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Bankruptcy Is Medicine for Debt-Related Health Problems

It should come as no surprise that debt contributes to serious, measurable health problems. What is notable, however, is just how well documented the connection is. Researchers have conducted quite a few studies on the subject, and here are some of the mental and physical maladies that debt corresponds to: Headaches Anxiety disorders Drug and

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What Is ‘Abandonment of Property’ in Bankruptcy?

When we think of abandonment, images of derelict buildings spring to mind. In New York bankruptcy, though, it’s just the process by which a trustee (or debtor in possession) can divest property from the bankruptcy estate, returning it to the debtor. Section 554(a) of the Bankruptcy Code authorizes the trustee to abandon any asset that

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How Do New York State’s Exemptions Differ From the Federal Exemptions?

Since 2010, New York bankruptcy rules have permitted debtors to choose between the state’s exemptions and the federal exemptions. Before then, New Yorkers could only use the state’s exemptions, and back then they weren’t nearly as strong as now. The state improved the bankruptcy exemptions because the legislature hadn’t given them much attention since the

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Joining Spouses Not Allowed in New York Bankruptcy

In ongoing civil cases, parties on either side can add other parties to the case (called “joining”) almost effortlessly. In bankruptcy, though, once a petition has been filed, joining spouses is not allowed, and other remedies must be sought. Why is this? The answer is it has to do with how the Bankruptcy Code structures

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What Happens to Your Child’s Mobile Device in Bankruptcy? (Part 2 of 2)

I divided this topic into two parts because the answer implicates more than one portion of New York bankruptcy. In part 1, we learned that a child’s physical mobile device can actually be a parent-debtor’s property that must be transferred to the bankruptcy estate unless the debtor can fit it into an exemption. In general,

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What Happens to Your Child’s Mobile Device in Bankruptcy?

Perhaps most parents—and certainly most grandparents—made it through high school with only paper and pencils. In a chapter 7 New York bankruptcy, these items would have nearly no value to a trustee. Even so, the state provides a sizeable $550 exemption for books that debtors can apply to their kids’ school books. It’s not like

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What Are E-Scores and Are They Bad for Debtors?

Digital information is playing an increasingly important role in debtors’ lives and therefore in New York bankruptcy. For example, everyone knows about credit scores, but few know the relationship between credit scores and romance. Data analytics has even produced “bankruptcy risk scores” to help lenders estimate the likelihood that debtors will file bankruptcy. Even less

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When Are Gambling Debts Dischargeable in New York?

Gambling law in New York is a confusing, evolving quagmire, so it’s understandable that debtors might be curious to know about how New York bankruptcy treats gambling debts. To begin with, money borrowed for gambling is generally unsecured debt that a chapter 7 case can dispose of easily. That’s the easy answer. The tougher answer

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What Debt Collectors Must Say in Collection Letters

At the beginning of this year, I wrote about the importance to debtors of scrutinizing their mail for lawsuit notices. According to a New York Times blog post, debt collectors were suing debtors, but when the debtors counter-sued, the creditors pointed to arbitration clauses in the original credit agreements, keeping debtors out of court. Many

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New York City Homeowners Struggling More Than National Average

More than two years ago, I raised the question of whether another mortgage crash would strike New York homeowners. It’s a provocative discussion because New York City wasn’t seen as representative of the mortgage crash like Las Vegas or Miami. At the time, many homeowners in the New York City metropolitan area had been served

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