Sonoma County Lawyer Blog

Sonoma County foreclosures may be less common than they were two years ago, but they continue to besiege financially vulnerable homeowners.

According to The Real Estate Report, notices of default in Sonoma County - the first step in the foreclosure process - jumped 52.1% in February. But the good news is that there were still down by 70.1% from the previous year.

Due to the avalanche of foreclosures in recent years, banks continue to own about 685 properties in the county.

Financial Vulnerability Breeds New Forms of Fraud

The Great Recession saw too many people lose their jobs and their homes. Unfortunately, unscrupulous individuals saw a window of opportunity amid this atmosphere of pain and financial uncertainty.

As part of their fraud, companies cropped up, claiming they could prevent foreclosure by negotiating with a consumer's lender or obtaining a loan modification.
These services were offered at a price and naïve and desperate homeowners facing the prospect of foreclosure gladly paid the fee.

Many of the companies pretended to be affiliated with the government or government housing assistance programs. Others falsely claimed to offer legal services or "audits" of consumers' loan paperwork to help them negotiate a resolution with their lenders.
Unfortunately, promised services were never delivered.

Continue reading "Financial Instability of Sonoma County Families Breeds New Forms of Fraud" »

Have you checked your credit card report lately? It could have errors that are causing you to unnecessarily pay higher interest payments, mortgage and vehicle loans, and insurance premiums. Those errors could even prevent you from landing a new job.

According to a study by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), as many as five percent of consumers had errors on one of three major credit reports. In some cases, the errors worsened the consumer's overall credit rating.

Credit reports contain more than a record of your debts. It also includes information about whether pay your bills on a timely basis and will note if you've been sued or filed for bankruptcy.

Your Credit Information Is for Sale

Continue reading "What Do You Do When Your Credit Report Is Wrong?" »

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) receives more complaints about debt collectors, including debt buyers, than about any other single industry.

The Problems with Debt Buying

What is debt buying? It occurs when companies purchase a creditor's debt and then tries to collect the amount owed. Debt purchasing can be a lucrative business, with companies known to purchase debt for just a few cents on the dollar.

For consumers, debt buying can become a nightmare. There are cases in which debt collectors seek to recover funds from the wrong consumer for an erroneous amount.

In 2009, the FTC studied the issue by obtaining information from nine of the largest debt buyers that together amassed 76.1% of all debt sold in 2008.

As part of the study, the FTC studied 5,000 portfolios containing nearly 90 million consumer accounts. Although the accounts were worth $143 billion, debt buying companies purchased the debt for $6.5 billion. Credit card debt accounted for 62% of the portfolios.

Continue reading "What Happens When Your Debt is Purchased?" »

If you remember nothing else from this post, remember this one rule, lenders don't give a damn about what your judgment for dissolution says.

A marital dissolution judgment addresses, among other things, division of both the assets and debts accrued during the marriage. This includes credit card debt. However credit card companies, and other third parties not a party to the action are not bound by the judgment.

Unless you are careful right from the moment you decide to separate, you can end up being liable for credit card debt incurred by your ex. It is best if divorcing couples exit the marriage without any joint debt.

When divorce is anticipated, make every effort to close any joint accounts, paying off the existing debt or allocating it to new credit card accounts - one for each of the responsible spouses.

If you rely instead on a divorce degree that allocates a portion of the debt to your ex, but both names stay on the account, creditors can still come after you for any unpaid debts if you ex fails to make payments or declares bankruptcy. These debts become yours. In addition, your ex's late or missed payments will damage your credit record.

Some credit cards are in one spouse's name, with the other listed as an authorized user. Authorized users cannot be held liable for charges on this type of account. If you are the owner of the account, immediately request that your spouse be removed as an authorized user. If you are the user, ask to have you name removed from the account.

Continue reading "You May be Responsible for Your Ex's Credit Card Debt - Santa Rosa Divorce" »

The following summary was written by Robert Christopher and is being reproduced by permission of Mr. Christopher. The views and opinions expressed in his article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of JVS Law. The information and/or opinions in Mr. Christopher's summary are based on sources believed to be reliable but no representation, expressed or implied, is made as to its accuracy, completeness or correctness.

Chapter 13 bankruptcy vs debt management - Which outperforms the other?

