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The room used for Topeka bankruptcy meetings of creditors has been moved to 515 S. Kansas Ave., Suite 402, from the U.S. Post Office on the corner.

Starting January 27, 2011, the section 341 hearings conducted by Topeka bankruptcy trustees will be held in a four-story downtown office building across the street from the Bankruptcy Law Office location in the Bank of America Tower at 534 S. Kansas Ave.  The sign on the gray and tan building says Goodell Stratton Edmonds and Palmer for the law firm on the first floor of the building.

515 S. Kansas Avenue, Topeka, KS

The bankruptcy law was tweaked by technical amendments signed into law on December 22, 2010, by President Barrack Obama.

H.R. 6198, the Bankruptcy Technical Corrections Act. The Act primarily makes truly technical changes, such as correcting cross-references in the statute where the numbering of an existing provision was changed (e.g., to section 521 or 704). It also does clarify that pre-petition credit counseling can occur on the same day as the petition is filed. It also changes “delay, hinder, and defraud” in section 362(d)(4) to “delay, hinder, or defraud”, conforming the phrase to other parts of the Code, according to Maureen Thompson, Legislative Director for the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (NACBA). You may find the text of the legislation at http://thomas.loc.gov.

Kansas Health Institute reports that more and more Kansans cannot pay their medical bills. Hospitals are receiving more people who have no health insurance or other benefits.  The amount of uncompensated care provided by Kansas hospitals is rising.

Here is an interesting map that shows the bankruptcy filings per capita.  There were 6.55 filings in Shawnee County for every 1000 persons in the year ending September 30, 2010.  This tops Johnson, Wyandotte and Sedgwick Counties.

The means test will get meaner for most Kansas consumer debtors.  Ironically, more debtors may be required to file chapter 13 payment plans instead of chapter 7 bankruptcy.

Today, the U.S. Trustee Program announced new income figures to use on the bankruptcy means test for cases filed on or after November 1, 2010. Three person households in Kansas will be allowed slightly more income, while one, two and four person households will be allowed less income on the bankruptcy means test.

Median family income for Kansas bankruptcy cases filed November 1, 2010, or after:

* Add $7,500 for each individual in excess of 4.

Median family income for Kansas bankruptcy cases filed March 1, 2010, or after:

* Add $7,500 for each individual in excess of 4.

Georgia, Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina and other states also have meaner means tests with lower income guidelines.

CBS story on mortgage foreclosure robosigners

Baby boomers are filing bankruptcy in record numbers.  The financial crisis appears to be the culprit as Americans born between 1946 and 1964 find themselves with little or no home equity to weather the storm, according to the study’s authors, John Golmant and James Woods at the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.  Boomers who are nearing retirement are facing drops in home values, job layoffs, health problems and the soaring cost of health care, and many are raising grandchildren.

My blogging colleagues, Jay Fleischman and Gene Melchionne, talk insurance. Great idea or great scam? You’ll find out just how much a whole life insurance policy was worth when Gene graduated from law school, and the marketing angle Jay’s got for the folks at Gerber Life Insurance.

Listen online here:  http://debtpodcast.com/episode-x004-is-insurance-really-necessary/

Americans are rethinking the “dream of home ownership” in this time of economic downturn. Read about it in my latest post on Money Health Central.

Map of Bankruptcy Statistics by State

VITA volunteers will help people earning less than $49,000 per year with their tax return filing at two Topeka locations.

It will be offered at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, 1515 S.W. 10th, Tuesdays 6 to 8:30 p.m., Thursdays 3 to 8:30 p.m. and Saturdays 1 to 4 p.m. through April 15.

Another site will operate on the first floor of the Docking State Office Building, 915 S.W. Harrison, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. through April 15.

Why consumers should not use tax refund anticipation loans