Justin Baxter

Summary of statistics released by Vancouver, WA Bankruptcy Court for 2011 and 2010. A review of the records reveal that the Vancouver, Washington bankruptcy court has generally decreased slightly with approximately two hundred to four hundred filings per month. The filings are primarily for residents of Clark County, which includes Vancouver, Washington, but includes a smaller number of filings from Cowlitz, Pacific, Skamania, and Wahkiakum counties.

Recent housing statistics indicate that foreclosures are fewer in number this year from the same time last year. The Columbian notes that the cause is not yet known. Whether fewer homeowners are falling into default, or whether mortgagage lenders are not initiating new foreclosure proceedings due to a backlog of mortgages in arrears. In either case, the likelihood of a large number of foreclosures can significantly impact the number of Vancouver, Washington bankruptcy filings in the next year.

Filing for bankruptcy can be an option for home owners caught in this dilemma. It may allow the debtor to stop foreclosure and eliminate enough debt so that he or she can afford to keep the home.

Consumers can still eliminate second mortgages through bankruptcy, in spite of improving economic trends.

Article discusses debt settlement companies (also known as debt negotiation and debt consolidation companies) and why debt negotiation often fails. Consumers can end up paying money to debt settlement companies, but end up with derogatory credit and have to file for bankruptcy anyway.

The United States Supreme Court affirmed a lower court ruling that discharged Francisco J. Espinosa's student loans in bankruptcy. The ruling was initially haled as a victory for borrowers and debtors. However, a closer look at the narrow ruling by the High Court establishes that debtors must establish that a student loan constitutes an undue hardship to discharge student loans through bankruptcy.

One of the most important benefits of filing for bankruptcy is that it will stop collection calls, letters, and other activities by debt collectors. This includes garnishments, lawsuits, and repossessions. When creditors or collectors do not cease collection efforts, consumers may be able to seek additional recourse in court. This article discusses some of the key protections for debtors who are being harassed over bills included in bankruptcy.

Last April, the United States Senate voted against legislation that would let bankruptcy court judges modify home mortgages in bankruptcy. The failure of this legislation is a significant loss to home-owners, neighbors of homes on the verge of foreclosure, and ironically, to lenders.

A common misperception about bankruptcy is that people who file for bankruptcy were irresponsible with their finances, or recklessly incurred debt they could not repay. While these circumstances certainly are a factor in some bankruptcies, recent studies and analysis demonstrate that the majority of bankruptcies are precipitated by causes outside of a person's control. Leading causes of bankruptcy are death, divorce, and unemployment.

Yes. A person can file for bankruptcy more than once, but you may have to wait a particular amount of time since the last time you filed for bankruptcy in order to obtain a discharge of your current or newly incurred debts. The policy underlying the United States Bankruptcy Code is to permit any person to obtain a fresh start from their debts. Unfortunately, unforeseen circumstances, such as death, divorce, or unemployment can necessitate filing a new bankruptcy. The amount of time you have