A Judge in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois just ruled that you don’t have to give back a car to “surrender” it in a Chapter 13 Plan. Let’s look at the facts: A person finances a car at 24.99% interest, and
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Archives for General Bankruptcy Topics
Save Your Assets- File for Bankruptcy Protection!
This headline doesn’t make sense, does it? When most people think of bankruptcy, they think of “throwing in the towel” and losing everything. In many cases, it is just the opposite! Lately, I’ve met more and more senior citizens who run into financial troubles. It
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Your Money: Can You Handle the Truth?
Jack Nicholson’s most famous line in his movie career goes something like this: “You want the truth?! You can’t HANDLE the truth!” My clients come in to see me, as a bankruptcy attorney, and they want advice on how to “fix” their money problems. They
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Court to Mortgage Companies- File Claims on Time to Get Paid in Bankruptcy Cases!
Normally, for consumer bankruptcy lawyers and their clients, things proceed pretty smoothly. And, the how the cases go through the system are predictable. Congress only seems to pay attention to bankruptcy about every 10 years or so. And, major court decisions don’t usually get appealed
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Can I Buy Another House after Bankruptcy and Foreclosure? Yes You Can!
Back in 2008-9, when the foreclosure crisis started, foreclosures soared. People lost their houses after losing jobs and not being able to afford their mortgage payments. People then, forced to file for bankruptcy protection, asked me: will I be able to buy a house again?
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Credit Unions- Angels or Devils?
For many people, their local credit union is their savior. People can join credit unions because of where they work, or if they served in the U.S. Military, or for other reasons. Credit Unions offer many advantages, such as lower interest rates, and personal service.
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Is it Morally Wrong to File for Bankruptcy Protection?
When people are thinking of bankruptcy, most often, they have tried everything else. They tried to consolidate bills; they tried to call their creditors to work out a payment plan. They borrowed all they could from their friends and family. They withdrew all of their
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What to do to help Your Credit Score After Bankruptcy- Send Your Discharge Order to the 3 Major Credit Bureaus.
For so many years, you’ve been working to keep your credit score high. If you end up having to file for bankruptcy protection, there are ways to help increase your score, and to have the credit report accurately reflect the bankruptcy. Why would you want
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Debt Settlement Consumer Protection Act in Illinois
A while back, I wrote about Debt Settlement, and whether it was a good way to avoid bankruptcy. Most people don’t want to file bankruptcy, and try many different things to avoid bankruptcy. Debt Settlement, in certain circumstances, can help. There are pitfalls. I mentioned
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Supreme Court Ruling Puts Inherited IRAs at Risk in Bankruptcy
The general rule in bankruptcy is that people can protect their IRAs and retirement accounts. In June of 2014, the US Supreme Court ruled, in the Clark v. Rameker case, that some retirement accounts are not protected. The Court ruled that inherited IRAs are not
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