Tag: coronavirus pandemic

Debt Relief, student loan debt

Freeze on Student Loan Payments Extended Through September 2021

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The U.S. Department of Education has placed a pause on student loan payments through September 2021. This is among the 17 executive actions President Biden has signed since taking office. This Order, along with the extension on eviction and foreclosure moratoriums, are an effort to relieve the economic impact caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Prior to the Order, payments were scheduled to resume at the end of January.

Student loan debt continues to be a national crisis, as debt tops more than $1.6 trillion. What was once a looming financial crisis, has now been exacerbated by job losses and pay cuts caused by the pandemic. Approximately 1 in every 5 student loan borrowers are in default, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Many are struggling to pay for basic necessities and provide for their families. With the extension of the forbearance agreement, borrowers will not be forced to decide between paying their student loans and putting food on the table.

COVID-19, Credit Card Debt

Credit Card Debt Falls 9 Percent Despite Decline in Economic Conditions

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The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has hit the country’s economy hard, but this fact does not seem to be reflected in the nation’s credit card debt.  According to statistics from credit reporting agency, Experian, credit card balances have declined at a record rate in 2020.  

Economic crises tend to lead to a change in consumer behavior. World War II pushed consumers to change their spending habits in ways they had not done before. The COVID-19 pandemic with forced lockdowns and widespread unemployment has likewise put things into perspective for American consumers, pushing them to change their spending habits, as well, including how they use their credit cards.  

Bankruptcy Law, Lawyers in the News

Bankruptcy Attorney Timothy S. Kingcade Interviewed by The Miami Herald

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With about one out of every nine Miami-Dade workers — and nearly one out of every six in Broward — still out of a job due to the coronavirus pandemic, a question lingers in South Florida: How long can the region stave off an even worse economic disaster?

After a rough start, Florida’s unemployment system has come online to furnish tens of thousands of local workers with as much as $875 per week in unemployment insurance — the state’s standard $275, plus an extra $600 through the emergency U.S. CARES Act passed in March. But Florida’s unemployment insurance lasts only 12 weeks. And the extra $600 from Congress is set to expire July 31. Greater Miami ranks as one of the hardest hit metros in the country, thanks to its reliance on a tourism industry that has instantly dried up.