Escrow 101 and 102

In the fall of 2021, Michael McCormick provided subscribers with an EXCELLENT, expository, seven-part outline on mortgage escrow. This information is just as relevant today as when we first published it with one important update . . . When the next escrow analysis is performed and the servicer has received less than 12 payments of escrow (and often zero, as is often the case after the borrower received a forbearance during the COVID pandemic), the escrow balance will be far less than anticipated!!

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Michael J. McCormick, Esq.

Senior Partner at McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce, LLC

Michael McCormick is a senior partner with the bankruptcy department at McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce, LLC. Mr. McCormick has been with the firm since 2004 and currently assists in bankruptcy representation for dozens of mortgage lenders and servicers nationwide. He is a graduate of Wake Forest University School of Law and the University of Western Ontario. Michael is a frequent speaker and author on various topics related to bankruptcy, including the handling of escrow accounts during a bankruptcy proceeding, and the recent bankruptcy form changes. He is also a member of numerous local and national bankruptcy organizations.

Critical Case Comment – Repeat: No Fee Splitting

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

October 23, 2022

A referral fee by retained special counsel paid to debtor’s attorney violates the prohibition in § 504 in that it constitutes an unauthorized splitting of attorney’s fees. (Williamson) In re Davis, 638 B.R. 198 (Bankr. M.D. Fla. March 31, 2022) Case Summary Four years after Lisa Davis filed her Chapter 13 petition, she was involved in an auto accident resulting...

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Supreme Court Agrees to Revisit Finality of Orders in Bankruptcy

May 26, 2019

By Lawrence R. Ahern III, Brown & Ahern (Nashville, TN) Introduction In Ritzen Group, Inc. v. Jackson Masonry, LLC (In re Jackson Masonry, LLC),1 the Sixth Circuit reviewed circuit authority on finality of orders for appellate purposes and affirmed the district court's dismissal of an appeal from an order denying stay relief. The Court of Appeals said that, under 28...

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Per Capita Bankruptcy Filings Heat Map

November 24, 2019

____________________________ Prior to his appointment as a bankruptcy judge for the District of Utah in September of 2015, Judge Anderson served for seventeen years as the Standing Chapter 13 Trustee for the District of Utah. During this time, he administered over 70,000 Chapter 13 cases. Judge Anderson was elected president of the National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees (NACTT), and...

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Here’s What Taxpayers Should Know About Making 2019 Estimated Tax Payments

August 18, 2019

Small business owners, self-employed people, and some wage earners should look into whether they should make estimated tax payments this year. Doing so can help them avoid an unexpected tax bill and possibly a penalty when they file next year. Everyone must pay tax as they earn income. Taxpayers who earn a paycheck usually have their employer withhold tax from...

From the Editor – Confirmation

March 8, 2020

By The Honorable William Houston Brown (Retired) Equal monthly payments and attorney fees. The secured creditor objected to confirmation on basis that the plan improperly deferred its payments until debtor’s attorney fees were paid, and the District Court affirmed confirmation that delayed start of secured equal monthly payments for 21 months. The opinion examines three approaches to the issue: 1)...

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Meet the First Black Woman to Serve as Chief Judge for Federal Bankruptcy Court in Cleveland

The Academy

February 4, 2024

February is Black History Month and it’s a time to recognize the past but also honor those who are achieving great things today.

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

November 15, 2020

Lawrence R. Ahern, III Brown & Ahern Nashville, Tennessee Appendix B Adjustments to Means Test Amounts (Cases Filed On or After November 1, 2020) The tables on the following page provide median family income adjustments reproduced in a format designed for ease of use in completing Bankruptcy Forms 122A-1 and 122C-1. STATE 1 EARNER FAMILY SIZE 2 PEOPLE 3 PEOPLE...

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From the Archives

Debbie Langehennig

December 31, 2023

From the archives is a expansive piece on 3002.1.

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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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Hanging Paragraph, Cars for Non-Personal Use, and PMSI

November 3, 2019

By Gretchen Holland, Standing Chapter 13 Trustee for the Greenville/Spartanburg Division of South Carolina The hanging paragraph of § 1325(a)(9) prevents bifurcation of a PMSI claim if the collateral securing it was purchased within certain time periods prepetition. A 910-day limitation applies to motor vehicles acquired for the debtor’s personal use. A one-year limitation applies to all other PMSI collateral,...

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