filed at the time that the Certificates were sold to
12 plaintiffs.
13 83. Each Prospectus Supplement filed with the SEC in connection with the Registration
14 Statements was incorporated by reference prospectively in the Registration Statements and contained
15 the specific disclosures concerning the particular Issuing Trust. Nonetheless, in each Prospectus
16 Supplement, as set forth herein, the Issuing Defendants and the respective underwriters made the same
17 representations concerning CHL’s standards in originating the mortgages and valuing the properties
22 (b) mortgage loans secured by first liens on small multi-family residential properties,
23 such as residential apartment buildings or projects containing five to fifty residential units;
24 (c) collections arising from one or more types of the loans described above which are
25 not used to make payments on securities issued by a trust fund, including excess servicing fees and
26 prepayment charges;
27
28
- 52 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 (d) mortgage pass-through securities issued or guaranteed by Ginnie Mae, Fannie
3 (e) mortgage-backed securities evidencing an interest in, or secured by, loans of the
4 type that would otherwise be eligible to be loans included in a trust fund and issued by entities other
6 85. As set forth above, CWMBS filed numerous Registration Statements with the SEC for
8 (a) first lien mortgage loans secured by one to four family residential properties or
12 (c) private mortgage-backed securities backed by first lien mortgage loans secured
14 86. As set forth above, CWABS filed numerous Registration Statements with the SEC for
16 (a) first lien mortgage loans secured by one to four family residential properties;
17 (b) mortgage loans secured by first liens on small multi-family residential properties,
18 such as residential apartment buildings or projects containing five to fifty residential units;
19 (c) closed-end and/or revolving home equity loans, secured in whole or in part by
22 family residential properties or by personal property security interests, and home improvement sales
23 contracts, secured by personal property security interests.
24 87. As set forth above, CWHEQ filed numerous Registration Statements with the SEC for
26 (a) first lien mortgage loans secured by first and/or subordinate liens on one to four
28
- 53 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 (b) closed-end and/or revolving home equity loans, secured in whole or in part by
3 (c) home improvement loans, secured by first or subordinate liens on one to four
4 family residential properties or by personal property security interests, and home improvement sales
28
- 54 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 90. The Registration Statements issued by the Issuing Defendants in connection with
2 CWABS’ issuance of Certificates similarly described the criteria by which loans in the Issuing Trusts
3 were originated:
16 92. Sound underwriting is critically important to the investors acquiring the Certificates
17 issued by the Issuing Trusts because the ability of Countrywide’s borrowers to repay the principal and
18 interest on the mortgages collaterizing the Issuing Trusts is the fundamental basis upon which the
19 investment in the Certificate is valued. If, however, the mortgages pooled in the MBS suffered
20 delinquencies in excess of the assumptions built into the mortgage pool, owners of the Certificates
21 would suffer losses as the principal and income necessary to service the Certificates would, necessarily
22 diminish. This would reduce the yield on the Certificates and their corresponding value.
23 C. Importance of Objective, Unbiased, and Accurate Property Appraisals
24 93. In addition to the representations concerning the underwriting standards used for the
25 mortgages underlying the Issuing Trusts, the Registration Statements and Prospectus Supplements
26 contained representations concerning the appraised value of the properties securing the loans.
27
28
- 55 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 94. Independent and accurate real-estate appraisals are essential to the entire mortgage
2 lending and securitization process, providing borrowers, lenders, and investors in MBS with
3 supposedly independent and accurate assessments of the value of the mortgaged properties.
4 Accurate appraisals ensure that a mortgage or home equity loan is not under-collateralized, thereby
5 protecting borrowers from financially over-extending themselves and protecting lenders and investors
6 in MBS in the event a borrower defaults on a loan. Accurate appraisals also provide investors with a
8 95. As accurate appraisal is also critical in determining the LTV ratio, which is a financial
9 metric that Wall Street analysts and investors commonly use when evaluating the price and risk of
10 MBSs. The LTV ratio is a mathematical calculation that expresses the amount of a mortgage as a
11 percentage of the total appraised value of the property. For example, if a borrower seeks to borrow
12 $90,000 to purchase a house worth $100,000, the LTV ratio is $90,000/$100,000, or 90%. If, however,
13 the appraised value of the house is artificially increased to $120,000, the LTV ratio drops to just 75%
14 ($90,000/$120,000).
15 96. From a lender’s perspective, a high LTV ratio is riskier because a borrower with a small
16 equity position in a property has less to lose if he/she defaults on the loan. Worse, particularly in an
17 era of falling housing prices, a high LTV ratio creates the heightened risk that, should the borrower
18 default, the amount of the outstanding loan may exceed the value of the property.
19 97. Real estate appraisals are governed by USPAP, which are the generally accepted
20 standards for professional appraisal practice in North America, promulgated by the Appraisal Standards
21 Board of the Appraisal Foundation, as authorized by Congress. With respect to real estate appraisals, the
22 USPAP requires:
23 An appraiser must perform assignments with impartiality, objectivity, and
independence, and without accommodation of personal interests.
24
In appraisal practice, an appraiser must not perform as an advocate for any party
25 or issue.
9 disclosures concerning the value of the collateral underlying the mortgages pooled in the Issuing Trusts
10 and the appraisals by which such values were obtained. For example, Prospectus Supplements stated
11 that:
3 100. Investors bought the Certificates based on, inter alia, these representations concerning
4 the value of the underlying properties in the pools of mortgages and the propriety of the appraisals used
9 foreclosures far above the rates that plaintiffs anticipated based on the defendants’ representations
10 concerning the underwriting standards and quality of mortgages pooled in the Issuing Trusts.
11 Foreclosures have revealed that the properties underlying the mortgages were valued far in excess of
12 their true value. As a consequence, the Certificates have lost value and plaintiffs have suffered
13 damages.
14 102. As discussed below, these elevated rates of delinquency and foreclosure are due to
15 material deviations from the underwriting standards that were represented in Registration Statements
16 and Prospectus Supplements. In addition, it has been disclosed that the values assigned to the collateral
17 underlying the mortgage loans were not determined in accordance with the appraisal standards
20
21
22
23
24
for CWHEQ Home Equity Loan Trust, Series 2006-S2 (Form 424B5), at S-31 (Mar. 29, 2006);
25 Prospectus Supplement for CWHEQ Home Equity Loan Trust, Series 2007-S3 (Form 424B5), at S-36
(Mar. 29, 2007); Prospectus Supplement for CWHEQ Revolving Home Equity Loan Trust, Series
26 2005-I (Form 424B5), at S-26 (Dec. 22, 2005); Prospectus Supplement for CWHEQ Revolving Home
Equity Loan Trust, Series 2006-B (Form 424B5), at S-33 (Mar. 28, 2006); Prospectus Supplement for
27 CWHEQ Revolving Home Equity Loan Trust, Series 2007-A (Form 424B5), at S-32 (Jan. 30, 2007).
28
- 58 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 A. Countrywide’s Underwriting Standards Deviated Materially from the
Representations Contained in the Registration Statements and Prospectus
2 Supplements
3 103. While the offering documents represented that Countrywide’s underwriting of mortgages
4 was designed to ensure the borrower’s ability to repay the mortgage and the adequacy of the collateral
5 supporting the mortgage, in reality, however, Countrywide’s underwriting standards were designed to
6 originate as many mortgage loans as possible without regard to the ability of its borrowers to afford
7 such mortgages. Indeed, contrary to the representations in the Registration Statements and Prospectus
8 Supplements, it has now been revealed that Countrywide’s loan originators systemically disregarded
9 and/or manipulated the income, assets and employment status of borrowers seeking mortgage loans in
10 order to qualify these borrowers for mortgages that were then pooled and sold to plaintiffs. In many
11 instances, this was done by inflating borrowers’ stated income, or facilitating income inflation by
12 encouraging ineligible borrowers to resort to “no documentation loans” and “stated income loans.” In
13 other cases, Countrywide customers were steered to more expensive, higher interest loans, such as
14 subprime and “alternative” mortgages, to increase its supply of mortgages sold to the secondary
15 mortgage markets.
