10 Changes In Consumer Bankruptcy Since COVID-19 And The CARE Act

April 29, 2020
From: JD Supra
By: Kathleen Muthig; Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.

As the COVID-19 pandemic marches on, more homeowners than ever are seeking assistance from their lenders.

The American Bankruptcy Institute reported on April 24, 2020 that over 3.4 million homeowners have entered into COVID-19 related mortgage forbearance plans. This is a significant increase since April 3, 2020, when just over one million homeowners were utilizing COVID-19 related mortgage forbearance plans. Undoubtedly, COVID-19 and the resulting Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act have changed the landscape of consumer bankruptcy cases, especially with regard to the treatment of mortgage debt. Below are 10 changes that Creditors should be aware of in Chapter 13 and Chapter 7 cases.

1. COVID-19 relief payments are excluded from definition of “income.”
Payments made under federal law related to COVID-19 are excluded from the disposable income requirement of confirmation in the Bankruptcy Code and the income calculation for eligibility under Chapter 7.

2. Chapter 13 plans may exceed five years.
If the Debtor is experiencing hardship due to COVID-19, then a Chapter 13 Plan confirmed before March 27, 2020, may be modified to extend the repayment period up to seven years after the first payment was due under the Chapter 13 Plan after confirmation. Under the Bankruptcy Code, Chapter 13 Plans are limited to a length of five years. If a plan is modified from five years to seven years, and a Creditor’s arrearage is paid over those seven years, the Creditor will receive less monthly arrearage payments in the modified plan than under the original confirmed plan.

3. Second Moratoriums.
Some Chapter 13 Trustees have agreed to consent to second moratoriums and longer time periods in order to bring cases current, even without the existence of a qualifying hardship under the CARES Act provisions.

4. Practical changes to Bankruptcy Court procedures.
U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of South Carolina Judges Duncan and Waites entered an Operating Order 20-08 setting forth procedures in light of COVID-19. The Order includes a requirement for Debtors to make all mortgage payments to the Trustee on claims secured by a first priority security interest in the Debtor’s principal residence. Chapter 13 Plans in which mortgage payments are paid to the Trustee, instead of directly to the Debtor, are called “Conduit Plans.”

5. Payment deferments due to COVID-19 in conduit plans.
Chapter 13 Creditors will need to work with the Chapter 13 Trustees and the Debtors to agree upon and seek Court approval for modifications to the Plan due to COVID-19. Creditors should be mindful to file a timely Notice of Payment Change if the loan payments due are modified under Bankruptcy Rule 3002.1.

6. Payment deferments due to COVID-19 in plans where Debtor is paying mortgage payments directly to the Creditor.
Chapter 13 Creditors will need to work directly with Debtors to agree upon a loan modification, forbearance, or deferment. Again, Creditors must file a timely Notice of Payment Change pursuant to Rule 3002.1.

7. CARES Act foreclosure relief for federally-backed loans.
A servicer of a federally-backed loan may not initiate any foreclosure process, move for a foreclosure judgment, order a sale, or execute a foreclosure-related eviction or foreclosure sale for sixty days from March 18, 2020. Note that this stay is separate from any state-mandated stay of foreclosures, like the one currently in place that prohibits foreclosures until May 1, 2020, in South Carolina.

8. CARES Act forbearances.
Borrowers with federally-backed mortgage loans can request a forbearance from mortgage payments for up to 180 days if they have been affected by COVID-19. The Act also provides for separate forbearance rights for owners of multi-family property (five or more units) and provides protection for tenants from eviction if the owner applies for a forbearance.

9. CARES Act eviction relief.
A Landlord of a “covered dwelling” may not file an action for eviction or charge additional fees for nonpayment of rent during a 120-day period beginning on March 27, 2020. A covered dwelling is one where the building is secured by a federally-backed mortgage loan or one that participates in certain federal housing programs. Note that this stay is separate from any state-mandated stay of evictions, like the one currently in place that prohibits evictions until May 1, 2020, in South Carolina.

10. CARES Act student loan relief.
For covered student loans, the CARES Act suspends payments and waives interest from March 13, 2020, through September 30, 2020. Many Chapter 13 Plans provide for the Debtor making student loan payments outside the Plan, so the CARES Act relief is vital to Chapter 13 Debtors, because a moratorium or deferment in the Plan would not affect those payments owed outside of the Plan.