as-vts5midw's blog

The American College of Bankruptcy has bestowed a great honor upon the Chief U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District of Alabama, Thomas B.

In March of 2009, the Federal Government working through the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), established HARP, the Home Affordable Refinance Program.  The program was created in the wake of the housing/financial crisis of 2008 with its primary purpose being to help “underwater and “near underwater” homeowners refinance their homes.  Unlike its sister program HAMP, the Home Affordable Modification Program, which was created to he

Being sued for debt can be very stressful; but, don't panic! There is hope and you have options. But, be aware that lawsuits have deadlines that you must meet. Usually, you must file a written response to a lawsuit. Failure to timely file written response will result in a "default" judgment. You want to avoid such a judgment because it makes defending against the lawsuit much more complicated. So, getting competent legal advice as soon as possible is crucial. Don't procrastinate!

The rules governing the filing of a bankruptcy petition under Chapter 13 or Chapter 7 are complex.  That is why it is a good idea to hire a qualified attorney that has experience in filing consumer bankruptcy cases to help you navigate this process.  Having said that, there are some basic rules you can follow to insure that you will be in compliance with the many requirements under the bankruptcy code.    The bankruptcy code r

Chapter 13 is considered the debt consolidation chapter of the bankruptcy code for individuals with regular income.  As such, a debtor is paying back creditors over an extended period of time through a three or five year repayment plan.  Debtors are often concerned about whether they will be required to turn over their tax refunds each year during this Chapter 13 repayment plan.  The short answer is maybe.

Casey Anthony filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy relief last week.  This young mother, who was accused of and acquitted in the death of her 2 year old daughter, Caylee, listed $792,000 in liabilities in her bankruptcy schedules to be discharged, including debts for her lawyer fees, federal income tax and court fines and costs.  Will she be able to discharge these debts?  A Chapter 7 bankruptcy

Since the housing market crash began in 2008, we have seen the rise of mortgage loan modifications as a tool to help troubled homeowners stay in their homes.  If a homeowner qualifies, the loan modification can be a great way to catch up monthly mortgage payments that are behind and actually reduce the regular monthly payment.  However, the process for obtaining a loan modification is often frustrating and has led a lot of homeowners to turn to companies offering assistance with the loan modification process in

The average person who is contemplating bankruptcy relief works hard every day to take care of their family and a disruption to their bank account can be devastating.  Generally speaking, the funds in a bank account can be protected but there are certain issues regarding bank accounts and the banking industry in general that you will want to be aware of if you are considering filing for bankruptcy.

After the emotional and financial turmoil of going through a divorce, there is nothing more frightening than being faced with the possibility that your ex-spouse may be able to avoid his or her financial responsibilities to you by seeking bankruptcy relief. The good news is that, for the most part, this will not be true. However, there are some exceptions to this general rule.

A largely unknown problem with applying for Social Security Administration (SSA) disability benefits while drawing unemployment benefits is the competing oaths claimants swear: for disability it is that they can’t work at all; for unemployment it is that they can work but can’t find a job.