News

March 15, 2010. Eric Olsen was interviewed on the Brian and Dorthy talk show on KUSA on Friday March 12. The interviewed cover the trend of bankruptcy in central Washington, stripping 2nd mortgages and abuse by collectors.
 

February 15, 2010. Managing partner Eric W. Olsen is quoted in a Real Estate Pro article "Bank Foreclosure Homes Sale Leaves Out Second-Lien Holders". To read the full article click here.
 

February 8, 2010. Website ThinkBigWorkSmall reports on how banks are making out on their short sales and foreclosures. Watch the coverage here.
 

February 2, 2010. American retailers report that home sales are up, but sellers aren't getting the amounts they used to. Ben Tracy reports on the housing market for the CBS News series "Where America Stands." Watch the report here.
 

December 20, 2009. An article regarding stripping second mortgages appears in the Sunday, December 20, 2009 article of the Oregonian. This article features an interview with Eric Olsen and the story of one Olsen Daines client who was greatly helped out by this procedure. This article may be accessed here.
 

December 15, 2009. Working with Bankruptcy Court Judge Hon. Frank Alley, Partner Lars Olsen had the opportunity to teach seniors at Sutherlin High School in Sutherlin, Oregon about credit cards, car loans, credit scams and student loans at their senior assembly. This was a great opportunity for students to learn about the pitfalls that will face them as they begin to participate in the economy.
 

December 2009. Olsen, Olsen & Daines would like to wish everybody a happy and safe holiday season! For a heartwarming message regarding the season, go here.
 

December 3, 2009, Managing Partner Eric Olsen appears on Bill Meyer's KMED radio talkshow to speak about bankruptcy. The full program may be downloaded by clicking here.
 

November 9, 2009 Olsen, Olsen & Daines proudly announces the hiring of attorney Aaron Rabiroff. Mr. Rabiroff will be the firm's resident attorney for Eugene. Aaron earned his JD from Lewis and Clark University in 2007 and his BA from Reed College in 2004. He was previously employed in the Oregon Senate. Mr. Rabiroff enjoys politics, is an American History buff and loves basketball.
 

October 21, 2009, Keith Karnes has been invited by the State of Oregon DCBS to train housing counselors about bankruptcy and foreclosure. Mr. Karnes will train counselors about recently enacted laws that provide greater rights to people in foreclosure as well as laws that prohibit abuse by debt settlement companies and loan modification companies.
 

October 21, 2009, Keith Karnes spoke at the Oregon State Bar Debtor Creditor Section CLE. He spoke on defending foreclosure and also he spoke about stripping off mortgages in chapter 13 bankruptcy. Mr. Karnes is a frequent speaker on defending against foreclosure both in and out of bankruptcy. His presentation was well received and he was invited to speak in the Spring at the Northwest Bankruptcy Institute..
 

October 21, 2009, Keith Karnes was elected to be the chair of the Oregon State Bar Consumer Law Section. Mr. Karnes will oversee the function of the section including what legislation it proposes, what seminars are offered and its other operations. Mr. Karnes has been a member of the section's executive committee for three years. .
 

September 23, 2009 The Firm congratulates Mike Fuller for passing the Oregon Bar Exam. Mike graduated from Willamette University School of Law in June and took the Oregon Bar Exam in early August. Mike has clerked for Olsen Olsen and Daines now for over two years. When Mike is sworn in next month he will become Olsen, Olsen & Daines' newest associate.
 

September 15, 2009, Olsen, Olsen & Daines proudly announces the opening of its new Tri-Cities office located at 6855 W Clearwater, Kennwick, WA. This location offers greater convenience for our Tri-Cities clients.
 

August 27, 2009, Olsen, Olsen & Daines proudly announces the opening of its new Yakima office located at 15 W. Yakima Ave in Yakima. This location offers greater convenience for our Central Washington clients.
 

BREAKING NEWS!The Oregon legislature passed very important protections for retired and disabled residents of the state. Under the new law, banks are not allowed to honor a garnishment when a bank account contains only one month's worth of Social Security, Veteran's Benefits, and similar benefits. Beginning the end of August 2009 banks will have an affidavit available for customers to sign that states the source of money in a particular account is only from a protected source. This affidavit will help protect retired and disabled Oregonians from garnishment. For more information contact one of our attorneys.
 

July 26, 2009, Attorney Dwayne R. Murray appears on KOBI Medford/Klamath Falls NBC news affiliate to speak about stripping second mortgages with Chapter 13 bankruptcy. See the full broadcast here.
 

