DIANE FINKLE, Bankruptcy Judge.
The Chapter 13 Trustee objects to the Chapter 13 Plan (Doc. #14) (the "Plan") filed by the Debtor Maribeth Cobb. The Plan provides for payment of 100% of the unsecured creditor claims over a five-year period, but the proposed monthly Plan payment is less than the Debtor's monthly disposable income. In his objection (Doc. #25) (the "Objection"), the Trustee contends the Plan is not proposed in good faith under Bankruptcy Code § 1325(a)(3)
The Court has jurisdiction over this contested matter and the parties pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1334 and 157(a). This is a core proceeding under 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(2)(L).
The material facts in this matter are not in dispute. The Debtor filed her voluntary petition under Chapter 13 of the Bankruptcy Code on August 31, 2012, and submitted her Plan on September 21, 2012. The Form B22C (Doc. #17) indicates that the Debtor is an "above median" debtor: "a debtor whose current monthly income is above the applicable state median income for the debtor's household size...." In re Jones, 374 B.R. 469, 470 (Bankr.D.N.H. 2007). Consequently, the applicable plan commitment period for the Debtor is five years. See Bankruptcy Code § 1325(b)(4)(A)(ii). As calculated under § 1325(b)(2) and (3), the Debtor's monthly disposable income is $1,094.99. In her Plan, the Debtor proposes to pay in full all allowed general unsecured claims through monthly payments of only $214.00 over five years, an amount substantially lower than the Debtor's monthly disposable income. The Trustee asserts that this factor alone demonstrates the Debtor's lack of good faith in proposing the Plan.
The Trustee concedes that the Plan complies with Bankruptcy Code § 1325(b)(1). This provision provides that a Chapter 13 plan must satisfy one of two alternatives when the Trustee or a creditor objects to confirmation:
Bankruptcy Code § 1325(b)(1).
The Debtor has elected to proceed under subsection (A) of § 1325(b)(1). Nevertheless, the Trustee contends the Plan has not been proposed in good faith because, in his words:
Trustee's Memorandum in Support of Objection to Confirmation (Doc. #37 at pp. 2, 6).
In support of his position, the Trustee cites a number of cases involving plans providing for less than full payment to unsecured creditors. These cases are inapposite to the Debtor's Plan which provides for full payment to unsecured creditors. See, e.g., In re Salisbury, No. 11-14161 (Bankr.D.R.I. Aug. 16, 2012) (Doc. #86) (Hillman, J.)
This Court recognizes that the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit Court eschews per se rules involving good faith determinations under Bankruptcy Code § 1325(a)(3). See Berliner v. Pappalardo (In re Puffer), 674 F.3d 78, 82 (1st Cir. 2012) ("[W]e, like other courts, are reluctant to read per se limitations into section 1325's good faith calculus."). In accord with the First Circuit's instruction in Puffer, and consistent with the approach adopted in the two cases cited by the Trustee involving full payment plans, this Court declines to adopt a per se rule that a 100% creditor payment plan has not been proposed in good faith solely on the basis that the debtor can satisfy creditor claims sooner. See In re Johnson, No. 10-03184C, 2011 WL 1671536, at *5 (Bankr. N.D.Iowa May 3, 2011) ("This Court finds no bad faith simply because Debtor has the ability to pay more each month and thus can repay creditors more quickly."); In re Stewart-Harrel, 443 B.R. 219, 224 (Bankr.N.D.Ga.2011) ("The Court is not inclined to issue a per se rule that a failure to pay 100% of available net monthly income is bad faith.") (emphasis in original).
As these other courts have done in addressing the "good faith" issue in similar contexts, this Court will engage in a "totality of the circumstances" analysis. See Puffer, 674 F.3d at 82 ("We believe that the totality of the circumstances approach
In Stewart-Harrel, a case involving a 100% payment plan that the Trustee cites in support of his Objection, the court determined that an evidentiary hearing on good faith was necessary because the trustee raised additional factors concerning the plan which she asserted demonstrated bad faith, "including payments made on a Hummer ahead of unsecured creditors and on an accelerated basis." 443 B.R. at 224. In response to these arguments, the debtor in Stewart-Harrel "raised issues of extenuating circumstances." Id.
Unlike the situation in Stewart-Harrel, no evidentiary hearing is necessary in this matter before the Court because the facts are undisputed; the only basis for the Trustee's assertion that the Debtor failed to establish good faith in proposing her plan is her financial ability to pay her creditors sooner than the five-year Plan period. The Trustee does not allege any other factors in support of his Objection. See Richall, 470 B.R. at 251 (finding no lack of good faith in a 100% payment plan where "the Trustee has not alleged any facts to suggest the Debtors have inaccurately stated their debts and expenses, that the Debtors have been less than honest in the bankruptcy process, or that the Debtors have misled the Court."); Johnson, 2011 WL 1671536, at *5 (overruling a chapter 13 trustee's similar objection to a 100% payment plan, concluding the "Trustee does not allege that the Debtor has engaged in subterfuge, fraud, or other manipulative actions.").
After discussing the changes made to Bankruptcy Code § 1325(b) pursuant to the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 ("BAPCPA"),
470 B.R. at 250 (internal quotations and citations omitted).
On the specific facts before me, and with no other factors relating to the good faith analysis presented, I hold that the Debtor's Plan is not lacking in good faith simply because the Debtor could pay her creditors in full over a shorter time frame, but has instead chosen to utilize the full five-year commitment period applicable to above-median debtors. While the Court does not particularly like the outcome, the Court is confined to the facts presented in this case. Those facts do not provide the Court with the authority to require the Debtor to pay her creditors in full over a shorter time period. The Trustee's Objection is overruled, and the Plan may be confirmed. The Trustee shall file a proposed confirmation order consistent with this Memorandum and Order within seven days of the date hereof.