Are Student Loans No Longer the "Third Rail" of Bankruptcy?

While 2019 was not a banner year for restructurings, it was a surprisingly robust showing considering the stellar performance of global financial markets and Fed efforts to prolong economic recovery.

With the onset of the opioid crisis, the addiction-treatment center industry saw an opportunity for growth, and there was a rush of investment and expansion. That landscape has now completely changed.

How can chapter 13 success rates be improved to benefit unsecured creditors? The Southern District of Texas has a solution, and ABI's Consumer Commission believes it might be on to something.

The increased debt limit for filing chapter 12 — from $4.4 million to $10 million — will certainly open doors to family farmers who previously were ineligible based on total debt.

Although recognition of the need for more diversity in the legal practice dates back more than a decade, recent efforts have raised more awareness of the deficiency.

Signing bankruptcy documents electronically stokes fear in many. But what about the IRS's reportedly positive experience with digital signatures, and the rampant abuses within the "wet ink" system?

The incidence of chapter 7 debtors intending to reaffirm their auto loans notably decreased after BAPCPA, but data shows that debtors still overwhelmingly want to use bankruptcy to keep their cars.

The current state of the credit markets and recently passed tax provisions hold clues as to possible future corporate defaults, restructurings and bankruptcies in the next economic downturn.

Congress passed the SBRA to streamline chapter 11 for small business debtors. While the SBRA involves many specific reforms, this article examines eligibility and governance and oversight.

Strong arguments can be made that the HAVEN Act should apply to bankruptcy cases that were filed before it became law and that are still pending, including confirmed chapter 13 cases.

Chapter 7 trustees have increasingly brought claims to avoid education-related payments made by debtors on behalf of their children as fraudulent transfers under 11 U.S.C. §§ 544 and 548.

Ethics opinions from across the nation make it clear that the rules of professional conduct (RPC) apply to attorney communications and marketing in digital form just like any traditional medium.

The HAVEN Act amended § 101(10A) of the Bankruptcy Code by replacing subparagraph (B), which exempts service member death and disability compensation from current monthly income.

Many courts have enacted local rules requiring attorneys to retain “wet ink” signatures for a certain period of time, but such rules ignore the reality that business is largely conducted digitally.

In recent years, PE investment in physician practices and health care has notably increased, which could lead to an increasing amount of restructurings for PE in the complicated world of health care.

As the SBRA and HAVEN Act represent substantial changes to bankruptcy law and practice, teams of EOUST personnel are working to recommend changes to the USTP’s practices and to identify legal issues.

Commencing an involuntary bankruptcy case against an adversary could result in severe consequences to a petitioning creditor in the form of attorneys’ fees, compensatory damages and punitive damages.

Environmental-contamination claims present tricky issues for debtors seeking a fresh start through bankruptcy, as well as for creditors and purchasers of distressed assets.