The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York recently announced proposed amendments to its local rules.  The proposed amendments will not take effect until December 1, 2016, but we could not wait to take a peek at the future of practice in the Southern District.  (And for those of you who are rules junkies, here and here are prior posts on FRBP changes applying to all courts, from earlier this year.)

The future looks largely like the present—do not expect wholesale changes or many new rules.  The most significant changes clarify procedures such as motions to redact identifying or confidential information and reorder the rules governing notices of presentment.  Comments will be accepted until November 14, 2016, so it is possible additional changes could be made.  Here are some of the most significant changes:

L.R. 1002-1(b) will be added, which will require, if

Mortgage lenders and servicers face several regulations in servicing residential mortgages. There are requirements under the Truth in Lending Act (“TILA”), Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (“RESPA”), the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (“ECOA”), the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”), state law, and new regulations implemented by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”).  Failure to comply with these regulations and laws may give rise to litigation, as well as statutory penalties.  In many cases, the mortgage borrower files for bankruptcy.  When the mortgage borrower states an intention to surrender the mortgaged property in bankruptcy, non-bankruptcy statutes and regulations often conflict with or at minimum create great uncertainty about the mortgage servicer’s obligations to communicate with these borrowers after discharge.  Neither the Supreme Court nor many of the Circuits have provided clarity for mortgage servicers on whether, how, and to what extent they may communicate with a discharged debtor who still