16 104. The falsity of the underwriting representations in the Registration Statements and
17 Prospectus Supplements is supported further by the allegations of others against Countrywide for its
18 role in the subprime mortgage crisis. Senator Charles Schumer from New York publicly stated,
19 “‘Countrywide did more to contribute to the subprime mortgage crisis than anyone else.’” Jonathan
20 Stempel & Dan Wilchins, Countrywide’s Sambol won’t join Bank of America, Reuters, May 28, 2008
21 (quoting Senator Schumer). Furthermore, in an action commenced against Countrywide for wrongful
24 Zachary (“Zachary”), a Regional Vice President of Countrywide KB Homes Loans, Inc. (“CWKB”),
25 alleged that CWKB, a 50-50 joint venture between Countrywide and KB Home Loans (“KB Home”),
26 engaged in a host of mortgage origination and underwriting activities that did not comport with stated
27 and standard practices. Zachary described how loan officers would go so far as to help the loan
28
- 59 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 applicant submit a loan application with false income amounts, so that the applicant would get the loan
3 105. According to Mr. Zachary, one of these practices involved CWKB’s practice of flipping
4 a loan application from a “full documentation” loan program to a “stated income” or “no income, no
5 asset” loan program. He learned that loans were being canceled at the prime regional operations center
6 as full documentation loans and transferred to the sub-prime operations center in Plano, Texas, as stated
7 asset, stated income (“SISA”) loans, a “low-doc” loan, or no income, no assets (“NINA”) loans, a “no-
8 doc” loan. Otherwise known as “liar loans,” NINA loans allowed a borrower to simply state their
9 income without providing any documentation or proof of this income. Thus, rather than denying an
10 applicant based on the information revealed in the original mortgage application, Countrywide
11 pretended that it did not see the disqualifying information, such as insufficient income or assets, and
12 instead, allowed applicants to apply for a no documentation loan, implicitly encouraging them to lie on
14 106. Furthermore, Mr. Zachary explained that while a material number of Countrywide’s loan
15 applicants were not eligible for any loan program requiring documentation based on the applicant’s
16 verified income level and/or job status, CWKB loan officers would (1) cancel the application for the
17 loan program that required documentation, (2) re-do the application as a SISA or a NINA loan through
18 the company’s subprime originators in Plano, Texas, and (3) coach the loan applicant as to what income
19 level he or she would need to have in order to qualify for the low-doc or no-doc loan.
21 former Countrywide employees that corroborates Zachary’s allegations and portrays a systemic
24 derivative claims against the officers and directors of Countrywide in an action styled In re
25 Countrywide Financial Corp. Derivative Litigation, No. 07-CV-06293-MRP-(MANx), currently
26 pending in the United States District Court for the Central District of California (the “Derivative
27 Complaint”). The Derivative Complaint cited information obtained from several former Countrywide
28
- 60 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 employees who stated that the vast majority of Countrywide’s loans were underwritten in contravention
2 of the company’s stated underwriting standards. For example, a former “Underwriter II” – a
4 June 2006 and April 2007 stated that in Countrywide’s campaign to increase the volume of loan
5 originations, as much as 80% of the loans originated by Countrywide in that office involved significant
7 109. Purchasers of Countrywide common shares (the “Securities Plaintiffs”) filed a complaint
8 in the United States District Court of the Central District of California (In re Countrywide Financial
9 Corp. Securities Litigation, No. CV 07-05295 MRP (MANx)), which confirms the foregoing, and
11 110. For example, a supervising underwriter at Countrywide until mid-2005, who oversaw the
12 company’s underwriting operations in several states (the “Supervising Underwriter”), stated that the
13 underwriting guidelines were “very loose and lax” and designed to help Countrywide make more loans
14 (as opposed to protecting the entity that ended up taking on the credit risk that the borrower would
15 default on the mortgage). Another former employee confirmed that Countrywide’s “Sales Training
16 Facilitator Guide” stated that “we always look for ways to make the loan rather than turn it down.”
17 111. The Supervising Underwriter further stated that since late 2004, Countrywide’s
18 Structured Loan Desks employed software called the Exception Processing System or EPS in order to
19 obtain approval for loans that were exceptions to and should have been rejected by Countrywide’s
20 underwriting standards. As many as 15% to 20% of the loans generated each day at the Company’s
21 Structured Loan Desks were run through EPS and very few were ever rejected. This practice was
22 confirmed by documents publicly filed in an Alaskan criminal case against a former Countrywide
23 manager charged with extending improper loans, which reveal that the objectives of EPS were to
24 “[a]pprove virtually every borrower and loan profile” and “[p]rocess and price exceptions on standard
25 products for high risk borrowers.”
26 112. The Supervising Underwriter further stated that if a potential borrower applying for a
27 SISA loan provided a bank name, address and account number for asset verification, it was the practice
28
- 61 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 at Countrywide not to verify the bank balance. According to another former employee identified during
2 the Securities Plaintiffs’ investigation, as well as an April 6, 2008 article in the New York Times, even
3 though Countrywide had the right to verify stated income on an application through the Internal
4 Revenue Service (“IRS”) (and this check took less than one day to complete), income was verified with
6 113. Another witness identified during the investigation by the Securities Plaintiffs, a Senior
7 Underwriter in Roseville, California, from September 2002 to September 2006, said that Countrywide
8 regularly would classify loans as “prime” even if made to unqualified borrowers, including those who
9 had recently gone through a bankruptcy and were still having credit problems. According to this
10 witness, Countrywide’s stated underwriting policies were not followed throughout 2006.
11 114. Attorneys General from various states have launched investigations into Countrywide’s
12 lending practices and also have alleged that Countrywide systematically departed from the underwriting
14 115. For example, the Illinois Attorney General (the “Illinois AG”) launched an investigation
15 into Countrywide’s loan practices that has culminated in the action styled The People of the State of
16 Illinois v. Countrywide Financial Corporation, et al., No. 08CH22994, originally filed on June 25, 2008
17 in the Chancery Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois (the “Illinois AG Complaint”).
18 In 2004, 2005 and 2006, Countrywide was Illinois’ largest mortgage originator, originating and selling
19 approximately 94,000 mortgage loans to Illinois consumers.
21 originated loans that did not meet its underwriting criteria because Countrywide employees were
22 incentivized to increase the number of loan originations without concern for whether the borrower was
23 able to repay the loan.
24 117. With respect to stated income loans, Countrywide employees explained to the Illinois
25 AG that while the company had a “reasonableness standard” in order to check fraudulent stated income,
26 employees were only required to use their judgment in deciding whether or not a stated income loan
27 seemed reasonable. To supplement an employee’s judgment as to whether or not a potential borrower’s
28
- 62 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 income was “reasonable,” beginning in 2005, Countrywide required its employees to utilize a website,
2 www.salary.com, in order to determine if the potential borrower’s stated income was indeed reasonable.
3 The website only provides a range of salaries based on the zip code and stated job title of the potential
4 borrower. Even though Countrywide required the use of www.salary.com, if the stated salary was
5 outside of the range provided by the website, Countrywide employees could still approve the loan. The
6 Illinois AG contends that the foregoing “reasonableness” test contravened proper underwriting
7 practices.
8 118. The Illinois AG Complaint also alleges that Countrywide employees did not properly
9 ascertain whether a potential borrower could afford the offered loan, and many of Countrywide’s stated
10 income loans were based on inflated estimates of borrowers’ income. For example, (1) a Countrywide
11 employee estimated that approximately 90% of all reduced documentation loans sold out of a Chicago
12 office had inflated incomes; and (2) one of Countrywide’s mortgage brokers, One Source Mortgage
13 Inc., routinely doubled the amount of the potential borrower’s income on stated income mortgage
14 applications.
15 119. Likewise, the Chicago Tribune reported that a review of 100 stated income loans by the
16 Mortgage Asset Research Institute revealed that 60% of the income amounts were inflated by more than
17 50% and that 90% of the loans had inflated income of at least 5%.
18 120. Countrywide also originated and sold adjustable rate mortgages (“ARMs”) to borrowers
19 who could not afford the ARMs once the initial or “teaser” interest rate expired. Indeed, the company
20 admitted in a May 7, 2007 letter to the Office of Thrift Supervision that in the fourth quarter of 2006
21 alone “almost 60% of the borrowers who obtained subprime hybrid ARMs [from Countrywide] would
22 not have qualified at the fully indexed rate” and that “25% of the borrowers would not have qualified
23 for any other [Countrywide] product.”
24 121. The fully indexed rate is the amount of interest that is payable on an ARM once the
25 teaser rate is removed. The “teaser rate,” typically 1%-1.25% is only applied to the loan for the first
26 month. Once the teaser rate is removed, the interest on the mortgage begins accruing according to the
27 fully indexed rate.
28
- 63 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 122. The fully indexed rate can change over time and is dependent on fluctuations in the
2 current value of the chosen rate index, such as the 11th District Cost of Funds Index (“COFI”), the 12
3 Month Treasury Average Index or the London Interbank Offer Rate. The fully indexed rate is
4 calculated by adding the current value of the rate index (which fluctuates monthly) and adding the
5 margin agreed to by the borrower. The margin remains static for the life of the loan. The margin on
6 Countrywide loans could be as high as 4%. Thus, if the Countrywide ARM identifies the rate index as
7 COFI (which was at 2.8% in July 2008) and the margin as 4%, then once the cap or “teaser rate” has
8 expired, the borrower will be subject to an interest rate equal to the fully indexed rate (“FIR”) or 6.8%
10 123. Because the borrower has the option of making monthly payments as though the interest
11 rate had not changed, most of those who had Countrywide ARMs paid only the “minimum” payment –
12 a payment that is based on the teaser rate of 1% to 1.25% as opposed to the FIR of 6.8%, meaning that
13 borrowers were making payments that were less than the amount of interest accruing on the loan after
14 the teaser rate expired. The unpaid interest that accrues while the borrower is making the payment
15 based on the teaser rate is tacked on to the principal. Once the principal is 115% of the original loan,
16 then the borrower’s monthly payment immediately is raised in order to a level that will pay off the new
17 balance (original principal plus the unpaid interest) of the loan. This is called “payment shock.”
