In the cat-and-mouse game between debtors and creditors, it’s no surprise that there are dishonest debt collectors. Many of my bankruptcy clients are well-acquainted with debt collectors, often having been harassed by them for years before coming to me. Among the illegal collection practices these collection firms employ Read more »
Abuse
Wells Fargo: Worst Bank Ever? Part IV…
I’m cheered to see that others out there share my opinion of Wells Fargo Bank. For my prior screeds against this bank, see here, here, and here. My rants against Wells Fargo may soon Read more >>
Wells Fargo: Paid ME for Their Incompetence
I took a client through a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and got her a discharge. She and I were done, and she had no more personal debt. Then she sought a loan modification Read more >>
Wells Fargo: Freezes Accounts of People in Bankruptcy
If you have more than $5,000 in your Wells Fargo checking account when you file a bankruptcy petition, be prepared. Wells Fargo will freeze your account until the bankruptcy trustee tells them it’s okay Read more >>
Wells Fargo: Worst Bank EVER
I don’t like Wells Fargo Bank. Its abusive policies make it impossible to think well of it. I try not to do loan modifications for clients because all banks are reluctant to negotiate them. Banks are forced to do so by well-meaning statutes. Read more >>
Who Really Owns Your Debt?
I deal a lot with bill collectors. Here is an eye-opening description of how their business works. Settling a debt can be . . . .unsettling. If some unknown company Read more >>
Payday Lenders: Predators
Here is a very amusing and outraged report on “payday lenders” from John Oliver, the British reporter who apprenticed with Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert. He’s accurate in presenting the problem Read more >>
Misleading Radio Ads Promising Huge Tax Debt Reduction
I heard a radio ad about solving IRS problems. “It’s a fact that when you owe $10,000 or more, the IRS can take your car, your house . . . even your freedom.” Read more >>
Arsonist Can Discharge Fire Fighting Costs in Bankruptcy
Living in semi-arid California, I’ve gotten used to seeing large columns of smoke on hot, windy days. Most recently, I could see the Springs Fire burning between Camarillo and Malibu from a distance, Fortunately, it did little damage Read more >>
Lenny Dykstra Sentenced for Bankruptcy Fraud
He had a great mansion in Lake Sherwood, near Thousand Oaks, but when his financial-services firm fell apart, so did his life. Baseball legend Lenny Dykstra, who went through bankruptcy in 2009 (claiming about $25 million in assets and $37 million in debts), thought he could hide assets Read more >>