Use the NDC to Track Your Chapter 13 Bankruptcy
The National Data Center (or “NDC”) is a comprehensive data source for Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases and claims. Access is free to bankruptcy debtors. If you have filed a Chapter 13 in Maryland or Washington, DC, create an account at the NDC website. Once you have an account, you can track your Chapter 13 bankruptcy. […]
Debt in Collection on Your Credit Report
The debt collection industry makes several billion dollars annually. From Q4 2009 through Q2 2015, no fewer than 33 percent had a debt collection item on their credit reports. Today, 28 percent of Americans have negative collection debts weighing down their credit scores. If you have a debt in collection on your credit report, you’re […]
Bankruptcy is the Least Expensive Way to Get Rid of Debt
Americans differ in many ways, but debt is something so many of us have in common. What we use to compensate is another thing so many of us also have in common: credit. If you feel caught up in an inescapable debt cycle, know this: Bankruptcy is the least expensive way to get rid of debt. […]
Student Loan Forgiveness Provides Relief
44.7 million Americans carry student loan debt totaling $1.56 trillion, second only to mortgage debt. The average student loan payment for borrowers 20 to 30 years old is $393 per month. Student loan forgiveness would provide relief to these distressed borrowers. In the last quarter of 2018, U.S. student loan delinquencies reached a record of […]
Debt Doesn’t Just Disappear
Debt collector phone calls and collection letters in the mail are never welcome yet must be dealt with all the same. For some, ignoring their debt is a direct result of not having the money to pay the debt. But know this: ignoring debt collectors will never remedy the situation. In fact, it could make it […]
Because You’re Ready for a Fresh Start
Because you’re not making enough money to live on. Or because your expenses just are out of control. Because life should be more than nonstop work and worry. You may be ready for bankruptcy. Because you have no assets to speak of. Or because you’re at risk of missing out on basic life necessities. Because […]
Senior Citizens Are Increasingly Filing for Bankruptcy Protection
Older Americans are increasingly filing for bankruptcy due to soaring healthcare costs and reductions in social services. According to a recent report, since 1991, the rate of senior citizens filing for bankruptcy protection have increased twofold for Americans 65-74 years old and threefold for those 75 and over. These increases are astonishing and represent a […]
Bankruptcy Discharge of Student Loans Would Boost U.S. Economy
When the Great Recession officially ended in June 2009, the total outstanding amount of student loan debt in the U.S. was $675 billion. Today, total U.S. student loan debt has more than doubled to $1.465 trillion. If allowed to do so, not every student will declare bankruptcy to discharge student loans. But for those who […]
Retain or Surrender Secured Debt in Bankruptcy?
Secured debt in bankruptcy is treated differently than unsecured debt. In a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, loans securing property may exempt that property from liquidation. Chapter 13 bankruptcy, on the other hand, allows you to repay over time any defaulted amounts on secured loans. Often the most important question revolves around whether to retain or surrender […]