18 124. Countrywide thus admitted to the Office of Thrift Supervision that even though 60% of
19 its potential borrowers would not have qualified for a Countrywide loan with an interest rate of 6.8%,
20 they were qualified for the same loan with a teaser rate of 1.25%, even though that borrower would
21 likely experience “payment shock” and be unable to pay off the loan in the near future.
22 125. Even when Countrywide employees received proper income documentation (i.e., a W-2
23 form) demonstrating that the borrower did not qualify for a loan, the loan was submitted as a stated
26 into Countrywide’s lending activities and filed a complaint in the Northwest District of the Superior
27 Court for Los Angeles County, styled The People of the State of California v. Countrywide Financial
28
- 64 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 Corporation, et al, No. LC081846 (the “California AG Complaint”). The California AG’s complaint
2 also alleges that Countrywide departed from its stated underwriting standards. For example, the
3 Complaint alleges that employees were pressured to issue loans to unqualified borrowers by permitting
4 exceptions to underwriting standards, incentivizing employees to extend more loans without regard to
5 the underwriting standards for such loans, and failing to verify documentation and information provided
7 127. According to the California AG, Countrywide used a system called CLUES or
8 Countrywide Loan Underwriting Expert System. A Countrywide underwriter would enter the
9 borrower’s financial and credit information and the terms of the loan into CLUES, which would then
10 provide a loan analysis report that indicated whether the loan was within Countrywide’s underwriting
11 guidelines. CLUES reports stating that a borrower was not within Countrywide’s underwriting
13 128. Moreover, like the employees interviewed by the Illinois AG, California Countrywide
14 employees cited in the California AG Complaint claimed to have utilized the website www.salary.com
16 California employees would know ahead of time the range of salaries that www.salary.com would
17 provide for a particular job and, therefore, know by how much they could overstate a borrower’s
18 income. A former California loan officer for Countrywide further explained that its loan officers
19 typically explained to potential borrowers that “with your credit score of X, for this house, and to make
20 X payment, X is the income that you need to make”; after which the borrower would state the he or she
21 made X amount of income.
22 129. The California AG Complaint alleged that Countrywide’s practice of approving loans
23 based on the borrower’s ability to pay the teaser rate (as opposed to the fully indexed rate), as admitted
24 to by the company in the May 7, 2007 letter to the Office of Thrift Supervision, commenced in 2005.
25 130. Likewise, a December 28, 2007 Los Angeles Times article reported that Countrywide
26 tightened its lending standards in the summer of 2007 in order to ensure that borrowers could afford
27 loans at the fully indexed rate (as opposed to just the teaser rate), and that the company admitted that
28
- 65 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 had those guidelines been in effect during the relevant time period, “it would have rejected 89% of the
2 option ARM loans it made in 2006, amounting to $64 billion, and $74 billion, or 83%, of those it made
3 in 2005.”
4 131. The Connecticut Attorney General (the “Connecticut AG”) filed a complaint in Superior
5 Court, Judicial District of Hartford styled State of Connecticut v. Countrywide Financial Corporation,
6 et al., alleging that Countrywide’s employees inflated borrowers’ incomes in order to qualify them for
7 loans they otherwise would not have received. The Connecticut AG’s complaint further bolsters the
8 allegations that Countrywide employees circumvented the company’s underwriting procedures and
10 132. Many of the allegations in the Illinois, California and Connecticut complaints were
11 confirmed by investigations in other states such as Washington, West Virginia, Indiana and Florida,
12 revealing the nationwide scope of Countrywide’s departures from the underwriting standards set forth
14 Countrywide announced that it had settled the fraud claims brought by 11 states, including California
15 and Illinois for an estimated $8.4 billion, which, according to the California AG, is likely the largest
17 133. Press reports and articles further highlight the excess lending and lax underwriting that
18 existed throughout Countrywide during the relevant time period, when the mortgages supporting the
19 Issuing Trusts were originated. For example, on August 26, 2007, in an article by Gretchen Morgenson
20 entitled “Inside the Countrywide Lending Spree,” the New York Times described how Countrywide’s
21 focus on underwriting was not the ability of a borrower to repay a loan, but on the amount of fees that
22 Countrywide could generate from the loan. As such, Countrywide steered borrowers to loans with the
23 highest interest rates and the most fees, while concealing less expensive loan products that those
26 “Mortgage Chief Picked by BofA Sparks Worries – Countrywide Executive Spearheaded Pursuit of
27 Subprime Business” that Countrywide’s stated underwriting standards were not followed and warnings
28
- 66 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 from risk-control managers at Countrywide were not heeded during the time the Registration
3 135. The Wall Street Journal further reported that Countrywide strived to close more loans in
4 2006 while third party risk analysts concluded that the computer risk models used by Countrywide to
5 project defaults on its subprime loans materially underestimated the number of at risk loans.
6 136. Countrywide’s underwriting standards are also the subject of an investigation by the
7 Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), which was first reported on March 8, 2008, by The Wall Street
8 Journal in an article entitled “FBI Investigates Countrywide – U.S. Scrutinizes Filings on Financial
9 Strength, Loan Quality for Fraud.” The FBI investigation is focused on “whether company officials
10 made misrepresentations about the company’s financial position and the quality of its mortgage loans in
11 securities filings.”
12 137. On March 11, 2008, The Wall Street Journal published another article further detailing
13 the FBI’s investigation of Countrywide’s lending practices. According to the sources interviewed by
14 The Wall Street Journal, federal investigators were finding that “Countrywide’s loan documents often
15 were marked by dubious or erroneous information about its mortgage clients, according to people
16 involved in the matter. The company packaged many of those mortgages into securities and sold
17 them to investors, raising the additional question of whether Countrywide understated the risks such
18 investments carried.”
19 138. On September 30, 2008, MBIA Insurance Corp. (“MBIA”) filed a complaint against
20 Countrywide in New York state court alleging that Countrywide had fraudulently induced it to provide
21 insurance for certain of the Certificates, including those contained in the following trusts: CWHEQ
22 2005-E; CWHEQ 2005-I; CWHEQ 2005-M; CWHEQ 2006-E; CWHEQ 2006-G; CWHEQ 2006-S8;
23 CWHEQ 2007-E; CWHEQ 2007-S1; CWHEQ 2007-S2; and CWHEQ 2007-S3. The case is styled
24 MBIA Insurance Corp. v. Countrywide, et al., No. 08/602825, currently pending in the Supreme Court
25 of the State of New York, County of New York.
26 139. MBIA was able to obtain some 19,000 loan files for the Certificates it insured as a result
27 of its contractual agreements with Countrywide. After reviewing the portfolios and basically re-
28
- 67 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 underwriting each loan provided by Countrywide, MBIA discovered that there was an “extraordinarily
2 high incidence of material deviations from the underwriting guidelines Countrywide represented it
3 would follow.” Notably, the underwriting guidelines that Countrywide provided to MBIA were the
4 same ones that were detailed in the Registration Statements the Prospectus Supplements. MBIA
5 discovered that many of the loan applications “lack[ed] key documentation, such as a verification of
6 borrower assets or income; include[d] an invalid or incomplete appraisal; demonstrate[d] fraud by the
7 borrower on the face of the application; or reflect[ed] that any borrower income, FICO score, or debt, or
8 DTI or CLTV, fail[ed] to meet stated Countrywide guidelines (without any permissible exception).”
9 Significantly, “MBIA’s re-underwriting review . . . revealed that almost 90% of defaulted or delinquent
28
- 68 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 officers were allowed to lobby appraisers to assign particular values to a property in order to support the
2 closing of a loan.
3 143. Additionally, several complaints have been filed against Countrywide and its appraisal
4 subsidiary, Landsafe, as well as several of the “approved appraisal companies” alleging that the
6 144. Three lawsuits have been filed against Countrywide and Landsafe regarding the use of
7 inflated Landsafe appraisals to obtain loans for individuals through CWKB, the Zachary Complaint and
8 two class actions brought by KB Home purchasers: (1) Zaldana, et al. v. KB Home, et al., No. CV 08-
9 3399 (EDL), currently pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California
10 (the “Zaldana Complaint”); and (2) Bolden, et al v. KB Home, et al., No. BC385040, currently pending
12 145. Mark Zachary stated that while he was employed at CWKB, Landsafe – the only
13 appraiser employed by CWKB to appraise the homes on behalf of the joint venture – was encouraged to
14 inflate the value of appraised homes by as much as 6% in order to allow the borrower to “roll up” the
15 closing costs of the mortgage. This practice resulted in the actual home value being less than the
16 mortgaged amount, putting the home buyer “upside down” on the home immediately after purchasing it.