If you've racked up piles of debt on your credit cards, you must be looking for an option to delete your financial worries. When it comes to choosing between debt management programs and bankruptcy, this may be a difficult choice. Nowadays, due to lack of funds among the Americans, it is becoming increasingly difficult to deal with high interest credit cards, car loan payments and medical bills. When people are running from shortage of cash, what steps are they supposed to take in order to forget their debt woes? Should they opt for debt management programs or should they file bankruptcy? Debt management is more like debt consolidation through which you can combine your debts into single monthly payments but Chapter 13 is not much different from this. Read on the concerns of this article in order to know which option suits your financial conditions better.

Continue reading "Chapter 13 bankruptcy vs. Debt Management Programs" »

Payday loan companies, or as they used to be called "loan sharks", are creating a real problem for consumers who are in dire need of a quick buck for an unexpected expense.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government. Its principal mission is the promotion of consumer protection and the elimination and prevention of what regulators perceive to be harmfully anti-competitive business practices.

On April 11, the FTC announced a temporary restraining order against Broadway Global Master, Inc. a debtor collector enjoining them from conducting business or withdrawing any funds from their bank accounts. Broadway obtained detailed information about payday borrowers from an unknown source and engaged in intimidation to collect over $4 million from them.

According to the FTC, representatives from Broadway would contact debtors and pretend to be law enforcement officers, use a FBI caller ID, threaten arrest, a state placement of the debtor's children, or to call the debtor's employer, and use obscene language.

Continue reading "FTC Enjoins Fake, Harassing, Payday Loan Debt Collector's Business" »

In HSBC Bank Nevada, N.A. v. Aguilar, the Appellate Division of the Los Angeles County Superior Court held that a bank was not required to present any proof in order to obtain a default judgment against a holder of a credit card.

HSBC Bank Nevada, N.A., sued Lizet Aguilar for money damages based on Aguilar's alleged default on a credit-card agreement. Aguilar did not respond. HSBC requested entry of default and a clerk's judgment.

The clerk entered Aguilar's default, but refused to enter judgment. The clerk instructed HSBC to submit either an original promissory note or contract or, if necessary, a declaration of a lost original. HSBC did not comply with those instructions. The trial court ordered a show-cause hearing.

Continue reading "Banks Are Not Required To Present Any Proof In Order To Obtain Default Judgment" »

In response to the recent Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by ResCap, the mortgage arm of Ally Financial, formerly known as GMAC Mortgage, NACBA will be seeking global relief from the automatic stay to allow consumers in bankruptcy cases of their own to bring actions in those cases related to ResCap/Ally/GMAC claims. NACBA is committed to quickly obtaining the broadest and most efficient relief from the stay as possible, so that consumers and their attorneys can continue to bring lien-strip actions, objections to claim, and other actions in bankruptcy cases, without having to individually seek permission from the bankruptcy court in New York. NACBA is both working with the U.S. Trustee and retaining counsel to bring appropriate motions.

This will benefit any debtor who is in bankruptcy and has a mortgage from Ally Financial or GMAC Mortgage. This way debtors will still be able to obtain all the benefits of bankruptcy without any additional work or attorney fees.

The Law Offices of James V. Sansone assists individuals file for bankruptcy protection under the United States Bankruptcy Code and assists creditors to protect their rights when a bankruptcy is filed. We are located in Santa Rosa, California and serve clients throughout Sonoma County, Mendocino County, and Lake County, including Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Cotati, Rohnert Park, Sebastopol, Healdsburg, Sonoma, Kenwood, Glen Ellen, Windsor, Bodega Bay, Ukiah, Willits, Clearlake, Lakeport, and Kelseyville.

The changes made to the Bankruptcy Code in 2005 significantly increased the cost of filing for bankruptcy for consumer debtors without producing a statistically significant increase in creditor recoveries, according to a recently completed study funded by the American Bankruptcy Institute H.N. Schnelling Endowment Fund and the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges Endowment for Education.

The study looked at what it cost a consumer to file for bankruptcy before and after the changes took effect. The study showed that the hardest hit were debtors who filed no asset Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Cases, with an increased cost of approximately 51 percent.

In Chapter 13 cases, the TDAC increased by 24 percent dismissed cases and by 27 percent in cases where the debtor received a discharge.

"It takes more skill and experienced to responsibly and professionally represent consumer debtors--especially in this economic climate--than it used to. "Moreover, the system is less tolerant of mistakes and yet there are so many more opportunities presented by BAPCPA for even seasoned attorneys to make errors. Without a detailed understanding of how to make the system work, the temptation is there for lawyers to 'cut corners' in order to minimize time spent on a client's case, or conversely, to spend so much time on a case that the legal fee exceeds what an insolvent client can reasonable afford.

