Category: Bankruptcy

CFPB Proposes to Add Greater Restrictions on Debt Collection Firms

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) proposed rules to supervise large debt collectors and credit reporting agencies. The rule covers consumer debt collectors, including law firms, earning more than $10 million from the activity. This works out to 4 percent of consumer debt collectors; but about 63 percent of annual receipts from the debt collection

2nd Mortgage Holders and HELOC Investors will Benefit from the AG Foreclosure Settlement

The banks that settled a nationwide probe of foreclosure practices last month will get a bonus from the deal. The bonus is protection for $308 billion of home-equity loans they hold. The banks that service about half the nation’s mortgages on behalf of investors will be able to share losses on their junior loans with

Student Loan Volume is a Drag on the Housing Market

As outstanding student debt approaches $1 trillion, it’s one more reason record-low interest rates aren’t doing more to boost housing. The tighter lending standards that have emerged in the wake of the recession weigh particularly on younger, first-time home buyers. 9 percent of 29 to 34-year-olds got a first-time mortgage between 2009 and 2011; compared

Foreclosures to Climb before Settlement with Banks can Help

The $25 billion settlement with banks over foreclosure abuses may result in a wave of home seizures; inflicting short-term pain on delinquent U.S. borrowers while making a long-term housing recovery more likely. Lenders slowed the pace of foreclosures as they negotiate the $25 billion settlement. With an agreement reached, banks are likely to resume property

Freddie Mac Bets Against Homeowners and Refinancing

A new report claims that Freddie Mac betrayed American homeowners. That is after placing multibillion-dollar bets that will pay off if homeowners remain shackled by costly mortgages with interest rates well above current rates. Interest rates now reach as high as seven percent. The company does not want borrowers to default on their mortgages. However,

Will Student Loans once again be Dischargeable in Bankruptcy?

In May 2011, a U.S. Representative from Tennessee introduced a bill called the Private Student Loan Bankruptcy Fairness Act of 2011. The bill proposes to make private student loans generally dischargeable in bankruptcy (like they were before the revisions in 2005) as a way of addressing the mounting student loan crisis. The bill proposes to

Will Student Loan Debt be the Next Bubble?

With student loan debt now topping U.S. credit card debt and few or no options available for distressed borrowers, America faces the very real possibility of another major economic threat. The threat that is on a par with the devastating home mortgage crisis. As bankruptcy attorneys, we have seen an increase in the last three-four

Do Black Americans Face Bias in Bankruptcy?

A study has found that blacks are twice as likely as whites to wind up in Chapter 13

The Debate Over Mortgage Principal Reduction

Mortgage principal reduction is an idea that could be helpful to or cause more default among borrowers. Some experts feel that widespread mortgage principal reduction may drive defaults much higher. Also, taking this step may tighten lending by forcing banks to offer “price protection” to borrowers. Moreover, the data shows there is essentially no difference

Beware the Impacts of the New "CoreScore" Credit Report

Beware the Impacts of the New "CoreScore" Credit