Customary, but not legal.  While I have a great deal of sympathy for Mr Bevilacqua & others trapped in a bad situation,I think the courts got it right -  the rules are the rules & the whole point of conveyancing, is that the deal gets done correctly the first time.  I am pretty sure that the banks are not going to want to re-foreclose these loans & I expect that the attorneys who passed title on these properties coming out of foreclosure are not any too happy, given the possibility of taking hits on their malpractice & I can't even imagine what's going through the minds of the title insurance companies.  Things are certainly going to get worse before they get better in Massachusetts.