In a chapter 13, you may be able to keep it.

In a chapter 7 (at least here in Utah), you will lose it unless you receive and spend it before we file bankruptcy.

MAY 11, 2020 UPDATE: You will not lose it. The Chapter 7 Trustees in Utah have been quietly ignoring it. Three of them have actually been stating on the record that they will not take it from you.

Plan on losing it, but nothing is guaranteed right now.

April 1, 2020 update: In Utah (and most states), the Chapter 13 Trustees have stated that they will not be taking the stimulus money. (See email at bottom of blog entry) At least one Chapter 7 Trustee has already stated that she will definitely take the stimulus checks.

In 2001, President Bush sent out economic stimulus checks of about $300 a person to try to jump start the economy after the .com bubble burst.

In 2008, President Bush sent out economic stimulus checks of about $600 a person to try to help the economy with the sub-prime lending/housing crash.

Today in 2020, there is very strong talk of a stimulus check of at least $1,000 to each adult to help stimulate the economy after the recession effects of the NOVID-19/coronavirus hit.

Throwing bankruptcy into the mix complicates matters. On the day you file bankruptcy, your bankruptcy estate is created. This estate includes all of your personal and real property and your tax refunds. Normally, we can exempt (protect) most of it from the bk trustee. Unfortunately, here in Utah, your tax refund is not safe from a bk trustee, so you need to receive and spend the refund before you go bankrupt, or the trustee can take it and use it to pay your creditors. That stimulus check may (or may not) be part of your bankruptcy estate.

All I know for certain is that if you receive and spend the stimulus before you file bankruptcy, it is gone, and it is not part of your bankruptcy estate.

If you file bankruptcy first, there is a good chance that you will lose the stimulus money to your trustee. It comes down to when your receive the right to receive the stimulus and what the stimulus is tied to. That being said, the only Utah case I found was actually positive for the debtors. In that case, Debtors filed bankruptcy in 2007. The Economic Stimulus Act passed in 2008, and their chapter 7 trustee tried to take that stimulus money when the checks came in. One of our current judges, Judge William T. Thurman, found in favor of the debtors (letting them keep the money). He found that since their right to receive the stimulus money didn’t arise until after their bk was filed, it was not part of the bankruptcy estate. See In Re Andrews, 386. B.R. 871 (Bankr. D. Utah 2008).

This sounds great, because it sounds like the court is saying: if the stimulus package isn’t passed until after you file bk, then you get to keep the money.

However, we have another case out of Kansas (which is admittedly NOT Utah), which forced debtors who had filed bankruptcy in March of 2008 to turn over their stimulus payment from the May 2008 Economic Stimulus Act because the triggering act to receive that stimulus was the filing of their 2007 tax returns. They lost the stimulus because the stimulus money was tied to their 2007 taxes (which occurred before the bk). See In Re Schwinn, 08-10528 (Bankr. D. Kansas 2008).

This doesn’t sound great, because the bk trustee took the money after arguing that it was tied to their taxes from the previous year.

I don’t know how the 2020 stimulus will be worded, but I fear that bk trustees will be salivating and sharpening their knives when those checks go out. Plan on losing it for now, and it you end up getting to keep the check, it’ll seem all the sweeter.

April 2, 2020 update: Here is the email from the Chapter 13 Trustee for Utah:

A number of you have inquired whether the Chapter 13 office will be requiring turnover of stimulus checks received by debtors. For your reference, attached is a copy of the new law as it relates to the Bankruptcy Code amendments. In short, the stimulus payments to debtors are excluded from Current Monthly Income in the same manner as social security payments under the amendments to section 101(10A)(B)(ii). In addition, the stimulus payments are excluded from disposable income under the amendments to section 1325(b)(2). We will not be requiring turnover of stimulus payments received by debtors. Thank you.

This is a changing landscape, so this information may be out-of-date by the time you read it.

President Trump directed HUD (Department of Housing and Urban Development) to suspend foreclosures and evictions through the end of April.

According to the Business Insider, about 6.7 million people live in HUD-provided housing — but over 80 million do not live in HUD housing. See:
https://www.businessinsider.com/hud-halts-evictions-and-foreclosures-coronavirus-2020-3

Additionally, the FHFA (Federal Housing Finance Agency) is ordering Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to suspend their foreclosures and evictions for at least 2 months. This covers single family mortgages, home equity conversion mortgages, and reverse mortgages. See:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-hud-suspending-evictions-foreclosures/

As for how many people this affects, I don’t know. I called a larger foreclosure law firm, and they have no idea either. On some of their cases, they have been directed (by their mortgage company clients) to do everything up to actually scheduling the foreclosure sale (notice of default, file processing, etc). On other cases, they may be putting everything on hold for the next 2 months. It is really up in the air.

