How IRS Form 982 Can Aid Credit Unions and their Members with Debt Settlements

By: Nicholas K. Rohner, Esq. For any credit union seeking to negotiate with one of its members over a lump-sum settlement of the member’s delinquent, unsecured debt,[1] one potential roadblock is IRS Form 1099-C. This form reports the amount of a member’s debt that is forgiven or canceled; and although a member is unlikely to…

Bankruptcy Forms to Change December 1st

By Keri P. Ebeck, Partner As of December 1, 2015, the United States Bankruptcy Courts will mandate usage and filing of the forms approved at the Judicial Conference in September 2015. Although many of the official bankruptcy forms will change, those effecting lenders and creditors directly include: proof of claims, mortgage attachment (also known as…

Fraud Alert-Forged Paystubs

By Matthew M. Young, Attorney While forging paystubs to obtain credit is not a new concept, I have a number of credit unions that have advised me of an alarming increase in the use of these phony documents to support employment and corresponding income. Historically, forged paystubs were more common for indirect automobile loans obtained…

Michigan’s Amended Periodic Garnishment Statute

By David Wolfe, Attorney Michigan allows judgment creditors to garnish funds owed to a judgment debtor through a periodic garnishment (which is typically sent to an employer), a non-periodic garnishment (which typically seeks to seize funds in a bank account) and a tax garnishment. Recently, Michigan amended its statute governing periodic garnishments, MCL §600.4012, effective…

Charging for Records Requests

By Matthew Young, Attorney All Credit Unions are faced with the daunting challenge of providing exceptional member service to its members while keeping its costs low. One of the more frustrating and costly circumstances surrounding this concept involve members or third parties requesting documents from the Credit Union. These could be requests from your members…

CFPB Proposes Payday Lending Restrictions

John Porter, Partner The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recently indicated it was exploring limitations to end payday debt traps by requiring lenders to take steps to ensure consumers can repay their loans. These proposals would also restrict lenders from attempting to collect payment from consumers’ bank accounts in ways that result in excessive fees.…

Cashing in on Bad Checks

By: Matthew M. Young, Attorney As a financial institution, credit unions expect to incur certain losses for members who pass bad checks; however, it is critical to utilize methods available in the law to curb such abuse. In Ohio and most states, such activity qualifies as a criminal act and is compensable with treble damages…