Hot Topic: Stripping Wholly Unsecured Liens When Debtor Not Eligible For Discharge

Reprinted from Norton Bankruptcy Law Adviser, (August, 2011) with permission. Copyright © (2011) Thomson Reuters/West. For more information about this publication please visit www.west.thomson.com.

By William Houston Brown, United States Bankruptcy Judge, Retired, Western District of Tennessee

We have an avalanche of recent conflicting decisions with respect to whether Chapter 13 debtors not eligible for discharge because of § 1328(f) can strip off a wholly unsecured junior lien on their principal residence. Two recent decisions saying “Yes” and an en banc . . .

It looks like you are not signed in or registered! This content is only available to members.

Or Sign In Below:

No Author Biography has been linked to this Article.

Objections to Claims: Two of These Creditors Are Not Like the Others [1]

June 13, 2021

By Daniel M. Tavera, Law Clerk to the Honorable John P. Gustafson, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Ohio (Toledo) Objections to claims may generally be served on the claimant by first-class mail to the person designated to receive notices on the most recent proof of claim for the creditor. This simplifies the service for claim objections for...

Members

SBRA – The Sequel: Leases in Bankruptcy Under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021

February 21, 2021

By Lawrence R. Ahern, III, Brown & Ahern (Nashville, TN) Introduction The Academy has focused at length on the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019 (SBRA).1 SBRA deals on its face with a non-consumer topic, but it is of interest also to Chapter 12 and 13 trustees and debtors, creating a new, more debtor-friendly subchapter V of Chapter 11 for...

Members

Passing of Affable, Humanitarian Trustee

September 26, 2021

By Dynele Schinker-Kuharich, Chapter 13 Standing Trustee (Canton, OH) On Thursday, September 16, 2021, the bankruptcy community lost a good friend and esteemed colleague, Robert S. Thomas II. In an effort to pay tribute to Robert, who was loved and respected by so many, The NACTT Academy is privileged to share comments, thoughts, and tributes made by Robert’s bankruptcy colleagues....

Courts Continue to Fill in the Gaps on the Interplay of Bankruptcy and the FDCPA

March 7, 2021

By Chris Hawkins, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP (Birmingham, AL) The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) published its debt collection final rule in the Federal Register on November 30, 2020, revamping the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) for the first time since its enactment in 1977. Despite written comments submitted by several industry groups requesting clarity in areas where...

Members

Fulton’s Aftermath – What Do Chapter 13 Practitioners Need To Know?

January 31, 2021

By Nathan E. Curtis and Peter Francis Geraci, Geraci Law L.L.C. Debtors who are not current on mortgage or vehicle payments may file for Chapter 13 relief and propose to cure arrears, and force creditors to accept future payments. Mortgage creditors must give multiple notices before taking real estate away from a debtor, but vehicle creditors are allowed to repossess...

Members

Is Your Law Practice Evolving to Incorporate New Technology

October 3, 2021

By Jay Fleischman, Managing Attorney at Money Wise Law (Los Angeles, CA) When the world was forced to adjust to new routines in March 2020 due to the global pandemic, I was instantly struck by how little my professional life changed. I’d worked remotely for over a decade, and my systems and procedures didn’t change. Sadly, the same couldn’t be...

Members

Bridging Relationships: Everyone Benefits

The NACTT Emeritus Trustees

June 11, 2023

Chapter 13 Trustees occupy unique positions. Every day they work with the courts, clerks’ offices, debtors, creditors, and their attorneys, and the Office of the United States Trustees. Within ethical bounds, it is important that Chapter 13 trustees build and maintain relationships with each of these constituents. Civility, professionalism, and trust are the mainstays for all of these interactions. We...

Members

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...

Members

Possible Solution for Student Loans?

August 16, 2020

By Laila S. Gonzalez, Esq. One thing everyone can agree on is that student loan debt is increasing on an annual basis. Studies have shown than people with high student loan debt wait years longer to buy a home and start a family. Several suggestions have been made as to how to resolve the problem. One suggestion is to eliminate...

Members

Report of the American Bankruptcy Institute’s Commission on Consumer Bankruptcy

April 28, 2019

By William Houston Brown, Co-chair of the Commission and Adviser to the Academy for Consumer Bankruptcy Education The Report of the Commission on Consumer Bankruptcy for improvements to the consumer bankruptcy system was made public on April 11, 2019. The full report is available free by download from the American Bankruptcy Institute’s website, www.abi.org. The following Foreward to the Report...

Members