What I can say is that if you fall behind on mortgage payments, you will still have the option of filing a chapter 13 repayment plan to catch up on those payments over a 5 year plan with the bankruptcy court.

Nope, you’re thinking of New York.

In New York, there is a one week moratorium on evictions, and many landlords have pledged that they will not pursue evictions for the next 90 days. See:
https://www.newsweek.com/new-york-evictions-cuomo-de-blasio-moratorium-1492332

In Utah, here’s the short answer: some evictions have been postponed, foreclosures are still going forward, and garnishments and repossessions will continue because they don’t require a hearing.

Long answer: on Friday, March 13, 2020, Utah

Some are, and more will be.

As of today (March 13, 2020), bankruptcy court hearings will be done by telephone, but 341 Meetings are still done in person (this will change). (5 hours after writing this, I received an email from a chapter 7 trustee cancelling the 341 Meetings for next week).

Here in Utah, the U.S Bankruptcy Court for the District of Utah just sent out an email telling the attorneys that “all hearings scheduled in the Court through April 13, 2020 shall be conducted by telephone.” General Order No.: 20-002. You can click on the link to read the order. The order was accompanied with an email to all bankruptcy attorneys stating:

Urgent: All Hearings to be Conducted by Telephone Due to Concerns of the COVID-19 Virus
Mar 12, 2020, 5:28 PM (15 hours ago)
March 12, 2020, 4:30 PM (MDT) – Due to concerns associated with the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the Court is initiating operational changes to protect the health and safety of the public, bar and the Court. By order of the Court, effective immediately, all matters scheduled through April 13 will be conducted telephonically. Instructions on how parties will make their telephonic appearance will be posted on the Court’s website at http://www.utb.uscourts.gov. In addition, if you are scheduled for an upcoming court appearance, all attorneys and unrepresented parties will be contacted by email, mail, or phone. Parties are encouraged to attempt to resolve matters without the need for court appearances to the greatest extent practicable.

This order helps protect the judiciary and attorneys for court appearances, but unfortunately, most of bankruptcy appearance revolve around the 341 Meeting of Creditors, where 8-20 debtors and creditors meet in a meeting room with their attorneys and the bankruptcy trustee to conduct their 341 Meeting. As of today, the 341 Meeting are still in person. That being said, this morning (March 13, 2020), the Chapter 13 Trustee for Utah Lon Jenkins, just sent out an email sharing the court order above and also advising that:

In addition, the Chapter 13 Office will be working in the coming days to establish a protocol for conducting section 341 meetings remotely to avoid the necessity of large group gatherings.

Thank you for your cooperation during this challenging time.

Best,

Lon Jenkins

In other words, those in-person 341 Meetings are probably going to be rescheduled and/or conducted telephonically.

Until then, if you’re worried about exposure to a group of strangers at the 341 Meeting, you should let your attorney know. He should be able to reschedule the meeting until everything gets sorted out. I have a strong hunch that the courts will be signing all of those motions to continue/reschedule almost immediately.

Good luck, and wash your hands.

Update: 5 hours after posting this, I received an email from a chapter 7 trustee stating:

I have just been notified by the US Trustee’s Office that the 341 Meetings scheduled for March 16, 2020 will not be held. The Meetings will be continued and the Court will send notice to all parties in interest. Please notify your clients.

Yes, you can claim the homestead on your mobile home (manufactured home) even if you just rent the lot below it.

The 10th Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel (BAP) actually ruled on this specific issue in
In Re Carlson, 303 B.R. 478 (10th Cir. BAP 2004) . The court held that:

owning the land surrounding a mobile home is not a prerequisite to claiming the mobile home exempt as homestead under Utah law

In other words, your mobile home is the homestead. It doesn’t matter if you are only renting the lot. At least $42,000 of that home’s equity is safe in bankruptcy! (As long as you are on title for the mobile home).

See:
https://robertspaynelaw.com/myutahbankruptcyblog/2019/05/23/the-utah-homestead-exemption-just-jumped-from-30000-to-42000-on-may-14-2019/

Spend it before you go bankrupt!

Utah has NO exemptions to protect your tax refund when you file bankruptcy. This means that if you go bankrupt before you receive and spend your tax refund, you will lose it. The chapter 7 trustee will take your refund and use it to pay your creditors. On the other hand, if you wait just a little bit to file and receive your refund, you can spend it all before filing bankruptcy.

Just remember to spend it on exempt items.

You can definitely use it to pay your bankruptcy attorney to prepare your case.

Don