June 29, 2009, House Bill 2306 was signed into law by Governor Kulongoski last Friday and becomes effective immediately. This bill raises the homestead exemption for a single person to $40,000 and a married couple to $50,000. The vehicle exemption has been raised to $3000 for an individual or $6000 for one vehicle for a couple. Attorney Keith Karnes of Olsen Olsen and Daines worked extensively with the Oregon legislature on behalf of the firm to help make this change. We express our deep appreciation to Keith for his efforts in this regard. According to managing partner Eric Olsen, "this increase in exemptions will help thousands of Oregonians preserve their homes and cars."
 

June 6, 2009, Olsen, Olsen & Daines proudly announces the opening of its new Tacoma office located at 15 Oregon Avenue, suite 107E in Tacoma. This location offers greater convenience for our clients with its central location and friendly staff.
 

May 2, 2009, Olsen, Olsen & Daines attorney Keith Karnes will be speaking at a Home Ownership Preservation Event (HOPE) event at the Memorial Coliseum. This is an important event intended to assist homeowners at risk of foreclosure. The event is open to the general public and the main purpose is to provide information and possible options specific to at risk homeowners, particularly to those who occupy their homes as a primary residence, one-to-four unit properties. Mr. Karnes will be speaking from 12:30 to 1:15 on "Foreclosure – how lawyers can help". Click here to download the flier.
 

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October 21, 2009, Keith Karnes has been invited by the State of Oregon DCBS to train housing counselors about bankruptcy and foreclosure. Mr. Karnes will train counselors about recently enacted laws that provide greater rights to people in foreclosure as well as laws that prohibit abuse by debt settlement companies and loan modification companies.
 

October 21, 2009, Keith Karnes spoke at the Oregon State Bar Debtor Creditor Section CLE. He spoke on defending foreclosure and also he spoke about stripping off mortgages in chapter 13 bankruptcy. Mr. Karnes is a frequent speaker on defending against foreclosure both in and out of bankruptcy. His presentation was well received and he was invited to speak in the Spring at the Northwest Bankruptcy Institute..
 

October 21, 2009, Keith Karnes was elected to be the chair of the Oregon State Bar Consumer Law Section. Mr. Karnes will oversee the function of the section including what legislation it proposes, what seminars are offered and its other operations. Mr. Karnes has been a member of the section's executive committee for three years. .
 

March 18, 2009, Olsen, Olsen & Daines attorney Lars Olsen appears on Eugene local NBC affiliate KMTR. He explains that bankruptcy filing rates have soared in conjunction with the plummeting economy.See the full broadcast here.
 

March 9, 2009, Debt-strapped homeowners unable to afford their mortgages could get their monthly payments lowered in bankruptcy court under President Obama's housing rescue plan. The legislation is part of a broader housing package scheduled for a House vote on Thursday. Read the Full Article.
 

February 24, 2009, Eric Olsen was interviewed about bankruptcy on the Bill Meyer Talk Show on KMED Radio in Medford, Oregon. Eric discussed current legislation before Congress that would allow mortgage balances to be lowered to their market values, eliminating second mortgages under current law and the fraudulent practices of credit rehabilitation companies. Listen to the interview here.
 

Fernando Velez of the State of Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services has asked us to notify our clients of an increase of in-state and out of state con artists. Read his full letter here.
 

Attorney Matthew A. Casper has joined the firm. Matthew Casper received a JD from Lewis and Clark Law School and a BA in Philosophy from Brigham Young University. He is admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the District of Oregon and the State Courts of Oregon. Mr. Casper focuses his practice on bankruptcy and brings his experience to the firm to head up the Portland offices. Matt has been married for 8 years and has three beautiful children. When he is not at work, Matt likes to spend time with his family, especially working in the garden and camping. On any given weekend you will find his family sitting around a campfire.
 

Business Week magazine reports that "banks are worsening the foreclosure crisis." Read the Full Article.
 

KATU Channel 2 news reports that nasty debt collectors are "one the top 10 consumer complaints in Oregon but while the state has a very specific law telling debt collectors what they can and cannot say to consumers, there is no state agency assigned to enforce the law." See the full story .
 

Keith Karnes spoke to the Multnomah County Bar Association on Jan 22, 2009 on "Representing Clients in Foreclosure" on a panel that included an attorney for the FDIC and an attorney for the Oregon Division of Consumer and Business Services.
 

