In re Varner (Case No. 14-51410)
Debtors submitted a plan for confirmation that modified a mortgage creditor's interest rate. Under § 1322(c)(2), a debtor may modify the payment of a claim for a debt secured by the debtor's principal residence when payments will come due during the life of the plan. The Fourth Circuit in Witt determined that § 1322(c)(2) only allows for the modification of the payment of the claim and not the claim itself. The definition of a claim is broadly construed to include a mortgage creditor's interest rate. Because the debtors proposed to modify the mortgage creditor's interest rate, and therefore its claim, the plan could not be confirmed.