First Mortgage Corporation v. United States ( 2020 )

Case: 19-1798 Document: 42 Page: 1 Filed: 06/12/2020
United States Court of Appeals
for the Federal Circuit
______________________
FIRST MORTGAGE CORPORATION,
Plaintiff-Appellant
v.
UNITED STATES,
Defendant-Appellee
______________________
2019-1798
______________________
Appeal from the United States Court of Federal Claims
in No. 1:18-cv-00228-LKG, Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby.
______________________
Decided: June 12, 2020
______________________
TAMI D. COWDEN, Greenberg Traurig, P.A, Las Vegas,
NV, for plaintiff-appellant.
VINCENT DE PAUL PHILLIPS, JR., Commercial Litigation
Branch, Civil Division, United States Department of Jus-
tice, Washington, DC, for defendant-appellee. Also repre-
sented by JOSEPH H. HUNT, ELIZABETH MARIE HOSFORD,
ROBERT EDWARD KIRSCHMAN, JR.
______________________
Before LOURIE, MAYER, and WALLACH, Circuit Judges.
WALLACH, Circuit Judge.
Case: 19-1798 Document: 42 Page: 2 Filed: 06/12/2020
2 FIRST MORTGAGE CORPORATION v. UNITED STATES
Appellant First Mortgage Corporation (“FMC”) filed a
breach of contract action against the United States (“Gov-
ernment”) in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, alleging
that the Government National Mortgage Association (“Gin-
nie Mae”) had violated the terms of several guaranty agree-
ments between FMC and Ginnie Mae in connection with
Ginnie Mae’s mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”) pro-
gram. J.A. 23–58 (Complaint). The Government moved to
dismiss FMC’s Complaint pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) of the
Rules of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims (“RCFC”).
J.A. 382–465 (Motion to Dismiss). The Court of Federal
Claims granted the Government’s motion, concluding that
FMC’s breach of contract claims were precluded under the
doctrine of res judicata. See First Mortg. Corp. v. United
States, 142 Fed. Cl. 164, 176 (2019); J.A. 1 (Judgment).
FMC appeals. We have jurisdiction pursuant to 28
U.S.C. § 1295(a)(3). We affirm.
BACKGROUND
I. Factual Background 1
A. Ginnie Mae’s MBS Program
“[Ginnie Mae] is a corporation wholly owned and con-
trolled by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
1 Because FMC appeals the dismissal of its Com-
plaint for failure to state a claim under RCFC 12(b)(6), the
facts recited in this Opinion draw on FMC’s Complaint, “as
well as other sources courts ordinarily examine when rul-
ing on Rule 12(b)(6) motions to dismiss, in particular, doc-
uments incorporated into the [C]omplaint by reference,
and matters of which a court may take judicial notice.”
Tellabs, Inc. v. Makor Issues & Rights, Ltd., 551 U.S. 308,
322 (2007); see Leatherman v. Tarrant Cty. Narcotics Intel-
ligence & Coordination Unit, 507 U.S. 163, 164 (1993) (“We
review here a decision granting a motion to dismiss, and
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FIRST MORTGAGE CORPORATION v. UNITED STATES 3
Development (‘HUD’).” J.A. 26; see 12 U.S.C.
§ 1717(a)(2)(A) (creating Ginnie Mae as “a body corporate
without capital stock” within HUD). Congress created Gin-
nie Mae to, inter alia, “provide stability in the secondary
market for residential mortgages,” 12 U.S.C. § 1716(1), and
“promote access to mortgage credit . . . by increasing the li-
quidity of mortgage investments and improving the distri-
bution of investment capital available,” id. § 1716(4); see
J.A. 29. To this end, Ginnie Mae “is authorized, upon such
terms and conditions as it may deem appropriate, to guar-
antee” MBS and administer the MBS program. 12 U.S.C.
§ 1721(g)(1); see J.A. 23–24.
Under the MBS program, Ginnie Mae “guarantee[s]
the timely payment of principal of and interest on securi-
ties that are based on and backed by a trust or pool com-
posed of mortgages which are insured or guaranteed by
[certain Government agencies].” 24 C.F.R. § 320.1; see
J.A. 23–24. Approved private lenders originate or acquire
residential mortgage loans insured or guaranteed by cer-
tain Government agencies, pool and securitize those mort-
gages, and sell the securities to investors in the secondary
mortgage market. J.A. 23–24, 28; see J.A. 60 (Guaranty
Agreement) (providing for the “pool[ing] of mortgages secu-
ritized by the [i]ssuer and guaranteed by Ginnie Mae”).
Ginnie Mae guarantees the “timely payment of principal
and interest on those securities” to investors. J.A. 24.
“[Ginnie Mae’s] guaranty . . . is backed by the full faith and
credit of the United States.” 24 C.F.R. § 320.1; see J.A. 60
(Guaranty Agreement) (providing that “the full faith and
credit of the United States is pledged to the payment of all
amounts which may be required to be paid under [an MBS
program] guaranty by Ginnie Mae”).
therefore must accept as true all the factual allegations in
the complaint.”).
