Blogs

As anyone who has planned a wedding knows, the wedding gown is one of the most important- and pricey- decisions the bride will make.  Brides around the country are in a panic now that the bridal chain Alfred Angelo has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.  The company reportedly closed all 61 of its stores this past Thursday as part o

The average consumer knows that credit cards do have advantages, e.g., better response to fraud issues, ease of renting cars and hotel rooms, cash back and travel bonuses. The problem? Many consumers use them to spend more than they can afford. As simple as that notion may seem, CNN Money released an article suggesting that the problem of overspending could be avoided if consumers had a “good introduction” to credit card use.

As a consumer bankruptcy attorney I frequently find myself advising clients who need bankruptcy relief because they have taken on the burden of not only their own debt but also debt incurred for their adult children.  Of all the folks I try to help, this is oftentimes the most heartbreaking client.  I know the client has found themselve

Believe it or not, North Alabama has been, at least until very recently, a contender for the nation's leader in terms of frivolous opioid pain killer prescriptions.

The Phantom Debt

In late June, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a complaint in federal court in North Carolina against a debt collection company in that state. Allegedly, the debt collection company took money from consumers for fake (so called “phantom”) debts. In other words, for debts that the consumers did not actually owe.

CNBC’s Diana Olick reports that two major lending changes mean it may be easier to qualify for a mortgage.

Recently, CNBC posted an article about concerns that have been raised with Student Loan Servicers giving incorrect or not enough information on the various types of relief from student loan debt that is available.

The total number of Bankruptcy filings in May of 2017 rose 5% over May of 2016.  The actual number filed in 2017 was 69,668, up from 66,138 cases filed in May of last year according to the American Bankruptcy Institute & Epiq Systems.

Commercial or Business Bankruptcy filings for the month of May also increased at a 5% clip to 3,572 up from 3,412 in May of 2016.

Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, the nation’s three largest credit reporting agencies, announced back in March of this year that beginning July 1 they will no longer include tax liens and civil judgments on credit reports.

Takata, the Japanese auto maker who has been embroiled in a deadly airbag scandal, filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States on Sunday.  Takata’s airbags are the subject of the largest recall in U.S. history.  The airbags have been blamed for at least 16 deaths, and Takata has been hit by more than a billion dollars in penalties and costs.