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In re Fair Finance Company, Case No. 10-50494 (JPS)
United States Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Ohio
Trustee’s Final Report

On August 24, 2023, the Office of the United States Trustee filed the Trustee’s Final Report with the Court [Docket No. 2971]. The Notice of Filing of Final Account of Trustee and of Hearing on Applications for Compensation[Docket No. 2972] was filed on September 5, 2023. The case is administratively insolvent, so unfortunately there will be no further distribution to creditors.

Any objections must be filed (within 28 days of the Notice of Filing of Final Account) with the court at:

U.S. Bankruptcy Court
Attn: Clerk of Court
Howard M. Metzenbaum U.S. Courthouse
201 Superior Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44114
Transmittal of Unclaimed Funds

On February 15, 2023, the Trustee filed a Transmittal of Unclaimed Funds with the court (Docket No. 2762). These funds have been subsequently deposited with the United States Bankruptcy Court. If your name appears on this list, you are entitled to those funds. In order to receive your funds, an Application for Payment of Unclaimed Funds must be filed with the court. Here are the instructions.

Please complete the entire form, sign and send to:

U.S. Bankruptcy Court
Attn: Clerk of Court
Howard M. Metzenbaum U.S. Courthouse
201 Superior Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44114

And also send a copy to:

Office of the United States Attorney
Northern District of Ohio
Carl B. Stokes United States Courthouse
801 West Superior Avenue, Suite 400
Cleveland, Ohio 44113

***PLEASE DO NOT SEND ANY DOCUMENTATION TO THE TRUSTEE***
General Information:

On February 8, 2010, an involuntary Chapter 7 petition was filed in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Ohio against Fair Finance Company which has been assigned Case No. 10-50494. On February 18, 2010, Fair Finance Company stipulated to the Chapter 7 filing and the Court appointed Brian Bash, Esq. as Interim Trustee. On February 24, 2010, the Court entered its Notice of Consent Order. On March 11, 2010, the Court entered its Order Appointing Brian Bash, Esq. as Chapter 7 Trustee. On May 1, 2017 this case was transferred from Judge Pat E. Morgenstern-Clarren to Judge Jessica E. Price Smith.

Debtor Name Debtor Case Number
Fair Finance Company 10-50494

Pursuant to the Bankruptcy Code (specifically including, but not limited to, 11 U.S.C. § 362), a debtor is afforded certain protection against its creditors; the Bankruptcy Code prohibits creditors from taking certain actions related to debts that may have been owing prior to the commencement of the Bankruptcy Cases. If you believe that you might be a creditor of the Debtor(s) based upon debts arising prior to February 8, 2010 and you are considering taking action based upon your status as a creditor, you may wish to seek legal advice. The staff of the Clerk of the Bankruptcy Court and the staff of Kurtzman Carson Consultants LLC are not permitted to give legal advice.

May 2019 Update

On March 18, 2019, the Trustee filed a motion asking the Court to approve the sale of Fair Finance’s office building and property. The office building and property have remained vacant for almost ten years with no serious expressions of interest beyond casual inquiry. A buyer approached the Trustee to buy the property for $115,000, and the Trustee asked the Court for permission to sell it. Under the Bankruptcy Rules, the Trustee was required to provide notice of the motion to approve the sale and the Court order approving the sale to all creditors in the case. A copy of the motion was mailed to all creditors in the case on March 18 and March 19, 2019. A clarification of purchase price correcting a clerical error in the original sale motion was filed on March 27, 2019 and mailed to all creditors in the case. On April 19, 2019, the Bankruptcy Court entered a court order granting the Trustee’s motion to sell the property and approving the sale. The Order granting the motion was mailed on April 23, 2019. Creditors should have received copies of these filings. These filings have been provided to creditors to keep them informed of the case status.

At this time, the Trustee is not planning another distribution as a result of the sale of the property. However, the Trustee is still pursuing an action against a company called Textron. The Trustee is seeking to recover funds from Textron on the basis of a fraudulent transfer claim the Trustee has against Textron. The case remains active, but a trial date has not yet been set. If the Trustee is successful in recovering funds in that case, the Trustee may make another distribution to creditors.

