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Credit card debt

‘Generation X’s’ Income High, But Debts Even Higher

This is the basic finding the Pew Charitable Trusts’ report on the financial situation of “Generation X” (“Gen X”), which it defines as all Americans born between 1965 and 1980. Generational designations are really kind of arbitrary—why does Gen X only get 15 years?—and mobility studies often ask their readers to accept silly assumptions. One …

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New York Bankruptcy Is Better Than Paying a Fraudulent Debt Collector

The New York Times Magazine ran an interesting article on the “dark, labyrinthine, and extremely lucrative world” of consumer debt collection. Its principal characters were an ex-Wall Street banker and an ex-con. Frankly, it read like the cast of characters from a comedy movie like Repo Man. One of the topics the article raised was …

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New York Ranks 37th for Share of Non-Mortgage Debt in Collections

Non-mortgage debt (like credit cards, auto loans, student loans, and other types) commonly leads to New York bankruptcy filings. As a result, it’s important to track information about Americans’ debt levels. In late July, the Urban Institute did just that by publishing a study that revealed some disturbing facts about Americans’ non-mortgage debt. A whopping …

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Seven Tips for Paying Down Credit Card Debt and Raising Credit Scores

File under non-bankruptcy options: What are some ways to pay down those credit card debts, stay out of New York bankruptcy, and possibly raise your credit score? Here are some answers: (1)  Obtain your credit report. By federal law, you’re entitled to up to three free credit reports from the three credit reporting bureaus for …

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Why Convert a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy to Chapter 7?

Most New York bankruptcies are filed in chapter 7 because debtors have mainly unsecured consumer debts and don’t have the income for a chapter 13 repayment plan to be feasible. Others, though, prefer the benefits of chapter 13, but once they’re partway into it, they find that chapter 7 might be a better fit after …

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What Are the Benefits of a 100 Percent Chapter 13 Repayment Plan?

One might think that the answer to that question is “nothing,” but that’s not true. It is sometimes worthwhile for debtors to file chapter 13 New York bankruptcy intending to pay their creditors in full even if the discharge isn’t really necessary—a filing referred to as a 100 percent repayment plan. Obviously it doesn’t happen …

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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 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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Secured Credit Cards Can Help Improve Credit Scores After Bankruptcy

Obtaining a discharge in a New York bankruptcy usually improves one’s creditworthiness just by eliminating bad debts, but that doesn’t mean a debtor’s post-bankruptcy credit score will be remarkably great. However, there are steps former debtors can take to raise their credit scores, many of which are discussed here. One option that doesn’t come up …

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What Is a ‘Future Flow Agreement’ and Why Should I Care?

The term “future flow agreement” sounds like a complicated derivative product Wall Street cooked up. It probably is, but in practice it’s really just a mechanism for banks to make money when debtors file bankruptcy. That should sound weird because once a debt is discharged it can’t be collected. Normally such debts take up lines …

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