Following discussions at the Akron Town Hall Meeting during the District’s Bench-Bar Retreat on October 30, 2015, I have drafted a proposed Administrative Order that would require all mortgage payments by Chapter 13 debtors be paid through the Chapter 13 Trustee, unless the Court grants leave for a different treatment after notice and a hearing.
 
I am interested in comments from the members of the Bar, both debtor’s counsel and creditor’s counsel, regarding (1) the wisdom or folly of requiring conduit mortgage payments, and (2) the specific language of the attached proposed Administrative Order.  I would like to receive written comments no later than Wednesday, January 13, 2016. 
 
In addition, I invite all members of the Bar to a public meeting to discuss the conduit mortgage proposal.  The meeting will be held on January 15, 2016 at 10 a.m., in my Courtroom, Room 260, 2 South Main Street, Akron, Ohio 44308.
 
I look forward to your comments and the opportunity for a public discussion on this topic. 
 
Please note that the proposed effective date of the new Administrative Order would be February 1, 2016, and would apply to all cases filed on or after that date.
 
Alan M. Koschick, Bankruptcy Judge
U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Ohio