Debt collectors excel at taking advantage of student loan borrowers by misrepresenting the law and options available to borrowers. Common violations we see in Florida are: 1) Misrepresenting that the collector may use federal powers such as Social Security offsets or administrative garnishment of wages; 2) Providing inaccurate information about…
For the first time ever, student loan debt has surpassed credit card debt as student loan debt reaches the $1 trillion mark per a recent Bloomberg article. Student loan debt collection has become big business. Contracted student loan debt collectors’ profits surpass $1 billion in 2011 alone! Little wonder when…
Many more bankrupt debtors will be able to keep their house in a Chapter 7 now! In a surprising decision by a court of appeals not noted for its sympathy for debtors’ positions, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, held in a unanimous decision that a Chapter 7 debtor may…
Our Tampa, Florida bankruptcy law firm is small enough that we are able to help time our clients’ bankruptcy case for maximum results. Without proper timing, a bankruptcy can feel more like a trap than a remedy for financial ills. We are often able to save our clients several hundred…
Many bankruptcy debtors in Florida are understandably confused when they surrender their home in the bankruptcy, but are still receiving various dunning letters. First, it is important to understand that the Bankruptcy Code does not have a mechanism in place to provide for the actual transfer of the real estate…
Here in Florida, our foreclosure defense clients have seen two more excellent principal reduction offers in the past month – both from Ocwen. Both reductions were to the fair market value, maybe even below, and both were reduced over $100,000. Additionally, the interest rates were reduced to 4% for the…
The recent AG settlement among the states’ Attorneys General and the five largest mortgage servicers is expected to be filed any day now. Hopefully then more light will be shed on what exactly the terms are and how they will help Florida homeowners. The Wall Street Journal reported today that…
Creditors are busily sending out more 1099C’s then ever before according to a story by Jeremy Campbell of Channel 13 in Tampa, Florida this week. The news story “How the IRS taxes debt” explains that debt settlements while good, come with a penalty. Consumers are taxed on the forgiven debt…
USF and Occupy Tampa is holding a Foreclosure Teach-In this Saturday March 10, 2012 1:30-4:30. There is no charge and you can also attend via the Internet live feed. Senior Staff Attorney from Jacksonville Area Legal Aid April Charney will be speaking. April has been traveling around the State of…
I often sit with my clients in Tampa, Florida and perform a simple test: I make two columns on a piece of paper and list the pros and cons of filing bankruptcy versus trying to settle their debt. More often than not, the bankruptcy column has many more pros, while…