Second Interim Distribution

A few months ago, the Trustee received permission from the Bankruptcy Court to make a second interim distribution to creditors before the end of the bankruptcy case. It is rare for distributions to be made before the end of a chapter 7 bankruptcy (like Fair Finance), but this is a special case. The Trustee knows that many creditors lost their retirement or life savings when Fair Finance went into bankruptcy. With the two interim distributions together, creditors will have received 11.07545% of their total allowed claims.

On April 2, 2018, the Trustee filed a Report of Second Interim Distribution. The Report of Second Interim Distribution lists the allowed claim amount for creditors and the amount each creditor will receive as part of the Trustee’s second interim distribution in the Fair Finance case. You can access the report here. The report has two exhibits: Exhibit 1 and Exhibit 2. If a creditor’s name is listed in Exhibits 1 and 2, that creditor should be receiving a check in the amount listed next to his or her name. Creditors should receive a check during the week of April 9th.

Exhibit 1 and Exhibit 2 include all of the same names and have the same distribution amounts. The only difference is that Exhibit 1 lists the claims in numerical order by claim number and Exhibit 2 lists the claims in alphabetical order by the name of the claimant. Where a proof of claim identified the claimant as a minor, that minor’s name has been abbreviated as required by the bankruptcy court rules.

January 2018 Update

The Bankruptcy Court entered an order that gave the Trustee permission to distribute $5 million to Fair Finance’s creditors. The Trustee has submitted final claims data for review and approval and anticipates mailing checks after the review process has been completed. This distribution represents an additional 2-3% recovery for Fair Finance’s creditors.

There are still creditors who have not claimed money that the Trustee attempted to mail to them from the first distribution in 2015. You may click here to see a list of creditors with unclaimed funds. If you have funds to claim, or any questions about your distribution, you may contact my counsel, Kelly Burgan, at (216) 861-7395 or by email at kburgan@bakerlaw.com

The Trustee continues to liquidate Fair Finance’s remaining assets. Most recently, the Trustee filed a report on December 8, 2017, describing recent proceeds that he received. This report can be found on this website under the “documents” tab (#2437). Over the past several months, the Trustee sold Timothy Durham’s National Lampoon stock for $750,000 and a National Lampoon script for $150,000 (half of which has been paid, the other half is due by July 2018). The Trustee also obtained full payment on the $3 million note from his settlement with National Lampoon. Another $92,001 debt owed to the bankruptcy estate from Midwest Rubber was repaid on October 25, 2017.

Finally, the Trustee has litigation pending against Textron Financial Corporation (Adv. Pro. No. 12-5101). Both the Trustee and Textron recently filed motions for summary judgment to narrow the issues that would be heard at a trial. The Bankruptcy Court has not yet ruled on the motions. The ruling issued by the Bankruptcy Court on the motions, as adopted or modified by the district court, will determine what issues remain for trial. A trial date has not yet been set.

First Interim Distribution

On December 18, 2015, the Trustee filed a Report of Interim Distribution. The Report of Interim Distribution lists the allowed claim amount for all creditors and the amount each creditor will receive as part of the Trustee’s first interim distribution in the Fair Finance case. You can access the report here. The report has two exhibits: Exhibit 1 and Exhibit 2. If a creditor’s name is listed in Exhibits 1 and 2, that creditor should be receiving a check in the amount listed next to his or her name. Creditors should receive a check within 7-10 days after the Report of Interim Distribution was filed.

Exhibit 1 and Exhibit 2 include all of the same names and have the same distribution amounts. The only difference is that Exhibit 1 lists the claims in numerical order by claim number and Exhibit 2 lists the claims in alphabetical order by the name of the claimant. Where a proof of claim identified the claimant as a minor, that minor’s name has been abbreviated as required by the bankruptcy court rules.

Interim distributions are rarely made in chapter 7 bankruptcy cases (like Fair Finance), but this is a special case. The Trustee knows that many creditors lost their retirement or life savings when Fair Finance went into bankruptcy. So, the Trustee asked the bankruptcy court for permission to make an interim distribution to creditors before the end of the bankruptcy case. The court approved the Trustee’s request, which is why the Trustee is able to make an interim distribution.

