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Chapter 7

Why File a Chapter 7 New York Business Bankruptcy?

I’ve discussed before which chapter is best for a New York business bankruptcy. For a business that’s a separate legal entity from its owners, only chapter 7 and chapter 11 are available. Debtors who freelance or work as unincorporated general partners can use chapter 13 as well. Although chapter 11 makes the news when big …

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CFPB Studies Debtor Education That Isn’t a Waste of Debtors’ Time

Observing the tenth anniversary of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act, I discussed one of its less consequential impacts on New York bankruptcy: whether debtor-education requirements were a waste of time. The Government Accountability Office found that debtors thought the courses were somewhat helpful, but they would not have prevented their bankruptcies. In …

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What Is the ‘Statement of Intention’ and When Do Debtors File One?

I wrote about the bankruptcy form called the “Statement of Intention for Individuals Filing Under Chapter 7” (usually “Statement of Intention” or “SOI” for short) back in August in a post about post-bankruptcy non-recourse debts. The SOI form debtors use played a prominent role, so I’d like to expand on it. The SOI only appears …

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How Do Debtors Prioritize Their Debts?

When debtors have too few funds to pay too many debts, they don’t try to distribute their money among all their debts. Rather, they prioritize some debts over others. The insight, courtesy of a blog post at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Web site, can help debtors and New York bankruptcy lawyers determine …

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Nondischargeable Debts the Bankruptcy Code Won’t Tell You About

A few years ago I wrote about the debts that are excluded from a discharge order in a chapter 7 New York bankruptcy. There are, however, a handful of debts that are not only nondischargeable but also not specified as such in the Bankruptcy Code. True, they are rarely seen, but debtors might want to …

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Circumstances, Not Race, Should Influence Bankruptcy Chapter Choices

Most New York bankruptcy debtors choose to file in chapter 7 or chapter 13 because Congress designed them to fit most consumer debtors’ circumstances. What motivates debtors to choose one chapter over another is a matter of debate, but a recent paper on bankruptcy debtors has found that aside from their financial circumstances, their races—and …

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Business Leases: Tricky in Bankruptcy

The Bankruptcy Code doesn’t have a specific chapter addressing business bankruptcies. Debtors who own businesses must instead choose among options that are dispersed throughout the Bankruptcy Code based on their businesses’ and personal circumstances. One such circumstance that can influence the chapter debtor-owners choose is the fate of a lease for business property. For many …

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‘Judgment Proof’ Debtors and Bankruptcy

Creditors sometimes characterize debtors as “judgment proof,” but what does this mean and why does it matter for debtors considering New York bankruptcy? As an answer to the first question, “judgment proof” isn’t a legal term; it’s made up by lenders. It means that even though the creditor has a judgment against a debtor, the …

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Is That Second Mortgage Really Underwater?

That’s a question a New York bankruptcy lawyer should ask whenever a debtor seeks to strip a lien off an (allegedly) underwater junior mortgage in a chapter 13 bankruptcy. I’ve discussed this before, but as a quick review, debtors who owe multiple mortgages can strip the liens off junior mortgages that have no equity in …

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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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