Articles from Money Law Blog

It happened again this week. The client comes into the consultation smiling broadly. He just needs help with a loan modification, he argues. He doesn't have any other debts. "Look," he says, pointing at his credit report, "it's been charged off!"

Sorry, that's not what it means. A "charge off" is an accounting entry by the lender declaring that the debt is uncollectible, a determination that helps the lender deduct it as a loss against his taxes.

Despite the image and stigma associated with bankruptcy, financial reorganization of failing businesses (and nonprofit organizations) through Chapter 11 bankruptcy is actually helping the economy by giving companies a chance to find new financing, reject onerous contracts, renegotiate leases, and expedite the sale of assets.

Bankruptcy is designed as a way for an insolvent debtor, one who cannot pay his or her creditors, to get a fresh start.

A significant consideration in filing your bankruptcy case is "venue" -- that's legalese for the physical location of the court in which you file.

It's a powerful feature of bankruptcy -- especially for business bankruptcy cases under Chapter 11 - that you may be able to pick the court, and that, in turn, can have a bearing on the legal outcome.