17 It also put the lender and secondary market end investor at risk because they were unaware of the true
20 make loans with subsidized initial payments to KB borrowers, thereby allowing KB to prop up the
21 ostensible sales price of KB homes and sell to buyers who would not otherwise be able to afford or
22 qualify for the monthly mortgage payments. In turn, Countrywide would have its Landsafe appraisers
23 ignore the subsidiaries in order to appraise the home at the full stated sales price, thereby inflating the
24 actual value of the house (i.e., the price that a buyer was willing to pay for it).
25 147. Deborah and Lonnie Bolden describe in the Bolden Complaint how CWKB inflated
26 appraisals in a KB development in Live Oak, California. According to the Bolden Complaint, CWKB
27 required the use of Landsafe. When one of the Bolden’s neighbors refused to use CWKB as the lender,
28
- 69 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 they sought an independent appraisal of their property. The independent appraiser concluded that the
2 neighbor’s property was worth $408,000, or approximately 13% less than the $469,000 value appraised
3 by CWKB. Upon further investigation, the Boldens discovered that the appraisal performed by CWKB
4 provided inflated values of purportedly “comparable” properties to justify an inflated value for the
5 Bolden’s home. Specifically, the Boldens’ appraisal report listed two properties as having sold for
6 $461,000 and $480,500, while the public records from the county recorder’s office indicate that the
8 148. Countrywide, Landsafe and eAppraiseIT.com have been sued by investors of Fannie
9 Mae and Freddie Mac on behalf of the companies for damages as a result of generating artificially high
10 and unjustified appraisals for property underlying mortgage packages sold to both Fannie Mae and
11 Freddie Mac.
12 149. Additionally, former appraisers for Countrywide have stated that the company applied as
13 much or more pressure to appraisers who worked through Landsafe as well as the approved appraisal
14 companies eAppraiseIT.com and Lender Services Inc., to inflate appraisals as other mortgage lenders.
15 For example, Jennifer Wertz, a licensed Real Estate Appraiser in California sued eAppraiseIT.com and
16 Lender Services Inc., among others, after she failed to replace a reference to “‘declining’ market
17 conditions” in an appraisal to “‘stable’ market conditions” in two appraisals for Washington Mutual
18 (“WaMu”). Thereafter, eAppraiseIT.com and Lender Services Inc. failed to give Wertz any work (even
19 non-WaMu work) because she refused to alter her appraisals.
20 150. Since the end of 2007, Countrywide has tightened its standards for appraisals it will
21 accept. For example, in a fall 2007 letter to its “Valued Business Partner[s],” Countrywide provided
22 “additional appraisal due diligence controls” in soft markets “in an effort to make decisions based on
23 accurate current market values and trends.”
24 151. Moreover, individuals who received Countrywide loans in 2005 and 2006 and are now
25 seeking to refinance are discovering that the appraised value of their homes has plummeted because the
26 “value” of the homes were inflated to begin with. For example, an individual living in Portland, Maine,
27 was shocked to discover that his 1820’s Cape Code style home, which was described in an earlier
28
- 70 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 appraisal done by Landsafe in December 2005 as having four bedrooms and two full bathrooms was
2 appraised by the same Landsafe appraiser in November 2007 for $100,000 less in part because the
3 house now only had three bedrooms, 1.75 bathrooms and was 200 square feet smaller. When asked for
4 an explanation, the owner of the Landsafe-approved appraiser stated that Countrywide had changed its
5 rules after allowing their appraisers to overvalue properties to substantiate large loans for the last two
6 years. The owner stated that under the new rules a Landsafe-approved appraiser cannot appraise a
7 home higher than the two lowest price listings in the surrounding area, despite the subject property’s
8 actual value.
23 * * *
22
3
23 The Prospectus Supplements for these Registration Statements uniformly used the same, or
substantially similar, language. Accord, e.g., Prospectus Supplement for Alternative Loan Trust 2006-
24 6CB (Form 424B5), at S-59 (Mar. 29, 2006); Prospectus Supplement for Alternative Loan Trust 2005-
63 (Form 424B5), at S-79 (Oct. 31, 2005); Prospectus Supplement for Alternative Loan Trust 2007-
25 12T1 (Form 424B5), at S-37 (Apr. 27, 2007); Prospectus Supplement for CHL Mortgage Pass-Through
Trust 2006-HYB3 (Form 424B5), at S-98 (May 1, 2006); Prospectus Supplement for CHL Mortgage
26 Pass-Through Trust 2005-30 (Form 424B5), at S-23 (Nov. 22, 2005); Prospectus Supplement for CHL
Mortgage Pass-Through Trust 2006-11 (Form 424B5), at S-34 (Apr. 24, 2006); Prospectus Supplement
27 for CHL Mortgage Pass-Through Trust 2007-1 (Form 424B5), at S-31 (Jan. 29, 2007).
28
- 72 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 mortgaged property as collateral.” Rather, as alleged herein, Countrywide systematically ignored
2 borrowers’ repayment ability and the value and adequacy of mortgaged property used as collateral in
3 issuing loans. Rather, Countrywide designed its underwriting standards to ensure that it received the
4 highest possible fees for originating loans without regard to the actual ability of its borrowers to repay
5 the loan, or whether the mortgaged property had sufficient value to collaterize the loan.
6 (c) Countrywide’s underwriting standards did not require that a borrower “generally
7 demonstrate that the ratio of the borrower’s monthly housing expenses (including principal and interest
8 on the proposed mortgage loan and, as applicable, the related monthly portion of property taxes, hazard
9 insurance and mortgage insurance) to the borrower’s monthly gross income and the ratio of total
10 monthly debt to the monthly gross income (the ‘debt-to-income’ ratios) are within acceptable limits.”
11 Instead, Countrywide’s underwriting included the following practices that disregarded a borrowers’
12 ability to pay:
19 • Approving borrowers based on “teaser rates” for loans despite knowing that the
borrower would not be able to afford the “fully indexed rate” when the
20 adjustable rate adjusted, see, supra, §V.A.
26
27
28
- 73 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 155. Each Registration Statement and Prospectus Supplement issued by CWABS and
2 CWHEQ contained the following language concerning the underwriting standards by which the
5 See Registration Statements filed by CWABS on Form S-3/A on Oct. 18, 2004 (at S-47), June 10, 2006
6 (at S-47), Feb. 21, 2006 (at S-38-39), Aug. 8, 2006 (at S-38-39) and Apr. 24, 2007 (at S-40-41);
7 Registration Statements filed by CWHEQ on Form S-3 on Dec. 17, 2004 (at S-25) and on Form S-3/A
8 on Aug. 4, 2005 (at S-25), Apr. 14, 2006 (at S-38-39) and May 22, 2007 (at S-38-39).4
9 156. In addition, the Prospectus Supplements for CWHEQ Registration Statements also
10 contained additional language describing the standards by which CWHEQ’s home equity loans and
12 The underwriting process is intended to assess the applicant’s credit standing and
repayment ability, and the value and adequacy of the real property security as collateral
13 for the proposed loan. Exceptions to the applicable originator’s underwriting guidelines
will be made when compensating factors are present. These factors include the
14 borrower’s employment stability, favorable credit history, equity in the related property,
and the nature of the underlying first mortgage loan.
15
See, e.g., Prospectus Supplement for CWHEQ Revolving Home Equity Loan Trust Series 2005-G
16
(Form 424B5), at S-21 (Sept. 28, 2005); Prospectus Supplement for CWHEQ Revolving Home Equity
17
Loan Trust Series 2005-M (Form 424B5), at S-23 (Dec. 27, 2005); Prospectus Supplement for CWHEQ
18
Revolving Home Equity Loan Trust Series 2006-G (Form 424B5), at S-33 (Aug. 29, 2006); Prospectus
19
Supplement for CWHEQ Revolving Home Equity Loan Trust Series 2007-B (Form 424B5), at S-31
20
(Mar. 28, 2007); see also Prospectus Supplement for CWHEQ Home Equity Loan Trust, Series 2006-
21
22
4
23 The Prospectus Supplements for these Registration Statements uniformly used the same, or
substantially similar, language. See, e.g., Prospectus Supplement for CWABS Asset-Backed
24 Certificates Trust 2006-15 (Form 424B5), at S-33-34 (Sept. 27, 2006); Prospectus Supplement for
CWABS Asset-Backed Certificates Trust 2006-10 (Form 424B5), at S-40-41 (June 26, 2006);
25 Prospectus Supplement for CWABS Asset-Backed Certificates Trust (Form 424B5) 2006-11, at S-42-
43 (June 28, 2006); Prospectus Supplement for CWABS Asset-Backed Certificates Trust 2006-13
26 (Form 424B5), at S-41-42 (July 27, 2006); Prospectus Supplement for CWABS Asset-Backed
Certificates Trust 2006-3 (Form 424B5), at S-37-38 (Feb. 23, 2006); Prospectus Supplement for
27 CWABS Asset-Backed Certificates Trust (Form 424B5) 2006-4, at S-35-36 (Mar. 15, 2006).
28
- 75 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 S6 (Form 424B5), at S-31 (Sept. 28, 2006); Prospectus Supplement for CWHEQ Home Equity Loan
2 Trust, Series 2007-S1(Form 424B5), at S-34 (Feb. 27, 2008); Prospectus Supplement for CWHEQ
3 Home Equity Loan Trust, Series 2006-S9 (Form 424B5), at S-31 (Dec. 28, 2006); Prospectus
4 Supplement for CWHEQ Home Equity Loan Trust, Series 2006-S9 (Form 424B5), at S-31 (Dec. 28,
5 2006).
