From the Editor – Automatic Stay

By The Honorable William Houston Brown (Retired)

Jurisdiction over in rem stay order. An in rem relief from stay order had been entered in the Chapter 13 case of a debtor unrelated to the current pro se Chapter 7 debtor, and the court had jurisdiction in that prior case over the property subject to the stay, pursuant to § 362(d)(4). The foreclosing credit or was entitled to rely on that in rem relief order and had no liability for alleged violation of the automatic stay in the current Chapter 7 case. The current debtor could . . .

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In re Kaiser Gypsum Co., Inc., 60 F.4th 73 (4th Cir. 2023), pet. for cert. granted, Truck Ins. Exchange v. Kaiser Gypsum Co., Inc., 2023 WL 6780372, (U.S., October 13, 2023).

The Honorable William Houston Brown

October 29, 2023

The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals held that a plan proposal to create an asbestos trust through Chapter 11 bankruptcy was “insurance neutral,” and the debtor’s insurer was not a party in interest under Code § 1109(b), which contains a noncomprehensive list of parties in interest to a Chapter 11 case. Whether the insurer was a party in interest determined whether...

When the Bankruptcy Attorney Resembles the Client

Jen Lee

August 10, 2025

We tell clients delay is costly—then ignore that advice ourselves.

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Three Last Things Trustees Should Know About the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019 – Part V

November 17, 2019

This series focuses on four bankruptcy-related bills that were enacted during the 116th Congress and signed into law on August 23, 2019.1 One bill, the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019 (SBRA),2 appears in its entirety in Appendix B to this series and was summarized in Part I,3 along with the other bills signed on the same day. SBRA deals on its face with a non-consumer topic, but as we have seen, it will be of interest to Chapter 12 and 13 trustees, who may be asked to serve as small business Chapter 11 trustees.

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Discharging Student Loans Under §523(a)(8)? Don’t Consolidate After Filing!

Scott Waterman, Josh Cohen

November 12, 2023

If you intend to seek to discharge student loans under §523(a)(8), do not consolidate the loans after the case is filed. Prebankruptcy planning is most important if one wishes to discharge student loans. A recent Texas Chapter 7 case highlights the pitfalls if one does not act accordingly. Debtors obtained 27 separate student loans prior to when they filed their...

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From the Editor

April 7, 2019

By Wm. Houston Brown, United States Bankruptcy Judge (Retired) Attorney Fees - Chapter 13 debtor’s attorney not entitled to recovery under § 330 of fees that were incurred in defending prior attorneys’ sanctions motion. The debtor’s prior attorneys had sought to impose sanctions on the current attorney, and that attorney successfully defended against sanctions. However, the fees incurred by the...

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TFS Bill Pay Announces New Attorney Report Center

November 21, 2021

TFS Bill Pay has launched a new powerful tool to help you succeed; the Attorney Report Center located in your AttorneyPortal. In the current bankruptcy environment, it is absolutely essential that your firm receives all of the compensation for the valuable work it has already done. TFS now provides you with pre-set, real-time reports to confirm your clients’ payments, which...

Fannie/Freddie Flex Modification Update

Roberto Rivera

September 22, 2024

We are pleased to provide a detailed guide to new guidelines for Flex Modifications effective both 11/1 and 12/1.

I’ve Looked at Clouds from Both Sides Now

April 25, 2021

(Song by Joni Mitchell – first recorded by Judy Collins in 1968) By Merideth Akers, CPA, PHR, Comptroller for Bradford W. Caraway (Birmingham, AL) In the simplest terms, bankruptcy has two sides. The debtor is on one side, and the creditor is on the opposite side. Although there are opposite sides in bankruptcy, the system is designed to be non-adversarial....

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