The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled on an issue of first impression Monday that Bank of New York Mellon Trust Co. may face a federal class action from a couple who sued the bank for waiting nearly 11 months to record that they had paid off a mortgage loan.

The ruling, from a divided panel of the Manhattan-based appeals court, found for the first time that plaintiffs have Article III standing to sue over the alleged violation of legal interests created by state statute.