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Bankruptcy

File Taxes Before Filing Bankruptcy

Tax returns are a common fixture in New York bankruptcy, so much so that debtors are well advised to file their taxes before they file bankruptcy. Because U.S. tax season has begun, it’s a message worth explaining sooner rather than later. In all bankruptcy chapters, the Bankruptcy Code requires debtors to provide the trustee with …

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NYT: Scrutinize Your Mail, Immune Debt Collectors Might Be Suing You

The title isn’t exactly what The New York Times‘ Dealbook blog post wrote about in December, but it’s the lesson one should draw from it. Debt collectors can use the courts to sue debtors, but when debtors sue back, collectors can hide behind arbitration clauses to make the suits go away. The Times characterized it …

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Ratings Agencies Pessimistic About Student-Loan Securities

Rating agencies’ opinions of financial assets isn’t much concern to the New York bankruptcy world, but notably in mid-December both Moody’s and Fitch issued press releases documenting their pessimistic outlooks on a very unique type of financial asset: Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) Asset-Backed Securities (ABS). The FFELP is the defunct federal program in …

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Capital Gains, Transfer Taxes, and the Bankruptcy Estate

In chapter 7 and chapter 11 New York bankruptcy, a bankruptcy estate is created and then either liquidated or managed for the creditors. In chapter 7, the estate is controlled by the trustee; in chapter 11, it’s managed by the debtor in possession or a trustee if appointed by the bankruptcy court. It’s easy to …

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The Predictive Power of the Unromantic Credit Score

Credit scores and bankruptcy frequently intersect. Primarily, debtors are concerned about the impact a bankruptcy filing will have on them. It’s not a trivial concern: Credit scores have gone beyond determining creditworthiness to evaluating housing and employment prospects, although New York City has banned many employers from using job applicants’ credit scores as a screening …

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Persuasive Reasons to List Every Debt in Bankruptcy

In New York bankruptcy, debtors are required to list all of their debts in their petitions and schedules. This is true for both chapter 7 and chapter 13. On the bright side, though, debtors who forget to list a debt will suffer few consequences if they file in chapter 7 and have no assets for …

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What Is a ‘Pot Plan’ in Chapter 13 New York Bankruptcy?

The answer has to do with paying money into a pot, not other kinds of pots. There is surprising flexibility in how debtors can structure their repayment plans in chapter 13 New York bankruptcy, especially as they apply to unsecured creditors. The reason for this flexibility isn’t simply to give debtors more options; rather, it’s …

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