Personal bankruptcy the best option for some Texas individuals
Texas residents may be living paycheck to paycheck in order to make ends meet. However, in spite of what some people may think, even individuals that earn a large salary may still struggle with managing their finances. Due to this inability to manage money, personal bankruptcy is a possibility for more people than just those […]
Legal woes played role in Vince Young’s bankruptcy
Many San Antonio residents may have heard that the former University of Texas and NFL quarterback Vince Young has joined the ranks of professional athletes who have sought bankruptcy protection. It has been reported that the former football star earned $34 million in his six seasons in the NFL, but legal troubles and other issues […]
Even for those with insurance, medical debt can be a problem
One of our most important themes in this blog is that medical debt is one of the leading causes of bankruptcy. As we discussed in our December 6 post, the ever-rising cost of health care has made medical bills a bitter pill to swallow for large numbers of Americans. Many of the people struggling with […]
Rebuilding credit after bankruptcy: yes, it’s doable
Facing up to financial life in modern-day America often involves tradeoffs between short-term and long-term goals. For example, someone who is in urgent need of debt relief may try to just tough it out a little longer, rather than biting the bullet and filing for bankruptcy. Sometimes people do this, in part, because they’ve heard […]
Bankruptcy filings and the economy: connection not always simple
The relationship between the overall economy and bankruptcy filings is not as simple and straightforward as it might seem. To be sure, the Great Recession and its uncertain aftermath have resulted in lost jobs and depleted asset portfolios that have led many people to file for personal bankruptcy. But it may be that sometimes the […]
Payday loan collection, part 2: ethical limitations
In part one of this post, we discussed one aspect of the problem of payday loans in Texas. We noted how debt collectors seeking to collect on payday loans have sometimes pressured local authorities in San Antonio and other cities to threaten debtors with criminal charges. In this part of the post, we will discuss […]
Payday loan debt collection, part 1: civil versus criminal
Payday loans are a plague across Texas and across the country. Three weeks ago, in our November 1 post, we noted some of the problems that Texans have experienced with the astronomically high interest rates involved in these loans. Auto title loans, as we discussed, are also a huge problem. In this post, let’s look […]
Federal regulators revising fair debt collection rules
Many people have heard of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. After all, that important federal law has been around since 1977. But obviously the means by which people communicate have changed greatly in those 36 years as e-mail, text messages and cellphones have taken hold. It is therefore important for federal regulators who write […]
Bankruptcy and the government shutdown: possible effects
What effect will the partial federal government shutdown have on bankruptcy proceedings? As with so many other aspects of the shutdown, there is a short answer and a long answer. The short answer is easily enough stated. Federal bankruptcy courts remain open. In this post, however, we will discuss some of the ways that the […]
Credit scores and dating dynamics: couples and shared finances
Years ago, the rock singer Alice Cooper recorded a song called “You and Me” that contained the line “we share a bed, some popcorn and TV.” It isn’t clear from the song whether the couple is married. But Cooper could easily have included the word “finances” along with the popcorn. After all, couples, even those […]