From the Editor – Property of Estate and Exemptions • NACTT Academy

From the Editor – Property of Estate and Exemptions

By The Honorable William Houston Brown (Retired)

New York’s increased homestead exemption applied to debtor after amendment’s effective date. New York increased its homestead exemption from $10,000 to $50,000, and the increase was intended by the legislature to apply to debtors who filed bankruptcy after the amendment’s effective date. The increased amount could be used by the debtor for judgment lien avoidance purposes under § 522(f). Even assuming that the judgment lien creditor recorded its judgment prior to the exemption increase, the debtor had some nonexempt equity in the property to . . .

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.

Locked Out: Blocked Mortgage Portals May Be Violation of the Stay

Kara K. Gendron

November 10, 2024

A new case has shed light on a common practice by mortgage companies -- denying Chapter 13 debtors access to online payment portals. This case brought to the forefront a significant issue for Chapter 13 debtors across the country—the need for accessible payment methods that allow them to stay current with their mortgage payments and successfully complete their repayment plans.

Members

Six Things Taxpayers Should Know About the Sharing Economy and Their Taxes

May 5, 2019

From renting spare rooms and vacation homes to car rides or using a bike…name a service and it’s probably available through the sharing economy. Taxpayers who participate in the sharing economy can find helpful resources in the IRS Sharing Economy Tax Center on IRS.gov. It helps taxpayers understand how this activity affects their taxes. It also gives these taxpayers information...

Critical Case Comment – Prime vs. Riskless Treasury Rate

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

May 28, 2023

In determining the appropriate “present value” factor to be added to the payment of a secured claim in a Chapter 12, the Court should look at the “riskless” treasury rate rather than the “prime rate” before enhancing it with a risk factor. (Ebinger) Farm Credit Services of America v. Topp, 2022 WL 2981590 (S.D. Iowa, July 19, 2022) Case Summary...

Members

Looking Beyond Taggart: Is the Contempt Standard for a Stay Violation the Same as for a Discharge Injunction Violation?

May 5, 2019

By Lawrence R. Ahern III, Brown & Ahern (Nashville, TN) Background Last year, the Ninth Circuit in In re Taggart1 ruled that an act in violation of the discharge injunction did not empower a court to find a creditor in contempt, if the creditor believed in good faith that the discharge injunction did not apply—even if the creditor's belief was...

Members

Chapter 7 Trustee Compensation for Uncovered Equity

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

July 21, 2024

When a Chapter 7 trustee discovers non-exempt, undisclosed equity in the debtor’s property, the Chapter 7 trustee is entitled to be compensated in the case based upon the hours actually performed by the trustee in a lodestar method as an administrative expense when the case is converted to Chapter 13.

Members

Character Counts

Merideth Akers

November 6, 2022

“Does wearing these horizontal stripes make me look fat?” My wife, Becky, tells me that clothes with horizontal stripes make one look broad or fat. However, wearing clothes with vertical stripes create the illusion of making one look tall or slim. Smart fashion designers design clothing that creates the illusion that people are something they are not. I must confess...

Navigating Secured Creditors Who File Unsecured Chapter 13 Claims

October 31, 2021

By Eric K. Fox, Esq. (Hendersonville, TN) Jane Debtor has a home with a mortgage. An unsecured creditor obtains a judgment against Jane for, say, a credit card debt. Creditor’s attorney records a certified copy of the judgement order with the county register of deeds, thereby converting the unsecured claim against Jane in personam, to a secured claim against her...

Members

If You’re Gonna Bet the Farm, Maybe Play Against the House

Danielle N. Gueck-Townsend

January 30, 2022

Gambling is inherently risky, but that rings even more true when a bankruptcy is involved. Section 727(a)(5) allows for denial of discharge if “the debtor has failed to explain satisfactorily, …. any loss of assets or deficiency of assets to meet the debtor’s liabilities.” 11 U.S.C. §727(a)(5). Recently, Bankruptcy Judge Timothy A. Barnes in Chicago wrote an opinion in which...

Members

ABI Commission on Consumer Bankruptcy – Definition of “Tax Return” for Purposes of Nondischargeability

June 2, 2019

By Henry E. Hildebrand, III and Sloan Hastings Section 523(a)(1) excepts from discharge taxes that are priority claims under § 507(a)(8). One of § 507(a)(8)’s provisions makes debts not dischargeable for income taxes requiring the filing of a tax return due during the three years prior to filing bankruptcy. It is this “recent years taxes nondischargeable” moniker that leads many...

Members

New Chapter 13 Standing Trustee

The Academy

August 25, 2024

Acting United States Trustee Gerard R. Vetter has selected Dawn Hardesty to replace retiring chapter 13 standing trustee Pamela Simmons-Beasley, effective October 1, 2024.