According to an article in the Dallas Morning News, the most recent U.S. Census Bureau figures states that Texas leads the nation in the percentage of residents without health insurance.  More than 1 out of every 4 Texans are without health insurance, a total of 6 million residents and Texas leads the nation in the numbers of children who go without health insurance.

The article said:

“…Texas had the …

Comment by Jacob Decker: … expenses is one of the most substantial reasons many file …

Tags: Bankruptcy Health Uninsured in the United States

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Most people have at least passing knowledge of wage garnishment–the process of deducting money from an employee’s monetary compensation (including salary) as a result of a court order.  Fortunately for those who find themselves in the unfortunate position of having their wages garnished, these payments are limited by federal law to 25 percent of the employee’s disposable income.  Unfortunately, those payments will continue until the entire debt has been …

Tags: Bankruptcy Chapter 13 Title 11 United States Code Garnishment Internal Revenue Service tax

President Obama just sent his legislative package to Congress to create the new Consumer Financial Protection Agency.  The new agency’s purpose will be to protect consumers from deceptive or confusing practices by financial institutions.  Chances are, however, that many consumers who are currently struggling with financial stress are not likely to see the immediate effects of this program.  In the mean time, some bankruptcy courts are looking for alternatives to …

Tags: bankruptcy law Lawyers and Law Firms United States United States bankruptcy court United States District Court for the Southern District of New York

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Times are tough on everyone right now.  You are a good person in a bad situation, and you probably feel alone and worried about your near-desperate circumstances.  However, if you have been considering working through a “credit counselor”, explore working through an attorney instead.

You hire the attorney to work on YOUR BEHALF.  And you can be sure the attorney will work within the law.

Bankruptcy is a federal law written specifically to …

Tags: Bankruptcy Better Business Bureau Business Credit history Credit score Federal Trade Commission Law United States

According to an article in the Star-Telegram, Gov. Rick Perry is poised to fight national healthcare because he believes it is a violation of states’ rights and could lead to “debt-inducing expansions of government.” Instead he presented Washington with his own single state plan to treat the poor and uninsured. Being uninsured or underinsured causes many Americans to become burdened with medical debt, one of the …

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The Labor Department said Thursday that the number of new jobless claims rose to 480,000 last week when many economists were hoping for a decline and a sign that the job losses would be improving soon.

But the rise in weekly claims of 7,000 last week, which had followed an increase of 19,000 the previous week, shows that the improvement has been halting. Analysts believe that claims need to …

Tags: Economy Job Loss Unemployment United States

… we highlighted a Chapter 13 bankruptcy case where student loan debt was partially discharged. The bankruptcy discharge was challenged by the creditor and has made its way to the Supreme Court.  Here is an overview of the decision made by lower courts last year:

In the case of ( Espinosa v. United Student Aid Funds Inc., No. 06-16421, 9th Cir. 10/02/08) the court stated:

“Our long-standing circuit law holds that student loan debts can be discharged by way of a Chapter 13 plan …

Tags: Bankruptcy Supreme Court of the United States

According to an article in the Star-Telegram, FairPoint Communications filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday after agreeing to a debt reduction deal with its creditors that will lower its debt by 62 percent.  FairPoint, owns and operates phone companies in 18 states with a total of 1.65 million lines. The company has been struggling to repay its large debt load while its revenues have continued to fall.  …

Tags: Chapter 11 Title 11 United States Code FairPoint Communications

According to an article in the Dallas Morning News, the Labor Department announced that new claims for unemployment insurance benefits dropped last week to a seasonally adjusted 521,000.

The article said:

“Despite the improvement, initial claims remain well above the 325,000 that economists say is consistent with a healthy economy.”

Also, there are still 8.9 million Americans continuing to receive …

Tags: Unemployment United States Department of Labor

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According to an article in the Star-Telegram, Texas Health Resources is implementing its third round of job losses this year.  More than 100 Texas Health Resources employees have suffered job losses this year, including 23 workers at the Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth.

The article said:

“The layoffs, announced to employees on Sept. 8, are an attempt to adjust the company’s work force to …

Tags: Health care Texas Health Resources United States

According to an article in the Star-Telegram, Frontier Airlines emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy under the new ownership of Republic Airways Holdings, Inc.  Republic gained control of the bankrupt airline with a $108.8 million bid in bankruptcy court, which included a plan for the cancellation of the airline’s old shares. But despite the bankruptcy buyout, Frontier still has a tough fight in its Denver hub …

Tags: Chapter 11 Title 11 United States Code Frontier Airlines

The Consumer Law & Policy blog has a very revealing article about a judge in Indiana that took it upon herself to give indigent debtors a choice–”pay up” or “go to jail.”

The blog writer provided the transcript of an exchange between the debtor and the judge:

The Court: “So we’re here today for you to explain what you’re going to do to pay this off.”

Mr. Button: …

Tags: Bankruptcy Chapter 7 Title 11 United States Code Court Indiana Law