The local newspaper, the Binghamton Press and Sun-Bulletin recently had three articles of interest. The headlines were: “Foreclosures up between July, August,” “Borrowing jumps as credit card use rises,” and “Consumer confidence takes a dive…Latest Binghamton ranking is lowest in state.”
The foreclosure article stated that in my county foreclosures were up 85 percent from the [...]

My review of bankruptcy information websites revealed that many folks have been misled about some of the changes in the 2005 Bankruptcy Act. Apparently, there is a rumor that lawyers must charge for the service they provide and can not provide pro bono (volunteer) representation. This is completely untrue.
If you [...]

A debt collector when communicating with a consumer must state that the communication is from a debt collector. See 15 U.S.C. 1692e(11). A recent controversy under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (”FDCPA”) is whether debt collectors must make this statement when they leave a consumer a voice mail message. In a [...]

You need to state a good-faith value of your assets in your bankruptcy papers. I instruct my clients to use a liquidation/tag sale/auction/pawn shop value, since the real issue is what a trustee could get for your property for your creditors.
The Chapter 7 trustees are acutely aware of the costs of sale, perhaps [...]

There is currently one Chapter 13 trustee for Manhattan bankruptcy cases. This trustee, Jeffrey L. Sapir, is assigned to administer all Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases filed in Manhattan. Jeffrey L Sapir can be reached at 399 Knollwood Road, Suite 102, White Plains, NY 10603. His office phone number is (914) 328-6333. [...]

There are currently two Chapter 13 trustees for Brooklyn bankruptcy cases. These trustees are assigned at Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases filed in Brooklyn based on the judge assigned to the case. They are:
Marianne DeRosa, Esq.
Michael J. Macco, Esq.
For contact information, go to the U.S. Trustee’s website.
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The Chapter 13 Trustee gets a fee which is used to pay the expenses of running the Chapter 13 Trustee’s office.  That fee is a certain percentage taken out of almost all of the payments made by the Chapter 13 Trustee to creditors.  The fee is set by the office of the United States Trustee, [...]

In Massachusetts if you fall behind in your car payments, your car lender can not just take your car. However, after you are 30 days past due a lender can decide to repossess your car (this can also happen if you fail to keep your car insured). A lender must send you a [...]

If you are a Georgia resident or are otherwise required to use the Georgia exemptions, here are some basics about the Georgia exemption rules:
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You may have heard that a bankruptcy lawyer can’t legally advise a client to incur new debts before filing bankruptcy.  In fact, Section 526(a)(4) of the new bankruptcy law contains this odd-sounding rule, but what does it really mean?  Does it mean your lawyer is forbidden from fully advising you about your options?  Are you prevented from getting legal [...]