By Charles Capouet and Todd Lard

The New Jersey Tax Court ruled on the sourcing of mortgage-related receipts received by a bank and also held that the Division of Taxation could not throw out receipts from the bank’s denominator. The taxpayer originated loans for its New Jersey borrowers through its New Jersey lending office employees and also acquired loans made by third-party New Jersey brokers to New Jersey borrowers. The taxpayer performed loan-related functions, such as underwriting, outside of New Jersey, and pooled the loans for sale to certain government-sponsored entities in exchange for mortgage-backed securities that it simultaneously sold to broker-dealers. The tax court held that the taxpayer was required to include, in its New Jersey receipts factor numerator, interest income, origination fee income and gross proceeds of sales attributed to loans to New Jersey borrowers. However, loan service fee income and income on sales of loan servicing rights were not includible in the New Jersey factor. Finally, the tax court followed the Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division’s decision in Lorillard Licensing Company LLC v. Director, Division of Taxation, holding that the Division could not exclude receipts from the taxpayer’s denominator because the taxpayer had nexus with other states under New Jersey nexus standards. Flagstar Bank, FSB v. Dir., Div. of Taxation, Dkt. No. 019335-2010 (N.J. Tax Ct. Mar. 22, 2016).