Florida Bankruptcy Lawyer Blog

As we all know, when an individual files a bankruptcy case, they are required to disclose all of their assets, and the total value of those assets is the starting point for determining how much (if any) they must pay to their creditors in the case. So, of course, in my work as a consumer bankruptcy attorney in Southwest Florida, I get a lot of questions about how to protect one’s assets before filing a bankruptcy case. Specifically, one of the most common things that people want to know about is protecting their bank accounts. When it comes to bank accounts, it is mainly about organization. There are several specific exemptions, or protections, that can be applied to bank accounts to shield them from the reach of the bankruptcy trustee so that you can keep that money available to support your family after the case is filed. These exemptions are based on the source of the money that was deposited into the bank account, the most popular ones being wages and social security. The key to protecting the specific types of deposits that are specifically exempt in bankruptcy is to keep those deposits separate from the rest of your non-exempt money and to spend those protected monies after all other types of money that you have. That way, there is no question as to the source of the money that is in your bank account on the date that you file for bankruptcy protection.

Continue reading " How Can I Protect My Bank Accounts When Filing For Bankruptcy?" »

The Dellutri Law Group is getting ready to start a New Blog focusing on the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act. Our Fair Credit Reporting Act Blog can be found at:

www.faircreditreportingactblog.com

Please check it out and tell us what you think? It should be active in 7 to 10 days. The Fair Credit Reporting Act Blog will focus on all aspects of Credit Reporting.

Continue reading "Dellutri Law Group To Start A Fair Credit Reporting Act Blog" »

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Changes are coming to the Florida Bankruptcy Lawyer Blog whether you like it or not. It's time to kick the tires and light the fires and slap a new coat of paint on this puppy. We also might throw in some cool features like a new website and a new look for the Florida Injury and Accident Lawyer Blog as well.

So, keep your eyes peeled, and watch out for the new stuff. It may just hit you right between the eyes.

Continue reading "Changes, They Are A Coming" »

As a Consumer Bankruptcy Attorney, it seems as if a couple of questions are on everyone's mind. One of those questions is: After bankruptcy, how will I rent a car or secure a hotel room if I cannot keep any of my credit cards? My reply is simple: Use your debit card. People are often shocked that yes, they can use their debit cards for this purpose. Yesterday, my friend and colleague in Connecticut, Eugene Melchionne, wrote a blog for the Credit Law Network, titled "Using Debit Cards and ATM's Effectively". After reading Gene's article, it made me think of several reasons why people using debit cards need to be careful.

Continue reading "Debit Card Do's And Don'ts Part I" »

This post is submitted by Carmen Dellutri, Esq., Mr. Dellutri is a Board Certified Consumer Bankruptcy Attorney and founder of The Dellutri Law Group, P.A. and one of the founding members of the Bankruptcy Law Network, Credit Law Network, Mortgage Law Network and the Debt Law Network.

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last five years we have all seen or heard something identity theft. Hopefully, you have not been a victim of identity theft. If you have then you know what kind of horror story that follows. Although there has been quite a bit of information written about identity theft, many individuals haven't done enough about the problem.

Continue reading "Fraud Alerts: Are They Necessary?" »

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is a federal law which is supposed to regulate the credit reporting industry. The FCRA is supposed to keep control over users of reports and the furnishers of the information provided. For many Americans, their credit history can mean the difference between paying hundreds or thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in interest over their lives. In my opinion, the average American does not even know what is contained in their credit files until they apply for credit, and by then, it is probably too late to do any meaningful repair work.

Continue reading "Jury Awards $2.9 million for credit report violations" »