The Trustee is hopeful that he will be able to make additional distributions in the future. It may be a few years before he can close the case, but in the meantime, the Trustee and his team will continue working hard to collect more money that can be distributed to creditors.

Status Report as of March 30, 2017

Please click here to access the Report.

Status Report as of October 28, 2016

Please click here to access the Report.

Status Report as of October 28, 2015

Please click here to access the Report.

Fair Finance Update as of June 15, 2015

Over the past several months the Trustee has resolved a number of lawsuits, some of which remain subject to approval by the Bankruptcy Court. The settlements or proposed settlements are described in more detail below, and include claims against Daniel Laikin, National Lampoon, John Head and Fortress Credit Corp.

Upon obtaining approval for all of these settlements, the Trustee intends to make every effort to carry out an interim distribution to Fair Finance’s creditors during calendar year 2015. The Trustee will post an update on this website when further information is available as to amounts and timing. The Trustee will provide the tax forms that creditors need to report their distributions to the extent possible, but all creditors should, of course, consult their own accountants or tax professionals for guidance on how to report any payments they receive.

The Trustee continues to engage in efforts to recover additional funds for the estate and its creditors.

A. Recently Settled Litigation

1. Bash v. Textron Financial Corp., Fortress Credit Corp. and Fair Facility I, LLC (Adv. Pr. No. 12-5101): On June 8, 2015, a settlement in the amount of $35 million with Fortress was approved by the Bankruptcy Court. Click HERE to access the motion for approval of the settlement, which describes in detail the reasons why the Trustee believed the settlement should be approved.

2. Bash v. John Head and Head Consulting Group, Inc. (Adv. Pro. No. 12-5097). On May 28, 2015, a settlement in the amount of approximately $600,000 with John Head, Fair Finance’s former president, and a company owned by Mr. Head, was approved by the Bankruptcy court. Click HERE to access the motion for approval of the settlement, which described in detail the reasons why the Trustee believed the settlement should be approved.

3. Bash v. Daniel Laikin (Adv. Pro. No. 10-5043). On April 6, 2015, a settlement of approximately $3.5 million with Daniel Laikin, one of Fair Finance’s former directors, was approved by the Bankruptcy Court. The estate has received $1,326,374.46 to date. The balance of the settlement amount must be paid by no later than December 17, 2015. Payment is secured by a deed of trust on a home owned by Daniel Laikin and his wife in Malibu, California. Click HERE to access that motion, which described in detail the reasons why the Trustee believed the settlement should be approved.

4. Bash v. National Lampoon (Case No. 11-cv-4999-DSF-AGR in the United States District Court for the Central District of California). A motion to approve a settlement in the amount of $3,000,000 is currently pending before the Bankruptcy Court. National Lampoon currently does not have the funds to pay the settlement amount, and the Trustee has agreed to accept payment of 15% of National Lampoon’s gross receipts on a monthly basis. Payment is secured by a first lien on National Lampoon’s receivables, and in the event that the company or its assets are sold, the proceeds will be first paid to the Trustee, on a pro rata basis with one other secured creditor who is owed $2 million. Click HERE to access that motion, which describes in detail the reasons why the Trustee believes the settlement should be approved.

5. McKibben Litigation (Adv. Pro. Nos. 10-5038). The case alleged claims for conversion, fraud and civil conspiracy, among other claims, against former officers and directors of Fair Finance. The Trustee previously settled with most of the defendants, including Timothy Durham, Keith Schaffter, Rick Snow, and Jeffrey Eglen. Recently, the Trustee reached settlements with the three remaining defendants in this case:

a. James Cochran, one of Fair Finance’s owners, assigned the Trustee substantially all of his existing and future assets. James Cochran is currently serving a twenty-five year prison term in federal prison in connection with the Fair Finance Ponzi scheme.

b. Claims against John Head were settled in connection with the settlement described above, and includes $50,000, representing Mr. Head’s allocated share of certain insurance proceeds.

c. Claims against Daniel Laikin were settled in connection with the settlement described above.

B. Pending Litigation

1. Bash v. Ronald Kaffen (Adv. Pro. No. 12-5149). The Trustee is seeking recovery of over $170,000 from Ronald Kaffen, Fair Finance’s former securities lawyer. This case has been stayed until August 19, 2015.

