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Chapter 7

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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Is Long-Term Unemployment Not a Big Factor in Hiring?

It’s undeniable that there’s a relationship between New York bankruptcy filings and unemployment. That’s not a bad thing, though. People who have lost their incomes cannot repay their debts, so there’s no reason to attempt the impossible. Indeed, a few months of unemployment make it easier for debtors to show that their current monthly incomes …

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When Are Post-Bankruptcy Non-Recourse Debts a Good Idea?

The terms “recourse” or “non-recourse” usually relate to whether lenders can sue debtors for mortgage deficiencies after foreclosure. The state’s “election of remedies” rule complicates things somewhat, but the issue in New York bankruptcy is really what happens to secured debts that debtors continue to pay even after their personal obligation has been discharged. The …

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Suspended Drivers Licenses and New York Bankruptcy

I recently wrote about how debtors can discharge traffic tickets in New York bankruptcy, but in certain circumstances filing bankruptcy can even help debtors reinstate their driver’s licenses if they’ve been suspended. Here’s how. Unpaid civil judgments. If a debtor owes a judgment obtained in small claims court for more than $1,000 based on the …

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Mortgage Modifications Can Stymie Chapter 7 Bankruptcies Too

I recently explained why a mortgage modification might be an inferior choice to a chapter 13 bankruptcy. As it turns out, mortgage modifications can stymie a chapter 7 New York bankruptcy as well. Why? Two reasons: the means test and exemptions. I’ve discussed the chapter 7 means test in detail before, but debtors whose household …

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What Is New York Bankruptcy Loss Mitigation?

“Loss Mitigation” sounds like an intimidating term, but it’s really just a mechanism within New York bankruptcy to help parties resolve foreclosure issues to debtors’ and creditors’ benefits. That is, its objective is to keep debtors’ principal residences out of foreclosure or reduce needless costs to creditors. It involves negotiations between the parties, possibly including …

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Traffic Tickets in Bankruptcy

Discharging tax debts can be difficult but not impossible in New York bankruptcy, but what about more mundane debts to the government, like traffic tickets? Are these subject to the same rules as tax debts or are they nondischargeable because they’re unsecured debts? It’s a common concern by debtors. The answer is, it mostly depends …

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Does the Means Test Apply to Cases That Are Converted From Chapter 13?

The short answer is probably yes. The long answer is that the specific issue hasn’t been decided in a New York bankruptcy case or in a Second Circuit appellate case that I could find. Courts in other parts of the country have split on the issue. Their reasoning is interesting. Against Taking the Means Test …

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