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Monday, January 30th, 2012

Bankruptcy of Ireland’s Richest Man Heats Up

A few weeks ago, Sean Quinn, once the richest man in Ireland, filed for bankruptcy protection. But according to sources, his bankruptcy filing has not gone the way he imagined it. First, Quinn (who made billions in construction and real estate ventures and lost it through a bad gamble investing in Anglo-Irish Bank), was not permitted to file his bankruptcy petition in Northern Ireland.

Like many other “bankruptcy tourists” in the Republic of Ireland, Quinn apparently wanted to take advantage of the United Kingdom’s more lenient bankruptcy laws to make his case. He was thwarted, though, just recently, when a court ruled that he had misled the Northern Ireland bankruptcy authorities about the hub from which he conducted most of his business.

Now, filing for bankruptcy in the Republic of Ireland (which is independent of the U.K., unlike Northern Ireland, which is under the U.K.’s aegis), Quinn will have to wait about 12 years before the bankruptcy is cleared from his credit record. In the U.S. Chapter 7 bankruptcy remains on a person’s credit report for 10 years, but its impact diminishes with time.

“A Personal Vendetta”

In a move that does nothing to make him seem more sympathetic, Quinn has now reportedly accused Anglo-Irish Bank of holding a “personal vendetta” against him, and for that reason making his bankruptcy filing more troublesome.

Briefly, Quinn’s history with Anglo-Irish Bank (AIB) is this:

  • During the housing bubble, AIB extended itself beyond its means with ill-advised real estate loans.
  • Convinced the bank would rebound from its troubles, Quinn invested in its stock, gaining as much as a 28 percent stake in the company.
  • In addition to investing in the bank, Quinn also borrowed money to reinvest, putting himself largely at the bank’s mercy, should it collapse.
  • In 2008, AIB was forced to nationalize to avoid complete collapse. The process resulted in eliminating investments Quinn had with the bank worth about €2.8 billion.

Now Quinn owes AIB more than €2 billion. The now-nationalized bank has since received an order from a Dublin bankruptcy court to collect that money from Quinn. During the course of his bankruptcy, he will likely have to pay most or all of what he owes, or surrender assets to compensate the bank.

At present, it seems the bank is legally pursuing collection of the loan, though Quinn maintains that its officers pushed him into making unwise investments that led to the debt in the first place.

If there’s any kind of “lesson” we can take away from this tale of wealth and woe, it’s one of relief: it’s always refreshing to realize that our debts are not quite as overwhelming as they might be.

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Posted in Miscellaneous News | No Comments »

Tuesday, January 24th, 2012

Dodgers Get Nod from Bankruptcy Judge for Fox Settlement

The bankruptcy judge overseeing the bankruptcy of the Los Angeles Dodgers has approved an agreement reached between the team and Fox News, meaning that a sale of the team can go forward, according to reports from the Associated Press.

The news was met with relief from the team’s creditors, because quick approval will likely translate to the team’s ability to maximize the value of its bankruptcy estate with a timely sale and fewer legal negotiations than might have otherwise been required. Creditors get paid based on the amount of money available in the bankruptcy estate, so the agreement and court approval seem to be good news for everyone.

While the bankruptcy of a professional baseball team may seem as if it’s worlds away from most people’s individual debt struggles, the Dodgers’ bankruptcy drama actually provides a great jumping-off point to clarify some key elements of the process of personal bankruptcy.

What the Dodgers Can Teach You about Personal Bankruptcy

Avoid the mistakes that led this baseball franchise into bankruptcy court, and you’ll improve your own odds at financial success.

  • Don’t live off future earnings. One major reason the Dodgers were pushed into bankruptcy was because the team’s owner, Frank McCourt, was counting on the renewal of a TV deal from Fox Sports to pay salaries in the coming year. When Major League Baseball’s commissioner rejected the contract Fox offered, McCourt was left with few choices other than to file for bankruptcy and lose control of the team—which is what the commissioner wanted in the first place (see the next list item).
  • Dicey accounting won’t hold up in the long term. One reason MLB’s commissioner pushed the Dodgers into bankruptcy was because McCourt was allegedly using team money for non-team (i.e. personal) expenses. It seems McCourt frittered away as much as $180 million that didn’t belong to him, which led higher-ups in the league to target him for removal.
  • Sometimes, you are your own best asset (in a good way!). The Dodgers are working on finding a new TV deal, which will partly finance their team expenses next season. Because enough people want to watch the Dodgers, the team should be able to emerge successfully from bankruptcy protection—and the same is true of most individuals! If you have the drive and determination to eliminate your debt and prove yourself to be a good credit risk, creditors, employers, and others will eventually see that and you’ll be able to recover after bankruptcy. Bids to purchase the Dodgers were due on January 23, and already a number of possible buyers have reportedly expressed interest in the team.

