One year into the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, unemployment rates have already surpassed the high levels seen during the Great Recession in 2009. [1] Like everyone in this country and around the world, debtors are struggling.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (CAA), which passed in Congress on Dec. 27, 2020, introduced some noteworthy additions to the Bankruptcy Code. One such issue is the changing relationship between chapter 13 debtors and mortgage lenders when it comes to forbearance requests under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).

On Oct. 13, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument that may alter the way bankruptcy courts interpret possession and control under Bankruptcy Code § 362(a)(3), and the right of turnover under the ambit of § 542(a). In Chicago v.

The extensive 2017 changes to the Bankruptcy Rules included a model chapter 13 plan. These changes were designed to bring more uniformity to chapter 13 practice. Uniformity is helpful for both consumers and creditors alike; where courts agree on a majority practice across the country, national lenders become more efficient in their practices.