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

Case sheds light on increasingly common, and troubling, practice by mortgage companies.

Unlock This Article

To get started, please let us know which of these best fits your current position:

Please sign in to continue reading this content.

gendron2
Mott & Gendron Law

Kara K. Gendron is a bankruptcy attorney and co-owner of Mott & Gendron Law in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. She has practiced exclusively in bankruptcy law since 2001 and is board-certified in Consumer Bankruptcy Law by the American Board of Certification. Kara also serves as a certified bankruptcy court mediator. In 2021, she was appointed by the U.S. Trustee, Department of Justice, as a Chapter 7 and Chapter 12 Bankruptcy Trustee for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.  In 2025, Kara was invited to join the American College of Bankruptcy, a national honorary association recognizing exceptional bankruptcy professionals.

Kara earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and her J.D. from the Dickinson School of Law. She is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the U.S. District Courts for the Middle and Eastern Districts of Pennsylvania, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

An active leader in the national bankruptcy community, Kara serves as Secretary of the Executive Board of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (NACBA) and Chairs NACBA’s Circuit Leader Committee. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Certification (ABC), sits on the Board of the Association of Chapter 12 Trustees (ACT12/ACT2), and is a long-standing board member of the Middle District Bankruptcy Bar Association (MDBBA). In 2023, she was appointed to the Advisory Board of the American Bankruptcy Law Journal (ABLJ), published by the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges (NCBJ), and was reappointed in 2025.

Committed to advancing legal education, Kara frequently organizes and presents continuing legal education programs for NACBA, the National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees (NABT), the National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees (NACTT), the Pennsylvania Bar Institute (PBI), and the MDBBA. She has also taught Bankruptcy Law as an adjunct professor at Widener School of Law while maintaining her full-time practice.

Outside of her professional work, Kara enjoys being outdoors—especially snorkeling—and spending time with her husband and four children at Hershey Park or supporting their many academic and athletic pursuits. At home, she’s happily outnumbered by her three Labradors, who keep life joyful and just a little chaotic.

Related Articles

moran_cathy
December 21, 2025
“The personal guarantee of an SBA loan to a non-debtor borrower who is then current is a contingent liability for purposes of Chapter 13 debt limits. . . . Intrigued, I dug deeper. And got more befuddled as I went.” See Also: The Guaranty That Got Away from the SBA
Members
Copy of Hildebrand-2016
February 8, 2026
It is unnecessary for a Chapter 13 debtor to obtain court approval to hire a realtor or to sell the debtor’s residence following confirmation where property “revested” in the debtor.
Members
lopezcastro
June 4, 2023
Honorable Corali Lopez-Castro Appointed Miami’s Newest Bankruptcy Judge
Consumer Bankruptcy Education
March 27, 2022
Krista M. Preuss was appointed as the Chapter 13 Standing Trustee for the Southern District of New York on February 1, 2018. She succeeded Jeffrey Sapir after his retirement. On October 1, 2021, she was appointed as the Chapter 13 Standing Trustee for the Eastern District of New York, succeeding Marianne DeRosa upon her retirement. Yep, two trusteeships. Can you...
July 21, 2019
By John P. Gustafson, United States Bankruptcy Judge, Northern District of Ohio, Western Division Click here for Part 1 B. The Duty To Disclose Post-Petition Causes Of Action. 1. The Waldron Decision. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals considered the issue of whether or not a post-petition cause of action is . . . It looks like you are not...
Members
October 20, 2019
By The Honorable William Houston Brown (Retired) Debtor’s objection to tax claim for being “too low” was rejected. Noting that the debtor could not benefit prior to distribution to creditors, in event trustee found assets for distribution, debtor’s objection to claim filed by tax creditor on basis that claim was “too low” was rejected. “The debtor comes last, not first,...
Members
scamalert
November 17, 2024
Thanks to the Administrative Office of Courts, here is an example of the fake emails you need to watch out for.
April 14, 2019
By John Andreasen and Patrick Lombardi, Law Students at the University of Illinois College of Law and Duberstein Moot Court Team Members Both consumers and businesses often depend on motor vehicles for their livelihood or, for consumers, access to health care, child care, or other essential services. A creditor’s repossession of a motor vehicle can turn into an existential crisis...
Members
daryl smith
April 23, 2023
Is there a duty to inform the trustee about changes post-plan confirmation? Yes.  There is an inherent duty for the consumer debtor to update the trustee on any and all material changes, particularly windfalls, post plan confirmation.  In a very recent case, In Re Robinson, the United States Trustee moved to dismiss debtor’s chapter 13 case because the debtor received...
Members
January 10, 2021
By Henry E. Hildebrand, III, Chapter 13 Trustee (Nashville, TN) Other than a recluse without any information of current events, we have been made fully aware of the fact that Congress was fashioning a second stimulus/COVID relief bill. The result is the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021; a massive bill with more than 5,300 pages governing a huge expanse of appropriations,...
Members

Looking to Become a Member?

ConsiderChapter13.org offers a forum to advance continuing education of consumer bankruptcy via access to insightful articles, informative webinars, and the latest industry news. Join now to benefit from expert resources and stay informed.

Webinars

These informative sessions are led by industry experts and cover a range of consumer bankruptcy topics.

Member Articles

Written by industry experts, these articles provide in-depth analysis and practical guidance on consumer bankruptcy topics.

Industry News

The Academy is the go-to source for the latest news and analysis in the Chapter 13 bankruptcy industry.

To get started, please let us know which of these best fits your current position: