National Bankruptcy

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The national bankruptcy rate rose 14% for the first 6 months of 2010, the highest since landmark legislation was enforced to curb abuse in bankruptcy cases in 2005.  According to the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI), the number of filings rose to 770,117, the highest year-on-year since the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act (BAPCPA) came into being aimed at reducing the number of Chapter 7 bankruptcies where debts can be wiped out without paying them.

However, month-on-month, the June statistics indicate a glimmer of hope.  It is the third consecutive month where the bankruptcy rate has fallen.  The number of bankruptcy filings in June came up to 127,000, down more than 7% compared to May.  But this number is higher compared to June 2009 by more than 8%, according to the National Bankruptcy Research Center.  The ABI expects another 1.6 million individuals and companies to file for bankruptcy before the year is out, according to its Executive Director, Samuel J. Gerdano.

Statistics in a report by Professor Ronald Mann of the Columbia Law School in Alaska show that among the states, Nevada recorded the highest bankruptcy filing rate of 16,000 filings for each one million households (this is more than double the national average of 6,800 filings per million) whereas South Carolina and Washington D.C. came in the least with  less than 40% of the national average.  The regions most hard hit by bankruptcies are the South East and South West of the country.  While most states have increased in the number of bankruptcy filings, Tennessee and Alabama and some other Southern states have shown lower filings.

Even some people in public office have not been spared.  Part-time mayor for Layton, a city of 67,000 residents, filed for bankruptcy in March this year after winning the election to a second term in November 2009.  Steve Curtis, mayor of Layton, the largest city in Davis county, Utah lost his job due to downsizing.  Curtis said that bankruptcy was something he tried very hard to avoid as it was something he felt was distasteful.

Yet Curtis intends to fulfill his duties as mayor as he had not broken any law and should not have to resign.  Curtis added that he was very humbled to receive the support of many residents facing the same experience due to layoffs.  He receives an annual salary of $21,800 and a monthly travel allowance of $800.  In addition, he also receives a small stipend as a director of Wasatch Integrated Waste Management district that encompasses Layton’s landfill and burn plant.

No one is exempted from the effects of the economic crisis.  It has driven countless people into debt.  If you have been drowning in debt, consider bankruptcy as a way out.  Many may not realize that bankruptcy actually protects you from your creditors and gives you the chance to discharge your debts.  Call us at (813) 200 4133 for a free consultation or visit http://tampabankruptcy.pro.

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    Two recent opinion polls showed that most Greeks agree that the country’s government has to adopt the austerity measures imposed by the European Union (EU) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) in exchange for bailout funds to avoid national bankruptcy.

    The Greek government coffers have no money to meet its obligations largely due to endemic corruption, cumbersome bureaucracy and government largesse. The country is only one week away from defaulting on bonds worth €8.5 billion maturing May 19 for which it does not have the money to pay. Despite widespread violent protests last Wednesday, a majority of the people have begun to realize that they have to bite the bullet if their country is to survive.

    In a poll conducted by the Proto Thema newspaper, 54.2% of respondents say they are willing to go along with the austerity measures imposed by the EU-IMF plan rather than see their country go bankrupt. On the other hand, 33.2% of those who responded to the poll feel the government should not accede to getting outside help but should rather go it alone. The poll also shows that 51.4% of the public are reasonable enough to accept that more personal sacrifices have to be made to overcome the economic crisis while only 28% believe that having strikes will solve the problem.

    Another poll was conducted by the Sunday edition of the To Vima newspaper. This poll showed similar results in more than half of Greeks (55.2%) feeling that the EU-IMF austerity measures are necessary and they will ‘accept’ or ‘probably accept’ them. 44.6% of respondents in this poll do not accept the EU-IMF conditions. However in contrast to the other poll by Proto Thema, this poll discovered 53.2% of Greeks feel that strikes and protests should continue. However, 63.5% of these respondents do not think that the protests would stop the government from adopting the austerity measures.

    In the Proto Thema poll, 1,000 people were asked if they thought the Greek workers unions keep their protests at a ‘rational’ level. A whopping 74% said yes while only 21% replied in the negative. This poll was conducted on behalf of the newspaper by Alco polling agency on May 5 to 7 through telephone calls after violence in Athens by protestors resulted in the deaths of 4 bank employees whose building was set on fire.

    On what they thought of their political leaders, the poll showed that 49.4% of the people felt that Prime Minister George Papandreaou has been ‘responsible’ in his job while 39.9% said he was not. In a related result from the other poll by the To Vima newspaper, 71.3% of Greeks think the country’s major political parties should cooperate more to tackle the crisis.

    The To Vima survey was conducted by the Kapa Research polling agency interviewing 1,030 respondents on May 6.

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    In what seems like the only way out of a catch 22 situation, Greece has to borrow money from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and its fellow EU countries to avoid national bankruptcy. The country is two weeks away from defaulting on €8.5 billion worth of bonds maturing May 19 for which it does not have the money to pay.

    During a heated debate in parliament, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou said the government has to avail itself to the €110 billion three-year package comprising of loans from other eurozone countries and the IMF. But the package comes at a price. The government must agree to severe austerity measures over the three year period. These measures include slashing salaries, pensions and increasing taxes. The government was trying to rush through legislation in parliament to authorize the austerity measures.

    The loan package is also aimed at preventing the debt problem from spilling over to other European countries with vulnerable economies such as Portugal and Spain. Portugal and Spain has had their debt ratings downgraded which contributed to the depreciation of the value of the Euro from as high as $1.51 to below $1.28.

