The debtor’s pre-petition TILA claims were part of his chapter 7 bankruptcy estate and, therefore, only the trustee had standing to bring those claims while the bankruptcy was pending. Bernstein v. Wells Fargo (In re Bernstein), No. 14-65054, Adv. Proc. 14-5306 (Bankr. N.D. Ga. Jan. 2, 2015). Read More
Tag Archive: Standing
-
Debtor Lacks Standing to Bring Adversary Complaint Based on Pre-Petition Claims
Posted by NCBRC - March 23rd, 2015
-
Court Removes Wells Fargo’s Brass Knuckles
Posted by NCBRC - December 17th, 2014
Like a ray of sunshine through a storm of obfuscation and false compliance, the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York found that Wells Fargo’s administrative freeze on bankruptcy debtors’ accounts violates the automatic stay, and debtors injured by the violation have standing to seek damages. In re Weidenbenner, No. 14-35443, 2014 Bankr. LEXIS 5009 (Bankr. S.D. N.Y. Dec. 12, 2014). Read More
-
Chapter 13 Debtor May Exercise Trustee’s Avoidance Power
Posted by NCBRC - February 10th, 2014
A chapter 13 debtor may exercise the trustee’s avoidance powers under section 544 if doing so will benefit the bankruptcy estate. In re Aiwohi, 13-90038 (Bankr. Haw. Jan. 31, 2014). Read More
-
Debtor has Standing to Move to Avoid Statutory Lien
Posted by NCBRC - November 15th, 2013
A debtor has standing under section 522(h) to bring an action to avoid a statutory lien under section 545(2). In In re McCarthy, No. 13-6042 (B.A.P. 8th Cir. Oct. 28, 2013), the debtor filed an adversary proceeding seeking to avoid an attorney fee statutory lien as impairing his homestead exemption under Minnesota law. The bankruptcy court dismissed the proceeding on the basis that, under section 545(2), the debtor “lacks the authority and ability to exercise the strong-arm powers of the trustee to defeat a statutory lien.” The BAP found that, while section 545 does provide that the “trustee may avoid the fixing of a statutory lien on property of the debtor,” the bankruptcy court’s inquiry should not have stopped there. Section 522(h), in conjunction with section 522(g)(1), provides an avenue for the debtor to avoid a lien that is avoidable by the trustee under section 545. Under these sections the BAP set forth five requirements that must be met to allow a debtor to avoid a statutory lien: “(1) the debtor’s transfer of property must have been involuntary; [§ 522(g)(1)(A)] (2) the debtor must not have concealed the property [§ 522(g)(1)(B)]; (3) the trustee must not have attempted to avoid the transfer [§ 522(h)(2)]; (4) the debtor must seek to exercise an avoidance power enumerated under § 522(h); and (5) the transferred property must be such that it could have been exempted if the trustee had avoided the transfer under the provisions of § 522(g) [§ 522(h)(1)].” Finding that section 522 gives the debtor the power to avoid the statutory lien, despite section 545’s limitation to the trustee, the court reversed and remanded to allow the bankruptcy court to address the merits of the debtor’s lien avoidance action.
