President Obama signed an executive action on Tuesday that would make it easier for Oregon bankruptcy filers to discharge certain kinds of student loans. As any would be Oregon bankruptcy filer knows, student loan debt is extremely difficult to eliminate now. The most common path to discharge now requires a showing of undue hardship which is now so stringently defined that an Oregon bankruptcy attorney could go through her entire career without finding a case that would meet the required criteria.

When people hear I am a bankruptcy attorney the first thing they say is “I hope I never need your services, no offense.”  I understand the sentiment.  Nobody wants to file bankruptcy.  There is something else, however,  just under the surface of this statement.

On March 10, 2015 the White House announced that President Obama would  sign a Presidential Memorandum directing the Department of Education and other federal agencies to work across the federal government to do more to help borrowers afford their monthly loan payments including: (1) a state-of-the-art complaint system to ensure quality service and accountability for the Department of Education, its contractors, and coll

Many people ask whether or not a student loan company or SBA creditor can garnish their wages without first obtaining a court order.  The answer is “yes”.   The following is a direct quote from an article by t

As the internet continues to expand, individuals are seeing ever expanding options that “allow” them to “replace expensive services with low cost alternatives.”  If you believe the hype, websites and algorithms can replace everything from travel agents to doctors.

The Wisconsin winter season can be tough on the pocketbook. We celebrate costly holidays in November and December, receive and owe on our Wisconsin real estate tax bills in January, and our utility bills skyrocket every month. The last few Wisconsin winters have been especially harsh due to the extreme cold temperatures. Many of you have likely seen your Wisconsin heating bills nearly double. Next thing you know, it is March. With utility bills due in full April 15th, March can be a stressful month for Wisconsin residents.

If you have a legal obligation to file federal income taxes, then doing so is a requirement in order to have a successful chapter 13 bankruptcy case. Recently, a case was dismissed for failure to turn over the most recent four years of federal tax returns. The case was filed with the understanding that the+ Read More

Failure To File Taxes Leads To Bankruptcy Dismissal If you have a legal obligation to file federal income taxes, then doing so is a requirement in order to have a successful chapter 13 bankruptcy case. Recently, a case was dismissed for failure to turn over the most recent four years of federal tax returns. The+ Read More

I am officially annoyed this afternoon. Trying to run my client’s household income numbers through the Means Test and seeing him fail due to the cumulative amount of both his household income and military disability. I am annoyed because if he were receiving plain old social security disability, he would pass the means test with flying colors and we would be filing a chapter 7 bankruptcy for him tomorrow afternoon in the Portland, Oregon Bankruptcy Court. Why count one and not the other? Shouldn’t the vets do better than the civilians?

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)  filed its lawsuit in August 2013, against debt-relief services company Morgan