2. Bash v. Williams Trusts (Adv. Pro. No. 14-1169). The Trustee is seeking recovery of over $750,000 of transfers from DC Investments, an entity which received money from Fair Finance, to certain trusts in Florida. The Bankruptcy Court has scheduled a trial for October 2015.

C. Money Market Fund

The estate’s money market fund has a current balance of $4,120,944.10 as of June 1, 2015. This balance does not include all amounts the Trustee may receive from the settlements described above.

D. Real Estate and Other Assets from Which the Trustee May Recover Funds

The following is a list of real estate and other assets from which the Trustee may recover funds for the estate:

1. The Debtor’s Accounts Receivable Portfolio. The Trustee has successfully transitioned the Debtor’s remaining accounts receivable portfolio to a collections agency, Monterey Financial Services, Inc. The Trustee is unable to estimate how much will be recovered in connection with further collection efforts.

2. United Expressline. The settlement with United Expressline provided for monthly payments over the course of 35 months. Approximately $58,350 from the settlement with United Expressline remains outstanding and is secured by the company’s assets and personal guaranties.

3. The Debtor’s former headquarters (Market Street, Akron) has an estimated value of approximately $200,000. However, the Trustee is unable to estimate how much may be recovered from an eventual sale of this asset.

4. Texas real estate owned by Tim Durham. This property is a free-standing home located in Gun Barrel City, Texas. The tax assessed value is $324,010 as of 2013. The Trustee’s initial diligence suggests a possible value of around $215,000. The Trustee will be filing a motion with the Bankruptcy Court seeking authority to sell the property shortly.

5. Stock in National Lampoon. Tim Durham has assigned to the Trustee his stock in National Lampoon. National Lampoon has agreed to provide the Trustee with an accounting of its stock ownership records, but the Trustee believes that Durham has a substantial equity ownership interest in the company. National Lampoon stock currently has little face value, as it is delisted (on the “pink sheets”) and not traded publicly. The Trustee’s diligence suggests that the stock ultimately may yield some value, although the Trustee is currently unable to estimate how much may be recovered for the estate as a result of this asset.

6. Stock in CLST. Tim Durham has assigned approximately 774,000 shares of common stock in CLST Holdings, Inc. to the Trustee. The Trustee also holds Fair Finance Company’s 1,969,077 shares of common stock in CLST and Diamond Investments’ 737,000 shares. CLST recently carried out a distribution of ten cents per share, and as a result, the Trustee received $196,908. The Trustee has yet to receive the distribution on account of the shares assigned from Tim Durham and James Cochran, but expects to receive approximately $140,000.

7. U.S. Rubber Reclaiming Lien and Assignment from Parent Company. The Trustee has a lien on all of the assets of US Rubber Reclaiming; however, there is minimal property available for recovery and the State of Mississippi has foreclosed on its real property. The Trustee was assigned the parent company’s ownership interest in US Rubber, including all intellectual property rights. The Trustee has received expressions of interest in potential transactions to acquire rights to this 100 year old brand, but does not have an estimate of value at this time.

8. Miscellaneous Other Assets:

a. Membership Interest in TC 860, LLC. The Trustee is in negotiations for TC 860 to buy back certain of its shares, which were assigned to the Trustee by Timothy Durham.

b. Tim Durham also has assigned to the Trustee shares of stock of Danzer Corporation, Inetnow, Maneki Mining, Inc., Digonex Technologies, Inc., and Imperia Valley Biorefining, Inc. However, the Trustee does not believe that the stock in these companies, which are largely defunct, has significant value.

The Trustee is unable to estimate how much may be recovered from any eventual sales of these stock interests.

E. Claims Process

Claims filed by creditors of Fair Finance total approximately $229,000,000. These claims do not include claims for post-petition professional fees and other administrative expenses.

The Trustee anticipates commencing a claim allowance process to enable calculation of the actual claims against the estate. The Trustee intends to make an interim distribution to creditors whose claims are not subject to dispute and will preserve funds necessary to pay any disputed claims upon final determination by the Court pursuant to the claims process.

