Consumer Debt

This panel will discuss areas in which debt-collection laws and the bankruptcy system treat service members, veterans and their families (especially disabled service members and their beneficiaries) differently from civilians. The panel will also discuss such recent legislative changes as the Honoring American Veterans in Extreme Need (HAVEN) Act and the National Guard and Reservists Debt Relief Extension Act, the work of the ABA and other various volunteer bar organizations, issues that can arise when representing service members, veterans and their families, and how you can assist veterans on a pro bono basis. *This program is in memoriam to Hon. Nancy Dreher, who served as a U.S. Bankruptcy Judge in the District of Minnesota for many years and who wrote about and spoke on the importance of pro bono services.

This panel will address some of the coronavirus-related issues currently facing debtors in chapters 7 and 13, including the effects of the CARES Act on consumer filings, the role of exempt assets in good-faith analyses and disposable-income calculations, and how to address business issues in consumer cases.

Hosted by the Consumer Bankruptcy Committee This webinar will discuss how new Bankruptcy Student Loan Management Programs are helping debtors solve their student loan issues. The webinar will cover the issues affecting debtors and their student loans as well as the solutions and tools the courts are implementing.

This panel will discuss recent developments in consumer cases involving family law, consumer protection and student loan issues.

Is there too much emphasis on reducing student loan debt, including through bankruptcy, and not enough about the real causes of skyrocketing college costs?

This session will focus on pending legislation that may affect your practice, and on ABI’s latest recommendations regarding personal bankruptcies. What are the latest developments and strategies to address student loans? Is a legislative fix for the student loan crisis really in the works (H.R. 2366)? What would the small business bankruptcy bill do, and where does it stand? Will veterans' benefits become exempt from means testing? The session will also cover other notable legislative actions, as well as the key takeaways from the Final Report of the ABI Commission on Consumer Bankruptcy.

It is estimated that U.S. student debt obligations now exceed $1.5 trillion. This panel will discuss the impact of student loans before and after the borrower files bankruptcy. What can an attorney do to assist his/her client in determining his/her options with student loan obligations? How can a student loan be modified, and what can be done outside the courtroom for the borrower? Further discussion will concentrate on when a student loan can be dischargeable, the difficulty in establishing a hardship discharge, how the lender defends against a debtor seeking a hardship discharge at trial, and how student loans are treated in chapter 13 proceedings throughout the First Circuit.