6 157. The Prospectus Supplements for CWHEQ Registration Statements also stated:
7 After obtaining all applicable income, liability, asset, employment, credit, and
property information, the applicable originator generally uses a debt-to-income ratio to
8 assist in determining whether the prospective borrower has sufficient monthly income
available to support the payments on the home equity loan in addition to any senior
9 mortgage loan payments (including any escrows for property taxes and hazard insurance
premiums) and other monthly credit obligations. The “debt-to-income ratio” is the ratio
10 of the borrower’s total monthly credit obligations (assuming the mortgage loan interest
rate is based on the applicable fully indexed interest rate) to the borrower’s gross
11 monthly income. Based on this, the maximum monthly debt-to-income ratio is 45%.
Variations in the monthly debt-to-income ratios limits are permitted based on
12 compensating factors. The originators currently offer home equity loan products that
allow maximum combined loan-to-value ratios up to 100%.
13
See, e.g., Prospectus Supplement for CWHEQ Revolving Home Equity Loan Trust Series 2005-G
14
(Form 424B5), at S-22-23 (Sept. 28, 2005); Prospectus Supplement for CWHEQ Revolving Home
15
Equity Loan Trust Series 2005-M (Form 424B5), at S-24 (Dec. 27, 2005); Prospectus Supplement for
16
CWHEQ Revolving Home Equity Loan Trust Series 2006-G (Form 424B5), at S-34 (Aug. 29, 2006);
17
Prospectus Supplement for CWHEQ Revolving Home Equity Loan Trust Series 2007-B (Form 424B5),
18
at S-32 (Mar. 28, 2007); Prospectus Supplement for CWHEQ Home Equity Loan Trust, Series 2006-S6
19
(Form 424B5), at S-32 (Sept. 28, 2006); Prospectus Supplement for CWHEQ Home Equity Loan Trust,
20
Series 2007-S1 (Form 424B5), at S-36 (Feb. 27, 2008); Prospectus Supplement for CWHEQ Home
21
Equity Loan Trust, Series 2006-S9 (Form 424B5), at S-32 (Dec. 28, 2006).
22
158. The above statements were materially false and misleading when made because:
23
(a) Contrary to the statements that Countrywide’s underwriting standards were
24
“primarily intended to evaluate the value and adequacy of the mortgaged property as collateral for the
25
proposed mortgage loan” and to evaluate “the borrower’s credit standing and repayment ability,”
26
Countrywide subordinated its underwriting standards to originating and securitizing as many mortgage
27
loans as it could so that it could garner fees in the secondary mortgage market. As alleged herein,
28
- 76 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 Countrywide systematically ignored borrowers’ repayment ability and the value and adequacy of
2 mortgaged property used as collateral in issuing loans. Rather, Countrywide designed its underwriting
3 standards to ensure that it received the highest possible fees for originating loans without regard to the
4 actual ability of its borrowers to repay the loan, or whether the mortgaged property had sufficient value
6 (b) Contrary to the representation above that “After obtaining all applicable
7 employment, credit and property information, Countrywide Home Loans uses a debt-to-income ratio to
8 assist in determining whether the prospective borrower has sufficient monthly income available to
9 support the payments of principal and interest on the mortgage loan in addition to other monthly credit
18 • Approving borrowers based on “teaser rates” for loans despite knowing that the
borrower would not be able to afford the “fully indexed rate” when the
19 adjustable rate adjusted, see, supra, §V.A.
24 • Systematically overriding flags identified by the CLUES system that were meant
to weed out non-qualifying loans and, despite the flags, approving such loans,
25 see, supra, §V.A.
27 underwriting guidelines will be made when compensating factors are present” and that those factors
28
- 77 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 included “the borrower’s employment stability, favorable credit history, equity in the related property,
2 and the nature of the underlying first mortgage loan,” Countrywide adopted procedures to incentivize its
3 employees to approve exceptions to loans regardless of whether any compensating factors were present.
4 159. Each Registration Statement issued by CWALT, CWABS, CWMBS and CWHEQ
17 161. These statements were materially false and misleading when made because:
19 the prospective borrower has sufficient monthly income available to meet monthly housing expenses
20 and other financial obligations and monthly living expenses and to meet the borrower’s monthly
21 obligations on the proposed mortgage loan,” Countrywide implemented policies designed to extend
22 mortgages to borrowers regardless of whether they were able to meet their obligations under the
23 mortgage such as:
28
- 78 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 • Encouraging borrowers to borrow more than they could afford by suggesting
NINA and SISA loans when they could not qualify for full documentation loans
2 based on their actual incomes, see, supra, §V.A.
3 • Approving borrowers based on “teaser rates” for loans despite knowing that the
borrower would not be able to afford the “fully indexed rate” when the
4 adjustable rate adjusted, see, supra, §V.A.
9 • Systematically overriding flags identified by the CLUES system that were meant
to weed out non-qualifying loans and, despite the flags, approving such loans,
10 see, supra, §V.A.
14 162. Each Registration Statement and Prospectus Supplement issued by CWALT and
15 CWMBS contained the following language concerning the collateral supporting each mortgage pooled
16 in the Issuing Trusts and the appraisals by which the collateral was valued:
22 See Registration Statements filed by CWALT on Form S-3 on Nov. 7, 2003 (at S-19-20) (as amended
23 on Jan. 13, 2004) and on Form S-3/A on Sept. 23, 2004 (at S-20), Apr. 21, 2005 (at S-20), July 25, 2005
24 (at S-20), Mar. 6, 2006 (at S-54), Apr. 27, 2007 (at S-41); Registration Statements filed by CWMBS on
25
26
27
28
- 79 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 Form S-3/A on Oct. 28, 2002 (at S-20), Feb. 8, 2005 (at S-21), July 25, 2005 (at S-21), Mar. 6, 2006 (at
3 163. Each Registration Statement and Prospectus Supplement issued by CWABS and
4 CWHEQ contained the following language concerning the collateral supporting each mortgage pooled
5 in the Issuing Trusts and the appraisals by which the collateral was valued:
11 See Registration Statements filed by CWABS on Form S-3/A on June 10, 2005 (at S-47), Feb. 21, 2006
12 (at S-39), Aug. 8, 2006 (at S-38-39) and Apr. 24, 2007 (at S-41); Registrations Statements filed by
13 CWHEQ on Form S-3 on Dec. 17, 2004 (at S-25) and on Form S-3/A on Aug. 4, 2005 (at S-25),
14 Apr. 12, 2006 (at S-39), and May 22, 2007 (at S-39).6
16 the appraisals done with respect to home equity and second mortgage liens. They stated with respect to
18
19
5
20 The Prospectus Supplements for these Registration Statements uniformly used the same, or
substantially similar, language. Accord, e.g., Prospectus Supplement for Alternative Loan Trust 2005-
21 J7 (Form 424B5), at S-32 (June 29, 2005); Prospectus Supplement for Alternative Loan Trust 2005-63
(Form 424B5), at S-80 (Oct. 31, 2005); Prospectus Supplement for Alternative Loan Trust 2006-6CB
22 (Form 424B5), at S-60 (Mar. 29, 2006); Prospectus Supplement for Alternative Loan Trust 2007-12T1
(Form 424B5), at S-37 (Apr. 27, 2007); Prospectus Supplement for CHL Mortgage Pass-Through Trust
23 2006-HYB3 (Form 424B5), at S-99 (May 1, 2006); Prospectus Supplement for CHL Mortgage Pass-
Through Trust 2005-30 (Form 424B5), at S-23 (Nov. 22, 2005); Prospectus Supplement for CHL
24 Mortgage Pass-Through Trust 2006-11 (Form 424B5), at S-34 (Apr. 24, 2006); Prospectus Supplement
for CHL Mortgage Pass-Through Trust 2007-1 (Form 424B5), at S-31 (Jan. 29, 2007);
25 6
Prospectus Supplement for CWABS Asset-Backed Certificates Trust 2006-1 (Form 424B5), at
26 S-37 (Feb. 8, 2006); Prospectus Supplement for CWABS Asset-Backed Certificates Trust 2005-10
(Form 424B5), at S-29 (Sept. 15, 2005); Prospectus Supplement for CWABS Asset-Backed Certificates
27 Trust 2007-1 (Form 424B5), at S-38 (Feb. 8, 2007).
28
- 80 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 Full appraisals are generally performed on all home equity loans. These
appraisals are determined on the basis of an applicable originator-approved, independent
2 third-party, fee-based appraisal completed on forms approved by Fannie Mae or Freddie
Mac. For certain home equity loans that had at origination a credit limit between
3 $100,000 and $250,000, determined by the FICO score of the borrower, a drive-by
evaluation is generally completed by a state-licensed, independent third-party,
4 professional appraiser on forms approved by either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. The
drive-by evaluation is an exterior examination of the premises by the appraiser to
5 determine that the property is in good condition. The appraisal is based on various
factors, including the market value of comparable homes and the cost of replacing the
6 improvements, and generally must have been made not earlier than 180 days before the
date of origination of the mortgage loan. For certain home equity loans with credit limits
7 between $100,000 and $250,000, determined by the FICO score of the borrower, the
applicable originator may have the related mortgaged property appraised electronically.
