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If you are considering bankruptcy, you have a second mortgage on your home, and you live in New York, you need to ask your bankruptcy lawyer about lien stripping. What is Lien Stripping? Lien stripping is part of a process that transitions your second mortgage from a secured loan to an unsecured loan. This option is only available under certain circumstances: You are declaring Chapter 11 or 13 Bankruptcy. Lien stripping is not allowed under Chapter 7.* The total assessed value of your home is LESS than the value of...
Do you live in New York and have a foreclosure suit in your past (initiated more than 6 years ago) that was voluntarily dismissed? Thanks to the recent Engels Decision, your lender may be able to re-start its case against you despite the many years that have passed. But first, you need to understand some legal terminology. What is Loan Acceleration/De-acceleration? If you read through your mortgage documentation, you may come across a clause that states that if you stop paying your mortgage payments, your lender has the right to ask...
If you live in New York and are currently fighting lenders about your consumer debt (like credit cards and car loans), the State recently passed a law you need to know about. The Consumer Credit Fairness Act The New York State Senate passed into law the Consumer Credit Fairness Act (Assembly Bill A2382). The impetus behind this new law was the growing problem of abusive debt collection practices, usually by third- or fourth-party collection agencies. These agencies would try to collect on debts that had been already paid, that had...
If you live in New York and are in danger of being evicted, your landlord will have to follow strict state eviction regulations. If they don’t, they may be breaking the law. Evictions in New York are On the Rise New York State’s moratorium on evictions ended on January 15, 2022. This led to a sharp increase in eviction procedures in the local court systems. Many evictions were triggered by tenants unable to pay their rent due to the COVID pandemic. Even with the State’s ERAP Program trying to help,...
If you live in New York, you may be confused with all the changing rules affecting foreclosures during and after the pandemic. If you’re going through the foreclosure process, here is some information you should know about possible foreclosure defenses. What Happened to Foreclosure Procedures During the Moratorium? During the height of the pandemic in the US, all foreclosure cases pretty much stopped in their tracks. The CARES (Coronavirus, Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act helped keep homeowners with federally backed mortgages from being foreclosed upon during the worst of...
If you live in New York, the decision of a recent court case could unexpectedly give you more time to fight against a possible foreclosure. In the case of Bank of America v. Kessler, the courts chose to follow the exact wording of New York's Required Prior Notices law (RPAPL 1304). What does that mean for you? If your lender sent you a 90-Day Notice letter in the mail, and put anything else in the envelope, you may be able to have their foreclosure case dismissed. What is RPAPL 1304?...
If you live in New York, and are either a landlord or a tenant, you may still be waiting to hear about your ERAP application. Here are some things you’ll need to know. A Quick ERAP Refresher The Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) is a New York State program to help tenants and landlords with missed rent payments due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Eligible tenants who are approved can receive up to 12 months of back rent for missing payments on or after March 13, 2020. ERAP applications can be...
Bankruptcy cases rarely run smoothly and easily. If you live in New York and are about to go through the bankruptcy process, here is something to need to know. When the Courts Need to Step In While much of the bankruptcy process is administrative (handled by a bankruptcy trustee), you can end up in front of a judge for a number of reasons (which is why having the right bankruptcy attorney is so important). If there are any concerns that something fraudulent is happening, you may find yourself in an...
Most growing businesses take on debt at some point, but sometimes your debt can spiral out of control. If your business is based in New York, you have some options. What Types of Business Debt Are There? Business debt comes from multiple sources: Secured debts – loans like mortgages, equipment financing, and/or vehicle loans.Unsecured debts – loans like credit cards and/or personal loans.Leases – leases for business offices, machinery (like copiers, phone systems, and vehicles).Taxes – federal, state, and local government taxes like income, payroll, corporate sales taxes, and real...
If you thought there was an easy way out of your student loans, we have bad news for you. If you live in New York and are struggling with your student loans, there are some things you need to know. I’m Behind on My Private Student Loans and Things Don’t Look Like They’re Getting Better! Between the pandemic, unemployment, possible medical bills, skyrocketing inflation, and many other catastrophic things that have happen lately, it’s no wonder that people find themselves struggling. But ignoring your debt will eventually only make the...
Having your debts end up in collections can do horrible things to your credit score. If you live in New York, you have options to help start repairing your credit. Why is a Good Credit Score Important? Most people know that having a good credit score is important when getting a loan. The higher your score the lower your interest rate. Two people financing the same car for the same price in the same timeframe can have dramatically different monthly costs. With a bad credit score, you can end up...
If you live in New York, dealing with both a personal injury lawsuit and a bankruptcy can be extremely complicated. Your Personal Injury Claim is Considered an Asset Regardless of which came first – your personal injury claim or your declaration of bankruptcy – your personal injury claim is going to be considered an asset in your estate, even if you haven’t won anything yet. So, it is vital that you get your personal injury attorney and your bankruptcy attorney working together. If you already have a personal injury claim...
If you live in New York and your bank has started the foreclosure process, this more of what you need to know. The Foreclosure Process in New York and Where You Can Fight Back In part one of this series https://www.ny-bankruptcy.com/how-can-i-stop-the-bank-from-foreclosing-on-my-house-part-1/ we covered the first five of the ten steps of the bankruptcy process in New York. Today, we’re looking at the last five steps and how, in each step, there are ways to stop the process, or at least mitigate the damage. Step 6 - Referee Hearing or Computation...
If you live in New York and your bank has started the foreclosure process, this what you need to know. The Foreclosure Process in New York and Where You Can Fight Back With the end of the various foreclosure moratoriums, if you are behind on your mortgage payments, your lenders have the right to start foreclosure preceding against you. There are 10 steps to a foreclosure process in New York. In each step, there are ways to stop the process, or at least mitigate the damage. Step 1 - Mortgage...
If you are currently going through bankruptcy in New York, and you feel mistakes are being made in court, you do have options. The Complexities of Bankruptcy Court Bankruptcy Courts run somewhat differently than other state and federal courts. One of the main differences is that bankruptcy procedures have a series of decisions, running step by step through the process (unlike regular cases that usually have one big decision at the end). But like other courts, Bankruptcy Courts have an appeals process if you feel that something has gone wrong....
If you live in New York and are struggling to pay overwhelming medical bills, there are a number of options to look in to. The Debt You Didn’t Ask For All it takes is one accident, one illness, one wrong step, and suddenly you could be hospitalized and left owing hundreds of thousands of dollars. While health insurance will cover some of these costs, you can still be left responsible for a staggering sum of money. And these debts can come from multiple places: doctor billshospital billsemergency care billsnursing home...