Posted on May 29, 2020 in Chapter 13

Being unable to meet your monthly debt obligations can be a serious source of stress. Many people in this situation turn to bankruptcy as a possible solution. For some people who have a steady income, a Chapter 13 repayment plan may be the best option. Often referred to as the “wage earner’s plan,” this type of bankruptcy allows individuals to repay all or a portion of their debts over a period of three or five years. Each month, a single payment is made to the bankruptcy trustee, who then distributes the appropriate amount to each creditor.

Chapter 13 bankruptcies are popular with individuals who have secured debt attached to certain items that they want to keep, like a house or a car. This is because a Chapter 13 bankruptcy allows individuals to distribute any past due payments into the repayment plan so they can get caught up. While the draw of a Chapter 13 bankruptcy is present, most peoples’ first question is, “How much will my payments be?”

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 Posted on May 25, 2020 in Mortgage

Mortgage delinquencies skyrocketed in April. One big reason: the pandemic CARES Act provided for extraordinary mortgage payment forbearance.

Epic Increase in Mortgage Delinquencies

The number of home mortgages that became delinquent in April was largest one-month increase in U.S. history. 1.6 million mortgages current in March were not paid in April, according to Black Knight, a mortgage data provider.

For some perspective, the percentage of all mortgages that became delinquent nearly doubled in that one month—from 3.39% to 6.45%. This percentage increase was also the largest in history. It broke the last record monthly percentage increase set in 2008, during the Great Recession. The April increase was nearly 3 times the monthly increase back then. This is in spite of the reality that the Great Recession was an epic mortgage crisis.

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 Posted on May 18, 2020 in Financial Crisis

After declining significantly since 2010, consumer bankruptcies edged up in 2019, increased in March, then oddly sharply declined in April.

In the last two weeks three major retailers filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy: J. Crew, Neiman Marcus, and J.C. Penny. Total business Chapter 11 reorganizations were up 26% in April 2020 compared to the same month last year. (560 compared to 444.)

What about consumer bankruptcy filings? What has happened so far, and what’s to come?

Consumer Bankruptcy Filings So Far

Since the Great Recession, consumer bankruptcy filings had been declining. They’d topped out at more than 1.5 million filings in 2010, then came down steadily for almost the full decade. Only half as many consumer bankruptcies were filed in 2018, about 751,000. Then in 2019 the number nudged up for the first time since the Great Recession, although just barely. Annual Business and Non­-business Filings by Year (1980­-2019).

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 Posted on May 15, 2020 in Bankruptcy Law

Nobody wants to file for bankruptcy. Even though you can discharge your debts so that you are no longer legally liable for them, there are a few negative consequences that come from filing for bankruptcy, including a hit to your credit score. However, if you are one of the millions of Americans who are struggling financially, bankruptcy may be the solution. The current coronavirus pandemic has hit the U.S. economy hard, causing unemployment to soar to levels unseen since the Great Depression. The coronavirus has affected many things, including making temporary changes to the bankruptcy code.

The CARES Act

Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in response to the economic crisis emerging from the pandemic. Valued at more than $2 trillion, the CARES Act was monumental for the U.S. as it is the largest stimulus package to become enacted in the history of the country. One of the most popular benefits the Act provides is the economic impact payments that are given to most households and individuals. Single tax filers will receive $1,200, while married couples who file jointly will receive $2,400. Each child that an individual or married couple has that is under 17 will receive an additional $500.

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 Posted on May 11, 2020 in Bankruptcy Law

The coronavirus CARES Act temporarily allows ongoing Chapter 13 plans to be amended or “modified” to last a total of 7 years (instead of 5).

Last month we described the changes to bankruptcy law made by the coronavirus CARES Act enacted on March 27, 2020. One of those changes is the ability to extend the length of ongoing Chapter 13 payment plans. Until now these previously-approved plans could last from a usual minimum of 3 years to a maximum of 5 years. That maximum has now been extended to 7 years.

Longer Plans Can Be Very Helpful

Overall, longer Chapter 13 payment plans give you more flexibility. And greater flexibility is one of the main advantages of the Chapter 13 bankruptcy option.

