Board Certified Specialist in Bankruptcy
The FTC recently released a report showing that the leading consumer complaint category in 2010—for the 11th consecutive year—is identity theft, garnering 19% or 250,854 complaints received. We have seen situations where identity theft drove someone into bankruptcy.Close behind identity theft was debt collection, which accounted for 11% or 144,159 complaints.Although we do not … [Read more...]
Many of our bankruptcy clients who are homeowners have been in contact with their mortgage company in an effort to modify their mortgages and keep their home. Most of them are behind on their mortgage payments either because of a trial modification at a reduced monthly payment, or because they simply cannot timely pay their entire regular monthly payment.In either situation, after a bankruptcy … [Read more...]
Unfortunately for those in financial hardship, filing for bankruptcy protection isn't free. Too often, we counsel people who need bankruptcy protection who haven't saved the money for the court costs or attorney fees. And sometimes, we meet with new clients who may have been able to save a troubled business if they’d just gotten some legal advice earlier rather than later. This is usually … [Read more...]
I recently filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy case to stop a foreclosure that was threatening a well known local church, demonstrating the power of the automatic stay. Chapter 11 is not just for businesses Greater Salem Church was threatened with the loss of its church building. The Chapter 11 filing caused the automatic stay to stop the foreclosure proceeding. This will allow the church membership … [Read more...]
We see it every month: homeowners struggle to pay their mortgages and feed their families but fall behind and eventually are served with a foreclosure notice. If they've been making partial payments instead of saving money to re-launch their lives in a rental property, bankruptcy protection might be the only thing between them and a homeless shelter. How bankruptcy helps you buy time Upon filing … [Read more...]