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

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By Cathy Moran, Esq. (Redwood City, CA) When BAPCA gutted the ipso facto clause, reaffirmation was left as the only way a debtor could be assured of retaining his wheels. Car lenders took sides back then, then changed sides, on whether they would automatically repossess a vehicle when the debt was not reaffirmed. Some wanted the in terrorem effect of...

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IRS Issues Standard Mileage Rates For 2019

January 6, 2019

IRS issued the 2019 optional standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes. Beginning on Jan. 1, 2019, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) will be: 58 cents per mile driven for business use, up 3.5 cents from...

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November 15, 2020

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By Henry E. Hildebrand, III, Chapter 13 Standing Trustee (Nashville, TN) While the best interests of creditors test is applicable upon modification of a Chapter 13 plan, post-petition acquired property of the estate is not included in such analysis in that such property would not be property of a Chapter 7 estate. (Somers) In re Taylor, 2021 WL 3118824 (Bankr....

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Meet a New Trustee

The Academy

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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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M. Jonathan Hayes

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When the debtor fails to properly schedule a creditor in an asset case, is the now non-dischargeable debt under § 523(a)(3) limited to the amount the creditor would have received had it filed a proof of claim?

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Mark C. Leffler

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At my firm, we see a lot of consumers who have some combination of high debt and low income. Many of them arrive for their consultations after having been abused by debt collectors and predatory lenders, harmed by mortgage servicing errors, or subjected to inaccurate and derogatory credit reporting. Until fairly recently, after filing bankruptcies for these folks, we usually...

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Critical Case Comment – Service Counts

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

October 2, 2022

Debtor’s filing application to extend or impose the automatic stay must comply with the service requirements of Rule 7004 as to all creditors or the stay cannot be imposed or extended. (Johnson) In re Hardy, 2022 WL 1196963 (C.D. Cal. April 21, 2022) Case Summary Kimberly Hardy had a long history in consumer bankruptcy. She had filed eight cases, including...

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Who Is Stupid Here?

Cathy Moran

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“The headline was ‘Are your clients really stupid?’ . . .The answer isn’t what you’re tempted to respond.” The second in a 3-part series on treating clients as we would want to be treated. More on this topic: Why Listening Is a Bankruptcy Lawyer’s Superpower

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Critical Case Comment – Pro Se Debtor Sanctioned

November 21, 2021

By Henry E. Hildebrand, III, Chapter 13 Standing Trustee for the Middle District of TN (Nashville) Where pro se debtors filed numerous groundless complaints and made specious allegations against their former counsel, sanctions under Rule 9011 were appropriate notwithstanding the fact that the debtors were now acting pro se. (Hopkins) In re Jones, 2021 WL 4168110 (Bankr. S.D. O.H., Sept....

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