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4 FIRST MORTGAGE CORPORATION v. UNITED STATES
B. Ginnie Mae’s Guaranty Agreements with FMC
FMC is a privately held corporation based in Califor-
nia. J.A. 3. From 1975 to 2015, FMC was “an originator
and servicer of [G]overnment-guaranteed home mortgages
and an issuer” of MBS in Ginnie Mae’s MBS program.
J.A. 24; see J.A. 27, 30. As of December 2014, FMC had
serviced more than 31,000 mortgage loans, totaling more
than $5.1 billion in unpaid principal, with “[m]ost” of those
mortgages “securitized into [Ginnie Mae-guaranteed]
[MBS].” J.A. 26. Pursuant to the MBS program, Ginnie
Mae and FMC “entered into a great many Guaranty Agree-
ments[.]” J.A. 30. The “terms of [these Guaranty Agree-
ments] were prescribed by [Ginnie Mae]” and
“substantially” the same, with Ginnie Mae’s Issuer Guide
“at all times . . . an integral and material part of each Guar-
anty Agreement.” J.A. 30; see J.A. 60–74 (Guaranty Agree-
ment excerpts), 107–254 (Issuer Guide excerpts); see also
12 U.S.C. § 1721(g)(1) (authorizing Ginnie Mae to guaran-
tee MBS “upon such terms and conditions as it may deem
appropriate”).
In exchange for Ginnie Mae’s guaranty, FMC agreed to
“conform with [Ginnie Mae’s] servicing standards, proce-
dures, methods, and practices,” comply with “any applica-
ble requirements contained in [the Ginnie Mae Issuer
Guide],” and “establish and maintain books, files, and ac-
counting records in accordance with [both].” J.A. 65; see 24
C.F.R. § 320.3(e) (providing “[e]thics and standards” for
MBS issuers). The “cash flow from pooled mortgages,” in-
cluding “principal and interest” payments, were considered
“[c]ustodial [f]unds” that had to “be deposited and main-
tained in custodial accounts[.]” J.A. 236. FMC was re-
quired to “establish and maintain a Central [Principal &
Interest] Custodial Account with a commercial bank” or
other financial institution, to be “used exclusively for funds
relating to Ginnie Mae MBS program mortgage pools.”
J.A. 67; see J.A. 61. FMC was required to clear collection
accounts “daily” into a custodial account, such as the
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FIRST MORTGAGE CORPORATION v. UNITED STATES 5
Central Principal & Interest Custodial Account, “unless
[FMC] use[d] [an Automated Clearing House] transfer, in
which case the accounts [had to] be cleared every [forty-
eight] hours.” J.A. 68. FMC was also required to “maintain
delinquency rates” on mortgage pools “below [specified]
threshold levels.” J.A. 252. To achieve this, FMC was al-
lowed, per the Issuer Guide, “to repurchase a [mortgage]
from a pool” if the mortgage had been “in a continuous pe-
riod of default for [ninety] days or more,” then re-pool the
mortgage and re-sell the security if the default was subse-
quently cured. J.A. 251–52; see J.A. 160–61 (providing
mortgage status requirements for pooling).
Under the Guaranty Agreements, FMC would be in
“[i]mmediate default,” “if Ginnie Mae, in its sole discretion,
determine[d]” that “[a]ny unauthorized use of Custodial
Funds” or “[a]ny submission of false reports, statements, or
data or any act of dishonesty or breach of fiduciary duty to
Ginnie Mae related to the MBS program” had occurred.
J.A. 72–73 (Guaranty Agreement Section 10.01). In the
event of default, “Ginnie Mae [could], in its sole discretion,
but [was] not required to, confer and negotiate with [FMC]
with respect to remedying and correcting the default.”
J.A. 73 (Guaranty Agreement Section 10.03). If an agree-
ment was reached, it had to be “placed in written contrac-
tual form” as a supplement to the Guaranty Agreement.
J.A. 73. In the absence of such an agreement, in “any event
of default,” Ginnie Mae could “automatically effect and
complete the extinguishment of any redemption, equitable,
legal, or other right, title, or interest of [FMC] in the
[pooled] [m]ortgages,” J.A. 73–74 (Guaranty Agreement
Section 10.04), with all of FMC’s “authority and power . . .
under [the Guaranty] Agreement, with respect to” any rel-
evant securities and mortgages “automatically termi-
nat[ing] and expir[ing],” J.A. 74 (Guaranty Agreement
Section 10.05).
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6 FIRST MORTGAGE CORPORATION v. UNITED STATES
C. FMC’s Default and Termination
In early 2015, Ginnie Mae “learned of certain actions
by [FMC] that constitute[d] events of immediate default
under the terms of the Guaranty Agreements,” and, in
March 2015, “undertook a compliance review . . . of
[FMC’s] Ginnie Mae portfolio.” J.A. 367 (Notice of Viola-
tion); see J.A. 37. In May 2015, Ginnie Mae served FMC
with a Notice of Violation, stating that, during the compli-
ance review, Ginnie Mae had “observed numerous in-
stances where borrower payments were not moved to
Ginnie Mae custodial accounts within [forty-eight] hours of
receipt” and had found that FMC had “submitted false re-
ports to Ginnie Mae” claiming that “[mortgages] were
[ninety] days or more delinquent” when FMC “repurchased
[them] from a pool,” when, in fact, the “loans were not
properly delinquent,” both in breach of the Guaranty
Agreements. J.A. 367.
