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Study Shows Credit Card Debt Driven by Health Care Costs, Unemployment

It should be common knowledge by now, but for whatever reason it isn’t always the case: Households take on credit card debt because of sudden shocks to their incomes and savings—not because of financial irresponsibility. It follows that people attempting to discharge unsecured debts in New York bankruptcy do so for the same reasons. The

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What Is the Financial Management Course?

In order to file a chapter 7 or chapter 13 New York bankruptcy a debtor must take what the Bankruptcy Code refers to as “an instructional course concerning personal financial management.” (11 U.S.C. § 727(a)(11)) What is this requirement? In 2005, Congress passed the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act (BAPCPA), which changed a

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The Bankruptcy Implications of Co-Signing Student Loans

The circumstances in which student loans are dischargeable are often discussed by New York bankruptcy lawyers. More recently, the question of whether debtors who owe education loans to the federal government are obligated to enroll in income-sensitive repayment plans has come up. Another situation that’s likely to cause headaches is what happens to people who

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Chapter 13 Bankruptcy the Best Option for Keeping Your Home

When New York homeowners fall on hard times, and there’s some evidence that the market might go south again in the near future, they have a few options to handle the situation and keep their homes. They can try to get a mortgage modification or file chapter 13 bankruptcy. The big question for homeowners who

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What Happens When Credit Unions Are Creditors in New York Bankruptcy?

Most bankruptcy debtors’ creditors are giant, impersonal banks. The obvious plus to discharging debts owed to them is that no one cares if their feelings are hurt. Sometimes the situation is different, such as with credit unions, which are banks that are owned by the depositors, usually within a defined geographic area. Often, credit unions’

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4 Ways a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Repayment Plan Can Be Modified

Sometimes things don’t go smoothly for debtors who have filed chapter 13 bankruptcy in New York. Normally, a chapter 13 case will allow a debtor to put together a repayment plan, which will take three to five years to complete. Often, once it’s concluded, any remaining unsecured debts will be discharged. However, once a debtor

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What Is ‘Substantive Consolidation’ in Bankruptcy?

There can be times when the bankruptcy court decides that fusing two or more debtors’ cases into one can benefit both the debtors and both the debtors’ the creditors. The term for this in the bankruptcy lingo is “substantive consolidation.” It’s an equitable power given to the bankruptcy court in 11 U.S.C. § 105(a), a

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What Is a ‘Statutory Lien’ in New York Bankruptcy?

A lien is a legal claim by one person over the property of another. “Statutory liens” are a specific subset of liens; they arise by force of (you guessed it) statute when certain circumstances or conditions are met. One of the most common examples is a tax lien. Whenever people don’t pay their taxes, the

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Defenses Against Preference Actions

If a debtor pays some creditors and not others prior to a New York bankruptcy, it can cause trouble for the creditors receiving such payments. You can read about the five elements the trustee must establish to avoid a debtor’s preference payment to a creditor here. However, even if the trustee can prove the preference

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What Documents Must Debtors File to Meet Their Duties in Bankruptcy?

The Bankruptcy Code obligates a debtor to fulfill a number of duties to successfully complete a New York bankruptcy. Failure to do so can result in penalties ranging from dismissal to revocation of a discharge order to criminal penalties for bankruptcy fraud. 28 U.S.C. § 521 divides the debtor’s duties into ten subsections, and most

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