Efficiency coupled with a high level of skill, while important to every area of law practice, is crucial to the success of a consumer bankruptcy practice. Best practices' for consumer bankruptcy lawyers requires finding a balance between comprehensively addressing a financially distressed client's interests, and doing so in a time sensitive and efficient manner", the report stated.

The Law Offices of James V. Sansone assists individuals file for bankruptcy protection under the United States Bankruptcy Code. We are located in Santa Rosa, California and serve clients throughout Sonoma County, Mendocino County, and Lake County, including Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Cotati, Rohnert Park, Sebastopol, Healdsburg, Sonoma, Kenwood, Glen Ellen, Windsor, Bodega Bay, Ukiah, Willits, Clearlake, Lakeport, and Kelseyville.

The National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (NACBA) prepared a report regarding the dischargeability of student loans in the bankruptcy court. I have summarized the report below, but click here to review the entire report .

According to the NACBA, Americans now owe more on student loans than on credit cards. The amount of student borrowing crossed the $100 billion threshold for the first time in 2010 and total outstanding loans and exceeded $1 trillion for the first time last year. The reason: Students and workers seeking retraining are borrowing extraordinary amounts of money through federal and private loan programs to help cover the rising cost of college and training. In many cases, parents responsible for the student loans are in or near retirement years and facing repayment demands.

How big is the danger to the U.S. economy? "Evidence is mounting that student loans could be the next trouble spot for lenders," said Dr. Andrew Jennings, chief analytics officer at FICO and head of FICO Labs.

With rising debt comes increased risk, both to borrowers and to the economy in general. Even in the best of economic times when jobs are plentiful, young people with considerable debt burdens end up delaying life-cycle events such as buying a car, purchasing a home, getting married and having children. Piling up student loans in middle age is even more troublesome. Aside from the simple truth that there is less time to earn back the money, it also means facing retirement years still deeply in debt. And, parents who take out loans for children or co-sign loans will find those loans more difficult to pay as they stop working and their incomes decline.

Continue reading "The Student Loan Debt Bomb: America's Next Mortgage Economic Crisis" »

According to the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (NACBA), the proposed principal paydown plan has hit a road block.

According to an e-mail update issued by the NACBA, NACBA's Principal Paydown Plan to help underwater homeowners in chapter 13 bankruptcy avoid foreclosure, has been endorsed by a substantial number of Members of Congress who in turn have pushed for action by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to implement the plan. In a series of private meetings and in letters to FHFA, Senators and Members of Congress have asked the FHFA to use its authority over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to require them to agree to the Principal Paydown Plan when proposed by a homeowner trying to save a home in chapter 13 bankruptcy.

Despite FHFA Director DeMarco's initial positive comments about the Principal Paydown Plan, which he said struck him as "being responsible," and a "credible way to address the crisis while recognizing various interests mortgaged properties," he recently wrote to Congress informing them that the agency would not be implementing the Principal Paydown Plan. FHFA concluded that few GSE borrowers have filed for chapter 13 bankruptcy and are underwater and therefore the proposal would not be all that helpful. They did, however, commit to doing what they can to help eligible borrowers in bankruptcy get the HAMP modifications they qualify for.

While the FHFA response is disappointing and inadequate, and we believe wrong, we are gratified that the many Members of Congress who have pushed for this solution continue to be engaged and are looking for ways to get the Principal Paydown Plan implemented despite the FHFA's position. These Members of Congress recognize, as so many of us do, that the foreclosure crisis is not going away anytime soon and so long as it continues, the nation will not enjoy the kind of recovery that is needed to stabilize the economy and get people back to work.

The debtor and West Vernon Energy Corporation had been engaged in lengthy litigation. Prior to the debtor's bankruptcy filing, a jury awarded West Vernon a verdict of $178,207. The debtor's bankruptcy included a debt owed to "West Vernon Petroleum" at an address different than West Vernon's address.

Although it appeared that West Vernon's never received notice of the bankruptcy filing from the Clerk of the Bankruptcy Court, the company received actual notice of the filing from the debtor's attorney. This notice was received two months prior to the claims bar date. Despite this opportunity to file a claim before the deadline, West Vernon filed its claim several weeks after the deadline.