F. A Note about Offers to Buy Your Claim

You may have been contacted by a claims trader, someone who has offered to give you money now in exchange for the right to receive your share of any distributions from the Fair Finance estate. It is completely your decision whether to sell your claim. However, it is important to carefully read and understand the contract that a claims trader provides you before deciding to sell your claim. The contract may place risks and obligations on you which you were not expecting. For example, some investors have reported receiving a contract that places the risk on them if distributions from the estate turn out to be less than what the claims trader paid, and allows the claims trader to collect the difference from the selling investor, including any attorney’s fees.

The Trustee cannot provide legal advice to any investor, and you are free to sell your claim. The purpose of this note is only to remind you to closely review and make sure you understand any contracts before making that decision. The legal decisions you make should be reviewed, if possible, by counsel. And the economic decisions that you make should be discussed with your financial advisors if possible.

Trustee's Message

On November 30, 2012, Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson sentenced three of Fair Finance’s officers to prison for securities fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy. The judge sentenced CEO Timothy Durham to 50 years in prison, Chairman of the Board James Cochran to 25 years in prison, and Chief Financial Officer Rick Snow to 10 years in prison. The judge also imposed restitution on all three defendants, and required Mr. Durham to cooperate with my investigation. These proceedings were in United States v. Durham et. al., Case No. 1:11-cr-00042-JMS-DML, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.

I have received many emails asking what implications the sentencing will have on the recovery. My attorneys and I have been working to identify assets and claims and to collect money for investors since February of 2010. We have recovered and sold assets, including what was left of Durham’s automobile and art collection. We are also pursuing claims to recover from parties who received money. As I’ve indicated before, the main roadblock to recovering funds is that the loans made by Fair Finance and its related companies are worth far less than what Durham, Cochran, and Snow claimed. I have already obtained over $44 million in judgments, but many of them will not be paid in full. Many of the borrowers are out of business. Durham, Cochran, and Snow allowed other borrowers to mortgage all their assets to other creditors to the detriment of Fair Finance, so that I am last in line to recover. And in pending lawsuits, some borrowers dispute that they owe any money at all. But I still believe that the claims I am pursuing will result in valuable recoveries, and I remain optimistic that once the lawsuits are resolved, I will have funds to make a distribution to unsecured claimants.

From The US Attorneys' Office

United States v. Timothy S. Durham,
James F. Cochran, and Rick D. Snow

Case Updates 11/9/2012:

The United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana has set a deadline of Thursday, November 15, 2012, for any victim to notify the Government if they plan on attending the sentencing hearing for defendants Tim Durham, James Cochran and Rick Snow on November 30, 2012. Additionally, the court has set November 15th as the deadline for notifying the Government if you intend to make an oral victim impact statement during the sentencing proceedings. Lastly, November 15, 2012 is also the last day to submit a written victim impact statement to the Government to be considered by the Court. If you wish to submit a statement, please send it to Stephanie Lloyd, Victim Witness Coordinator, 10 W. Market St., Suite 2100, Indianapolis, Indiana 46204.

These deadlines were established in order to manage the sentencing proceedings given the large number of victims in this case. When considering whether you would like to make a statement, please be assured that by the time of sentencing, the judge will have read all of the approximately 1,000 letters submitted by victims, and that the Government will be making a thorough presentation at the sentencing hearing on behalf of victims, which will include testimony from several victims.

*****If you plan on attending the sentencing proceedings, please email the Government at usains.webmaster@usdoj.gov by no later than November 15th. Also, please indicate at that time if you plan on making an oral victim impact statement.*****

*****PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT THE TRUSTEE*****

Notice Regarding Offers to Purchase Claims


It has come to my attention that many of you have been asked to sell your claims in the Fair Finance bankruptcy case. Many of you have asked me whether the company offering to purchase your claim is affiliated with me or is legitimate, and others have asked me whether they should sell their claim. While I cannot tell you whether you should sell your claim – that is personal decision you must make depending on your individual circumstances – I am posting in the paragraphs below information that may be helpful to you when you are deciding whether or not to sell your claim.

