In a unanimous, and perhaps unsurprising, decision, the Supreme Court determined that a creditor may be held in civil contempt for violating the discharge injunction if there is “no fair ground of doubt” as to whether the creditor’s conduct was barred by the order placing that injunction.  The Supreme Court declined to adopt the standard of either of the courts below – the bankruptcy court’s strict liability standard or the Ninth Circuit’s good faith…

The intersection of Chapter 13 bankruptcy and escrow accounts is complicated and confusing.  Since 2011, various bankruptcy rule and form changes have occurred in an effort to eliminate perceived problems with Chapter 13 escrow issues. This article explains how one of these changes – a revised version of a proof of claim attachment form – actually added to the confusion instead of alleviating it, and how that confusion can be costly to servicers. Official Form…

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recently announced that it is adopting a new policy regarding Civil Investigative Demands (CIDs). Going forward, Director Kathleen Kraninger has committed to providing more information to the entity or individual that is the recipient of the CID. This will be accomplished through more specific notifications of purpose, which will explain the potential provisions of law that the CFPB believes may have been violated. While the CFPB did not include…

Creditors and credit furnishers often find properly reporting a payment status to Credit Reporting Agencies (CRAs) during, and after, bankruptcy a challenge. The recent Report of the American Bankruptcy Institute on Consumer Bankruptcy recognizes those challenges, and looks to convene a forum to provide better guidance and clarity as to proper credit reporting once a borrower goes into bankruptcy. Challenges What constitutes proper credit reporting with an account that is in, or after, bankruptcy is…

We previously provided you with some of the American Bankruptcy Institute’s Commission on Consumer Bankruptcy’s recommendations to improve the consumer bankruptcy system. As the commission noted, changes in bankruptcy law occur slowly. The last major amendments to the Bankruptcy Code were in 2005, and the last major amendments to the Bankruptcy Rules were in 2011. Despite the post-recession changes in the rules and local practice regarding mortgage servicing for borrowers in bankruptcy, gaps still exist,…

This week, the Department of Justice (DOJ) formalized and expanded its guidance for how defendants can earn cooperation credit in False Claims Act (FCA) cases and thereby reduce settlement amounts. New section 4-4.112 of the Justice Manual outlines three ways entities and individuals facing FCA claims can potentially earn credit—through voluntary disclosures, cooperation, and remedial measures. The credit allotted can take the form of a reduced damage multiplier, reduced penalties, or DOJ assistance in dealing…