Ask Ms. Ps & Qs

By Professor Nancy Rapoport

Dear Readers:

The wonderful Regina Logsdon found us a great case for this month’s discussion. On January 13, the ABA Journal published a column called Bankruptcy lawyer suspended for 'screwing banks' ads. The title’s a bit of a spoiler alert, I know, but here’s the gist: The Indiana Supreme Court has approved a consensual 30-day suspension for a lawyer who had advertised (among other things) that he’d been “[s]crewing [b]anks [s . . .

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Choice of Staying in Chapter 13 or Converting to 7? Circuits Show It Makes a Difference

The Honorable William Houston Brown

March 31, 2024

Eighth Circuit, like the Ninth, has ruled that when Chapter 13 cases are converted to Chapter 7, any increase in a debtor's home value beyond exemptions and liens becomes part of the Chapter 7 estate. See also: Critical Case Comment – Post-Petition/Pre-Conversion Equity

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Chapter 13 Trustee Duties, Powers, And Limitations – Part 5

November 1, 2020

By James J. Robinson, Chief United States Bankruptcy Judge, Northern District of Alabama Under what circumstances should the trustee object to claims (assuming a purpose would be served under § 707(a)(5))? Midland Funding, LLC v. Johnson, 137 S. Ct. 1407 (2017). This case centered around the debtor’s argument that a creditor violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act when it...

Members

8th Circuit Kills SAVE Program Disallowing Loan Forgiveness

Scott Waterman

February 23, 2025

This decision will completely upend the income driven student loan landscape, impacting over 8 million student loan borrowers who were enrolled in those programs. The injunction also impacts Chapter 13.

Members

Chapter 13 Trustees Prosecutorial Discretion

The NACTT Emeritus Trustees

July 30, 2023

While administering cases, Chapter 13 Trustees should carefully exercise their prosecutorial discretion. Trustee discretion is a powerful tool. It should be used wisely and consistently. Trustees should have office policies in place fort heir attorneys and office staff. What matters involve discretion? The UST Chapter 13 Handbook describes some: We asked the NACTT Emeritus Trustees for their thoughts and examples...

For Whom Does the Bell Toll?

October 10, 2021

By Angela M. Scolforo, Staff Attorney to Herbert L. Beskin, Chapter 13 Trustee for the Western District of Virginia Since January 2019 alone there have been about 250 student loan discharge cases decided in the federal courts.1 One site reports that student loan debt in the United States totals $1.73 trillion, across 43.2 million borrowers, and the debt is growing6...

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Passing of James J. Barta, Sr.

The Academy

November 12, 2023

It is with sadness that we announce the death of retired U.S. Bankruptcy Judge, James J. Barta, Sr. on Tuesday, November 7, 2023. Judge Barta served as a Bankruptcy Referee in the Eastern District of Missouri beginning in 1978, then a Bankruptcy Judge from 1986 through 2006, including three stints as Chief Judge. Before serving with the Court, Judge Barta...

Chapter 13 Discharge Expanded by COVID Relief Legislation

January 3, 2021

By Cathy Moran, Esq., Moran Law Group (Redwood City, CA) Chapter 13 debtors got a huge “gift” among the COVID relief provisions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, signed December 27, 2020 by the president. Debtors may get a full -compliance discharge of dischargeable debts if they have a residential mortgage and have not made all the payments required...

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Creditors’ Rights and Debtors’ Protections at the Intersection of Consumer Bankruptcy and UCC Article 9

October 25, 2020

By Lawrence R. Ahern III, Brown & Ahern (Nashville, TN) Part V – Consumer Foreclosure Procedures (Continued) Introduction In the world of consumer bankruptcy, trustees and debtors' counsel often are uncomfortable with the rules in Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC). In this space, we have looked at several places where Article 9 meets the Bankruptcy Code. In...

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New Judge Appointed

The Academy

June 18, 2023

Appeals Court Names Erie Lawyer as Newest Bankruptcy Judge – John C. Melaragno has been named the new judge for the Erie Division of U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania

The Hanging Paragraph – Hanging on Every Word Part 3 of 4

June 28, 2020

By Anthony J. Gomez, CPA, former extern to the Honorable John P. Gustafson, Northern District of Ohio at Toledo Click here for Part 1 Click here for Part 2 IV. The Hanging Paragraph’s effect on Interest Rates When the hanging paragraph is applicable, creditors are entitled to the full value of their secured claims as . . . It looks...

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Related Articles

Choice of Staying in Chapter 13 or Converting to 7? Circuits Show It Makes a Difference

Chapter 13 Trustee Duties, Powers, And Limitations – Part 5

8th Circuit Kills SAVE Program Disallowing Loan Forgiveness

Chapter 13 Trustees Prosecutorial Discretion

For Whom Does the Bell Toll?

Passing of James J. Barta, Sr.

Chapter 13 Discharge Expanded by COVID Relief Legislation

Creditors’ Rights and Debtors’ Protections at the Intersection of Consumer Bankruptcy and UCC Article 9

New Judge Appointed

The Hanging Paragraph – Hanging on Every Word Part 3 of 4

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