ASM Capital is a company that purchases claims in bankruptcy cases and has offered to purchase claims from some claimholders in the Fair Finance bankruptcy case. ASM Capital is a legitimate company, but it is not affiliated with me, and I do not communicate with them about the status of the bankruptcy case. ASM Capital, and other similar companies, offer to purchase bankruptcy claims at a discount early in a bankruptcy case with the hope that the trustee will recover enough money during the bankruptcy case to pay more on the claim than what the company bought it for. Factors these companies consider when deciding whether to buy claims and how much to offer for them include the total number of claims filed in the case, the total dollar amount of the claims filed in the case, the total amount of money the trustee is seeking to recover from various lawsuits, the likelihood of success on the lawsuits the trustee has filed, and the collectability of the defendants in the lawsuits. These companies obtain this information through the bankruptcy filings and other public information and DO NOT have any special knowledge about the status of any of the lawsuits I have filed in this case.

In the Fair Finance bankruptcy case, creditors have filed approximately 5,280 unsecured claims for a total of approximately $215 million. To date, I am pursuing more than 100 lawsuits seeking to recover more than $1 billion for Fair Finance’s creditors. You can find some additional details about those lawsuits in the monthly status report I file with the bankruptcy court, which is also posted monthly on this website. It may take an extended period of time for many of these lawsuits to come to a conclusion –up to or beyond another year- but the amount of money I recover from these lawsuits will determine whether I am able to make distributions to creditors and how much those distributions will be. Unfortunately, I am not able to provide any projections about the outcome of these lawsuits, other than to say that I am hopeful they will all have a positive result. If you have additional questions about whether or not you should sell your claim, I advise you to seek advice from independent counsel.

Trustee's Message

Since my appointment, we have secured the Debtor's facilities and data, reviewed the Debtor's records, returned accounts that were formerly serviced by the Debtor to their owners, and filed the required disclosures (see "Schedules and SOFA tab, on the left), including lists of creditors.

We also held the meeting of creditors, where we reviewed the Schedules and described some of the issues involved in locating and recovering assets. We are providing a link to a news report with additional detail regarding the meeting of creditors. The creditors' meeting will be continued on August 2nd; we will file and serve a notice to all creditors identifying the time and place for that meeting.

We have recovered some assets, like cash in bank accounts and artwork, and have obtained liens in favor of the Trustee on certain vehicles. We also have filed certain motions and adversary proceedings (lawsuits within a bankruptcy case) aimed at recovering additional assets - those pleadings are available free of charge on this website. We have been negotiating, and will continue to negotiate, with entities that we believe owe obligations to the Debtor, in effort to recover as much as we can by consent, without costly litigation. Although it is impossible to predict how much we ultimately will recover, and it may take much longer than many of you would like, please know that we recognize the difficulty and hardship that so many investors are suffering, and will continue to work diligently to obtain the best result possible.

Notice Regarding Transfer of Claims

I receive many inquiries about how to change the beneficiary of claims that have been filed in the bankruptcy case. Unfortunately, the Trustee is not the appropriate person to change the name of the claimant and is not allowed to give legal advice about how to transfer an interest in a claim. If you would like to have your interest in a claim transferred to someone else, you or your attorney will need to file certain paperwork with the Bankruptcy Court. Do not file any paperwork with the Trustee. Transfer of Claim Other Than For Security (Form 210A) and Instructions for Form 210A may be useful to you or your attorney when you are deciding what documents need to be filed with the Bankruptcy Court. The Trustee offers no legal opinion about whether filing this or any other form will result in a valid transfer of a claim. Also note, the Trustee has not yet determined which claims should be allowed and reserves the right to object to any claims filed in the bankruptcy case. In addition to filing any paperwork with the Bankruptcy Court, you may need to email Kurtzman Carson Consultants LLC at fairfinanceinfo@kccllc.com to change the mailing address that will receive notice information from the Trustee about the bankruptcy case.

Please note that if the claim you want to transfer is part of a trust or probate estate, issues of trust or probate law may determine who should hold an interest in the claim. You may want to discuss these issues with a trust or probate attorney. The Trustee is not permitted to answer questions about trust or probate law.

Trustee's Message

Notice Regarding Taxes

I understand that investment certificate losses with Fair Finance are creating difficult tax questions. Unfortunately, I cannot provide advice on this issue. However, my forensic accountant has provided an IRS Revenue Bulletin and an IRS Revenue Ruling about how to treat investment losses due to fraud or embezzlement. You may find it helpful to review these documents with your tax preparer or accountant, if you have one. You can access these documents by clicking Revenue Bulletin 2011-58, Revenue Bulletin 2009-20 and Revenue Ruling.