    The austerity measures have sparked outrage among the Greeks, with approximately 100,000 people spilling into the streets last Wednesday, torching buildings, destroying public property, smashing windows and fighting with police. Three bank employees – a man and two women, one of whom was pregnant – died when they were trapped inside their building set ablaze by rioters. Another four people were rescued by fire fighters using a crane from the balcony of the bank. The deaths were the first protest-linked ones in more than 20 years and have shocked the nation in which protests are common but rarely result in fatalities. A makeshift shrine with flowers and candles was set up in a charred window of the Marfin Bank, the scene of the deaths.

    41 policemen and 15 civilians were injured in the riots, while 25 people were arrested. When the journalist union canceled their participation in the protests, newspapers were rushed through the press on Wednesday just in time to report on the riots and deaths. But despite the fatalities and general carnage, unions and far left groups were planning for more protests on Thursday.

    The bank workers’ union called for a strike Thursday to protest the deaths of their members and at the same time laid the blame for the violence on the government’s austerity measures. However, most banks in central Athens remained open.

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    Filed under Chapter 7 (Tampa) by on . Comment#

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    In what seems like the only way out of a catch 22 situation, Greece has to borrow money from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and its fellow EU countries to avoid national bankruptcy. The country is two weeks away from defaulting on €8.5 billion worth of bonds maturing May 19 for which it does not have the money to pay.

    During a heated debate in parliament, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou said the government has to avail itself to the €110 billion three-year package comprising of loans from other eurozone countries and the IMF. But the package comes at a price. The government must agree to severe austerity measures over the three year period. These measures include slashing salaries, pensions and increasing taxes. The government was trying to rush through legislation in parliament to authorize the austerity measures.

    The loan package is also aimed at preventing the debt problem from spilling over to other European countries with vulnerable economies such as Portugal and Spain. Portugal and Spain has had their debt ratings downgraded which contributed to the depreciation of the value of the Euro from as high as $1.51 to below $1.28.

    The austerity measures have sparked outrage among the Greeks, with approximately 100,000 people spilling into the streets last Wednesday, torching buildings, destroying public property, smashing windows and fighting with police. Three bank employees – a man and two women, one of whom was pregnant – died when they were trapped inside their building set ablaze by rioters. Another four people were rescued by fire fighters using a crane from the balcony of the bank. The deaths were the first protest-linked ones in more than 20 years and have shocked the nation in which protests are common but rarely result in fatalities. A makeshift shrine with flowers and candles was set up in a charred window of the Marfin Bank, the scene of the deaths.

    41 policemen and 15 civilians were injured in the riots, while 25 people were arrested. When the journalist union canceled their participation in the protests, newspapers were rushed through the press on Wednesday just in time to report on the riots and deaths. But despite the fatalities and general carnage, unions and far left groups were planning for more protests on Thursday.

    The bank workers’ union called for a strike Thursday to protest the deaths of their members and at the same time laid the blame for the violence on the government’s austerity measures. However, most banks in central Athens remained open.

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    Filed under Chapter 7 (Tampa) by on . Comment#

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    Two recent opinion polls showed that most Greeks agree that the country’s government has to adopt the austerity measures imposed by the European Union (EU) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) in exchange for bailout funds to avoid national bankruptcy.

    The Greek government coffers have no money to meet its obligations largely due to endemic corruption, cumbersome bureaucracy and government largesse. The country is only one week away from defaulting on bonds worth €8.5 billion maturing May 19 for which it does not have the money to pay. Despite widespread violent protests last Wednesday, a majority of the people have begun to realize that they have to bite the bullet if their country is to survive.

    In a poll conducted by the Proto Thema newspaper, 54.2% of respondents say they are willing to go along with the austerity measures imposed by the EU-IMF plan rather than see their country go bankrupt. On the other hand, 33.2% of those who responded to the poll feel the government should not accede to getting outside help but should rather go it alone. The poll also shows that 51.4% of the public are reasonable enough to accept that more personal sacrifices have to be made to overcome the economic crisis while only 28% believe that having strikes will solve the problem.

    Another poll was conducted by the Sunday edition of the To Vima newspaper. This poll showed similar results in more than half of Greeks (55.2%) feeling that the EU-IMF austerity measures are necessary and they will ‘accept’ or ‘probably accept’ them. 44.6% of respondents in this poll do not accept the EU-IMF conditions. However in contrast to the other poll by Proto Thema, this poll discovered 53.2% of Greeks feel that strikes and protests should continue. However, 63.5% of these respondents do not think that the protests would stop the government from adopting the austerity measures.

    In the Proto Thema poll, 1,000 people were asked if they thought the Greek workers unions keep their protests at a ‘rational’ level. A whopping 74% said yes while only 21% replied in the negative. This poll was conducted on behalf of the newspaper by Alco polling agency on May 5 to 7 through telephone calls after violence in Athens by protestors resulted in the deaths of 4 bank employees whose building was set on fire.

    On what they thought of their political leaders, the poll showed that 49.4% of the people felt that Prime Minister George Papandreaou has been ‘responsible’ in his job while 39.9% said he was not. In a related result from the other poll by the To Vima newspaper, 71.3% of Greeks think the country’s major political parties should cooperate more to tackle the crisis.

    The To Vima survey was conducted by the Kapa Research polling agency interviewing 1,030 respondents on May 6.

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