Ginnie Mae explained that FMC was, accordingly, in
default, and that “Ginnie Mae [was] entitled to terminate
[FMC’s] authority to act as a Ginnie Mae issuer” and to ter-
minate and extinguish “any redemption, equitable, legal or
other right, title[,] and interest of [FMC] in [Ginnie Mae-
backed] mortgage pools[.]” J.A. 367; see J.A. 37. Rather
than immediately terminate FMC from the MBS program,
Ginnie Mae stated it would “forebear from immediately ef-
fectuating the termination and extinguishment” provided
that FMC responded with a timely written response to the
Notice of Violation, providing additional information and
affirming FMC’s “intent to comply with the conditions” as
set by Ginnie Mae. J.A. 367; see J.A. 37–38. Ginnie Mae
reserved the right to “tak[e] . . . further remedial action
against [FMC and its corporate officers],” “including, but
not limited to, termination” of FMC from the MBS pro-
gram. J.A. 369.
FMC timely responded. J.A. 371–76 (FMC Response);
see J.A. 41–42. FMC expressed its intent to “fully
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FIRST MORTGAGE CORPORATION v. UNITED STATES 7
remediate the issues the Notice [of Violation] describe[d]”
and “to comply fully with [Ginnie Mae’s] conditions . . . in
the Notice [of Violation]” and Guaranty Agreements.
J.A. 371. With the assistance of external counsel, FMC un-
dertook an internal investigation and provided the results
to Ginnie Mae. J.A. 372. FMC noted that it was also “com-
plying with requests from the [U.S.] Securities and Ex-
change Commission [(‘SEC’)] with respect to the SEC’s
investigation” into the same conduct. J.A. 372.
In June 2015, Ginnie Mae terminated FMC from its
MBS program. J.A. 378–80 (Extinguishment Letter); see
J.A. 42. Ginnie Mae explained that, “[s]ince [its Notice of
Violation], [it] ha[d] engaged in further analysis of the
events described in [the Notice of Violation], and ha[d] con-
cluded it [would] complete the extinguishment of any re-
demption, equitable, legal or other right, title and interest
of [FMC] in the mortgages pooled under each and every
Guaranty Agreement,” pursuant to 12 U.S.C. § 1721(g)
“and Sections 10.04 and 10.05 of each Guaranty Agree-
ment.” J.A. 378.
D. SEC Civil Enforcement Action and
Consent Agreement
In May 2016, the SEC initiated a civil enforcement ac-
tion against FMC and its corporate officers in the U.S. Dis-
trict Court for the Central District of California (“District
Court”). J.A. 427, 440; see J.A. 427–43 (SEC District Court
Complaint). The SEC alleged that, “[f]rom March 2011
through March 2015, FMC and [its corporate officers] mis-
led investors” in its Ginnie Mae-guaranteed MBS by
“falsely claiming to both [Ginnie Mae] and investors that
certain mortgage loans in [FMC’s] securities were delin-
quent when, in fact, such loans were current.” J.A. 428.
The SEC explained that FMC had violated the Guaranty
Agreements by “improperly exercis[ing]” its repurchase op-
tion on loans. J.A. 429. FMC had delayed the transfer of
“full curing [borrower] payments” into a custodial account,
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8 FIRST MORTGAGE CORPORATION v. UNITED STATES
falsely pushing the borrower’s account into delinquency
and eligibility for repurchase. J.A. 429. FMC then applied
the delayed payments to bring the loan current and “back
into FMC’s inventory,” J.A. 429, to be re-purchased at par,
re-pooled, and re-sold as an MBS “at market rates, which
reflected a premium over par[,]” J.A. 435–36; see J.A. 429
(explaining that “par” is “essentially the remaining princi-
pal balance on the loan”). The SEC alleged that FMC ac-
crued “$7.5 million in illicit profits as a result of the
practice,” J.A. 437, all while FMC was certifying to Ginnie
Mae that FMC was in compliance with the Guaranty
Agreements, J.A. 436.
In June 2016, the SEC and FMC entered into a consent
agreement. J.A. 455–60 (Consent Agreement). FMC,
“[w]ithout admitting or denying the allegations [in the SEC
District Court Complaint,] . . . consent[ed] to the entry
of . . . final [j]udgment” against FMC. J.A. 455; see
J.A. 462–65 (Final Judgment). FMC agreed to pay $7.5
million in disgorgement, approximately $500,000 in pre-
judgment interest, and $3.75 million in civil penalties.
