Law Commons^™

Integrating "Alternative" Dispute Resolution Into Bankruptcy: As Simple (And Pure) As Motherhood And Apple Pie?, Nancy A. Welsh

Nancy Welsh

Today, there can be little doubt that “alternative” dispute resolution is anything but alternative. Nonetheless, many judges, lawyers (and law students) do not truly understand the dispute resolution processes that are available and how they should be used. In the shadow of the current economic crisis, this lack of knowledge is likely to have negative consequences, particularly in those areas of practice such as bankruptcy and foreclosure in which clients, lawyers, regulators, and courts work under pressure, often with inadequate time and financial resources to permit careful analysis of procedural options. Potential negative effects can include: (1) impairment of a …

The Chapter 13 Alternative: A Legislative Solution To Undersecured Home Mortgages, Samuel Bufford

Hon. Samuel L. Bufford

This article discusses minor changes to the U.S. Bankruptcy Code that would make avoiding foreclosure possible for a homeowner who (a) is presently not able to make the mortgage service payments but (b) could make payments for a mortgage that is reduced to the market value of the property and to a fixed market mortgage rate. This article does not address the political issue of what protections Congress might decide to provide mortgage owners and servicers as a part of such legislation.

The Impairment Of Secured Creditors’ Rights In Reorganization: A Study Of The Relationship Between The Fifth Amendment And The Bankruptcy Clause, James S. Rogers

James S. Rogers

Some commentators and courts have argued that the takings clause of the fifth amendment limits congressional power to interfere with property rights in bankruptcy proceedings. In this Article, Professor Rogers argues to the contrary that, at least with respect to prospective bankruptcy legislation, the bankruptcy clause itself and not the fifth amendment limits congressional bankruptcy power. His view derives from nineteenth and twentieth century case law, particularly cases assessing the validity of restraints on secured creditors' foreclosure rights, and from the theoretical difficulty of distinguishing between supposedly protected property rights and supposedly unprotected contract interests. Professor Rogers also sharply criticizes …

In Or Out Of Mortgage Trouble? A Study Of Bankrupt Homeowners, Melissa B. Jacoby, Daniel T. Mccue, Eric M. Belsky

Melissa B. Jacoby

We examine the determinants of missed payments and foreclosure initiation among a national sample of homeowners who filed for personal bankruptcy in 2007, using a rich dataset from the 2007 Consumer Bankruptcy Project.

Credit access had a significant effect on keeping mortgages current across all of our models: access to, and reliance on, credit cards reduced the chance of missed payments and default, increasing the likelihood that bankruptcy could produce a fresh start. Missed mortgage payments also were associated with a substantial drop in income and with the use of a mortgage broker. The probability of foreclosure initiation was lower …

Making Debtor Remedies More Effective, Melissa B. Jacoby

Melissa B. Jacoby

Commissioned for a conference on credit markets at Harvard Business School in February 2010, this paper explores functional system design and the role of lawyers and intermediaries in providing debtor remedies in a complex legal system. The thesis of this paper, which proceeds in the “law and society” tradition, is that the location of a remedial right within the debtor-creditor system substantially affects the costs and benefits of the remedy for debtors, creditors, the system, and society. In other words, merely adding specific substantive provisions does not directly translate into actual protection. Relatedly, policymakers must recognize that lawyers and other …

Home Mortgage Problems Through The Lens Of Bankruptcy, Melissa B. Jacoby

Melissa B. Jacoby

Based on a lecture at a predatory lending conference at Loyola University New Orleans School of Law, this brief paper discusses the 2007 Consumer Bankruptcy Project and how the empirical study of bankruptcy law informs our understanding of the intersection of mortgages and homeownership with financial distress, and whether bankruptcy can provide meaningful redress.

Home Ownership Beyond A Subprime Crisis: The Role Of Delinquency Management, Melissa B. Jacoby

Melissa B. Jacoby

No abstract provided.

Bankruptcy Reform And Homeownership Risk, Melissa Jacoby

Melissa B. Jacoby

No abstract provided.