Phoenix Business Journal Jan 6, 2009: Arizona is joining other states asking Congress to liberalize bankruptcy rules so judges can modify home loans to help reduce foreclosures. Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard has joined the attorneys general from 21 other states in the effort. Current federal law allows bankruptcy courts to adjust other debts and loans, but not home mortgages. Goddard and other state AGs contend the courts could make the change immediately, which would help reduce foreclosures and generate new loan terms that could help borrowers and lenders. California Attorney General Jerry Brown also is among those making the written push to congressional leaders. A similar effort was launched in 2008 but failed to gain approval, but the odds could improve with Democrats gaining seats in Congress and the latest news.
 

Olsen Olsen and Daines was listed in the December 2008 issue of Oregon Business Magazine's Power Book 2009 as the 15th largest law firm in the Willamette Valley.
 

Olsen Olsen and Daines was reported in the November 26, 2008 issue of Willamette Week as recently filing a lawsuit against a collection agency for harassing an Oregon soldier. "In June 2008, the lawsuit says, the Phoenix based company called to say they could contact [the debtor soldier's] commanding officer who would 'rough him up, since soldiers are not to leave on deployment in debt' The suit, filed by Salem lawyer Keith Karnes, seeks unspecified damages for alleged violations of state and federal debt-collection laws." The article went on to say, "Major Michael Braibish, spokesman for the Oregon National Guard, says many combat troops are in debt and it's not against any rules. He adds that soldiers are often the victims of predatory debt collectors. 'A commanding officer is not gonna rough up his troops over financial issues,' Braibish says. 'They want that troop focused on the mission.'" Read the full article.
 

March 18, 2009, Olsen, Olsen & Daines attorney Lars Olsen appears on Eugene local NBC affiliate KMTR. He explains that bankruptcy filing rates have soared in conjunction with the plummeting economy.
 

February 24, 2009, Eric Olsen was interviewed about bankruptcy on the Bill Meyer Talk Show on KMED Radio in Medford, Oregon. Eric discussed current legislation before Congress that would allow mortgage balances to be lowered to their market values, eliminating second mortgages under current law and the fraudulent practices of credit rehabilitation companies.
 

The following is an email received from Fernando A. Vélez, Consumer Information Specialist at the Oregon Dept. of Consumer & Business Services Division of Finance & Corporate Securities. "Oregon is seeing an increase of in-state and out-of-state companies and individuals, commonly known as 'foreclosure consultants' and 'equity purchasers,' offering services to assist homeowners who are at risk of losing their homes to foreclosure or who are delinquent in their mortgage payments. In response, the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, Division of Finance and Corporate Securities created a FAQ Web link intended to warn consumers who are at risk of losing their homes to foreclosure of potential foreclosure scams. It also features a short video about avoiding being a victim of foreclosure scammers. The same information will later be available in other languages, in addition to the current version in Spanish. Click here for the foreclosure fraud link or go to www.dfcs.oregon.gov and look for 'Avoid foreclosure scams' under the Information for Consumers tab. Please help us make this information available and forward it to consumers and to your network."
 

Business Week magazine reports that "banks are worsening the foreclosure crisis." Read the Full Article.
 

KATU Channel 2 news reports that while nasty debt collectors are "one the top 10 consumer complaints in Oregon but while the state has a very specific law telling debt collectors what they can and cannot say to consumers, there is no state agency assigned to enforce the law." See the full story .
 

Keith Karnes spoke to the Multnomah County Bar Association on Jan 22, 2009 on "Representing Clients in Foreclosure" on a panel that included an attorney for the FDIC and an attorney for the Oregon Division of Consumer and Business Services.
 

Phoenix Business Journal Jan 6, 2009: Arizona is joining other states asking Congress to liberalize bankruptcy rules so judges can modify home loans to help reduce foreclosures. Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard has joined the attorneys general from 21 other states in the effort. Current federal law allows bankruptcy courts to adjust other debts and loans, but not home mortgages. Goddard and other state AGs contend the courts could make the change immediately, which would help reduce foreclosures and generate new loan terms that could help borrowers and lenders. California Attorney General Jerry Brown also is among those making the written push to congressional leaders. A similar effort was launched in 2008 but failed to gain approval, but the odds could improve with Democrats gaining seats in Congress and the latest news.
 

Olsen Olsen and Daines was listed in the December 2008 issue of Oregon Business Magazine's Power Book 2009 as the 15th largest law firm in the Willamette Valley.
 

Olsen Olsen and Daines was reported in the November 26, 2008 issue of Willamette Week as recently filing a lawsuit against a collection agency for harassing an Oregon soldier. "In June 2008, the lawsuit says, the Phoenix based company called to say they could contact [the debtor soldier's] commanding officer who would 'rough him up, since soldiers are not to leave on deployment in debt' The suit, filed by Salem lawyer Keith Karnes, seeks unspecified damages for alleged violations of state and federal debt-collection laws." The article went on to say, "Major Michael Braibish, spokesman for the Oregon National Guard, says many combat troops are in debt and it's not against any rules. He adds that soldiers are often the victims of predatory debt collectors. 'A commanding officer is not gonna rough up his troops over financial issues,' Braibish says. 'They want that troop focused on the mission.'" Read the full article.
 