J.A. 464. FMC further agreed to “not take any action or
make or permit to be made any public statement denying,
directly or indirectly, any allegation in the [SEC District
Court] [C]omplaint or creating the impression that the
[SEC District Court] [C]omplaint is without factual basis”
and to “not make or permit to be made any public state-
ment to the effect that [FMC] does not admit the allega-
tions of the [SEC District Court] [C]omplaint, or that this
Consent [Agreement] contains no admission of the allega-
tions, without also stating that [FMC] does not deny the
allegations.” J.A. 458. The Consent Agreement provided
that it did not “affect[] [FMC’s] . . . right to take legal or
factual positions in litigation or other legal proceedings in
which the [SEC] is not a party.” J.A. 458. In July 2016,
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FIRST MORTGAGE CORPORATION v. UNITED STATES 9
the District Court entered this Consent Agreement as its
final judgment. J.A. 462–65 (Final Judgment). 2
II. Procedural Background
In February 2018, FMC filed its Complaint in the
Court of Federal Claims, alleging that Ginnie Mae had
“breached all of several Guaranty Agreements” when it
wrongfully terminated FMC from its MBS program.
J.A. 23–24. FMC alleged that Ginnie Mae’s extinguish-
ment and termination of the Guaranty Agreements was
“without proper cause” and, therefore, in breach of the
Guaranty Agreements, J.A. 25, because FMC “was at all
times in full compliance with all of its contractual obliga-
tions” under the Guaranty Agreements, J.A. 24; see J.A. 39
(asserting that “[t]he [Notice of Violation] was also remark-
able for its utter lack of factual and legal support for the
accusations it contained”), 40 (“There is no factual or legal
basis for the events of default alleged in the [Notice of Vio-
lation][.]”). FMC “categorically denie[d] violating any re-
quirement in the Guaranty Agreements[.]” J.A. 40. FMC
alleged that it did not misuse custodial funds, J.A. 39, only
“repurchas[ed] loans that [were properly in default],”
J.A. 35, and therefore, did not submit false reports to Gin-
nie Mae, J.A. 39–40 (alleging that Ginnie Mae’s “claim that
2 After entry of the Final Judgment, FMC tried to
bring its breach of contract claims against Ginnie Mae in
the District Court. See Complaint at 19–23, First Mortg.
Corp. v. Gov’t Nat’l Mortg. Ass’n, No. 5:17-cv-01225, 2017
WL 2671224 (C.D. Cal. June 20, 2017) (presenting substan-
tively similar, if not identical, allegations to FMC’s Com-
plaint here). The District Court dismissed these claims
under Rule 12(b)(1) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure,
for lack of subject matter jurisdiction over contract claims
against the United States. See First Mortg. Corp. v. Gov’t
Nat’l Mortg. Ass’n, No. EDC-17-01225-JGB, 2018 WL
4927795, at *1 (C.D. Cal. Jan. 4, 2018).
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10 FIRST MORTGAGE CORPORATION v. UNITED STATES
FMC breached the [Guaranty Agreements] by ‘submitting
false reports to Ginnie Mae stating that loans were [ninety]
days or more delinquent when the loans were repur-
chased’” was “baseless”). FMC asserted that the “United
States [wa]s,” therefore, “liable to pay damages to FMC.”
J.A. 57.
The Government moved to dismiss the Complaint un-
der Rule 12(b)(6) of the RCFC. J.A. 388; see J.A. 382–410
(Motion to Dismiss). The Court of Federal Claims dis-
missed FMC’s Complaint, concluding that the “[G]overn-
ment has shown that FMC’s breach of contract claims . . .
are precluded under the doctrine of res judicata, because
[FMC’s Court of Federal Claims] action is essentially a col-
lateral attack on the [Final] Judgment entered by the [Dis-
trict Court] in the SEC Civil Enforcement Action.” First
Mortg., 142 Fed. Cl. at 176.
DISCUSSION
I. Standard of Review and Legal Standard
The Court of Federal Claims may dismiss a complaint
if it fails “to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.”
RCFC 12(b)(6). “We review the . . . grant of a motion to dis-
miss for failure to state a claim de novo.” Prairie Cty.,
Mont. v. United States, 782 F.3d 685, 688 (Fed. Cir. 2015)
(citation omitted). To survive a motion to dismiss, the com-
plaint must provide “‘a short and plain statement of the
claim showing the pleader is entitled to relief,’” Bell Atl.
Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007) (quoting Fed.
R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2)), with “sufficient factual matter . . . to
‘state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face,’” Ashcroft
v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (quoting Twombly, 550
U.S. at 570). “We take all factual allegations in the com-
plaint as true and construe the facts in the light most fa-
vorable to the non-moving party.” Jones v. United States,
846 F.3d 1343, 1351 (Fed. Cir. 2017) (citation omitted).
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FIRST MORTGAGE CORPORATION v. UNITED STATES 11
“The doctrine of res judicata involves the related con-
cepts of claim preclusion and issue preclusion.” Phil-
lips/May Corp. v. United States, 524 F.3d 1264, 1267 (Fed.
Cir. 2008). “[I]ssue preclusion operates only as to issues
actually litigated, whereas claim preclusion may operate
between the parties simply by virtue of the final judgment.”
