The Serendipitous Side Effects of Chapter 13

By Henry E. Hildebrand, III, Chapter 13 Trustee for the Middle District of Tennessee

For many of us involved in the day to day functioning of consumer bankruptcy and Chapter 13 in particular, we innately feel the inherent benefits that flow to a debtor who successfully completes a Chapter 13 plan. Aside from the enormous sense of accomplishment justly realized by the “successful” debtor, we see people emerge from Chapter 13 free from most debt, empowered with an ability to “live on less” (or at least live within a budget), and, freed from the burdens of paying a . . .

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Passing of a Legend

June 13, 2021

By Kara L. West, CPA, Chapter 12/13 Standing Trustee for the Eastern District of Tennessee (Chattanooga); Successor Trustee to C. Kenneth Still C. Kenneth Still was a legend. “Always with Barbara at this side, he epitomized qualities I think we all seek—honesty, diligence, kindness, and patience. He was a great mentor and a quick wit, and I miss him already....

Thoughts on the Law: Stay at the Crossroads – The Code of the Wild, Wild West?

February 23, 2020

By The Honorable John P. Gustafson, United States Bankruptcy Judge, Northern District of Ohio (Toledo) There are two legal battles going on that may end up being dysfunctionally related…. 1. What Happens If The Automatic Stay Is Not Extended In A “Second Case Pending Within One Year”? A split of authority has been percolating since 2005, involving the all too...

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Small Business Reorganization Postscript 2

April 12, 2020

SMALL BUSINESS REORGANIZATION ACT POSTSCRIPT #2 Recommendation of Technical Amendment to Repair Flaw in CARES Act Attempt to Increase Small Business Eligibility under SBRA Introduction In a bulletin published March 30, the Academy announced enactment on March 27 of the "Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act" (the "CARES Act"),1 and that the Act (applying only to cases commenced on...

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Small Business Reorganization Act…(“SBRA”) H.R. 3311 – Part Three

October 6, 2019

By Jan Hamilton, Chapter 13 Standing Trustee (Topeka, KS) Click here for Part One Click here for Part Two What needs to be in a plan filed in a case under the SBRA? Start with the statute…1 A. Contents of Plan2 Comparison of “Contents . . . It looks like you are not signed in or registered! This content is...

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Never Let a Good Crisis Go to Waste: The Bankruptcy Amendments in the Consolidated Appropriations Acts of 2021

January 10, 2021

By Henry E. Hildebrand, III, Chapter 13 Trustee (Nashville, TN) Other than a recluse without any information of current events, we have been made fully aware of the fact that Congress was fashioning a second stimulus/COVID relief bill. The result is the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021; a massive bill with more than 5,300 pages governing a huge expanse of appropriations,...

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Creditors’ Rights and Debtors’ Protections at the Intersection of Consumer Bankruptcy and UCC Article 9

October 25, 2020

By Lawrence R. Ahern III, Brown & Ahern (Nashville, TN) Part V – Consumer Foreclosure Procedures (Continued) Introduction In the world of consumer bankruptcy, trustees and debtors' counsel often are uncomfortable with the rules in Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC). In this space, we have looked at several places where Article 9 meets the Bankruptcy Code. In...

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National Guard and Reservists Debt Relief Extension Act of 2023

The Academy

December 31, 2023

The National Guard and Reservists Debt Relief Extension Act of 2023 (H.R. 3315) enacted on December 19, 2023 extends for an additional four years the existing exemption from the means test for qualifying reservists and National Guard debtors who are called to active duty or to perform a homeland defense activity for not less than 90 days. See 11 U.S.C. § 707(b)(2)(D)(i). A debtor...

Undersecured Short-Term Mortgages May be Crammed Down

September 8, 2019

By Angela M. Scolforo, Staff Attorney to Herbert L. Beskin, Chapter 13 Trustee (Charlottesville, VA) In Hurlburt v. Black,1 the en banc Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned its prior decision in Witt,2 and held that Bankruptcy Code § 1322(c)(2) authorizes modification of some home mortgage loans through bifurcation and cram down. This enables debtors to cram down home mortgage...

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Delinquent Utilities and Disconnection Under New Bankruptcy Provision

January 24, 2021

By Cathy Moran, Esq. (Redwood City, CA) Bankruptcy debtors with delinquent utility bills got a measure of protection from interruption in their service under an amendment to the Bankruptcy Code in the omnibus spending bill enacted December 27,2020. Individual debtors cannot have their utilities disconnected as long as they make some payment for service provided promptly after the commencement of...

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Diane Cipollone

The Academy

March 6, 2022

Diane Cipollone is an attorney and a qualified expert on mortgage servicing and loan origination matters. While Diane no longer provides expert testimony, she continues to consult with consumer attorneys; trains attorneys, court mediators, housing counselors and fair housing advocates on foreclosure prevention guidelines and federal mortgage regulations; and mentors pro bono attorneys and non-profit housing counselors. She has presented...