NACBA has filed an amicus brief in the case of In re Bullard, No. 12-54 (B.A.P. 1st Cir.). That case involves a chapter 13 plan under which a mortgage is bifurcated into secured and unsecured portions with the unsecured portion being paid, pro rata, through the plan, and the secured portion being paid according to the terms of the contract outside the plan and extending beyond the plan period. The trustee objected to the plan arguing that if modification is permitted under section 1322(b), the payments on the mortgage must be completed within the plan period. In its brief, NACBA argues that the plain language of section 1322 permits such lien treatment. Specifically, “[a]ll section 1322(b)(5) requires is that the debtor cure any arrearage and make payments on the creditor’s secured claim according to the contract during the life of the plan. Section 1322(b)(2) is permissive allowing debtors to modify certain claims. Section 1322(d) limits the life of the plan to five years. These sections do not require the debtor to pay the claim in full while the case is pending, nor do they preclude the debtor from making payments on the long-term obligation after the plan has been completed.”
David Barnes drafted NACBA’s brief.
