Bankruptcy › Residential Real Estate › Finance & Banking

Bank Did Not Alter Right To Foreclose By Agreeing To Work With The Debtor After Bankruptcy Dismissal

In Branch Banking and Trust Company v. TCI Luna Ventures, LLC, BB&T appealed a temporary injunction order prohibiting it from foreclosing on two properties owned by TCI Luna. No. 05-12-00653-CV, 2013 Tex. App. LEXIS 1745...more

Insolvency in the Building and Construction Industry: Proposed Amendments to the Building and Construction Industry Security of...

The Industry and Current Legislation - The NSW building and construction industry (the Industry) is plagued by a high level of insolvencies. In the 2012 financial year, almost 25% of the external administrations...more

Freddie Mac Announces Numerous Servicing Policy Updates

On April 15, Freddie Mac issued Bulletin Number 2013-6, which announces numerous revisions to servicing requirements. The bulletin updates the allowable amounts for attorney fees for default-related legal services and details...more

Bankruptcy Courts In Georgia And Florida Show Obedience To Eleventh Circuit Court Of Appeals And Reluctantly Begin To Allow Lien...

Three bankruptcy courts within the Eleventh Circuit have recently issued opinions in which they have reluctantly allowed the debtor to entirely strip off the interests held by junior lienholders when the value of the real...more

CMBS Special Servicer Team Leads Training on Strategies to Effectively Address Defaulting Tenant in Common Borrowers

Baker Donelson's CMBS Special Servicer team recently lead a training session for one of our clients on unique issues and strategies involved with defaulted loans involving tenant in common (TIC) borrowers. We have seen...more

Home Loan Modification Help FAQs from the State Bar of California

Senate Bill 94 does not prevent an attorney from earning fees for helping consumers with home loan modifications. However, no one can accept fees up front for the work, nor can they place fees in their trust...more

Rogers Towers: A Potential End-Around McNeal: Liens Partially Secured by Personal Property

When the time comes to collect a debt, few organizations are as accomplished as the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS showed just such guile in the case of In re Williams, a recent Chapter 7 proceeding in the Middle District...more

Louisiana Receivers In Foreclosure - "Keep-er Away From My Collateral!!" Part II

In my prior post, I discussed (1) what a keeper is and (2) why you should designate a Keeper. This post examines (3) the benefits of a Keeper and (4) some risks relating to a Keeper....more

Bankruptcy in Arizona’s Improving Economy

Things have been bad for a long time. Here in Arizona bankruptcy filings have been near 40,000 per year for several years. However, this year things seem to be improving. Bankruptcy filings are down – significantly. That...more

MICHAEL L. JONES v WELLS FARGO BANK

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA OPINION AFFIRMING $3.1 MILLION PUNITIVE DAMAGE AWARD AGAINST WELLS...

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA MICHEAL L. JONES vs WELLS FARGO BANK OPINION Before the Court is Appellant Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.'s Appeal from a decision of the United States...more

Foreclosure Law In The Wake Of Recent Decisions On Residential Mortgage Loans: The Situation In Georgia

Originally Publish in Pratt's Journal Of Bankruptcy Law, February/March 2013. Thousands of wrongful foreclosure lawsuits are filed each year in Georgia against banks, lenders, servicers, foreclosure firms, and other...more

When “Loan to Own” Becomes “Own a Loan” – How a Recent Fifth Circuit Decision Rejecting the Artificial Impairment Doctrine...

Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code provides debtors with a number of tools to restructure comprehensively their debts and other liabilities as well as immediate protection from secured and unsecured creditors. In single...more

Fifth Circuit Rejects “Artificial Impairment” Standard in Confirmation of Single Asset Real Estate Plan

In a pro-debtor opinion released on February 26, 2013, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals held that a debtor may “artificial impair” claims in a class to obtain an impaired and accepting class of claims as required by section...more

Castleton Ruling Fortifies 7th Circ. Pro-Creditor Trend

Originally published in Law360, February 22, 2013. As real estate markets continue to rebound, owners of single asset real estate properties are increasingly incentivized to devise bankruptcy strategies that allow them...more

Real Estate Finance Deals: Jersey Law Update

Jersey LLPs: a new dawn as investment and property holding vehicles A recent amendment to the Limited Liability Partnership (Jersey) Law 1997 (the "Law") could see Jersey Limited Liability Partnerships (Jersey LLPs) gain...more

In re: Chapter 7 Case No. 11-24269 JUANITA STRASSFIELD, Debtor.

ORDER DENYING WELLS FARGO’S MOTION TO VACATE AUTOMATIC STAY BASED ON FILING FALSE DOCUMENTS WITH THE COURT

ORDER DENYING WELLS FARGO’S MOTION TO VACATE AUTOMATIC STAY AND PARTIALLY GRANTING RELIEF SOUGHT IN OBJECTIONS THERETO Upon the motion, dated January 24, 2012 (the “Motion”), of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. (“Wells Fargo”) to...more

Insolvency Legislative Update - February 2013

California enacted a number of pieces of legislation over the last year or so of great importance to insolvency professionals. These include bills impacting mortgage foreclosures, sales of tax-defaulted property, wage...more

Rogers Towers: Use of FDIC Special Powers: The Expanded Scope of the Term “Agreement”

In previous posts, we introduced the protections afforded the FDIC by the D’Oench Doctrine and 12 U.S.C. § 1823(e), which bar claims and defenses against the FDIC and its assignees by private parties based on improperly...more

Roger Towers: Though not Precedent, McNeal Proves Persuasive in Southern District of Florida

Mortgage modification has long been an angst-ridden topic for consumer creditors. The issue once again rose to the forefront in May of 2012, when the Eleventh Circuit issued the unpublished opinion of In re McNeal, wherein...more

‘Tis The Season To Be WARY!

Tax season is on us once again and many are thinking about how to make the best use of any tax refund to pay down their obligations. Be aware: scammers are out there and are plotting strategies to separate you from your...more

Rogers Towers: A Troubling Interpretation: Prepetition Foreclosures as Preferential Transfers under § 547

As stated in Doug Waldorf’s post below, the concept of property valuation in regards to a deficiency judgment is well established within the Eleventh Circuit. The fair market value of the property is established at the...more

State Law Update: Michigan Excludes Certain Loans From State Mortgage Laws, Extends Loan Modification Program

On December 22, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder signed three bills—SB 1283, SB 1284, and SB 1285—to exclude from state mortgage laws, including its predatory lending law and loan originator licensing act, any loan transaction...more

Can The Surrender of Property Be Refused By The Lender?

In many Chapter 7 and 13 cases, our clients decide to maximize the benefits of their "fresh start" by surrendering to the lender all of their "rights, title and interest" in an "underwater" residence or rental property or a...more

Illinois Supreme Court Holds Judgment of Foreclosure Not Immediately Appealable

Under Illinois law, a judgment of foreclosure does not end a mortgage foreclosure case; it remains modifiable by the trial court and is strictly interlocutory. After such a judgment is entered, the property is sold once...more

Bankruptcy Law Update - December 2012

In this December 2012 Issue: - Second Circuit Decisions - Connecticut Bankruptcy Court Decisions The Second Circuit tackles the criminal exception to the automatic stay, administrative rent claims under a...more