Consumer Corner

Student Loan Income Contingent Repayment Plans An Alternative

Student loan obligations are becoming not only more prevalent but also significantly larger. There is no doubt that several factors are driving this situation— e.g., the ever-increasing cost of post-secondary education and the decreasing value of a baccalaureate degree

Jan 11, 2017

Consolidating Creditor Data in Chapter 13 Cases A Project for Tomorrow Realized Today

The number of claims administered by chapter 13 trustees has increased, leading to more disbursements to more creditors from debtors who are capable of paying more money pursuant to their confirmed plans. This puts a burden on creditors as well as debtors. As a result

Jan 11, 2017

Is the Fragile Middle Class About to Shatter

Last summer, Prof. Robert M. Lawless of the University of Missouri-Columbia published an excellent paper on the relationship between non-business bankruptcy filings and consumer debt load, including mortgages, titled The Relationship Between Non-business Bankruptcy

Jan 11, 2017

Redemption Value Is Hard to Put a Judicial Finger On

It is often said that variety is the spice of life. Well, it may be that there is too much spice in the judicial recipe for the debtor's redemption of an automobile pursuant to §722 of the Code. Statutory interpretation by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern