Maryland Court Holds that Interest may be Abated in Foreclosure Sales Only When Closing Delays are Caused by Third Parties

Posted by Aaron Rosenfeld on March 11, 2011

Under the foreclosure rules in Maryland, interest may accrue on the unpaid balance of the foreclosure purchase price from the date of the foreclosure sale until final settlement.  The Court of Special Appeals of Maryland recently held in Zorzit v 915 W. 36th Street, LLC that a court may abate the accrued foreclosure sale interest only when third parties cause delays in the final settlement.  A court does not have discretion to abate accrued interest due to delays resulting from the judicial process or caused by the purchaser when the "Terms of Sale" set out in the foreclosure advertisement provide that the purchaser will pay interest through the date of final settlement.

Maryland Confessed Judgment Clause May Not Protect

Posted by Brooke Ringel on December 07, 2010

Lender liability law, which gained prominence during the savings and loan crisis of the 1980s, has again become an active area of litigation in recent years. Lenders in Maryland traditionally have had at least two ways to protect against plaintiffs seeking to challenge the enforceability of a commercial loan. First, lenders often include a confession of judgment clause in the agreement, permitting the lender to seek default judgment against a defaulting borrower immediately without trial. Second, the Maryland Credit Agreement Act, Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-408, requires all commercial (not personal) loan agreements to be in writing. By extension, the Credit Agreement Act prohibits the use of alleged oral promises to modify the terms of the commercial loan agreement.

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