In October 2008, partner Lars Olsen spoke at Sprague High School in Salem, Oregon to a class of high school seniors regarding the dangers and pitfalls of credit card abuse. Freshmen in college are barraged with credit card offers that sound enticing but come with a host of problems. These seniors appreciated the real life experiences that Lars was able to share.
 

Olsen, Olsen, and Daines hired Neal Peton as a new attorney in the firm. Neal is an undergraduate from BYU and Willamette University Law School. He will be working in bankruptcy and personal injury. Neal comes to us from William Morgan and Associates where he specialized in personal injury. Neal has been married for twelve years and has four children.
 

Keith Karnes was quoted in an article in Willamette Week regarding unfair debt collection tactics of local collectors on Feb 6, 2008. "A lot of creditors call people's work to harass and embarrass them," says Karnes, the lawyer who filed both lawsuits. "McGavic tries to get permission to do that, and it's illegal under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act." Karnes says McGavic has paid to settle four other lawsuits brought by Karnes' clients alleging McGavic made the same threat. McGavic has since added the word "optional" in the document he sends to debtors, but it's still questionable whether it's legal, Karnes says. "Threatening anybody with jail is very risky and something that is very unusual," says Portland debt-collection lawyer Brian Sullivan. "I certainly would never do that." Karnes says McGavic has settled two other suits he filed. One alleged McGavic sued the wrong debtor. Another accused McGavic of hiring an agent who lied to obtain personal information about a debtor over the phone. Read the full article.

It didn't take long before this article was covered by a popular website, Rip Off Report, that reviews unscrupulous businesses: "The neat thing about the Willamette Week article is that it mentions the name of a Portland attorney, Keith Karnes, who has successfully prevailed against McGavic for debtor clients who wanted to pursue him. If you are not currently represented by an attorney, it might be a good idea to consider an initial consultation with Mr. Karnes. According to the website of his parent law firm (Olsen, Olsen & Daines), the initial consult is free (grin). They've got 16 offices is Oregon and Washington so they're not a small firm. Their closest office to you in Milwaukie is the Portland Eastside office. Their number is: (503) 274-4252. Of their 7 areas of specialty, the one you'd be most interested in is 'Creditor Harassment' . . ."
 

Visit our new web sites: www.nwconsumerlaw.com and www.nwbankruptcylaw.com.
 

For information regarding our challenge to BAPCPA click here.
 

The United States District Court for the District of Oregon entered summary judgment against the Attorney General of the United States ruling that 11 U.S.C. 526(a)(4) violates the First Amendment to the Constitution in the case Olsen v. Gonzales. The challenge was brought by Eric Olsen and Kevin Swartz of Olsen, Olsen & Daines as well as Jason McBride of the Law Office of Jason McBride. The attorneys for the Plaintiffs were Keith Karnes and Doug Ricks. The relevant documents in the case are available here.
 

February 12, 2007. Rex Daines testified before the Judiciary Committee of the Oregon Senate in an effort to increase the exemptions available to consumers in Oregon. If the bill passes, creditors will not be able to garnish the additional child tax credit refunded to Oregonians from the IRS. This would also mean that trustees in bankruptcy would not be able to demand turnover of the additional child tax credit. To listen to audio of the Senate Hearing click here. For more information email Rex Daines at rdaines@olsendaines.com.
 

November 29, 2006. A Bankruptcy Judge in Oregon ruled that the State of Oregon violated sections 362 and 525 of the bankruptcy code when it refused to issue a contractor's license to a small business owner who had filed for bankruptcy protection. In the case Ray v. State of Oregon/CCB, Judge Frank Alley ruled that the State of Oregon willfully violated the automatic stay and also the anti-discrimination provisions of the bankruptcy code when the state refused to issue a license to Mr. Ray. A copy of the unpublished opinion is available by clicking here.
 

November 1, 2006. A Federal Judge in Oregon ruled that the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the Bankruptcy Code remedies are not exclusive of each other. In the case Wakefield v. Calvary Portfolio Services, LLC, Judge Anna Brown ruled that a debt collector that violates the Fair Credit Reporting Act may be held liable under the FCRA even if the debt was discharged in bankruptcy. Ms. Wakefield was represented by Keith Karnes. For more information email Keith Karnes at kkarnes@olsendaines.com.