-
Creditor Lacks Standing to Move for Dismissal under 707(b)
Posted by NCBRC - September 16th, 2013
In In re Gandy, No. 11-30369 (Bankr. E.D. Tenn. July 12, 2013), the court found that a creditor had no standing under section 707(b) to seek dismissal of a chapter 7 petition, after conversion from chapter 13, where debtor’s petition documents showed him to be below-median. Read More
-
Debtor Has Standing to Pursue Pre-Petition Employment Discrimination Case
Posted by NCBRC - May 22nd, 2013
The Fourth Circuit confirmed the chapter 13 debtor’s standing to pursue a pre-petition cause of action against his former employer. Wilson v. Dollar General Corp., No. 12-1573 (4th Cir. May 17, 2013). Read More
-
U.S. Bank Fails to Establish Standing to Seek Relief from Stay to Foreclose
Posted by NCBRC - February 12th, 2013
The Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York denied U.S. Bank’s motion for relief from stay on the basis that U.S. Bank had failed to show that it had standing to obtain such relief. In re Idicula, No. 12-12120 (Bankr. S.D. N.Y. Jan. 10, 2013). Read More
-
Debtor Has Standing to Argue Failure to Comply with Terms of PSA
Posted by NCBRC - December 20th, 2012
A Michigan state court found that a debtor may oppose foreclosure on the basis that the assignment of the mortgage to the foreclosing party was in violation of the Pooling and Service Agreement and, therefore, ineffective. HSBC Bank, USA v. Young, No. 11-693 (Cir. Ct. Mich. Oct. 16, 2012). HSBC conducted a foreclosure by advertisement and bought the property at the foreclosure sale. When it moved the court for possession of the property the debtor challenged the legitimacy of the foreclosure on the basis that the assignment of the note and mortgage from Wells Fargo to HSBC took place after the note was in default in violation of the terms of the PSA. Read More
-
MERS Survives Challenge to its Business Model
Posted by NCBRC - April 4th, 2012
The Eastern District of New York found that the Bankruptcy Court overstepped its jurisdictional bounds when it entered an advisory opinion that MERS, as “nominee,” had no power to assign mortgages. In re Agard, No. 11-1826 (E.D. N.Y. March 28, 2012). Read More
-
Tenth Circuit Requires Proof of Possession of Note Indorsed in Blank
Posted by NCBRC - February 7th, 2012
Last week, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals found that Deutsche Bank (DB) had not proved its status as a “party in interest” in a motion for relief from stay due to its failure to produce evidence of possession of the promissory note. In re Miller, No. 11-1232 (10th Cir., Feb. 1, 2012). The Millers filed a chapter 13 petition to prevent foreclosure sale of their home after the Colorado state court had granted an “Order Authorizing Sale” (OAS) under Civil Rule 120. In its motion for relief from stay DB presented only a copy of the Note indorsed in blank The bankruptcy court granted relief from stay based on the evidentiary showing, and the BAP affirmed on the basis of the state court’s OAS and the Rooker-Feldman doctrine. Read More
-
Request Assistance
Request assistance with a case.
-
Help NCBRC
NCBRC needs your support to protect the rights of consumer bankruptcy debtors. The most effective way to support NCBRC is with a direct donation.
There are many other ways to give to NRBRC:
iGive.com: When you purchase items at over 1,400 online stores, a percentage of your purchase will be donated to NCBRC. Stores include Macy’s, Melissa and Doug, Bed Bath & Beyond, Nike, Petsmart, and more. Shop and Give today!
-
HAVEN Act Guide
The Honoring American Veterans in Extreme Need Act of 2019 (“HAVEN Act”) excludes certain benefits paid to veterans or their family members from the definition of current monthly income (“CMI”) found in the Bankruptcy Code. The HAVEN Act amends § 101(10A) of the Bankruptcy Code and supplements the 2005 amendments to the Code that excluded other government benefits, such as social security income.
This Guide provides an overview of the HAVEN Act identifies benefits that are excluded, and answers frequently asked questions.
-
Keep up with NCBRC
Thank you!
Thank you to the following organizations without whose support our work would not be possible.
American College of Bankruptcy
The American College of Bankruptcy is an honorary public service association of bankruptcy and insolvency professionals who are invited to join as Fellows based on a proven record of the highest standards of professionalism plus service to the profession and their communities. Together with its affiliated Foundation, the College is the largest financial supporter of bankruptcy and insolvency-related pro bono legal service programs in the United States.NACBA
The only national organization dedicated to serving the needs of consumer bankruptcy attorneys and protecting the rights of consumer debtors in bankruptcy. Formed in 1992, NACBA has more than 3,000 members located in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.O. Max Gardner Foundation, Inc.
Visit NACBA.org
The O. Max Gardner Foundation, Inc. provides financial support to institutions devoted to charitable, scientific, literary or educational purposes. NCBRC has been a recipient of grant awards from the foundation.