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Experts predicting increased ilIiquidity and link it to the climate that led to the 2008 crisis

According to a recent report by Morgan Stanley “market liquidity across assets is in decline” and “low liquidity were the fundamental triggers of the 2008 crisis.” Those bankruptcy practitioners that had first hand experience… Read More
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Law360 Satisfaction Survey finds that student loans are burdening lawyers too.

According to Forbes magazine, “student loan debt is now the second highest consumer debt category – behind only mortgage debt – and higher than both credit cards and auto loans and according to Make Lemonade, there are more than 44… Read More
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America is heading for a level of income inequality that hasn't been seen since 1928

Economists have noted that the level of income inequality between the top 1% and the rest of the country is approaching levels last seen in 1928, which, of course, was just before the tragic financial meltdown that pre-dated, or even caused, massive… Read More
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New Bankruptcy Rules Proposed for Student Debtors

This article in U.S. News and World Report provides a useful summary of some current efforts to address burgeoning student loan problem. Well worth the read. Read More
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Inflation-adjusted Wages Slipping in Second Quarter

According to a recent report, median weekly earnings of the nation’s 115.8 million full-time wage and salary workers were $876 in the second quarter of 2018 (not seasonally adjusted), the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This was… Read More
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Is a Recession on the Horizon

According to an article in the Business Insider a key metric for the onset of a recession is leaning towards a downturn. In this case, the yield on 10-year US Treasury notes declined for a fifth consecutive week and is close to the yield on a 2-year… Read More
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Household debt reached a record $13.21 trillion in the first quarter of 2018

According to the NYT on 7/2/2018, interest rates are now rising at time when household debt reached a record $13.21 trillion in the first quarter. Household debt service payments as a percentage of disposable income hit 5.9 percent in the first quart… Read More
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Discharging Student Loans - one success and one failure

In Janice Faye Hopson v. Illinois Student Assistance Commission and U.S. Department of Education, Adv. No. 16 A 206, (Bankr. N.D. Ill. June 22, 2018), the court ruled against a chapter 7 debtor trying to discharge her student loans. The debtor was a… Read More
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Merchant Cash Advances – A Trap for the Unwary

Small business owners should think carefully before taking out merchant cash advances, which is a form of financing that is heavily marketed. Small businesses, like any other business, need cash to run. It can be difficult, though, for some small bus… Read More
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Teamwork with business people analysis cost graph on the desk in the meeting room. The business team discussed meetings and briefing strategies. Negotiation, Analysis, Discussion

Rising Home Values Are Nudging More Chicago-Area Homeowners to Tap the Equity in Their Homes via Lines of Credit

There appears to be an increase in consumer debt that is reminiscent of the near-collapse of 2008-2010. A recent article in Crain’s Chicago Business (reprinted below), reports that consumers are using increases in home equity to secure further… Read More
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