In addition, I have received a number of calls asking for an estimate of how much investment certificate holders will receive for the purpose of calculating tax losses. That number is very difficult to estimate. I cannot be certain that there will be any recovery, and I would be very surprised if the recovery approached twenty-five percent.

Notice Regarding Recent Arrests:

I receive many questions about the status of criminal investigations of Timothy Durham and other insiders. For that reason, I believe investors will be interested to know that, on March 16, 2011, Fair Finance co-owners Timothy Durham and James Cochran, along with Rick Snow, the chief financial officer, were indicted on felony charges arising from alleged fraudulent and deceptive business practices to hide from investors and regulators Fair's true financial condition and their misuse of the company's funds. Reports state that Durham was arrested at his home in West Hollywood, California at about 2:00 a.m. and appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom the following day, where he pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and securities fraud, 10 counts of wire fraud, and one count of securities fraud. On that same day, the Securities and Exchange Commission sued the same defendants for securities fraud. You can access these documents by clicking Department of Justice’s Indictment and Securities and Exchange Commission’s Complaint.

Please remember that the Trustee's job is to locate and collect property of Fair Finance Company and distribute the assets in accordance with the Bankruptcy Code. I do not control the criminal investigations and proceedings. Those who wish to follow the criminal cases may be able to do so through news reports, as they appear to be receiving wide media coverage.

Notice Regarding Political Campaign Contributions:

I also receive many inquiries regarding contributions made by or through Timothy Durham to various political parties and campaign funds. The Trustee recently released a statement to address the status of these demands and the Trustee's position that he is entitled to recover many of these funds. To review the full statement, click Statement.

Notice Regarding Calls From "Fraud Recovery Group":

We have been informed that a company called "Fraud Recovery Group" has been contacting Fair Finance investors. We are not familiar with this company, and they are not affiliated with the Trustee, the Bankruptcy Court or, to our knowledge, the government. We have, however, learned that there is an on-going lawsuit by the Department of Justice against this company to prohibit them from filing tax returns. Investors are, of course, free to use an attorney or accountant for filing taxes or any other purpose, but we encourage you to be cautious about solicitations and to ensure that such professionals are qualified. Please also keep in mind that, regardless of what someone may try to tell you, no one can speed up the recovery of assets or payment of claims by the Trustee. We are informed that the Akron Beacon Journal is researching the company that has been contacting investors and plans to run a story about it on Friday (Oct. 29th) - you may wish to look for that.

Notice Regarding Proofs of Claim:

The deadline to file claims against Fair Finance Company was October 29, 2010. The Trustee has not yet recovered sufficient funds to make any payments on the claims that he has received. If the Trustee does recover enough funds, he will review all of the claims he received before making any payments to creditors. The Trustee will mail you a notice and provide an opportunity for you to respond if the Trustee objects to your claim or has any problems with the form you submitted.

Complaint for Substantive Consolidation:

On February 14, 2011, the Trustee filed a Complaint seeking to consolidate the assets and liabilities of two other companies - Obsidian Enterprises and Diamond Investments - into the Fair Finance Company bankruptcy estate. If successful, this would enable the Trustee to recover the assets of those companies for the benefit of the bankruptcy estate and its creditors. The Complaint is available, for free, on this website (click the tab on the left labeled "Complaint Against Obsidian and Diamond Investments"). The complaint includes detailed factual allegations regarding Fair Finance Company's history and the events that led to its current situation.

Trustee’s Statement:

Since my appointment, we have secured the Debtor's facilities and data, exited the Debtor’s leases, returned accounts that were formerly serviced by the Debtor to their owners, and filed the required disclosures (see "Schedules and SOFA tab, on the left), including lists of creditors.

