On the Bankruptcy Soapbox
Rants and reflections about bankruptcy law, debt, credit and our society.
Author: Cathy Moran practices with the Moran Law Group in Mountain View, Calif.
Blawg Related Categories: Bankruptcy Law • Solo / Small Firm
Recent Posts from On the Bankruptcy Soapbox
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Debt settlement: how it really works
Debt settlement companies thrive on tapping the consumer’s genuine desire to pay back their debts. They promise that they will compromise with your creditors for a sizable discount and all will be well with the…
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Inheritances & bankruptcy: rolling the dice
A debtor who becomes entitled to an inheritance in the six months following the filing of a bankruptcy case must contribute that inheritance to his creditors. 11 USC 541 (a)(5). This is one of only…
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Drive in bankruptcy?
We got a call about three o’clock the other afternoon from someone who wanted to come in that afternoon and file bankruptcy that day. When my partner hesitated, the caller responded, “Well , you are…
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J K Harris settles with California over misleading ads
California was one of 18 states who sued the tax settlement firm JKHarris for selling services they couldn’t provide. The settlement reached will require fuller disclosure of the odds of reaching the promised results. Everyone…
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Take that, and that, you mortgage lender
It was a good day at my desk, if one has to work on Saturdays. I gave notice that one client was rescinding a $180,000 mortgage for Truth in Lending violations. I found three clients…
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20 questions or 200 questions
My great friend Doug Jacobs identified finding a lawyer you can talk to and listen to as important points in selecting a lawyer. He points out that the client will be disclosing lots of information…
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Liar loans and those that sold them
A bankruptcy court in Oakland recently rebuffed a mortgage lender who claimed it had been defrauded by borrowers who lied on the loan application. The judge agreed the debtors falsely inflated their income, but found…
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Bankruptcy and the “hard of hearing”
You never know just how a client hears your advice, until you hear yourself quoted back to yourself as the reason for a client doing something stupid. In my case, I’m unclear about whether the…
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Guide to Exemptions in a Mobile World
The “new” bankruptcy law set out to make bankruptcy complex and laden with booby traps, including the restrictions on choice of exemptions. John Bates has performed a truly marvelous service with his table of exemption…
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Denying the debt collector
Pam Stewart writes about debt collectors suggesting a cash advance on the card they were collecting on to pay the arrears. That one ups the story I’ve heard twice in the past 2 months: the…