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The Academy is the go-to source for the latest news and analysis in the Chapter 13 bankruptcy industry.

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Curated (Free) Selections

Debt and the Economy

How State, Local Rules Are Expanding Debt Collection Reach

Retail electric rate increases outpace inflation with prices set to rise higher

Nearly 20 percent using savings to buy groceries, with credit card use rising: Analysis

Nearly 25% of New Car Buyers Opted for Loans At Least 84 Months Long in Q2

Personal Bankruptcy Filings Have Risen 47% Since 2022, Marking a Third Straight Annual Increase

Small Business Filings Increase 50% Year-Over-Year in First Half of 2026
Total Bankruptcy Filings Increase 12%

Of Interest

Special Feature: Should Bankruptcy Judges Mediate Cases Pending Before Them?

Length of an Individual’s Plan (3 – 5 Years): Subchapter V, Chapter 11, Chapter 12 & Chapter 13 Compared

Study: No Sisterhood on the Bench: Investigating In-Group Gender Bias in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court

Trump Administration to End Medicare Part D Subsidy Program in 2027

Sanctions and Irony and Fraud, Oh My!

Consumer Bankruptcy Firm Waives $90K in Fees After USTP Inquiry Reveals Lapses in Diligence

Lawsuit Against Company Accused of Charging Disabled Veterans $20K for Benefits Halted by Bankruptcy - Trajector has been accused of deceptive practices that take advantage of vulnerable of "hundreds, if not thousands" of former service members.

Raleigh Business Owner Sentenced to Prison for Bankruptcy Fraud

Student Loan Chronicles

Student Loans Chronicles

450,000 Defrauded Student Loan Borrowers Are Eligible for Debt Relief. How It Works.

Student Loans: Cuvelier v. MOHELA (S.D.T.X.)- Texas Bankruptcy Court Sends Private Student Loan Qualification Dispute to Trial

For Your Blog

As Foreclosures Increase, So Do Warnings about Some Self-Proclaimed 'Home Savers' (The meat of this article starts about a third of the way down.)

For Your Health

The Heart Test You May Need—but Likely Haven’t Heard Of (If you are over 40, and/or at any risk of heart disease, please get this test. Ask your doctor or look for Life Line Screening. Life Line often offers these tests at churches, agricultural/community centers, etc. The advertising postcards may look a little hoaky BUT THIS TEST CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE. It is not part of regular western medicine so insurance does not cover it but the cost is nominal particularly compared to the benefits.)

More Selections

Just for Fun

This Is Why McDonald’s Diet Coke Is So Much Better than Other Fast-Food Restaurants

Passing of Judge

In Memoriam: Judge Thomas H. Fulton, 1946 – 2026

Click here for Obituary

From the IRS

Eligible Taxpayers May Receive Automatic Penalty Relief

From the UST

USTP Issues Report to Congress on Criminal Referrals for FY 2025

By The Numbers

Nearly 25% of New Car Buyers Opted for Loans At Least 84 Months Long in Q2

This Week's Featured Articles

Working Group Report on Providing Post-Petition Online Access to Debtors

The Academy

August 9, 2026

“For the past seven months, the National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees has hosted and participated in a working group (the “Working Group”) comprised of individuals from the ﬁnancial services industry. . . . The Working Group’s stated purpose was to discuss the issues, concerns and challenges involved with providing debtors in consumer bankruptcy cases with the ability to make online post-petition payments to creditors holding secured claims and access to online account information related to such claims.”

Members

Thoughts on Zealous Advocacy – Addendum: “Zeal” Case Summaries – Behavior – Part 5

The Honorable Cynthia A. Norton

August 9, 2026

Continuing your summer reading, Judge Norton shares with subscribers a three-part outline on zealous advocacy followed by a multi-part Addendum of case summaries broken into various categories. We believe you will enjoy this resource. This week we offer the second group of cases from the Addendum finishing up those dealing with behavior. Part 1 - History of Zealous Advocacy Part 2 - How Have Courts Discussed “Zealous Advocacy”? Part 3 - Practical Takeaways Part 4 – Case Summaries – Behavior

Members

Kill Switch: No Match for the Automatic Stay

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

August 9, 2026

Post-petition use of a “kill switch” disabling debtor’s leased automobile after receiving oral notice by the debtor that he had filed Chapter 13 constituted a willful violation of the automatic stay justifying the award of damages and, when egregious, punitive damages.

