Posted on June 29, 2020 in Income Taxes

If you’re considering filing bankruptcy, should you first prepare and submit any unfiled income tax returns? Should you prioritize paying them?

Our last two blog posts have been about what you should and should not do before filing bankruptcy. These are important to consider even if you hope to avoid bankruptcy but are sensibly admitting it’s possible.

So two weeks ago we focused on keeping, and not selling or giving up your:

1. assets
2. especially any retirement funds
3. collateral on debts, such as your home, vehicles, or furniture

Last week we discussed whether to take on more debt to buy time and maybe avoid needing to file bankruptcy.

Today we look at whether you should file any unfiled income tax returns, and possibly prioritize paying unpaid income taxes.

The Quick Answer

In general you should:

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 Posted on June 22, 2020 in Bankruptcy

If you’re considering filing bankruptcy, what debts can you incur and which should you avoid? What are the possible consequences?

Two weeks ago we listed 5 crucial things you’d benefit from learning about if you’re thinking about bankruptcy:

1. if bankruptcy is indeed the best option for you
2. how Chapter 7, 11, 12, and 13 work, and whether one is right for you
3. what actions you should take to position yourself for either a possible or definite filing
4. what you should avoid doing
5. the best timing for your bankruptcy filing

We covered the first 2 of these back then. Then last week we got into # 3 and #4, actions you should take and those to avoid before bankruptcy. We focused on keeping, and not selling or giving up your:

1. assets
2. especially any retirement funds
3. collateral on debts, such as your home, vehicles, or furniture

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 Posted on June 08, 2020 in Bankruptcy Options

Businesses considering bankruptcy get intense legal advice before filing. You would also be smart to get solid advice to make a good decision.

What Businesses Do Before Filing Bankruptcy

The following are just a few of the companies which have filed business bankruptcy in the last couple months:

• Pier 1 Imports
• CMX Cinemas
• J. Crew
• Gold’s Gym
• Neiman Marcus
• JC Penney
• Hertz
• Tuesday Morning

Some of these companies will completely go out of business, some will continue on after a financial restructuring.

What they all have in common is that they got lots of legal advice before deciding to file bankruptcy. They likely got that advice over the course of many months. They likely used that advice to try to avoid entering into bankruptcy, take steps to position themselves for filing, and then to time the filing as well as possible.

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 Posted on June 01, 2020 in Discharge of Debts

Student loan debt is something that is becoming an issue in the United States. According to the latest statistics from Forbes, there are currently an estimated 45 million borrows who collectively owe about $1.56 trillion in debt for student loans. Of those, around 11 percent are delinquent on their loans, which means they are 90 days or more late on a payment. For many borrowers, student loan payments are expensive and they are struggling to make ends meet. Many have inquired as to whether or not student loan debt is dischargeable in bankruptcy, but the answer is not quite as simple as a “yes” or “no.”

Is it Even Possible?

Many people believe that student loans are ineligible to be included in a bankruptcy and they would be correct -- but only in most situations. It is not impossible to discharge your student loan debt in a bankruptcy case, but it will make your bankruptcy more difficult because you will have to file an adversary proceeding to determine whether or not you are eligible to have your student loans discharged.

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 Posted on June 01, 2020 in Mortgage

If you receive forbearance on your mortgage payments under the CARES Act, when do you have to catch up on those missed payments?

Last week we presented the new law allowing forbearance—skipping payments—on federally backed mortgages during the pandemic. Basically, if you’ve been financially affected by the pandemic you can request and receive a 6-month forbearance on payments. This can be extended another 6 months if the declared emergency continues at that point.

The obvious question this raises is when do these missed payments need to be paid. This is the topic of today’s blog post.

Major Confusion about Timing of Repayment

The CARES Act provided what is essentially a right to forbearance on federally backed mortgages. But CARES doesn’t say a word about the terms for payment of those payments missed during the period of forbearance.

