Debtors often ask me not to include a specific debt in their bankruptcy. In most cases the motivation behind these requests is that the debtors wish to keep a house or a car and they believe that if the debts that are secured by their property are listed in the schedules, they will lose the […]
DOMESTIC SUPPORT OBLIGATIONS GIVEN PRIORITY IN BANKRUPTCY
The Bankruptcy Code provides special protection for parties’ owed domestic support obligations, such as child support, alimony, and spousal maintenance. In its present form, the Bankruptcy Code provides that domestic support obligations cannot be discharged in a Chapter 7 case and receive priority status in Chapter 13 bankruptcy plan. This priority status guarantees that domestic […]
Foreclosures Top One Million in 2010
From the American Bankruptcy Institute’s Website: Home Foreclosures in 2010 Top 1 Million for First Time Banks seized more than a million U.S. homes in one year for the first time last year, despite a slowdown in the last few months as questions around foreclosure processing arose, Reuters reported today. Banks foreclosed on 69,847 properties […]
HOW DOES BANKRUPTCY AFFECT MY CREDIT RATING?
I’m often asked about how filing bankruptcy will affect a person’s credit rating. By itself the act of filing bankruptcy has a negative impact on a credit rating. Filing bankruptcy will negatively impact your credit report for 7 years following filing Chapter 13 bankruptcy and for 10 years in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy case. But […]
How to Recover From a Financial Disaster
Have you recently experienced a financial set-back or disaster?? Here are some steps you can take to begin recovery… 1) Cut overhead and get rid of unnecessary expenses – do you really need to buy that $4.00 coffee every morning? 2) Save at least $500 in an emergency fund, so you won’t be forced to […]