A federal judge has ruled that Bank of America Corp cannot have a lawsuit by investors seeking to force it to buy back mortgages heard in federal court, saying he lacks jurisdiction to decide the case.


Tuesday's ruling by Judge Richard Holwell of the U.S. District Court in Manhattan means the case will move to state court. Holwell did not decide the merits of the case.

"Congress passed two statutes within a year of each other to address the mortgage crisis," the judge wrote. "In neither of these statutes did Congress federalize the case."

The ruling is a win for investors, to the extent that Holwell rejected a claim by the bank's Countrywide Financial Corp unit that new federal laws to encourage loan modifications to help struggling borrowers stay in their homes govern this case.