It will take less time than you think to qualify to buy a home after bankruptcy. I generally advise my Florida clients that they will likely qualify within 2-5 years. Where do these numbers come from exactly? FHA and HUD regulations are readily available online. If you have filed a…
This debtor in South Florida recently lost his free and clear car in bankruptcy (actually the debtor was allowed to pay for the one-half interest in a Chapter 13 so it wasn’t quite as bad as it initially appears). Joint ownership is getting murkier and legal advise is definitely needed…
Many people think it is advantageous to only list certain creditors in their bankruptcy. This is not permissible in a bankruptcy because all creditors must be listed. You cannot favor one creditor over another. However, you can always voluntarily pay a creditor back after a bankruptcy if you wish. Besides…
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…
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…
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…
Quotation of the Day: “The fundamental issue is that law schools are producing people who are not capable of being counselors. They are lawyers in the sense that they have law degrees, but they aren’t ready to be a provider of services.” Jeffrey W. Carr, General Counsel. At my Tampa,…
If you are like most Florida consumers overloaded with debt, by not considering bankruptcy, you are continuing to just throw money away on debt servicing. Once you get behind, it can be nearly impossible to catch up especially now with the costs of living rising higher than wage increases. You…