Young Engn’rs, Inc. v. U.S. Int’l Trade Comm’n, 721 F.2d
1305, 1314 (Fed. Cir. 1983). Claim preclusion “foreclose[es]
any litigation of matters that . . . should have been ad-
vanced in an earlier suit.” Phillips/May Corp., 524 F.3d at
1267 (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). “A
final judgment on the merits of an action precludes the par-
ties or their privies from relitigating issues that were or
could have been raised in that action.” Federated Dep’t
Stores, Inc. v. Moitie, 452 U.S. 394, 398 (1981) (citing Com-
missioner v. Sunnen, 333 U.S. 591, 597 (1948) and Crom-
well v. Cty. of Sac, 94 U.S. 351, 352–53 (1877)).
Generally, claim preclusion applies where: “(1) the
parties are identical or in privity; (2) the first suit pro-
ceeded to a final judgment on the merits; and (3) the second
claim is based on the same set of transactional facts as the
first.” Ammex, Inc. v. United States, 334 F.3d 1052, 1055
(Fed. Cir. 2003) (citing Parklane Hosiery Co. v. Shore, 439
U.S. 322, 326 n.5 (1979)). However, “somewhat different
rules” apply to the third factor in cases of “defendant pre-
clusion.” Nasalok Coating Corp. v. Nylok Corp., 522
F.3d 1320, 1324 (Fed. Cir. 2008). “A defendant is precluded
only if (1) the claim or defense asserted in the second action
was a compulsory counterclaim that the defendant failed
to assert in the first action, or (2) the claim or defense rep-
resents what is essentially a collateral attack on the first
judgment.” Id. (citing Baker v. Gold Seal Liquors, Inc., 417
U.S. 467, 469 n.1 (1974)).
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12 FIRST MORTGAGE CORPORATION v. UNITED STATES
II. The Court of Federal Claims Properly Dismissed
FMC’s Complaint
The Court of Federal Claims dismissed FMC’s Com-
plaint, concluding that “[b]ecause the parties . . . are iden-
tical to, or in privity with, the parties to the SEC Civil
Enforcement Action, the SEC Civil Enforcement Action
proceeded to a final judgment on the merits, and [the Court
of Federal Claims action] and the SEC Civil Enforcement
Action are based on the same set of transactional facts,”
FMC was barred “from litigating its breach of contract
claims” against Ginnie Mae “under the doctrine of res judi-
cata[.]” First Mortg., 142 Fed. Cl. at 176. On appeal, FMC
argues that the Court of Federal Claims erred in dismiss-
ing its Complaint because “the elements of claim preclusion
have not been met.” Appellant’s Br. 12. Specifically, FMC
argues that “the SEC and Ginnie Mae are not in privity,”
and that its Complaint does not arise from the same set of
transactional facts for the purposes of defendant preclu-
sion, because FMC’s “claims are not a collateral attack on
the [Final] Judgment.” Id. at 17. 3 We disagree with FMC.
3 FMC does not directly contest that the Final Judg-
ment was a final judgment on the merits. See generally
Appellant’s Br.; see also Ammex, Inc., 334 F.3d at 1055 (re-
quiring, inter alia, that “the first suit proceeded to a final
judgment on the merits”). However, it does, in arguing that
its Complaint is not a collateral attack on the Final Judg-
ment, attempt to undermine the Consent Agreement and
Final Judgment as “the product of pragmatic decisions” not
“factual finding[s].” Appellant’s Br. 24–25. To the extent
FMC challenges the Final Judgment as not a final judg-
ment, its arguments are without merit. See Ford-Clifton v.
Dep’t of Veterans Affairs, 661 F.3d 655, 660 (Fed. Cir. 2011)
(providing that, for claim preclusion, “consent judgments
entered pursuant to settlement agreements have the same
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FIRST MORTGAGE CORPORATION v. UNITED STATES 13
First, the SEC and Ginnie Mae are in privity for the
purposes of precluding FMC’s breach of contract claims.
“There is privity between officers of the same government,”
for the purposes of claim preclusion, if “in the earlier liti-
gation the representative of the United States had author-
ity to represent its interests in a final adjudication of the
issue in controversy.” Sunshine Anthracite Coal Co. v. Ad-
kins, 310 U.S. 381, 402–03 (1940); see Grasty v. U.S. Patent
& Trademark Office, 211 F. App’x 952, 954 (Fed. Cir. 2007)
(applying Sunshine Anthracite to claim preclusion); United
States v. Alky Enterprises, Inc., 969 F.2d 1309, 1314–15
(1st Cir. 1992) (applying Sunshine Anthracite to claim pre-
clusion); Schrader v. United States, 75 Fed. Cl. 242, 249
(2007) (“For purposes of res judicata, the United States is
in privity with its authorized officials.”). It is uncontested
that the SEC and Ginnie Mae are both officers and repre-
sentative of the United States. See 12 U.S.C.
