Between the 1st and the 15th: Is Mortgage Current?

The no man’s land between the mortgage due date and late payment is a persistent trouble spot for Chapter 13 practitioners. For example, are there arrears when the case is filed during the grace period and the payment made before it was late?

In Borre, Judge Ronald Sargis of ED CA said no. He held that the payment was not in default until the expiration of the grace period, and where the debtor made the payment timely, a proof . . .

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Cathy Moran, Esq.

Head of Moran Law Group

Cathy Moran has headed her own small firm Moran Law Group in Redwood City, California, for nearly 30 years. Family law and tax issues as they play out in bankruptcy are areas of particular interest to Cathy.

ABI Commission on Consumer Bankruptcy – Collateral Repossessed Pre-Petition

October 6, 2019

By Henry E. Hildebrand, III, Chapter 13 Standing Trustee (Nashville, TN) One of the most difficult situations faced by a debtor and debtors’ counsel is the repossession of important collateral securing a debt owed to a creditor. These items, such as automobiles, furniture, boats, and mowers which have been pledged to a creditor are important – often critical – to...

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The Kill Switch and The Stay

July 11, 2021

Kara K. Gendron, Esquire, Mott & Gendron Law (Harrisburg, PA) A “kill switch” is a device which can be used to disable a machine or program. They have been used for years in a myriad of safety measures, such as shutting down machinery in the event of an emergency, or to prevent the theft of a machine or data. Some...

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Advising Consumer Clients About Credit Scoring – Some Questions

The Honorable William Houston Brown, Cathy Moran

September 10, 2023

“We have observed consumers who seem to be focused principally on their credit scores, . . . rather than focusing on . . . a more critical immediate focus on their balance sheets . . .”

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Critical Case Comment – Fourth Circuit Says Easy-Peasy

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

September 24, 2023

In calculating projected disposable income, 13 debtor may deduct entire mortgage payment notwithstanding amount exceeds the housing allowance as established by the IRS Financial Standards Allowance.

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Critical Case Comment – Although a Mess, Month-to-Month Lease Assumed

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

June 4, 2023

A month-to-month residential lease can be assumed and defaults cured in a Chapter 13 plan. (Rucker) In re Mattoon, 2022 WL 2080184 (Bankr. E.D. Tenn. June 9, 2022) Case Summary Sarah Mattoon executed a lease with Open Doors in September of 2019. Several of Ms. Mattoon’s family members lived with her in the rented apartment including her “companion” and her...

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Lawyers are People Too: An Interview with Jenny Doling

M. Jonathan Hayes

March 17, 2024

IT’S NACTT REGISTRATION TIME!! Boston on the 4th of July PLUS a Phenomenal Consumer Bankruptcy Conference. We're excited to welcome Jenny Doling as a new addition to our lineup of skilled speakers for this year. She'll be teaming up with Chapter 13 Trustee John Jansing and The Honorable Selene D. Maddox for a session titled "Evaluating Tax Returns and Other Financial Documents." Together, they'll delve into a comprehensive exploration of the complexities surrounding the scrutiny of debtors' tax returns and financial records.

Rules, Means-Test Amounts and Miscellaneous Fees: Changes Wrap Up 2020

November 15, 2020

By Lawrence R. Ahern, III, Brown & Ahern (Nashville, TN) Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure Amendments Effective December 1, 2020 The Judicial Conference proposed, and Congress has not changed, the amendments to the following Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure: Rules 2002, 2004, 8012, 8013, 8015 and 8021. Absent Congressional action, which is not expected, they will be effective at the...

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When (or Not) Is the Best Interests of Creditors Test Applicable in a Modified Plan?

August 22, 2021

By Henry E. Hildebrand, III, Chapter 13 Standing Trustee (Nashville, TN) While the best interests of creditors test is applicable upon modification of a Chapter 13 plan, post-petition acquired property of the estate is not included in such analysis in that such property would not be property of a Chapter 7 estate. (Somers) In re Taylor, 2021 WL 3118824 (Bankr....

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The “Snapshot” Rule – Part 1: The Circuits Begin to Line Up

March 14, 2021

By Lawrence R. Ahern III, Brown & Ahern (Nashville, TN) Exemptions are determined at the time the debtor files for bankruptcy. … This maxim is called the "snapshot" rule because the debtor's financial situation is frozen in time, as if someone had taken a snapshot of it.1 Recent Caselaw The First and Ninth Circuits On March 1, the Ninth Circuit...

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New Federal Guidance on Discharging Student Loans in Bankruptcy Is a Game Changer

Robert B. Branson, Tammy Branson

March 26, 2023

The Justice Department, in partnership with the Department of Education, recently announced new guidelines that loosen the strict application of the “undue hardship” exceptionwhen defending a student loan dischargeability action. This new guidance is a game changer. In the past the Department of Justice narrowly applied the undue hardship exception when defending discharge of student loans to the extent that...

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