On January 6, 2009, Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) re-introduced H.R. 200, “Helping Families Save Their Homes in Bankruptcy Act.” First introduced in the fall of 2007 by Durbin in the Senate and by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) in the House, this bill has been the subject of three hearings, but faces opposition primarily from Republicans and representatives of the mortgage industry.

Today, the OCC closed the National Bank of Commerce, Berkley, Illinois and the FDIC was named as receiver. Republic Bank of Chicago, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with the FDIC to assume all the deposits of National Bank of Commerce.

A federal bankruptcy imposed sanctions against two mortgage companies and their attorneys for making misrepresentations as to which party was the true holder of the mortgage and note. Decisions such as the one in In re Nosek resonate with particular significance as the mortgage crisis continues to have widespread ramifications.  

Yesterday, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing to discuss two proposed bills, H.R. 200, the “Helping Families Save Their Homes in Bankruptcy Act of 2009” and H.R. 225, the “Emergency Homeownership and Equity Protection Act", that would allow bankruptcy judges to modify the terms of certain mortgages on principal homes during bankruptcy proceedings. H.R.

There is a sense of inevitability that Congress will pass legislation allowing a Chapter 13 bankruptcy plan (also referred to as a wage-earner’s plan) to "cram-down" the value of a mortgage on a consumer's principal residence to its market value and/or reset debtor interest rate and monthly payments to an amount that permits them to remain in their homes. This alert summarizes the latest version of H.R.

Today, the Utah Department of Financial Institutions closed MagnetBank, Salt Lake City, Utah , and the FDIC was named as receiver. The FDIC was unable to find another financial institution to assume the banking operations of MagnetBank.

Yesterday afternoon, the House delayed a vote on H.R. 1106, “Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009” (the “Act”) after a little over an hour of debate, amidst unexpected opposition from some Democrats.

For the first time, individuals filing for bankruptcy protection may soon be able to reduce principal and interest on home mortgage obligations and prevent enforcement of certain mortgages even after entry of a foreclosure judgment.

On April 10, 2009, the North Carolina Office of Commissioner of Banks closed Cape Fear Bank, headquartered in Wilmington, North Carolina, and the FDIC was named as receiver.

As if buying distressed debt is not challenging enough given the underlying business considerations, the possible, and perhaps likely, bankruptcy filing of your soon-to-be borrower presents a maze of issues the note purchaser should consider before acquiring the debt.

1. Know Your Seller