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Posted in Bankruptcy News and Events | 2 Comments »

Wednesday, January 4th, 2012

Bankruptcy Courts Turn to Online Chats to Guide Users

A new trend in the Southwest suggests that the country’s bankruptcy courts are finally taking advantage of technology that many other industries have already adopted: online chat forums. Sources note that bankruptcy courts in Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada have all started dabbling in online contact for court users.

As many other companies have discovered, offering online chat forums provides consumers with a convenient way to get information about the nuts and bolts of bankruptcy law.

Help for Real Estate and Bankruptcy Lawyers

One interesting element of the new trend, according to sources, is that some of the first to take advantage of the online chat forums have been real estate lawyers who have expanded their practices to represent clients interested in filing for bankruptcy.

Likely a result of the implosion of the housing bubble (which hit especially hard in the Southwest), many real estate lawyers have apparently seen bankruptcy proceedings become a much larger part of their clients’ daily needs. This can be attributed to the fact that Chapter 13 bankruptcy can be used as a means of halting or delaying mortgage foreclosure.

But because most real estate lawyers lack the training and experience in bankruptcy laws and bankruptcy court proceedings, they have more questions about navigating the bankruptcy court system than traditional bankruptcy lawyers do, it seems.

Enter the online chat forums.

Online Forums Available to Bankruptcy Filers, Too

In addition to providing pointers to lawyers representing bankruptcy filers, the bankruptcy courts with online chat forums also offer valuable services to individual bankruptcy filers interested in learning more about the process or nitty-gritty details of filing a bankruptcy case.

Those interested in filing for personal bankruptcy can use the online chat system to:

  • Ask for direction about where to find necessary forms or schedules for filing a bankruptcy case;
  • Clarify parts of the Bankruptcy Code that they cannot decipher for themselves;
  • Learn about deadlines, procedures, and requirements of the bankruptcy court; and
  • Get general information about how bankruptcy works and what they can do to prepare for bankruptcy or recover from a bankruptcy filing.

The Internet as a Bankruptcy Tool

Since the Internet went mainstream, potential bankruptcy filers have used it to research the bankruptcy process and potential effects of filing for bankruptcy on their financial lives. The introduction of a venue where filers can get their questions answered directly marks a natural progression toward more and more consumer-oriented online offerings.

At present, the online chat forums are only available for filers in a few states; however, if their success continues to grow, other areas of the country may introduce similar tools for filers and potential filers.

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Posted in The Bankruptcy Courts, The Law and Your Money | No Comments »

Friday, December 30th, 2011

Involuntary Bankruptcy: How It Works

Mamtek, a company based in Moberly, Missouri, is currently facing the potential of a forced Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing by five of its creditors. The situation involves Mamtek, which manufactures an artificial sweetener, and its plans to open a plant in Moberly.

According to sources, the case has unfolded like this:

  • Mamtek planned to build a factory in Moberly. To finance the construction, the city of Moberly issued bonds worth $39 million to the company.
  • Missouri-based UMB Bank reportedly agreed to serve as trustee for the bonds, meaning that it financed the city’s agreement with Mamtek.
  • This fall, Mamtek missed a payment to the city of Moberly, and indicated that it could not afford to complete the half-built factory.
  • Without payments from Mamtek, Moberly indicated that it would default on the bonds, leaving the bank on the hook for tens of millions of dollars.
  • The bank, along with other creditors (mainly construction-related companies) took the case to the court system, urging the bankruptcy judge to force Mamtek into bankruptcy so they could recover their money.

If the judge rules in favor of the creditors, Mamtek will have to sell its assets and distribute the profits among its creditors to compensate them for the money Mamtek owes them. If the judge does not rule for the involuntary Chapter 7 bankruptcy, Mamtek may be able to abandon its building and the creditors could lose a significant portion of their investment.

Involuntary Bankruptcy for Individuals

Involuntary bankruptcy is also possible for individuals – that is, a person’s creditors can theoretically get together and attempt to force a person into bankruptcy in order to recover some of their money.

However, in the case of individuals, forced bankruptcy is fairly rare. This is partly because it requires creditors to act together and agree to request a forced bankruptcy, and partly because most people who need bankruptcy protection often do not have sufficiently valuable assets to make a liquidation and creditor distribution worthwhile.