§ 1717(a)(2)(A) (creating Ginnie Mae); 15 U.S.C. § 78d (es-
tablishing the SEC); see generally Appellant’s Br. The SEC
has the authority to represent the United States in civil
enforcement actions, including that brought against FMC.
J.A. 427–43 (SEC District Court Complaint); see 15 U.S.C.
§ 77t (giving the SEC the authority to investigate and bring
civil enforcement actions in district court for “any acts or
practices which constitute or will constitute a violation of
[the Federal securities laws]”). The SEC has the authority
to represent the United States in settlements resolving
those civil enforcement actions, including the Consent
Agreement negotiated with FMC and the resulting Final
Judgment. J.A. 455–60 (Consent Agreement), 462–65 (Fi-
nal Judgment); see 15 U.S.C. § 77s (enumerating the “[s]pe-
cial powers of [the SEC],” including the “authority . . . to
make, amend, and rescind such rules and regulations as
may be necessary”); 17 C.F.R. § 202.5(f) (explaining that
effect as judgments after a trial on the merits” (citation
omitted)).
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14 FIRST MORTGAGE CORPORATION v. UNITED STATES
the SEC has the authority to resolve SEC “investigations,
civil lawsuits, and administrative proceedings” through
settlement with respondents). The SEC, therefore, “repre-
sent[ed] the United States” on the “issue in controversy”—
whether FMC breached the Guaranty Agreements, precip-
itating Ginnie Mae’s extinguishment and termination of
FMC’s rights. Sunshine Anthracite, 310 U.S. at 403; see
J.A. 428 (claiming that FMC “misled investors . . . by
falsely claiming to both [Ginnie Mae] and investors that
certain mortgage loans in these securities were delinquent
when, in fact, such loans were current”), 429 (claiming that
FMC had “improperly exercised . . . [the Ginnie Mae Guar-
anty Agreements] [r]epurchase [o]ption”). Accordingly, the
Court of Federal Claims properly concluded that the SEC
and Ginnie Mae are in privity for the purposes of claim pre-
clusion.
Second, FMC’s claims constitute a collateral attack on
the Final Judgment. A claim is a “collateral attack” on a
final judgment where “successful prosecution of the second
action would nullify the initial judgment or would impair
rights established in the initial action.” Nasalok, 522 F.3d
at 1324 (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). In
its District Court Complaint, the SEC alleged that FMC
“improperly exercised” its repurchase option under the
Guaranty Agreements, J.A. 429, and falsely certified to
Ginnie Mae that it was in compliance with the Guaranty
Agreements, thereby perpetrating a fraud on its investors
and Ginnie Mae and making “$7.5 million in illicit profits
as a result[,]” J.A. 436–37 (SEC District Court Complaint).
In the Consent Agreement, FMC agreed to “not take any
action or make or permit to be made any public statement
denying, directly or indirectly, any allegation in the com-
plaint or creating the impression that the complaint is
without factual basis.” J.A. 458. The Final Judgment, in-
corporating the Consent Agreement, made FMC “liable for
disgorgement of [$7.5 million], representing profits gained
as a result of the conduct alleged in the [SEC District
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FIRST MORTGAGE CORPORATION v. UNITED STATES 15
Court] Complaint[.]” J.A. 464–65. Nonetheless, in its
Complaint here, FMC contended that Ginnie Mae, “with-
out proper cause, breached [the Guaranty Agreements]”
when it extinguished and terminated FMC, J.A. 25, be-
cause FMC “was at all times in full compliance with all of
its contractual obligations” under the Guaranty Agree-
ments, J.A. 24. FMC alleged that it did not misuse custo-
dial funds, J.A. 39, and only “repurchas[ed] loans that
[were properly in default],” J.A. 34. See J.A. 39 (asserting
that “[t]he [Notice of Violation] was also remarkable for its
utter lack of factual and legal support for the accusations
it contained”), 39–40 (“Equally baseless was [Ginnie Mae’s]
claim that FMC breached the [Guaranty Agreements] by
‘submitting false reports to Ginnie Mae stating that loans
were [ninety] days or more delinquent when the loans were
repurchased[.]’”), 40 (“There is no factual or legal basis for
the events of default alleged in the [Notice of Violation][.]”),
40 (“FMC categorically denies violating any requirement in
the Guaranty Agreements[.]”). That is, FMC’s Complaint
seeks to dispute the facts laid out in the SEC District Court
Complaint and, thereby, “impair rights established” by, if
not “nullify,” the Consent Agreement and Final Judgment.
Nasalok, 522 F.3d at 1324 (internal quotation marks and
citation omitted). “[A] defense that could have been inter-
posed cannot later be used to attack the judgment of the
first action.” Id. at 1328 (citation omitted). Accordingly,
the Court of Federal Claims properly concluded that FMC’s
complaint was a collateral attack on the Final Judgment.
