The Student Loan Debacle: Causes & Cures

As we observe the growing discussion over the tremendous amount of outstanding student loan debt, several points of clarification might do us well. There are those favoring relief for debtors now unable to pay their student loans. They have proposed various forms of relief, including several forgiveness programs and re-allowing such debts to be discharged in bankruptcy under more usual circumstances. On the other side are those pointing out that any relief must inevitably put the forgiven debt on the backs of taxpayers, because the loans were federally guaranteed.

Close analysis of this near-crises debt . . .

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R. Michael Smith, Esq.

Attorney

R. Michael Smith graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Cincinnati in 1982. He then attended The Ohio State University College of Law, where, after serving on the Law Journal and winning the Judge Joseph Harter Award for Trial Advocacy, he graduated in 1985. Mike then served as a law clerk/administrative aid to Ohio Supreme Court Justice Robert E. Holmes. Afterward, he served as Referee (magistrate) and Editor for the Court at the Ohio Court of Claims. Later, he also earned a Master of Divinity degree from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Upon entering private practice in 1994, Mike’s practice included appeals, trials, general business and criminal representation and bankruptcy. He has tried cases, argued cases before the Court of Appeals, and drafted appeals for other attorneys. In addition to admission to the Courts of Ohio, he is also admitted to practice in: Federal District Court, Southern District of Ohio; Federal Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Ohio; and United States Supreme Court

Student Loans Debacle-Part II: Failure to Forgive – The Ticking Time-Bomb

R. Michael Smith

October 23, 2022

The recent push for student loan forgiveness has been met with increasing opposition. The rationales for not providing a generally applicable path for student loan forgiveness or cancellation have included arguments based upon imagined unfairness to those previously able to pay off their loans, which seems to be both short-sighted, as well as a “red herring” argument. It does not...

Postpetition Borrowing by a Consumer Debtor in Chapter 13 – Part 1 of 2

May 5, 2019

By Judge Michael A. Fagone & Career Law Clerk Ciera S. Dye Although our Nation’s bankruptcy laws are uniform, chapter 13 practice in our Nation’s bankruptcy courts varies to a significant extent in the different judicial districts. One example of this variation is the treatment of postpetition borrowing by a consumer debtor in chapter 13.i Neither the Bankruptcy Code nor...

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Of Tax Refunds, Exemptions, Setoffs, and Roman Gods

April 18, 2021

By Herbert L. Beskin, Chapter 13 Standing Trustee for the Western District of Virginia (Charlottesville) If you’re looking for a well-written and clear appellate opinion about a much-litigated topic, with a bit of ancient mythology thrown in for good measure, this HUD’s for you. The case is Wood v. U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development (In re Larry and...

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From the Editor – Discharge

March 14, 2021

By The Honorable William Houston Brown (Retired) Failure to pay postpetition fees under Rule 3002.1 did not prevent discharge. The debtor had completed payments to the trustee and postpetition mortgage payments to the creditor, but she had not paid $1,370 in postpetition fees that had been asserted by the mortgage creditor and noticed to the debtor under Rule 3002.1. That...

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For You, What Is the Best Part About Retirement

The NACTT Emeritus Trustees

March 3, 2024

We were curious about what our NACTT Emeritus Trustees have been doing in retirement. How have they been spending their time since making the decision to retire and moving on from the daily challenges as a Chapter 13 Trustee. Here are their replies to our inquiry:

Supreme Court Agrees to Revisit Finality of Orders in Bankruptcy

May 26, 2019

By Lawrence R. Ahern III, Brown & Ahern (Nashville, TN) Introduction In Ritzen Group, Inc. v. Jackson Masonry, LLC (In re Jackson Masonry, LLC),1 the Sixth Circuit reviewed circuit authority on finality of orders for appellate purposes and affirmed the district court's dismissal of an appeal from an order denying stay relief. The Court of Appeals said that, under 28...

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Critical Case Comment – Watch for Opportunities to Bifurcate Home Mortgage Claims

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

August 21, 2022

Where a Chapter 13 plan treats a claim as secured only by the debtor’s mobile home under § 506 and not real property, the effect of a notice of fees, costs and charges is irrelevant. (Coleman) In re White, 2022 WL 2826531 (Bankr. S.D. Ga. July 19, 2022) Case Summary Shalonda White filed a Chapter 13 petition in July of...

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Measuring Success in Chapter 13: Five Years Later

June 6, 2021

By Brian D. Lynch, Bankruptcy Judge, Western District of Washington Five years ago, I wrote an article for this publication, “Measuring Success in Chapter 13,”1 where I criticized some media and academics for repeating an outdated and misleading statistic about the success of chapter 13 cases. So it was disconcerting to see John Oliver recently on Comedy Central’s Last Week...

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When the Duty to Provide Tax Returns Collides with Confidentiality

Michael B. Joseph

February 6, 2022

Bankruptcy Code Section 521(e)(2)(A)(i) and (ii) provides that a debtor must supply tax returns to the trustee in a chapter 7 or 13 case, and to a creditor who timely requests such copy. Must the debtor provide copies that contain personal identifying information such as names, addresses and social security numbers of dependents including minor children? Or a redacted version...

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Legal Aid and Who Are Our Chapter 13 “Customers”

January 10, 2021

By Rachel Jones, Staff Attorney to Chapter 13 Standing Trustee Chris Micale, Western District of Virginia (Roanoke) The events of 2020 have had a devastating impact on the very low-income population. The working poor are struggling, particularly those working in sectors such as hospitality and tourism. State and Federal funding and local programs such as food banks and community action...