8 The minimum and maximum loan amounts for home equity loans are generally $7,500
(or, if smaller, the state-allowed maximum) and $1,000,000, respectively.
9
Prospectus Supplement for CWHEQ Revolving Home Equity Loan Trust Series 2005-G (Form 424B5),
10
at S-22 (Sept. 28, 2005); Prospectus Supplement for CWHEQ Revolving Home Equity Loan Trust
11
Series 2005-M (Form 424B5), at S-23-24 (Dec. 27, 2005); Prospectus Supplement for CWHEQ
12
Revolving Home Equity Loan Trust Series 2006-G (Form 424B5), at S-34 (Aug. 29, 2006); Prospectus
13
Supplement for CWHEQ Revolving Home Equity Loan Trust Series 2007-B (Form 424B5), at S-32
14
(Mar. 28, 2007).
15
165. With respect to closed-end second lien mortgage loans, the Prospectus Supplements for
16
the CWHEQ Registration Statements said the following:
17
Full appraisals are generally performed on all closed-end second lien mortgage
18 loans that at origination had a loan amount greater than $100,000. These appraisals are
determined on the basis of a sponsor-approved, independent third-party, fee-based
19 appraisal completed on forms approved by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. For certain
closed-end second lien mortgage loans that had at origination a loan amount between
20 $100,000 and $250,000, determined by the FICO score of the borrower, a drive-by
evaluation is generally completed by a state licensed, independent third-party,
21 professional appraiser on forms approved by either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. The
drive-by evaluation is an exterior examination of the premises by the appraiser to
22 determine that the property is in good condition. The appraisal is based on various
factors, including the market value of comparable homes and the cost of replacing the
23 improvements, and generally must have been made not earlier than 180 days before the
date of origination of the mortgage loan. For certain closed-end second lien mortgage
24 loans with loan amounts less than $250,000, determined by the FICO score of the
borrower, Countrywide Home Loans may have the related mortgaged property
25 appraised electronically. The minimum and maximum loan amounts for closed-end
second lien mortgage loans are generally $7,500 (or, if smaller, the state-allowed
26 maximum) and $1,000,000, respectively.
27
28
- 81 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 Prospectus Supplement for CWHEQ Home Equity Loan Trust, Series 2006-S6 (Form 424B5), at S-29
2 (Sept. 28, 2006); Prospectus Supplement for CWHEQ Home Equity Loan Trust, Series 2007-S1 (Form
3 424B5), at S-36 (Feb. 27, 2008); Prospectus Supplement for CWHEQ Home Equity Loan Trust, Series
5 166. These statements were false and misleading when made because they failed to disclose
6 that the value and adequacy of the mortgaged property was not appraised, on a consistent basis, using
7 “market data analysis based on recent sales of comparable homes in the area, where deemed
8 appropriate, replacement cost analysis based on the current costs of constructing a similar home” or “on
10 on forms approved by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.” Instead, as alleged herein, Countrywide
11 systematically inflated appraisals for properties used as collateral for mortgage loans underlying the
12 Issuing Trusts. These inflated appraisals did not conform to the USPAP and were not market data
13 analyses of comparable homes in the area or analyses of the cost of construction of a comparable home.
14 167. Each Prospectus Supplement referenced and incorporated into each Registration
15 Statement described the LTV ratio of the mortgages pooled into the Issuing Trusts. The LTV ratio of
16 mortgages in the trust was described as equal to: (1) the principal balance of the mortgage loan at the
17 date of origination, divided by; (2) the collateral value of the related mortgaged property, where the
18 “collateral value” was the lesser of either the appraised value based on an appraisal made for
19 Countrywide by an independent fee appraiser at the time of the origination of the related mortgage loan,
20 or the sales price of the mortgaged property at the time of origination. Each Prospectus Supplement
21 then provided an average LTV ratio of the mortgage loans included in the Issuing Trusts and a
22 disclosure concerning the maximum LTV ratio of mortgage loans included in the Issuing Trusts.
23 168. The statements concerning the average LTV ratio of mortgages included in the Issuing
24 Trusts and the maximum LTV ratio of mortgages included in the Issuing Trusts were false and
25 misleading when made because these ratios were rendered inaccurate because of incorrect and/or
26 inflated appraisal values assigned to the collateral supporting the mortgage loans pooled into each
27 Issuing Trust.
28
- 82 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 VII. THE UNDERWRITING DEFENDANTS DID NOT PERFORM ADEQUATE DUE
DILIGENCE
2
169. According to the March 2008 policy statement issued by the President’s Working Group,
3
“[a]though market participants had economic incentives to conduct due diligence . . . the steps they took
4
were insufficient.”
5
170. Many, if not all, of the Underwriting Defendants received due diligence reports from
6
external firms, including, specifically, Clayton Holdings, Inc. (“Clayton”) and the Bohan Group
7
(“Bohan”), when they underwrote offerings for the Issuing Defendants. The Underwriting Defendants
8
hired Clayton or Bohan to review whether the loans to be included in a particular MBS complied with
9
the law and met the lending standards that mortgage companies, such as Countrywide, said that they
10
were using.
11
171. Clayton provides “services to the leading buyers and sellers of, and investors in,
12
residential and commercial loan portfolios and securities . . . includ[ing] major capital markets firms,
13
banks and lending institutions, including the largest MBS issuers/dealers.” Clayton’s Form 10-K filed
14
March 14, 2008. Indeed, “[d]uring 2007, 2006 and 2005, [Clayton] worked with each of the 10 largest
15
non-agency MBS underwriters, as ranked by Inside MBS & ABS, which accounted for 70%, 73% and
16
73% of total underwriting volume during those respective periods.” Id. Additionally, Clayton has
17
specifically identified Bear Stearns, Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs as clients for
18
its underwriting due diligence services. Bohan is a private company which also provides underwriting
19
due diligences services, with offices in New York, San Francisco and, importantly, in Orange County,
20
California. Bohan’s clients include Bear Stearns and Merrill Lynch.
21
172. In June 2007, the New York Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo (“NYAG”), subpoenaed
22
documents from both Clayton and Bohan related to their due diligence efforts on behalf of the
23
investment banks that underwrote substantial amounts of MBS. The NYAG, along with Massachusetts,
24
Connecticut and the SEC (all of which also subpoenaed documents) are investigating whether
25
investment banks held back information they should have provided in the disclosures that accompanied
26
the MBS that they offered for sale to investors.
27
28
- 83 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 173. On January 27, 2008, Clayton revealed that it had entered into an agreement with the
2 NYAG for immunity from civil and criminal prosecution in the State of New York in exchange for
3 agreeing to provide additional documents and testimony regarding its due diligence reports, including
4 copies of the actual reports provided to its clients. Both the New York Times and The Wall Street
5 Journal ran articles describing the nature of the NYAG’s investigation and Clayton’s testimony. The
6 Wall Street Journal reported that the NYAG’s investigation is focused on “the broad language written
7 in prospectuses about the risky nature of these securities changed little in recent years, even as due-
8 diligence reports noted that the number of exception loans backing the securities was rising.”
9 According to the New York Times article, Clayton is “the nation’s largest provider of mortgage due
10 diligence services to investment banks” and it “communicated daily with bankers putting together
11 mortgage securities.” The New York Times also reported that Clayton told the NYAG “that starting in
12 2005, it saw a significant deterioration of lending standards and a parallel jump in lending exceptions”
13 and “some investment banks directed Clayton to halve the sample of loans it evaluated in each
14 portfolio.”