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 Posted on May 29, 2020 in Chapter 13

Being unable to meet your monthly debt obligations can be a serious source of stress. Many people in this situation turn to bankruptcy as a possible solution. For some people who have a steady income, a Chapter 13 repayment plan may be the best option. Often referred to as the “wage earner’s plan,” this type of bankruptcy allows individuals to repay all or a portion of their debts over a period of three or five years. Each month, a single payment is made to the bankruptcy trustee, who then distributes the appropriate amount to each creditor.

Chapter 13 bankruptcies are popular with individuals who have secured debt attached to certain items that they want to keep, like a house or a car. This is because a Chapter 13 bankruptcy allows individuals to distribute any past due payments into the repayment plan so they can get caught up. While the draw of a Chapter 13 bankruptcy is present, most peoples’ first question is, “How much will my payments be?”

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 Posted on May 25, 2020 in Mortgage

Mortgage delinquencies skyrocketed in April. One big reason: the pandemic CARES Act provided for extraordinary mortgage payment forbearance.

Epic Increase in Mortgage Delinquencies

The number of home mortgages that became delinquent in April was largest one-month increase in U.S. history. 1.6 million mortgages current in March were not paid in April, according to Black Knight, a mortgage data provider.

For some perspective, the percentage of all mortgages that became delinquent nearly doubled in that one month—from 3.39% to 6.45%. This percentage increase was also the largest in history. It broke the last record monthly percentage increase set in 2008, during the Great Recession. The April increase was nearly 3 times the monthly increase back then. This is in spite of the reality that the Great Recession was an epic mortgage crisis.

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 Posted on May 18, 2020 in Financial Crisis

After declining significantly since 2010, consumer bankruptcies edged up in 2019, increased in March, then oddly sharply declined in April.

In the last two weeks three major retailers filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy: J. Crew, Neiman Marcus, and J.C. Penny. Total business Chapter 11 reorganizations were up 26% in April 2020 compared to the same month last year. (560 compared to 444.)

What about consumer bankruptcy filings? What has happened so far, and what’s to come?

Consumer Bankruptcy Filings So Far

Since the Great Recession, consumer bankruptcy filings had been declining. They’d topped out at more than 1.5 million filings in 2010, then came down steadily for almost the full decade. Only half as many consumer bankruptcies were filed in 2018, about 751,000. Then in 2019 the number nudged up for the first time since the Great Recession, although just barely. Annual Business and Non­-business Filings by Year (1980­-2019).

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 Posted on May 15, 2020 in Bankruptcy Law

Nobody wants to file for bankruptcy. Even though you can discharge your debts so that you are no longer legally liable for them, there are a few negative consequences that come from filing for bankruptcy, including a hit to your credit score. However, if you are one of the millions of Americans who are struggling financially, bankruptcy may be the solution. The current coronavirus pandemic has hit the U.S. economy hard, causing unemployment to soar to levels unseen since the Great Depression. The coronavirus has affected many things, including making temporary changes to the bankruptcy code.

The CARES Act

Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in response to the economic crisis emerging from the pandemic. Valued at more than $2 trillion, the CARES Act was monumental for the U.S. as it is the largest stimulus package to become enacted in the history of the country. One of the most popular benefits the Act provides is the economic impact payments that are given to most households and individuals. Single tax filers will receive $1,200, while married couples who file jointly will receive $2,400. Each child that an individual or married couple has that is under 17 will receive an additional $500.

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 Posted on May 11, 2020 in Bankruptcy Law

The coronavirus CARES Act temporarily allows ongoing Chapter 13 plans to be amended or “modified” to last a total of 7 years (instead of 5).

Last month we described the changes to bankruptcy law made by the coronavirus CARES Act enacted on March 27, 2020. One of those changes is the ability to extend the length of ongoing Chapter 13 payment plans. Until now these previously-approved plans could last from a usual minimum of 3 years to a maximum of 5 years. That maximum has now been extended to 7 years.

Longer Plans Can Be Very Helpful

Overall, longer Chapter 13 payment plans give you more flexibility. And greater flexibility is one of the main advantages of the Chapter 13 bankruptcy option.

Usually you want to finish your bankruptcy case as soon as possible to get on with life. But often having more time within Chapter 13 can be a huge benefit.

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