While Chapter 7 Filings Continue to Decline, Chapter 13 Filings are Trending Slightly Upward

Recent headlines noted that March 2022 saw a 33.5% increase in bankruptcy filings over February. This could suggest the coming swell in bankruptcy cases anticipated since the start of the COVID pandemic. However, bankruptcy professionals recognize that consumer filings always spike in March (see chart). This phenomenon is usually attributed to the tendency to avoid filing in January and February so folks can receive and spend tax refunds, thereby avoiding the requirement to turn them over to the bankruptcy trustee. An additional factor is that by March, holiday bills and tax liabilities are coming due, and folks may . . .

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Hon. Kevin R. Anderson

United States Bankruptcy Judge, District of Utah (Salt Lake City)

Prior to his appointment as a bankruptcy judge for the District of Utah in September of 2015, Judge Anderson served for seventeen years as the Standing Chapter 13 Trustee for the District of Utah. During this time, he administered over 70,000 Chapter 13 cases. Judge Anderson was elected president of the National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees (NACTT), and he also served on several national committees regarding Chapter 13 legislation, rules, forms, and policy. Judge Anderson has frequently written and presented on Chapter 13 issues, including for The Norton Bankruptcy Law Advisor, The ABI Journal, The NACTT Quarterly, and The NACTT Academy for Consumer Bankruptcy Education. He is also a Fellow in the American College of Bankruptcy. Prior to his appointment as Chapter 13 trustee, Judge Anderson practiced for thirteen years as a commercial litigator with an emphasis in civil fraud, real property, and representing Chapter 11 and Chapter 7 trustees. He also clerked for the Honorable David N. Naugle, Bankruptcy Judge for the Central District of California. Prior to law school, he worked for two years as a data system specialist testing military and commercial jet engines for General Electric.

CFPB Settles with Student CU Connect CUSO Over ITT Private Loan Program

June 16, 2019

On 6/14/19, the CFPB (Bureau) announced a settlement with Student CU Connect CUSO, LLC (CUSO), a company set up to hold and manage private loans for students at ITT Technical Institute. The Bureau filed a complaint and a proposed stipulated judgment in federal district court for the Southern District of Indiana alleging that CUSO provided substantial assistance to ITT Educational...

Impact of the Repeal of Cares Act Chapter 13 Plan Modifications: Is It a Death Knell for Cases Beyond 60 Months?

Michael B. Joseph

January 8, 2023

Under the CARES Act 11 USC § 1329 was amended to include a temporary provision that permitted confirmed chapter 13 plans to extend the plan term to up to 84 months. To do so, debtors were required to show they were affected by COVID, § 1329(d).i The maximum term under 11 USC §1329(c) has always been 60 months. Under the...

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Tax Projections and the Means Test – Part II

September 22, 2019

By Cathy Moran, Esq. (Redwood City, CA) I wrote earlier about calculating the projected income tax deduction on the means test when the year of filing situation looks much like last year. But what if things aren't the same year over year? Your job as a bankruptcy attorney becomes more complicated. It's suddenly more than figuring the tax refund or...

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Meet Another Trustee

February 10, 2019

In June of 2017 Michele T. Hatcher was appointed Chapter 13 Standing Trustee for the Northern District of Alabama, Northern Division. Ms. Hatcher replaces retiring Trustee Michael Ford. She maintains her office in the quaint Southern town of Decatur which is nicknamed “The River City” because it is on the banks of Wheeler Lake, along the Tennessee River. Prior to...

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Avoidance Powers in Chapter 13 – Part 4 of 6

January 20, 2019

By John P. Gustafson, United States Bankruptcy Judge, Northern District of Ohio, Western Division (Toledo, OH) Click here for Part 1 of 6 Click here for Part 2 of 6 Click here for Part 3 of 6

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Ask Ms. Ps & Qs

December 13, 2020

By Professor Nancy Rapoport Dear Readers: The ConsiderChapter13.org staff has, once again, raised an important ethics issue: how far does the attorney-client privilege go? In Taylor Lohmeyer Law Firm v. United States,1 the Fifth Circuit had to wrestle with that issue after the law firm (Taylor Lohmeyer) claimed a blanket attorney-client privilege for all documents that were subject to the...

Meet a New Trustee

The Academy

February 4, 2024

Daryl J. Smith, Esq., was appointed as the Chapter 13 Standing Trustee for the Western District of Louisiana on October 1, 2023. Smith’s office is in Shreveport, Louisiana.

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All Taxpayers Should Plan Ahead for Natural Disasters

June 9, 2019

Floods, wildfires, hurricanes, tornados and other natural disasters happen quickly and often with little warning. No one can prevent these disasters from happening, but people can prepare for them. Here are some things taxpayers can do to help protect their financial safety should a disaster occur. Taxpayers should: Update emergency plans. A disaster can strike any time. Personal and business...

ABI Commission on Consumer Bankruptcy – What Does It Mean to Surrender?

November 24, 2019

By Henry E. Hildebrand, III, Chapter 13 Standing Trustee (Nashville, TN) One of the most confusing elements in consumer bankruptcy practice is the effect of electing the option given in § 1325(a)(5)(C) or § 521(a)(2). Section 521(a)(2) requires every debtor to file a statement of intent that indicates whether the debtor intends to “surrender or retain” estate property which secured...

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What About Conditional Confirmation?

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

April 14, 2024

It is appropriate to convert a Chapter 13 case to one under Chapter 7 when the debtor makes no attempt to cure defaults that arise in the case or take any steps to propose a feasible plan.

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