The Golden Rules to Discharge Taxes: If you choose to file a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, your tax debt could be discharged if you meet the following tests: The taxes must be for income. The tax debt must be at least 3 years old (including extensions). You must have filed the…
Articles Posted in Chapter 7 Bankruptcy
Business Debt Dragging You Down, Consider Bankruptcy Options for a Fresh Start.
Many of our recent bankruptcy clients report large amounts of business debt. This may be small business loans, credit cards run up to support a small business, or personal guarantees. Often the business is gone at this point and we are looking to file an individual bankruptcy. Filing a bankruptcy…
How to Become Debt Free by the Holidays?
Do you realize that if you are constantly robbing Peter to pay Paul and cannot ever get ahead, you could be debt free by the holidays if you qualify for a Chapter 7. Many clients who come to see us have been struggling with debt for a long long time.…
Can I Buy, Sell or Trade in My Car Before Filing Bankruptcy?
This can be a sticky wicket. I’ve never actually used that word in a sentence. 🙂 Normally you can buy a car before filing bankruptcy. In fact, in some cases it can be a good idea (note: as a bankruptcy attorney I am not supposed to tell our clients to…
Can I Keep My Car in Bankruptcy?
One of the common questions we get is whether or not someone filing bankruptcy can keep their car. The answer is Yes, but you do have to pay to keep it. How you do that depends upon how much equity is in the car, whether you own or lease, whether…
Common Mortgage Problems Following a Chapter 7 with No Reaffirmation of the Mortgage
Consumer debtors routinely have various related difficulties with mortgages following the filing of a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Unfortunately, the first thought is that the bankruptcy attorney messed up when that really is not the case. They think the attorney put the home into the bankruptcy when it was meant to be…
Under What Circumstances Can a Creditor Continue to Report a Debt Following a Bankruptcy?
The FTC guidelines state that credit reports can include debts discharged in bankruptcy so long as they’re reported as discharged with a zero balance. 16 C.F.R. 600 app. § 607(b)(6). See also Schueller 559 Fed.Appx. at 737; Horsch, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 37476, 2015 WL 1344836, at *10. The only…
Loan Mods Often Easier in Bankruptcy – Ch 7 or Ch 13
We are still doing loan mods for our clients – three alone this week – one in a Chapter 13 bankruptcy and two outside of bankruptcy. One has the docs to sign, another was presented with options including a principal reduction, and the other should be finished with underwriting and…
Cannot Use Bankruptcy Court to Collaterally Attack State Court Foreclosure Judgment
Sometimes our Florida foreclosure defense clients wait too long to challenge a foreclosure. This is the primary reason why we attorneys always post advice and blog incessantly about not letting a mortgage company get a default judgment or challenging a default if one occurs. However, a client can also wait…
Tax Intercepts, Wage Garnishment, Payroll Loan Deductions: How Can a Debtor Afford to File Bankruptcy?
Bankruptcy filings are down substantially in 2014 to only 910,090 which is the lowest number since 2007. Yet at the same time, people are still losing their homes especially in Florida, wages are flat or down and the cost of living continues to rise other than gas which isn’t too…