From the Editor

From the Editor – Applicable Commitment Period

By The Honorable William Houston Brown (Retired)

Fourth Circuit holds that above-median debtor must maintain 60-month plan. The above-median debtors, who had negative disposable income, proposed a plan that contained early termination language permitting completion in 55 months, but that would not pay unsecured creditors in full. The bankruptcy court denied confirmation and direct appeal to the Fourth Circuit resulted in holding that the applicable commitment period is a temporal requirement. Such debtors must either maintain a full 60-month plan or pay unsecured creditors in full. In dicta, the court also stated . . .

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From the Editor – Fair Debt Collection Practices Act

February 2, 2020

By The Honorable William Houston Brown (Retired) Class action certification on predominance. The Eleventh Circuit remanded, finding that the District Court had abused its discretion in refusing to certify a class on a predominance theory for former debtors who had obtained discharge of personal liability on residential mortgages and who asserted violations of the FDCPA by a loan servicer. The...

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March 17, 2019

By Wm. Houston Brown, United States Bankruptcy Judge (Retired) Confirmation - Bankruptcy court could not sua sponte object to confirmation. Distinguishing between “self-executing” provisions of the Code and those sections that were not “self-executing,” and discussing Espinosa’s impact on that distinction, District Court held that the bankruptcy court could not sua sponte object to confirmation based on the above- median...

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Can a Secured Claim Still “Ride-Through” Bankruptcy Despite BAPCPA? – Part 1 In re Rhodes Says, “Let Me Count the Ways”

Lawrence R. Ahern, III

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Background A recent Chapter 7 case out of the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of California, In re Rhodes,1 addresses reaffirmation in a context that is very significant and should be of interest to all debtor's attorneys. It points out that the "ride-through" of a debtor's secured debt in Chapter 7—which Congress tried to eliminate in 2005—still exists. In...

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Sua Sponte Sanctions Held to Higher Standard

Cathy Moran

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9th Cir. BAP erected high bar for sanctions. And, interestingly, at the heart of the BAP’s decision was the very fact that BAP decisions are not binding.

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TFS Bill Pay Announces New Attorney Report Center

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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...

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Critical Case Comment – Swackhammer Smackdown

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

July 2, 2023

In order to modify a plan confirmed under Chapter 12 pursuant to § 1229, the movant must demonstrate that there was a substantial change in circumstances that is sufficient to justify modification of a plan. (Norton) Farm Credit Services of America PCA v. Swackhammer, 2023 WL 3591920 (8th Cir. BAP May 23, 2023) Case Summary The Swackhammers were farmers who...

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Honorable Brian D. Lynch

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“Currently, if a district’s weighted caseload is below one-thousand per the number of judges in that district . . . in all probability, recommend that the circuit not replace the judge.”

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Ordinary Heroes Deliver Second Chances with Bankruptcy

July 28, 2019

By Robert (Bob) Schuman, Owner/Managing Broker, Network Financial Group I’m a mortgage broker. In that role, I see close up the immense relief that a homeowner feels when they file Chapter 13. They are no longer forced to deal with collection calls and a multitude of letters that are aggressive and intimidating, threatening to take their car, foreclose on their...

Critical Case Comment – Bad Faith to Not Pay Both Tests?

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

February 27, 2022

Chapter 13 debtor is not obligated to pay both the disposable income pool and the best interest of creditors test pool to achieve confirmation, only the larger of the two; it is not a manifestation of bad faith that the debtor does not pay both the disposable income pool and the best interest of creditors test amounts. (Altenberger) In re...

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From the Editor – Applicable Commitment Period

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From the Editor – Fair Debt Collection Practices Act

From the Editor

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