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Dead Debts Haunt Home Purchase

By Cathy Moran

Watch for old debts

Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom. It’s also the price of freedom from old debts, as my former bankruptcy client learned. He was about to close escrow on a new home a couple of years after his discharge. But the sale came to a screaming halt when an old, discharged debt reappeared on his […]

Filed Under: Consumer Rights, Life after bankruptcy, True Stories

Why Creditors Should Get Less in Chapter 13

By Cathy Moran

Spending every dollar they make, and then some, is often how our Chapter 13 clients got into financial trouble. Yet Chapter 13, as practiced, validates the practice of continuing to spend 100% of each month’s income during the life of the plan. In doing so, we squander the chance to use Chapter 13 to teach […]

Filed Under: Chapter 13, Consumer Rights, Pondering

At Risk Of Arrest For Not Paying Your Debts?

By Cathy Moran

This fake arrest warrant is wrong in so many ways. Repeat after me: we don’t jail people for debt. More on scams and scammers We’re from the IRS and we’re here to help Phone tip to avoid arrest

Filed Under: Consumer Rights

The New Rules Of Asset Protection

By Cathy Moran

I coined a new rule about asset protection schemes after meeting with a bankruptcy prospect: If the asset protection plan is too complicated for the owner to explain, it probably won’t stand up to challenge. This man had paid an attorney a fistful of money to create LLC’s and limited partnerships, each of which held fractional […]

Filed Under: Consumer Rights, True Stories

Mix Old Debts & Good Faith Payments For Bad Results

By Cathy Moran

Old debts don’t live forever. The shell of the debt may hang around, like this mummy, but inside the shell, the debt is dead. But just like a bad mummy movie, old, dead debt can be brought back to life. All it takes is an attempt on your part to be honorable , or an attempt by […]

Filed Under: Consumer Rights

Can You Spot The Signs Of A Collection Scam

By Cathy Moran

  It’s pretty scary when a $300 payday loan turns into an investigation by the Federal Crimes Bureau. Not only was the recipient of the letter  below being  “investigated for crimes”,  his Social Security number would be suspended, and a court case initiated against him immediately. At great cost and embarrassment. Unless, of course, he sent the […]

Filed Under: Consumer Rights

The Collection Call That Terrifies

By Cathy Moran

debt collector

Nothing strikes terror in someone behind on their bills like the fear that the collector will call their family. Sheer terror. It works, too. That fear is second only to a wage garnishment for bringing people to see a bankruptcy lawyer. The only flaw in the collector’s strategy in contacting your family about your debts […]

Filed Under: Considering Bankruptcy, Consumer Rights Tagged With: bankruptcy alternatives

Money Troubles Plague My Vacation

By Cathy Moran

I needed a vacation, badly. After a long year launching Money Health Central, practicing bankruptcy law through the Great Recession, and teaching new bankruptcy lawyers at Bankruptcy Mastery, I was drained. Three weeks away sounded like Nirvana. I had three weeks in which I didn’t have to post a thing to the three or four […]

Filed Under: Consumer Rights, Pondering

Credit card “overspending” parallels housing crisis

By Cathy Moran

Forbes has compiled a list of cities where credit card spending is highest. My scan of the list suggests that this list is simply another version of the areas of the country where housing is in trouble.  Homeowners with outsized mortgage payments rely on credit cards to make up the difference needed to support the […]

Filed Under: Consumer Rights

Taking my own advice Part Two

By Cathy Moran

The return receipt on my “do not contact” letter to ATT arrived at my office showing receipt on July 6th. Between July 7 and July 10, we got seven calls at home about the disputed account; on July 12th, we got a call from NCO who announce that the account has been turned over to […]

Filed Under: Consumer Rights, True Stories, Uncategorized

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About The Soapbox

You've arrived at the Bankruptcy Soapbox, a resource of bankruptcy information and consumer law.

Soapbox is a companion site to Bankruptcy in Brief, where I try to be largely explanatory and even handed (Note I said "try").

Here, I allow myself to tell stories and express strong opinions on how I think law should work for the consumer and small businesses when it comes to debt.

Moran Law Group
Bankruptcy specialists for individuals and small businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area

How Bankruptcy Works

Bankruptcy Alphabet: E is for Exemptions

E stands for exemptions in my Bankruptcy Alphabet. Exemptions describe the possessions you get to keep when you file bankruptcy. E could also stand for Exception, since exemptions are the only place in bankruptcy law where the law is explicitly different from state to state. Exemptions vary The Bankruptcy Code … Read more

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