Further, in order for the involuntary bankruptcy of an individual to be legal, certain conditions must be met:

  • For a single creditor to force involuntary bankruptcy, creditors must be unsecured, fewer than 12 in number, and owed at least $5,000 by the debtor.
  • If a debtor has 12 or more creditors, at least three of them must join together to file the involuntary bankruptcy petition.
  • Creditors can force an individual into Chapter 7 bankruptcy (and possibly Chapter 11), but not into Chapter 13 bankruptcy.
  • Debtors have a chance to answer the involuntary bankruptcy petition in court.

It’s important to know that a creditor’s involuntary bankruptcy petition for a debtor does not guarantee that the court will agree to push the debtor into bankruptcy. If you have received notice that creditors are attempting to force you to file for bankruptcy, it’s a good idea to speak with a bankruptcy lawyer about your options.

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Posted in Filing Requirements | 1 Comment »

Tuesday, October 18th, 2011

New Bankruptcy Court Fee Schedules

Effective November 1, 2011, a new fee schedule will apply to all bankruptcy cases. The Judicial Conference of the United States agreed on the fee increases in mid-September and will use the proceeds generated to fund Judiciary needs.

Here’s a look at the new fees, the old fees, and what the changes might mean for you.

New Bankruptcy Fees

Most bankruptcy filers’ primary concern is the fee charged to file the bankruptcy petition with the court.

  • Chapter 13 bankruptcy: Formerly $274, the fee is now $281.
  • Chapter 11 bankruptcy: Formerly $1,039, the fee has been raised to $1,046.
  • Chapter 7 bankruptcy: Formerly $299, the fee has been raised to $306.

Luckily for most filers, the total increase in basic filing fees is not drastic; however, some critics of the bankruptcy system have complained that the fees were already prohibitively high for individuals truly struggling to make ends meet.

Other Bankruptcy-Related Fee Increases

In addition to the basic filing fee increases, the Judicial Conference also hiked fees associated with other parts of the bankruptcy process. The services whose fees have been altered include:

  • Certification: Formerly $9, now $11;
  • Exemplification: Formerly $18, now $21;
  • Audio Recording: Formerly $26, now $30;
  • Amended Bankruptcy Schedules: Formerly $26, now $30;
  • Record Search: Formerly $26, now $30;
  • Adversary Proceeding Fee: Formerly $250, now $293;
  • Document Filing/Indexing: Formerly $39, now $46;
  • Title 11 Administrative Fee: Formerly $39, now $46;
  • Record Retrieval Fee: Formerly $45, now $53;
  • Returned Check Fee: Formerly $45, now $53;
  • Notice of Appeal Fee: Formerly $250, now $293; and
  • Lift/Stay Fee: Formerly $150, now $176.

Which Fees Apply to My Case?

Because no two bankruptcy cases are exactly alike, it’s not easy to determine which of the fees listed might affect your bankruptcy case. As a bankruptcy lawyer can explain to you, the complexity and intricacy of your bankruptcy filing can affect the duration and costs of the case, which is affected not only by bankruptcy court fees but often by certain legal fees as well.

One way to keep bankruptcy fees to a minimum is to pay careful attention to the advice you receive from your lawyer. A lawyer may guide filers on what paperwork to prepare, how to complete bankruptcy forms, and otherwise how to proceed with a case.

Taking note of the rules and regulations that govern bankruptcy court early on in the proceedings may prevent you (and the bankruptcy judge, your trustee, or creditors) from having to return to the bankruptcy case to investigate or contest part of the information.

If you are truly unable to afford the fees associated with filing for bankruptcy, you may qualify for a bankruptcy fee waiver, about which a bankruptcy lawyer can tell you more.

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Posted in Filing Requirements, The Bankruptcy Courts | No Comments »

Monday, November 30th, 2009

Bankruptcy Filings Rise 33 Percent in Third Quarter

The number of bankruptcy filings in the third quarter of 2009 reached their highest point since 2005, and soared 33% above the total from the previous year, according to statistics from the American Bankruptcy Institute.

Consumer and business bankruptcies filed between August and October reached 388,485 compared to 292,291 for Q3 2008. Total filings between January and October, 2009, reached 1,100,035 compared to 841,496 in the same period in 2008, and close to the total 1,117,771 bankruptcies filed in 2008.

October saw the most personal bankruptcy filings since October, 2005, when more than 600,000 consumers filed to meet the deadline before the new bankruptcy law took effect.

"The spike in bankruptcy filings for both consumers and businesses reflect the continuing effects of today's weak economy," said Samuel Gerdano, ABI executive director.

"With unemployment surpassing 10% and credit to businesses remaining tight, consumers and businesses are increasingly turning to the financial relief of bankruptcy."

Bankruptcy filings are expected to exceed 1.4 million in 2009.

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Posted in Economic News: How Are We Doing? | 1 Comment »