FMC’s counterarguments are unpersuasive. First,
FMC argues that the SEC and Ginnie Mae are not in priv-
ity because privity requires that “‘precisely the same legal
right’” be at issue in the first and second actions. Appel-
lant’s Br. 20 (quoting Jones v. SEC, 115 F.3d 1173, 1180
(4th Cir. 1997)). This argument confuses claim preclusion
with issue preclusion. Compare Jet, Inc. v. Sewage Aera-
tion Sys., 223 F.3d 1360, 1362 (Fed. Cir. 2000) (providing
that claim preclusion “bar[s] a second suit raising claims
Case: 19-1798 Document: 42 Page: 16 Filed: 06/12/2020
16 FIRST MORTGAGE CORPORATION v. UNITED STATES
based on the same set of transactional facts”), with Masco
Corp. v. United States, 303 F.3d 1316, 1329 (Fed. Cir. 2002)
(providing that issue preclusion bars “relitigation in a sec-
ond suit of issues actually litigated and determined in [a]
first suit”). Through this confusion, FMC misapprehends
what our privity analysis requires. See Jefferson Sch. of
Soc. Sci. v. Subversive Activities Control Bd., 331 F.2d 76,
83 (D.C. Cir. 1963) (explaining that sharing “precisely the
same legal right” is “sufficient” but not necessary to estab-
lish privity). “Identity of parties is not a mere matter of
form, but of substance.” Sunshine Anthracite, 310 U.S. at
402 (quoting Chicago, R. I. & P. Ry. Co. v. Schendel, 270
U.S. 611, 620 (1926)). “Identity” does not mean that the
SEC and Ginnie Mae must be “precisely identical,” id., but
that their “interests in a given lawsuit” are “aligned,”
Jones, 115 F.3d at 1181 (citation omitted); see Sunshine
Anthracite, 310 U.S. at 403 (“Where a suit binds the United
States, it binds its subordinate officials.”); Jones, 115 F.3d
at 1179–81 (declining to find privity between the SEC and
a “private, nonprofit” professional organization, because
they “represent[ed] distinct interests” and possessed dis-
tinct “legal rights”). 4 As discussed above, the SEC had
identity, and therefore privity, with the United States.
4 FMC also argues that FMC is not precluded from
bringing its breach of contract claims against Ginnie Mae
because, while the Consent Agreement “prohibit[s] . . .
FMC [from] taking a position contrary to the allegations in
the SEC complaint,” it “expressly exempt[s] any litigation
to which the SEC is not a party” and “the SEC is not a party
to the current litigation[.]” Appellant’s Br. 12. This argu-
ment is misplaced. The SEC negotiates Consent Agree-
ments on behalf of the United States. See 15 U.S.C. § 77t;
17 C.F.R. § 202.5(d), (f) (providing for the negotiation of no
contest consent agreements in civil enforcement actions,
but not criminal proceedings). FMC cannot now file suit
Case: 19-1798 Document: 42 Page: 17 Filed: 06/12/2020
FIRST MORTGAGE CORPORATION v. UNITED STATES 17
Second, FMC argues that the SEC and Ginnie Mae are
not in privity because the SEC “has not been granted the
authority to represent the interests of other government
agencies as contracting parties, or to defend against claims
of breach of contract by such parties.” Appellant’s Br. 19.
This argument is misplaced. Privity asks “whether or not”
the SEC “had [the] authority to represent [the United
States’] interests in a final adjudication of the issue in con-
troversy”—not whether the SEC has the authority to rep-
resent Ginnie Mae in court. Sunshine Anthracite, 310 U.S.
at 403; see Facchiano Const. Co. v. U.S. Dep’t of Labor, 987
F.2d 206, 211 (3d Cir. 1993) (explaining that, for privity,
we “look to the authority” the agency had “to bind the gov-
ernment in a final adjudication”). Here, the SEC had such
authority. See 15 U.S.C. § 77t(d)(1) (providing the SEC
with authority to “bring an action in a United States dis-
trict court to seek . . . a civil penalty to be paid by the per-
son who committed [a] violation [of Federal securities
law]”). 5
against the United States to avoid the consequences of its
Consent Agreement with the United States—the SEC “rep-
resented the United States in [the Consent Agreement and
Final Judgment] and the delegation of that power to the
Commission was valid, as we have said. That suit there-
fore bound the United States, as well as the appellant.”
Sunshine Anthracite, 310 U.S. at 402–03.
5 FMC asserts that the Court of Federal Claims “ig-
nored many cases which held that the SEC and the ‘United
States’ were deemed not to be in privity[.]” Appellant’s
Br. 19 n.2. However, the cases FMC cites, see id. at 21–23
(collecting cases), support only the unexceptional proposi-
tion that SEC civil enforcement actions do not preclude the
United States from pursuing criminal sanctions for the
same misconduct. Compare, e.g., United States v. Wan-
land, 830 F.3d 947, 957 (9th Cir. 2016) (concluding that the
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18 FIRST MORTGAGE CORPORATION v. UNITED STATES
Last, FMC argues that “[t]he District Court erred in
concluding that FMC’s [Complaint] [was] a collateral at-
tack” on the Final Judgment, Appellant’s Br. 23, because
“[t]he only context in which the [Final] Judgment could be
vacated would be in an action raised in the [District
Court],” id. at 24. FMC’s argument is without merit.