West Vernon then asked the court to have its claim deemed timely filed. The court denied the request, and disallowed the claim, stating that since Section 502(b)(9) was added to the Code, bankruptcy courts have almost uniformly ruled that proofs of claim that are untimely filed in a Chapter 13 case may not be deemed timely filed.
As such, the bankruptcy court denied an improperly scheduled creditor's request that its tardily filed claim be deemed timely filed.

If you are a creditor in a pending bankruptcy case there are very quick critical deadlines that must be followed to preserve your rights. The Law Offices of James V. Sansone is located in Santa Rosa, California and serves clients, debtors and creditors, with their bankruptcy needs throughout the North Bay area of California, including Sonoma County, Mendocino County, Lake County, Santa Rosa, Napa, Petaluma, Cotati, Rohnert Park, Sebastopol, Healdsburg, Sonoma, Kenwood, Glen Ellen, Windsor, Bodega Bay, Ukiah, Willits, Clearlake, Lakeport and Kelseyville.

Bankruptcy courts rely on the "Brunner Test" for determining whether a student loan is dischargeable in bankruptcy based on a claim of undue hardship. This test is based on a U.S. Court of Appeals decision, Brunner v. New York State Higher Education Services Corp, and requires a debtor to prove:

(1) That the debtor cannot maintain, based on current income and expenses, a minimal standard of living for the debtor and dependents if forced to pay off student loans; (2) that additional circumstances exist indicating that this state of affairs is likely to persist for a significant portion of the repayment period of the student loans; and (3) that the debtor has made good faith efforts to repay the loans.

Four years after a debtor received her Chapter 7 discharge, she moved to reopen her bankruptcy case for the purposes of seeking an undue hardship discharge of her student loans. The case was reopen and the debtor filed an adversary complaint seeking the discharge of $19,726 in student loans.

Continue reading "Debtor Discharges Student Loans After 25 Years" »

It is well established that the holder of a first mortgage can't modify the terms of the loan if the loan is on his primary residence. However, what if the mortgage is on a rental property which is not the debtor's primary residence, can the terms of the first mortgage be modified? Yes in a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, subject to strict rules.

You can use a Chapter 13 bankruptcy to cramdown the mortgages on your investment properties. Investment property generally means any property other than your principal place of residence such as rental or commercial properties. You cannot use a mortgage cramdown to reduce the balance of your mortgages on your principal residence. However, you may still be able to get rid of your second mortgage on your principal residence in Chapter 13 bankruptcy through a process called lien stripping.

I have advised debtors that, under certain very specific circumstances, to move out of the home, rent it out on a month to month basis, rent an apartment, file a chapter 13 bankruptcy, cramdown their first mortgage, and then move back into their home. (Since the debtor rented their home on a month to month basis, they can terminate the tenancy at any time). Is this bad faith? That can only be answered on a case by case basis.

This brings up the very next question, at what point in time is it determined if the subject piece of property is the debtor's primary residence or rental property not his primary residence?

Continue reading "Mortgage Cramdown In A Chapter 13 Bankruptcy?" »

Credit card delinquencies have reached a six-year low, according to the latest Credit Card Index from Fitch Ratings according to Consumer Bankruptcy News. The report also shows credit card charge-offs ticking up for the first time in the past several months.

Credit card accounts more than 60 days past due dropped to 2.15 percent in August, marking the 19th straight month of decline from a record high of 4.5%. Accounts on which consumers have missed one payment declined from 3.34% to 3.02%.

Credit card defaults increased from 6.33% to 6.41%. The Fitch Ratings Report said the increase was driven by two of the larger trusts--Citibank and Bank of America--posting higher losses. The report added that charge-off rates of 6% are considered normal.
Consumers repaid 21.14% of their credit card debt in August. That figure was less than the 21.76% paid in July, but was well above the index average of 16.3%.

Some may point to this as an indication that the economy is improving. I'm not convinced. Is it possible that credit card delinquencies have decreased because credit is harder to get? Can it be that credit is no longer considered an American citizen's right but a qualified privilege?

If you are suffering from an unhealthy amount of credit card debt the Law Offices of James V. Sansone can help. We are located in Santa Rosa, California and serve clients with their bankruptcy needs throughout the North Bay area of California, including Sonoma County, Mendocino County, Lake County, Santa Rosa, Napa, Petaluma, Cotati, Rohnert Park, Sebastopol, Healdsburg, Sonoma, Kenwood, Glen Ellen, Windsor, Bodega Bay, Ukiah, Willits, Clearlake, Lakeport and Kelseyville.