15 174. A March 17, 2008 Los Angeles Times article reported that Clayton and Bohan employees
16 (including, specifically, eight former reviewers who were interviewed for the article) “raised plenty of
17 red flags about flaws [in subprime home loans] so serious that mortgages should have been rejected
18 outright – such as borrowers’ incomes that seemed inflated or documents that looked fake – but the
19 problems were glossed over, ignored or stricken from reports.” Moreover, while underwriters, such as
20 the Underwriting Defendants, would have sought to have Clayton review 25%-40% of loans in a pool
21 that was going to be securitized earlier in the decade, by 2006 the typical percentage of loans reviewed
24 175. The defendants’ misrepresentations and/or omissions in the Registration Statements and
25 Prospectus Supplements were revealed through increasing default rates on the Issuing Trusts’ mortgage
26 pools and mounting foreclosures on the properties collaterizing the mortgage loans, which have yielded
27 insufficient value to recover the outstanding principal and interest due on the loans. These defaults and
28
- 84 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 foreclosures exceed the expected rates of default on the mortgage pools underlying each of the Issuing
2 Trusts and, as a result, have resulted in a diminished value of each of the Certificates.
3 A. CWALT Loans
4 176. As of August 2008, of the pool of mortgages underlying the Certificates issued by
5 CWALT during fiscal year 2005, 11.66% of these mortgages are delinquent by more than 60 days and
6 9.77% are delinquent by more than 90 days. This has risen from 7.43% and 5.69%, respectively, since
8 177. As of August 2008, of the pool of mortgages underlying the Certificates issued by
9 CWALT during fiscal year 2006, 18.24% of these mortgages are delinquent by more than 60 days and
10 15.50% are delinquent by more than 90 days. This has risen from 10.53% and 8.16%, respectively,
12 178. As of August 2008, of the pool of mortgages underlying the Certificates issued by
13 CWALT during fiscal year 2007, 11.31% of these mortgages are delinquent by more than 60 days and
14 9.30% are delinquent by more than 90 days. This has risen from 4.57% and 3.17%, respectively, since
16 179. The delinquencies, defaults and foreclosures on these mortgage loans have prompted
17 rating agencies to downgrade Certificates issued by CWALT. For example, S&P downgraded
18 Certificates issued pursuant to CWALT’s Registration Statements on November 16, 2007, May 28,
19 2008, August 25, 2008 and August 26, 2008.
20 B. CWABS Loans
21 180. As of August 2008, of the pool of mortgages underlying the Certificates issued by
22 CWABS during fiscal year 2005, 26.17% of these mortgages are delinquent by more than 60 days and
23 22.63% are delinquent by more than 90 days. This has risen from 21.93% and 18.25%, respectively,
26 CWABS during fiscal year 2006, 22.42% of these mortgages are delinquent by more than 60 days and
27
28
- 85 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 18.86% are delinquent by more than 90 days. This has risen from 12.37% and 9.20%, respectively,
3 182. As of August 2008, of the pool of mortgages underlying the Certificates issued by
4 CWABS during fiscal year 2007, 24.96% of these mortgages are delinquent by more than 60 days and
5 21.66% are delinquent by more than 90 days. This has risen from 18.79% and 15.63%, respectively,
7 183. The delinquencies, defaults and foreclosures on these mortgage loans have prompted
8 rating agencies to downgrade Certificates issued by CWABS. For example, S&P downgraded
9 Certificates issued by CWABS pursuant to the its Registration Statements on July 12, 2007,
10 November 12, 2007, August 20, 2008, August 25, 2008 and August 26, 2008.
11 C. CWMBS Loans
12 184. As of August 2008, of the pool of mortgages underlying the Certificates issued by
13 CWMBS during fiscal year 2005, 6.62% of these mortgages are delinquent by more than 60 days and
14 5.41% are delinquent by more than 90 days. This has risen from 3.97% and 3.11%, respectively, since
16 185. As of August 2008, of the pool of mortgages underlying the Certificates issued by
17 CWMBS during fiscal year 2006, 9.70% of these mortgages are delinquent by more than 60 days and
18 8.07% are delinquent by more than 90 days. This has risen from 6.59% and 5.22%, respectively, since
19 January 2008. 3.63% of these loans are in foreclosure.
20 186. As of August 2008, of the pool of mortgages underlying the Certificates issued by
21 CWMBS during fiscal year 2007, 3.73% of these mortgages are delinquent by more than 60 days and
22 3.02% are delinquent by more than 90 days. This has risen from 1.41% and 0.96%, respectively, since
23 January 2008. 1.22% of these loans are in foreclosure.
24 187. The delinquencies, defaults and foreclosures on these mortgage loans have prompted
25 rating agencies to downgrade Certificates issued by CWMBS. For example, S&P downgraded
26 Certificates issued pursuant to CWMBS’ Registration Statements on November 16, 2007, March 17,
27 2008, May 1, 2008 and May 28, 2008.
28
- 86 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 D. CWHEQ Loans
2 188. The mortgage loans issued by CWHEQ have also suffered deteriorating delinquency
3 rates. As such, CWHEQ’s Issuing Trusts have also been downgraded by the Ratings Agencies. For
4 example, S&P downgraded Certificates issued pursuant to CWHEQ’s Registration Statements, inter
5 alia, on June 27, 2008, August 25, 2008 and August 26, 2008.
8 Procedure §382 on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities who purchased or acquired the
9 Certificates of the Issuing Trusts pursuant or traceable to the Registration Statements and Prospectus
10 Supplements identified in ¶55 above. Excluded from the Class are defendants, their officers and
11 directors at all relevant times, members of their immediate families and their legal representatives,
12 heirs, successors or assigns and any entity in which defendants have or had a controlling interest.
13 190. The members of the Class are so numerous that joinder of all members is impracticable.
14 While the exact number of Class members is unknown to plaintiffs at this time and can only be
15 ascertained through appropriate discovery, plaintiffs believe that there are thousands of members in the
16 proposed Class. Record owners and other members of the Class may be identified from records
17 maintained by the Issuing Defendants, and/or their agents, and may be notified of the pendency of this
18 action by mail, using the form of notice similar to that customarily used in securities class actions.
19 Billions of dollars worth of Certificates were issued pursuant to the false and misleading Prospectuses
20 complained of herein.
21 191. Plaintiffs’ claims are typical of the claims of the members of the Class, as all members of
22 the Class are similarly affected by defendants’ wrongful conduct in violation of federal law that is
23 complained of herein.
24 192. Plaintiffs will fairly and adequately protect the interests of the members of the Class and
25 have retained counsel competent and experienced in class and securities litigation.
26
27
28
- 87 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 193. Common questions of law and fact exist as to all members of the Class and predominate
2 over any questions solely affecting individual members of the Class. Among the questions of law and
5 (b) whether statements made by defendants to the investing public in the Registration
6 Statements and Prospectus Supplements both omitted and misrepresented material facts about the
8 (c) the extent – and proper measure – of the damages sustained by the members of
9 the Class.
10 194. A class action is superior to all other available methods for the fair and efficient
11 adjudication of this controversy since joinder of all members is impracticable. Furthermore, as the
12 damages suffered by individual Class members may be relatively small, the expense and burden of
13 individual litigation make it impossible for members of the Class to individually redress the wrongs
14 done to them. There will be no difficulty in the management of this action as a class action.
18 forth herein only to the extent, however, that such allegations do not allege fraud, scienter or the intent
19 of the defendants to defraud plaintiffs or members of the Class. This count is predicated upon
20 defendants’ strict liability for making false and materially misleading statements in the Registration
21 Statements. This Cause of Action is brought pursuant to Section 11 of the Securities Act, on behalf of
22 the Class, against the Individual Defendants and the Issuing and Underwriting Defendants.
23 196. The Registration Statements for the Certificate offerings were materially inaccurate and
24 misleading, contained untrue statements of material facts, omitted to state other facts necessary to make
25 the statements not misleading, and omitted to state material facts required to be stated therein.
26 197. The Individual Defendants and the Issuing and Underwriting Defendants of the
27 Certificates are strictly liable to plaintiffs and the Class for the misstatements and omissions.
28
- 88 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 198. The Individual Defendants signed CWALT’s, CWABS’, CWMBS’ and CWHEQ’s
3 199. Defendant CSC, an affiliate of CFC, acted as an underwriter in the sale of the Issuing
4 Trusts’ Certificates, and helped to draft and disseminate the offering documents for the Certificates.
5 Defendant CSC was an underwriter for the Issuing Trusts as detailed at ¶55, supra.
6 200. Defendant JP Morgan acted as an underwriter in the sale of the Issuing Trusts’
7 Certificates, and helped to draft and disseminate the offering documents for the Certificates. Defendant
8 JP Morgan was an underwriter for the Issuing Trusts as detailed at ¶55, supra.
9 201. Defendant Deutsche Bank acted as an underwriter in the sale of the Issuing Trusts’
10 Certificates, and helped to draft and disseminate the offering documents for the Certificates. Defendant
11 Deutsche Bank was an underwriter for the Issuing Trusts as detailed at ¶55, supra.
12 202. Defendant Bear Stearns acted as an underwriter in the sale of the Issuing Trusts’
