“Converting” Your Chapter 13 Case into a Chapter 7 One
When you start a Chapter 13 plan, it’s good to have Chapter 7 available as a backup plan.
Quick Rules about Preserving Your Home through Bankruptcy
When does filing bankruptcy save your home? When is “straight bankruptcy”—Chapter 7—the right tool, and when do you need Chapter 13? If your most important goal is to preserve your home, here’s how each kind of bankruptcy helps (or doesn’t help) in circumstances which may apply to you. 1. If you’re current on your home […]
The Nitty-Gritty about Catching Up on Your Mortgage through Chapter 13–Part 2
More answers about how Chapter 13 gives you up to 5 years to catch up on your past-due mortgage.
The Nitty-Gritty about Catching Up on Your Mortgage through Chapter 13–Part 1
Chapter 13 gives you up to 5 years to catch up on your past-due mortgage. How does this actually work?
Persistently High U.S. Unemployment Rate Linked to High Household Debt
Why is the unemployment rate staying so high, years after the recession officially ended? If we knew the answer to this question, we’d have a fighting chance at addressing the problem. In our national economy of 300 million people, it’s not easy to tease out what’s keeping the unemployment rate so high so long. But […]
The Costs and Benefits of Surrendering Collateral in Chapter 13
Chapter 13 buys you flexibility when you want to keep your home or vehicle, but might need to surrender it after all. But it’ll cost you.
Residential Income Segregation Varies Widely Across the U.S.
Increasingly, the rich live among the rich, and the poor among the poor. Especially in the big cities of Texas. Less so in Miami, Cincinnati, Boston, Sacramento, and Portland.
Chapter 13 Turns the Power of the “Automatic Stay” into a Superpower
If Chapter 7 strengthens your hand against your secured creditors, Chapter 13 turns you into Superman. It starts with a much more robust “automatic stay.”
What if Protecting Your Home Is Your Highest Priority?
You may have serious financial problems but have still managed to keep current on your mortgage. How does bankruptcy NOT hurt your home but instead protects it?
State Sued for Diverting $50 Million from its Foreclosure Settlement Fund
The state with the highest foreclosure rate, Arizona, is being sued for violating the settlement’s federal consent judgment by not using the funds for helping homeowners.