Claim preclusion does not require identity of venue, only
identity of underlying facts. See Jet, 223 F.3d at 1362 (ex-
plaining that claim preclusion “bars a second suit raising
claims based on the same set of transactional facts”).
Claim preclusion prevents “parties or their privies from
“[Internal Revenue Service (‘IRS’)] in a bankruptcy action
and the United States government in a criminal action are
not in privity,” given the “different roles” and “purposes” of
“the IRS and the United States government in criminal
prosecutions); United States v. Ledee, 772 F.3d 21, 30 (1st
Cir. 2014) (providing that settlement with a U.S. bank-
ruptcy trustee that made “no reference” to criminal charges
did not “estop the [Department of Justice (‘DOJ’)] from sub-
sequently filing criminal charges”); United States v. Hickey,
367 F.3d 888, 893 (9th Cir. 2004) (explaining that the SEC
and DOJ “[were] not the same party” for purposes of collat-
eral estoppel in criminal proceedings brought by the DOJ,
because the SEC, in its civil enforcement capacity, “was not
acting as ‘the federal sovereign vindicating the criminal
law of the United States’” (citation omitted)), with 15
U.S.C. § 77t(b) (providing that the SEC “may transmit such
evidence as may be available concerning such acts or prac-
tices to the Attorney General who may, in his [or her] dis-
cretion, institute the necessary criminal proceedings”); 17
C.F.R. § 202.5(f) (explaining that “the disposition of any . . .
matter [in a civil action brought by the SEC] may not, ex-
pressly or impliedly, extend to any criminal charges that
have been, or may be, brought against any such person”
because the SEC does not have the “authority or responsi-
bility,” which are “vested in the [DOJ]”).
Case: 19-1798 Document: 42 Page: 19 Filed: 06/12/2020
FIRST MORTGAGE CORPORATION v. UNITED STATES 19
relitigating issues that were or could have been raised in
[an earlier] action.” Ammex, 334 F.3d at 1055 (citing Fed-
erated Dep’t Stores, 452 U.S. at 398). FMC could have con-
tested its breach and default of the Guaranty Agreements
before the District Court. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b) (provid-
ing that “[e]very defense to a claim for relief in any plead-
ing must be asserted in the responsive pleading if one is
required”), 13 (providing for the filing of “[c]ounterclaims
and [c]ross claims”). It chose instead to enter the Consent
Agreement with the SEC. J.A. 459 (Consent Agreement)
(providing that “[FMC] agrees that the [SEC] may present
the Final Judgment to the [District] Court for signature
and entry without further notice”). It cannot now take back
that choice. See Parklane Hosiery, 439 U.S. at 326 (“[R]es
judicata[] has the dual purpose of protecting litigants from
the burden of relitigating an identical issue with the same
party or his privy and of promoting judicial economy by
preventing needless litigation.”). Accordingly, the Court of
Federal Claims properly dismissed FMC’s precluded Com-
plaint for failure to state a claim on which relief can be
granted.
CONCLUSION
We have considered FMC’s remaining arguments and
find them unpersuasive. 6 Accordingly, the Judgment of the
U.S. Court of Federal Claims is
6 FMC argues that “even if . . . claim preclusion ap-
plied” to FMC’s breach of contract claims stemming from
the Guaranty Agreements, “no such defense could exist”
against FMC’s claim that Ginnie Mae “breached the Cure
Agreement” purportedly created when FMC responded to
Ginnie Mae’s Notice of Violation. Appellant’s Br. 25. This
argument is without basis. The Guaranty Agreements
gave Ginnie Mae the “sole discretion” whether to “confer
and negotiate” with FMC in the event of FMC’s default.
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20 FIRST MORTGAGE CORPORATION v. UNITED STATES
AFFIRMED
J.A. 73. The Notice of Violation expressly provided that
Ginnie Mae reserved the right to terminate FMC and ex-
tinguish its interests regardless of whether FMC re-
sponded to the Notice of Violation. J.A. 369 (providing that
Ginnie Mae reserved the right to “tak[e] further remedial
action against [FMC and its corporate officers],” “including
but not limited to[] termination” of FMC from the MBS pro-
gram). Accordingly, there was no “Cure Agreement.” See
United States v. Armour & Co., 402 U.S. 673, 682 (1971)
(“[An] instrument must be construed as it is written[.]”).
The Court of Federal Claims, therefore, did not err in de-
clining to consider any putative “Cure Agreement.” See
Rocky Mountain Helium, LLC v. United States, 841 F.3d
1320, 1326 (Fed. Cir. 2016) (“[It is] well settled that when
a disparity exists between the written instrument annexed
to the pleadings and the allegations in the pleadings, the
terms of the written instrument will control, particularly
when it is the instrument being relied upon by the party
who made it an exhibit.” (internal quotation marks and ci-
tation omitted)); see also Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678 (to survive
a motion to dismiss, the complaint must “‘state a claim to
relief that is plausible on its face’” (quoting Twombly, 550
U.S. at 570)).