Members

Other Recent Articles

Thoughts on Zealous Advocacy – Addendum: “Zeal” Case Summaries – Behavior – Part 4

The Honorable Cynthia A. Norton

August 2, 2026

Continuing your summer reading, Judge Norton shares with subscribers a three-part outline on zealous advocacy followed by a multi-part Addendum of case summaries broken into various categories. We believe you will enjoy this resource. This week we offer the first group of cases from the Addendum. These cases deal with behavior. Part 1 - History of Zealous Advocacy Part 2 - How Have Courts Discussed “Zealous Advocacy”? Part 3 - Practical Takeaways

Members

Here Comes the Sun—and the Lawsuits: What Every Bankruptcy Lawyer Should Know About the Solar Fraud Wave Part 2 of 2

Mark C. Leffler

August 2, 2026

Consumer bankruptcy lawyers are seeing clients with solar panel debt. In Part 1, Mark Leffler provides a background for multi-district class action litigation in Minnesota and other enforcement actions by AG’s in Minnesota and Virginia concerning financing of rooftop solar panels. This, Part 2, examines legal issues underlying the fraud claims in the litigation.

Members

Do You Really Own It?

The Academy

August 2, 2026

Failure to hold the debt before filing proof of claim may lead to disallowance of claim.

Members

Here Comes the Sun—and the Lawsuits

Mark C. Leffler

July 26, 2026

Consumer bankruptcy lawyers are seeing clients with solar panel debt. In Part 1 of his article, Mark Leffler provides a background for multi-district class action litigation in Minnesota and other enforcement actions by Attorneys General in Minnesota and Virginia concerning the financing of rooftop solar panels. Part 2 of his article will appear next week, and in that Part the author examines legal issues underlying the fraud claims in the litigation.

Members

Thoughts on Zealous Advocacy: When Do Bankruptcy Lawyers Cross the Line? Part III Practical Takeaways from Parts I and II

The Honorable Cynthia A. Norton, The Academy

July 26, 2026

Last week we published the second Part of Judge Norton’s article on Zealous Advocacy. Part I discussed the History of Zealous Advocacy, and Part II examined how courts have discussed zealous advocacy. Part III identifies Practical Takeaways from the article. In the following weeks, we will post Judge Norton’s extensive Addendum of reported cases on Zealous Advocacy.

Members

Does Tax Sale Purchaser Hold Tax Claimor Secured Debt? Divided Seventh Circuit Says Tax Claim

The Academy

July 26, 2026

Why does it matter whether the purchaser of property tax debt holds tax debt in a Chapter 13 case or secured debt? The resulting interest rate is why, and the Seventh Circuit’s opinion in In re Romero, Case No. 25-2021 (7th Cir. July 16, 2026), sets out the opposing views.

Thoughts on Zealous Advocacy Part 2

The Honorable Cynthia A. Norton

July 19, 2026

Last week we published the first Part of Judge Norton’s article on Zealous Advocacy. Part I discussed the History of Zealous Advocacy, and Part II examines how courts have discussed zealous advocacy. Part III next week will look at Practical Takeaways from the article. In the following week, we will post Judge Norton’s extensive Addendum of reported cases on Zealous Advocacy.

Members

New York City Annual Seminar Was a Success: Don’t Miss the 2027 Seminar

The Academy

July 19, 2026

Numbers are moving up for Chapter 13 filings, and the attendance was up for 61st Annual NACTT Seminar in New York City, with over 700 registrants.

Article: Reported Recent Decisions on Rule 3002.1

The Honorable William Houston Brown

July 19, 2026

Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 3002.1 was amended, effective December 1, 2025, and judicial decisions on the amended Rule are being reported. This article summarizes several significant decisions that have been reported since the first of 2026.

Members

Bankruptcy Rule Amendments Taking Effect December 1, 2026

The Academy

July 19, 2026

On April 8, 2026, the Chief Justice sent an Order to Congress, notifying that the Supreme Court had approved amendments of several Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure that would be effective December 1, 2026, unless Congress acted otherwise. It is not expected that Congress would take action to prevent the amended Rules taking effect.

Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 2002: Who Gives Notice?

The Academy

July 19, 2026

The linked chart is from the Bankruptcy Court in the District of Minnesota, describing Who Gives Notice Under the Bankruptcy Code and Bankruptcy Rule 2002. See www.mnb.uscourts.gov/attorney-procedures

Thoughts on Zealous Advocacy: When Do Bankruptcy Lawyers Cross the Line? Part 1 History of Zealous Advocacy

The Honorable Cynthia A. Norton

July 12, 2026

For your summer reading, Judge Norton shares with subscribers a three-part outline on zealous advocacy followed by a multi-part Addendum of case summaries broken into various categories. We believe you will enjoy this resource.

Members