13 Certificates, and helped to draft and disseminate the offering documents for the Certificates. Defendant
14 Bear Stearns was an underwriter for the Issuing Trusts as detailed at ¶55, supra.
15 203. Defendant BoA acted as an underwriter in the sale of the Issuing Trusts’ Certificates, and
16 helped to draft and disseminate the offering documents for the Certificates. Defendant BoA was an
18 204. Defendant UBS acted as an underwriter in the sale of the Issuing Trusts’ Certificates,
19 and helped to draft and disseminate the offering documents for the Certificates. Defendant UBS was an
22 Certificates, and helped to draft and disseminate the offering documents for the Certificates. Defendant
23 Morgan Stanley was an underwriter for the Issuing Trusts as detailed at ¶55, supra.
24 206. Defendant Edward Jones acted as an underwriter in the sale of the Issuing Trusts’
25 Certificates, and helped to draft and disseminate the offering documents for the Certificates. Defendant
26 Edward Jones was an underwriter for the Issuing Trusts as detailed at ¶55, supra.
27
28
- 89 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 207. Defendant Citigroup acted as an underwriter in the sale of the Issuing Trusts’
2 Certificates, and helped to draft and disseminate the offering documents for the Certificates. Defendant
3 Citigroup was an underwriter for the Issuing Trusts as detailed at ¶55, supra.
4 208. Defendant Goldman Sachs acted as an underwriter in the sale of the Issuing Trusts’
5 Certificates, and helped to draft and disseminate the offering documents for the Certificates. Defendant
6 Goldman Sachs was an underwriter for the Issuing Trusts as detailed at ¶55, supra.
7 209. Defendant Credit Suisse acted as an underwriter in the sale of the Issuing Trusts’
8 Certificates, and helped to draft and disseminate the offering documents for the Certificates. Defendant
9 Credit Suisse was an underwriter for the Issuing Trusts as detailed at ¶55, supra.
10 210. Defendant RBS acted as an underwriter in the sale of the Issuing Trusts’ Certificates, and
11 helped to draft and disseminate the offering documents for the Certificates. Defendant RBS was an
13 211. Defendant Barclays acted as an underwriter in the sale of the Issuing Trusts’ Certificates,
14 and helped to draft and disseminate the offering documents for the Certificates. Defendant Barclays
16 212. Defendant HSBC acted as an underwriter in the sale of the Issuing Trusts’ Certificates,
17 and helped to draft and disseminate the offering documents for the Certificates. Defendant HSBC was
20 and helped to draft and disseminate the offering documents for the Certificates. Defendant BNP was an
21 underwriter for the Issuing Trusts as detailed at ¶55, supra.
22 214. Defendant Merrill Lynch acted as an underwriter in the sale of the Issuing Trusts’
23 Certificates, and helped to draft and disseminate the offering documents for the Certificates. Defendant
24 Merrill Lynch was an underwriter for the Issuing Trusts as detailed at ¶55, supra.
25 215. The Individual Defendants and the Issuing and Underwriting Defendants owed to the
26 plaintiffs and other members of the Class the duty to make a reasonable and diligent investigation of the
27 statements contained in the Registration Statements at the time they became effective to ensure that
28
- 90 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 such statements were true and correct and that there was no omission of material facts required to be
2 stated in order to make the statements contained therein not misleading. The Individual Defendants and
3 the Issuing and Underwriting Defendants knew, or in the exercise of reasonable care should have
4 known, of the material misstatements and omissions contained in or omitted from the Registration
5 Statements as set forth herein. As such, the Individual Defendants and the Issuing and Underwriting
7 216. None of the Individual Defendants or the Issuing and Underwriting Defendants made a
8 reasonable investigation or possessed reasonable grounds for the belief that the statements contained in
9 the Registration Statements were true or that there was no omission of material facts necessary to make
11 217. The Individual Defendants and the Issuing and Underwriting Defendants issued and
12 disseminated, caused to be issued and disseminated, and participated in the issuance and dissemination
13 of material misstatements to the investing public which were contained in the Prospectuses, which
14 misrepresented or failed to disclose, inter alia, the facts set forth above.
15 218. By reason of the conduct herein alleged, each of the Individual Defendants and the
17 219. Plaintiffs acquired the Certificates pursuant and/or traceable to the Registration
18 Statements.
19 220. At the time they obtained their Certificates, plaintiffs and members of the Class did so
20 without knowledge of the facts concerning the misstatements or omissions alleged herein.
21 221. This action is brought within one year after discovery of the untrue statements and
22 omissions in and from the Registration Statements which should have been made through the exercise
23 of reasonable diligence, and within three years of the effective date of the Registration Statements.
24 222. Plaintiffs and the Class have sustained damages. The value of the Certificates has
25 declined substantially, subsequent to, and due to, the Individual Defendants’ and the Issuing and
28
- 91 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 223. By virtue of the foregoing, plaintiffs and the other members of the Class are entitled to
2 damages under Section 11, as measured by the provisions of Section 11(e), jointly and severally from
3 each of the Individual Defendants and the Issuing and Underwriting Defendants.
8 225. This Count is brought pursuant to Section 12(a)(2) of the Securities Act on behalf of the
9 Class, against the Issuing and Underwriting Defendants.
10 226. The Issuing and Underwriting Defendants promoted and sold the Certificates pursuant to
11 the defective Prospectuses.
12 227. The Prospectuses contained untrue statements of material facts, omitted to state other
13 facts necessary to make the statements made not misleading, and concealed and failed to disclose
14 material facts.
15 228. The Issuing and Underwriting Defendants owed to plaintiffs, and other members of the
16 Class who purchased the Certificates pursuant to the Prospectuses, the duty to make a reasonable and
17 diligent investigation of the statements contained in the Prospectuses, to ensure that such statements
18 were true and that there was no omission to state a material fact required to be stated in order to make
19 the statements contained therein not misleading. The Issuing and Underwriting Defendants knew of, or
20 in the exercise of reasonable care should have known of, the misstatements and omissions contained in
21 the Prospectuses as set forth above.
22 229. Plaintiffs and other members of the Class purchased or otherwise acquired Certificates
23 pursuant to and/or traceable to the defective Prospectuses. Plaintiffs did not know, or in the exercise of
24 reasonable diligence could not have known, of the untruths and omissions contained in the
25 Prospectuses.
26 230. By reason of the conduct alleged herein, the Issuing and Underwriting Defendants
27 violated Section 12(a)(2) of the Securities Act. Accordingly, plaintiffs and members of the Class who
28
- 92 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1 purchased the Certificates pursuant to and/or traceable to the Prospectuses sustained material damages
2 in connection with their purchases of the Certificates. Plaintiffs and other members of the Class who
3 hold the Certificates issued pursuant to the Prospectuses have the right to rescind and recover the
4 consideration paid for their Certificates. Class members who have sold their Certificates are entitled to
5 rescissory damages.
6 231. This action is brought within three years from the time that the Certificates upon which
7 this Count is brought were sold to the public, and within one year from the time when plaintiffs
8 discovered or reasonably could have discovered the facts upon which this action is based.
13 233. This count is asserted against CFC, CSC, CCM and CHL and is based upon Section 15
14 of the Securities Act.
15 234. Each of CFC, CSC, CCM and CHL by virtue of its control, ownership, offices,
16 directorship, and specific acts was, at the time of the wrongs alleged herein and as set forth herein, a
17 controlling person of the Issuing Defendants within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act.
18 CFC, CSC, CCM and CHL had the power and influence and exercised the same to cause the Issuing
19 Defendants to engage in the acts described herein.
20 235. CFC’s, CSC’s, CCM’s and CHL’s control, ownership and position made them privy to
21 and provided them with actual knowledge of the material facts concealed from plaintiffs and the Class.
22 236. By virtue of the conduct alleged herein, CFC, CSC, CCM and CHL are liable for the
23 aforesaid wrongful conduct and are liable to plaintiffs and the Class for damages suffered as a result.
28
- 93 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
1
DEUTSCH & LIPNER
2 SETH E. LIPNER
1325 Franklin Avenue, Suite 225
3 Garden City, NY 11530
Telephone: 516/294-8899
4 516/742-9416 (fax)
6 S:\CasesSD\CWALT\CPT00054852_Consol.doc
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
- 95 -
CONSOLIDATED COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF §§11, 12(a)(2) AND 15 OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
CWALT
Service List - 10/16/2008 (07-0243)
Page 1 of 2
Counsel For Defendant(s)
Dean J. Kitchens Lloyd Winawer
Lindsay R. Pennington Goodwin Procter LLP
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP 10250 Constellation Blvd., 21st Floor
333 South Grand Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90067
Los Angeles, CA 90071-3197 310/788-5177
213/229-7000 310/286-0992(Fax)
213/229-7520(Fax)
Page 2 of 2
Darren J. Check
Sharan Nirmul
Emanuel Shachmurove
Schiffrin Barroway Topaz & Kessler, LLP
280 King of Prussia Road
Radnor, PA 19087
610/667-7706
610/667-7056(Fax)