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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

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

In Murphy v. United States, 15-11240-j7 (Bankr. D. N.M. June 1, 2018), the Bankruptcy Court in New Mexico held that a debtor who was not obligated to make payments on student loans because she qualified for a -0- payment under an Income Based Repayme… Read More

“One of the ‘main purpose[s]’ of the federal bankruptcy system is ‘to aid the unfortunate debtor by giving him a fresh start in life, free from debts, except of a certain character.’” Lamar, Archer & Cofrin, LLP v. Appling, 584 U.S. _… Read More

In a recent case, Judge Schmetterer held in In re Cross, Adversary No. 18 AP 00154, that the City of Chicago did not have the right to retain a chapter 13 debtor’s vehicle to protect its possessory lien on the car that allegedly secured payment… Read More

We are proud to share an exclusive interview conducted by Bill Rochelle of the ABI with Ariane Holtschlag, FactorLaw’s bankruptcy attorney, regarding some of the cutting edge consumer issues in the Northern District of Illinois. Watch the inter… Read More

The District Court for the Northern District of Illinois just changed the discovery rules for how and when parties can get information and documents from their opponents in federal lawsuits. If you are involved in a federal lawsuit, it is important t… Read More

One question people often have about bankruptcy is how it will affect their credit scores. In a recent article (link), Paul Goldsmith-Pinkham, an economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Research and Statistics Group, shows that credit… Read More