Although property obtained by a debtor after filing for bankruptcy is usually safe from creditors, a recent case from the Ninth Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel allowed a Chapter 7 Trustee to sell real property obtained by the debtors post-petition.

When a chapter 7 bankruptcy case is filed, a trustee is appointed to gather and sell the debtor’s assets.  To aid in this effort, the trustee is empowered to avoid certain transfers pursuant to Bankruptcy Code sections 544 - 550.  The trustee also is empowered, pursuant to Bankruptcy Code § 542, to seek turnover of assets belonging to the estate.  The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently held that a party may be required to turnover estate property even if the party is no longer in possession of such property.  See Shapiro v.

In In re Nilsson, 129 Nev. Adv. 101 (December 26, 2013), the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Nevada certified the following question to the Nevada Supreme Court:

Over the past week, Fannie Mae has announced numerous servicing policy changes through a series of Servicing Guide Announcements.

Based on progress to date, a Model Act on Appointment and Powers of Real Estate Receivers may be making its way to a state legislature near you within the next couple of years.  The Committee appointed by and representing the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws to prepare the model act met again in late September, 2013, to review the latest working draft of the

In In re Eastman Kodak Co., 495 B.R. 618 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. 2013) (No. 12-10202), the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York permitted a Chapter 11 debtor-in-possession (Kodak) to assign a previously assumed real estate lease despite the lease’s anti-assignment clause.

Commercial landlords hailed as a significant victory the enactment in 2005 of a 210-day “drop dead” period after which a lease of nonresidential real property with respect to which the debtor is the lessee is deemed rejected unless, prior to the expiration of the period, a chapter 11 debtor in possession (“DIP”) or bankruptcy trustee assumes or rejects the lease.

• Receiver: court’s inherent equitable power to appoint receiver over non-profit condominium association not limited to categories set forth in Florida Statutes – Granada Lakes Villas Condo. Ass’n, Inc. v Metro-Dade Invs. Co., No. SC11-2590 (Fla. Oct.

If all goes as planned, the Uniform Law Commission will finalize and promulgate a model act dealing with the appointment and powers of commercial real estate receivers at some point in 2015.  Last month, the Drafting Committee for this model act met in Minneapolis, MN to discuss and revise the latest draft.

On October 17, Fannie Mae issued Servicing Guide Announcement SVC-2013-21, which revises servicers’ responsibilities in finalizing standard deed-in-lieu of foreclosures (DILs).