Usually you want to finish your bankruptcy case as soon as possible to get on with life. But often having more time within Chapter 13 can be a huge benefit.

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 Posted on May 04, 2020 in Financial Crisis

If you owe money to the bank or credit union where your $1,200 relief payment is being deposited, can it take that money to pay itself first?

Our last blog post was about whether your creditors can seize the $1,200 (or so) pandemic relief payments. Today’s is about one specific class of creditors: your own bank or credit union. What if you have a debt to the financial institution where your relief money is being direct-deposited? Can it pay itself to cover your debt instead of paying you? Would you only get whatever’s left, if any?

The Banker’s Powerful Right of Setoff

To force payment from your bank account, most creditors must sue and get a judgment against you first. So the big focus in last week’s blog post was on determining whether you had a judgment against you, and a resulting garnishment order on the bank account where your coronavirus relief payment was arriving. If no judgment, than no garnishment, and the relief payment is safe from creditors.

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 Posted on April 30, 2020 in Automatic Stay

For most people, filing for bankruptcy is a last resort. It can be easy to dig yourself into a pit of debt that you are unable to climb out of. Once the bills start becoming due, it can feel like an ocean wave washing over you, with you struggling to stay above water. Not paying your bills can cause creditors to resort to collections actions, such as wage garnishment and repossession. Once you file for bankruptcy, however, all of those collections actions must stop. This is what is known as the automatic stay.

Understanding the Automatic Stay

The automatic stay is a provision in the U.S. Bankruptcy Code that temporarily halts collections attempts from all creditors. The automatic stay goes into effect immediately after you file for bankruptcy and prevents any and all creditors from contacting you about debts you may have with them. The automatic stay does not last forever. As soon as your bankruptcy case is finished, the automatic stay is lifted.

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 Posted on April 27, 2020 in Financial Crisis

Your $1,200 or so coronavirus relief payment is subject to seizure by your creditors, if they have a garnishment order on your bank account.

Our blog post four weeks ago was about the $1,200 pandemic relief payments going out to most U.S. adults. The CARES Act explicitly protected these payments from seizure for certain governmental debts. Generally, the payments can’t be reduced or taken to pay past-due federal taxes and student loans. They can be for past-due child support obligations.

But the CARES Act made no mention of protection from debts owed to non-governmental creditors. So the relief payments are generally subject to possible seizure by your creditors. Today we address this concern about private creditors’ access to these payments.

There are two classes of creditors at play:

1) Setoffs by your own bank or credit union for a debt you owe to it

2) Garnishment by other creditors which have a judgment against you

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 Posted on April 20, 2020 in Student Loans

The recent coronavirus relief law includes help for some student loan borrowers—suspending payments, interest, collections, credit reporting.

The 880-page Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES”) has 4 pages of help for certain student loan borrowers. Section 3513 of CARES. It provides meaningful albeit temporary help, for those who qualify by having the right kind of student loan.

The Kinds of Student Loans Covered

First, the relief applies only to federal student loans, not to private student loans. The private loan portion of student loans has been growing but still only consists of about 8% of student loans. Nevertheless, private student loans total about $125 billion. The CARES Act does not help if you owe any of this.

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 Posted on April 17, 2020 in Bankruptcy

Bankruptcy can be a scary word and it can be even scarier if it is something you have been considering. Bankruptcy is still considered by some to be a taboo or something to be avoided at all costs. In reality, bankruptcy can be the best option for some people who are drowning in debt. Filing for bankruptcy does come with a few unfavorable consequences, which should be factored into any consideration when determining whether or not to file for bankruptcy. Speaking with a skilled Texas bankruptcy lawyer can help you understand your situation a little better.

To File Or Not to File?

It can be confusing to know whether or not you should file for bankruptcy. Every person’s situation is different, which is why every decision to file for bankruptcy is different. For the most part, you should consider filing for bankruptcy if you are unable to repay your debts after you have paid for necessities such as food, living expenses, and healthcare. However, there are a few other situations in which you may also want to consider filing for bankruptcy:

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