Daniel M. McDermott, the U.S. Trustee for Ohio and Michigan (Region 9), has been designated by Attorney General Eric Holder also to serve as the U.S. Trustee for Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota (Region 12) for an interim period beginning on December 3, 2011, the Executive Office for U.S. Trustees announced today.

Today, the Attorney General announced that the federal government and 49 state attorneys general have reached a landmark $25 billion agreement with the nation’s five largest mortgage servicers to address mortgage loan servicing, foreclosure, and bankruptcy abuses. In the agreement, the United States Trustee Program (USTP) settled claims for the servicers’ violations of bankruptcy requirements that protect debtors and ensure the integrity of the bankruptcy process. The USTP is proud to be a part of this unprecedented joint agreement that is the largest federal-state civil settlement in history.

Information on the settlement is available on the Department of Justice’s Web site.

Department of Justice press release:

Attorney General Holder’s press statement:

As announced on November 4, 2011, the USTP drafted new proposed guidelines for reviewing applications for compensation and reimbursement of expenses filed by attorneys in larger chapter 11 cases.  The public comment period ran through January 31, 2012, and the public comments are now available for review.

The IRS’s Local Standards for Housing and Utilities accessible through the "Means Testing Information" page have been updated. The U.S. Trustee Program will apply the updated data to all cases filed on or after November 1, 2011.

The Census Bureau’s Median Family Income Data accessible through the "Means Testing Information" page has been updated. The U.S. Trustee Program will apply the updated data to all cases filed on or after November 1, 2011.