When it comes to student loans, bankruptcy tends to be useless. But not always. Sometimes it can help. Sometimes it can hurt. Let's take a deeper look.
Bankruptcy Helps
If you have a federal student loan with a wage garnishment or social security offset, a bankruptcy can offer protection. Once a . . .
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Fear not the Difficulty of Discharging Student Loans in Bankruptcy
True or false? Discharging a student loan in bankruptcy is insanely difficult. If you answered, you're correct.
True
Because perception is often reality, and the perception is that discharging student loans in bankruptcy is difficult, most folks believe this, attorney and non-attorneys alike. . . .
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This is the end…
I pondered all the songs that could be appropriate for this post - ding dong the witch is dead, deadman's party, celebration time, the list goes on. But in the end, sing what you want, because it appears the death knell is ringing. Corinthian colleges is on its way out.
Corinthian Colleges
I . . .
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Student Loan Debt Crisis Symposium Review
This past Friday I attended the ABI's (American Bankruptcy Institute) Student Loan Debt Crisis Symposium. It was...um...interesting. I say that because I came in with a unique perspective, being in the trenches and all. For me, it was more review and less of an informative or "problem solving" . . .
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Student Loans and Military Personal
Yesterday was Memorial Day, so it is only proper that I discuss protections from student loans for those who serve our country.
SCRA
The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act has many provisions that apply to many other debts besides student loans. The important one here is the interest rate cap. All . . .
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Dear ED: Clarify Undue Hardship
On May 16, 2014, seven Congressmen/women sent a letter to Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, asking for clarification of "Undue Hardship" to allow Federal student loans to be discharged in bankruptcy. The signers of the letter were Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Jack Reed (D-RI) and Elizabeth . . .
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“Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act” in Plain English
Yesterday, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) introduced legislation aimed to help level the playing field for student loan borrowers. The main goal is to lower interest rates on ALL student loans (Fed and Private) to a fixed amount for the duration of the loan term. The theory being that if interest . . .
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What Happens to your Student Loans when you file Bankruptcy
If you've read anything on the internet about student loans, you know bankruptcy probably can't help you. Discharging student loan debt through bankruptcy is not impossible, but it is difficult, for two reasons:
1) The test is draconian with no objective standard, and
2) It is often cost . . .
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My Response to Another One-Sided Opinion from Private Student Loan Lenders
An opinion in the December 26th issue of US News & World Report claims that stripping the current non-dischargability of Private student loans in bankruptcy would be counterproductive. Um....no, try again. The author states several arguments that are so easy to poke holes in, its like trying to . . .
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