• Richard Sylvester Berry (disbarred lawyer and felon), Why Pay a Lawyer, admits to defrauding clients (again). Richard S. Berry, Why Pay a Lawyer, admits to committing bankruptcy fraud. This is not the first time Mr. [...]

  • Warning: Laws governing situations differ state to state. Make sure to talk to an experienced attorney about your unique circumstances. NOTE: This is not intended to be legal advice. This area of law turns on [...]

  • “Safe Student Account Scorecard” that would help colleges to avoid partnering with financial institutions that offer checking and prepaid accounts with tricks and traps. Helping a client protect important assets before filing bankruptcy has always [...]

  • As an Arizona attorney with more than 25 years experience in bankruptcy and foreclosure I see people making desperate economic decisions they later regret. I deal with this behavior by mumbling under my breath (and [...]

  • Published On: November 19, 2014

    Real life look into the seamy world of debt collecting and the shady characters at the center of the multi-billion dollar business. In fact, many of the debt collectors were drug dealers in their past [...]

  • United States Trustee investigating Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup and Synchrony Financial (formerly GE Capital Retail Finance) for selling "zombie debts". These so called "zombie debts" are debts that cannot be killed even by declaring [...]

  • Published On: August 30, 2014

    WHAT IS A “SIMPLE" BANKRUPTCY? Here is a great blog from Matt Berkus, another bankruptcy attorney, in response to the statement we all heard “I have a simple bankruptcy”. Invariably, two-thirds of prospects will [...]

  • FICO to give less weight to unpaid medical bills that are with a collection agency. The other day a caller said “I used a document preparer or bankruptcy petition preparer. Certainly they have obligations to [...]

  • WHAT IS INVOLVED IN THE TYPICAL CONSUMER BANKRUPTCY? A typical consumer bankruptcy filing consists of 60 or more pages of paperwork, so what is involved depends on your unique situation. [...]

  • The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants to hear from you to learn about your experiences with the debt collection industry. The other day a caller said "I used a document preparer or bankruptcy petition preparer. [...]

  • Should an employer run credit reports on potential new employees? Dec. 17, 2013 Does a person's credit situation really reflect their ability to do a job? U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, introduced legislation [...]

  • Published On: November 24, 2013

    The Military Lending Act is intended to protect our military from being preyed on by unscrupulous short-term lenders. Seven years later the government is finding there are huge loopholes in the Act. Loopholes that do [...]

  • Published On: October 2, 2013

    Credit card issuers face limits on fees and greater disclosure requirements as CFPB pledges more scrutiny after a 2009 law that revamped regulation of the business. Bully tactics used to scare or coerce buyers. October [...]

  • Published On: September 30, 2013

    An Oregon woman sued Equifax, won an $18.6 million jury award for credit-report errors that went unfixed for years. More than $221 billion of these loans at the largest banks will hit this mark over [...]

  • Con artist threaten to have you arrested or garnish your paycheck unless you pay a debt. More than $221 billion of these loans at the largest banks will hit this mark over the next four [...]