New York’s RPAPL 1304 requires that prior to the commencement of a foreclosure action, a notice must be given to the borrower allowing 90 days to cure the default before the plaintiff is allowed to file the summons and complaint.
However, it is often the case that the Statute of Limitations is about to expire during this 90-day period, and servicers are often concerned that if they wait the 90 days to comply with the 90-day notice requirement imposed by RPAPL 1304, the Statute of Limitations will expire. Those who are unaware of CPLR 204A may, therefore, be tempted to initiate the action without first complying with RPAPL 1304.
This is a big mistake, as the failure to comply with RPAPL 1304 will cause the foreclosure to be fatally defective, and the action to be dismissed. (See my prior article – Recent Decisions Regarding New York’s Pre-Foreclosure Requirements).
New York’s CPLR 204A, however, expressly provides “Where the commencement of an action has stayed by a court or by statutory prohibition, the duration of the stay is not a part of the time within which the action must be commenced.” Furthermore, when New York State’s Court of Appeals, New York’s highest court, decided the case Archer v. New York City Transit Authority, they expressly ruled that CPLR 204A extends the Statute of Limitations by the amount of time during which Plaintiff has stayed from commencing the action.
Accordingly, banks and servicers should meticulously comply with the requirements of RPAPL 1304, wait to file the summons and complaint until after the 90 days has expired, and take comfort in the extension granted by CPLR 204A.
Please feel free to contact me with questions or comments at peter.roach@roachlawfirm.com.
Peter Roach
Peter T. Roach & Associates, P.C.
