Setback for Bank of America in MBIA Lawsuit

Justice Eileen Bransten of the New York State Supreme Court ruled that to show fraud, MBIA need only show that Countrywide had misled it about the $20 billion of securities that it insured, not that the misrepresentations caused its losses.

MBIA accused Countrywide of misrepresenting the quality of underwriting for about 368,000 loans that backed 15 financings from 2005 to 2007, while the housing market was booming. It said it would not have insured the securities on the agreed-upon terms had it known how the loans were made.

“No basis in law exists to mandate that MBIA establish a direct causal link between the misrepresentations allegedly made by Countrywide and claims made under the policy,” Justice Bransten wrote, citing New York common law and insurance law.

While not ruling on the merits of the case, the judge lowered the burden of proof on MBIA to show Countrywide had committed fraud and breached the insurance contracts.

She also said MBIA could seek damages for its losses, rejecting Countrywide’s argument that the insurer’s only remedy was to void its insurance policies. MBIA had said that would be unfair to investors.

Manal Mehta, a partner at Branch Hill Capital, a hedge fund in San Francisco, said Bank of America had lost “one of its key defenses in the ongoing litigation over mortgage putbacks by the monoline insurers.”

Neither Bank of America nor MBIA officials were immediately available to comment.

Article source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=df53286b491f8aa03bc14a632772427b