We have recovered some assets, including cash in bank accounts, artwork, and a large number of exotic cars, which were seized by the FBI and turned over to us. These assets were sold by experienced and specialized auctioneers (as described below). We have sold artwork for a total of approximately $400,000, and twenty-two vehicles for a total of approximately $1,300,000. All proceeds will be held by the Trustee for the benefit of the Fair Finance bankruptcy estate. The Trustee also holds a second-priority lien on a Duesenberg, which sold for $1,125,000. Because there is a higher priority lien on that vehicle, it is unclear whether the Trustee will receive any cash proceeds from the sale of the Duesenberg, but it could still improve the Trustee's lien position on other assets (by reducing the balance of the obligation owing to the first priority lien holder). A few cars remain in the Trustee's possession, and we are in the process of arranging for their sale.

We have filed many mortgages on properties owned by insiders who received loans, which Fair Finance or its parent companies failed to file when the mortgages were granted. However, the insiders later granted mortgages on these same properties to other parties, such as banks, which means that if these properties are sold, we will be paid, if at all, only after the banks and other parties who filed their mortgages before us.

We have been negotiating, and will continue to negotiate, with entities that we believe owe obligations to the Debtor, in effort to recover as much as we can by consent, without costly litigation. We also are suing individuals and entities to recover assets. The defendants in these lawsuits include Obsidian Enterprises, Inc., which owes the estate approximately $30,000,000 in loans; Daniel Laikin, who owes the estate in excess of $20,000,000 on his loans; and many owners, directors, and officers of Fair Finance Company.

We also continue to investigate the web of related entities for potential assets. Although it is impossible to predict how much money we ultimately will recover, and it may take much longer than many of you would like, please know that we recognize the difficulty and hardship that so many investors are suffering, and will continue to work diligently to obtain the best result possible.

Important Dates, Deadlines & Documents Show All Dates

February 8, 2010

February 24, 2010

February 24, 2010

March 2, 2010

March 11, 2010

May 17, 2010
(1:00 p.m.)

October 29, 2010
(5:00 p.m.)

September 13, 2011
(9:30 a.m.)

October 18, 2011
(9:30 a.m.)

November 22, 2011
(9:30 a.m.)

December 20, 2011
(12:30 p.m.)

January 24, 2011
(9:30 a.m.)

February 21, 2012
(9:30 a.m.)

April 3, 2012
(9:30 a.m.)

May 22, 2012
(9:30 a.m.)

July 10, 2012
(9:30 a.m.)

September 18, 2012
(9:30 a.m.)

October 16, 2012
(10:00 a.m.)

November 20, 2012
(9:30 a.m.)

December 18, 2012
(9:30 a.m.)

January 22, 2013
(9:30 a.m.)

March 19, 2013
(10:30 a.m.)

April 23, 2013
(9:30 a.m.)

May 21, 2013
(9:30 a.m.)

June 18, 2013
(9:30 a.m.)

July 23, 2013
(10:15 a.m.)

August 27, 2013
(9:30 a.m.)

October 22, 2013
(9:30 a.m.)

November 19, 2013
(9:30 a.m.)

December 17, 2013
(9:30 a.m.)

February 25, 2014
(9:30 a.m.)

March 25, 2014
(9:30 a.m.)

April 15, 2014

July 23, 2014
(8:30 a.m.)

November 6, 2014

March 5, 2015
(11:00 a.m.)

November 4, 2015
(8:30 a.m.)

Meeting of Creditors

The continued meeting of creditors pursuant to section 341 of the Bankruptcy Code was held August 2, 2010 at 1:00 p.m.

Akron City Centre Hotel
Salon A Grand Ballroom, 20 West Mill Street
Akron, OH 44308

Rule 9001(5) of the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure requires that a representative of the Debtors appear at the Meeting of Creditors for the purpose of being examined under oath by a representative of the Office of the United States Trustee and by any interested parties that attend the meeting. Creditors are welcome, but not required, to attend the meeting. The Meeting of Creditors may be continued or adjourned by notice at the meeting, without further written notice to creditors.

Parties & Addresses


United States Bankruptcy Court
Northern District of Ohio (Akron)
455 U.S. Courthouse
2 South Main Street
Akron, OH 44308
http://www.ohnb.uscourts.gov/


Fair Finance Claims Processing Center
c/o Kurtzman Carson Consultants LLC
222 N. Pacific Coast Highway, Suite 300
El Segundo, CA 90245
T: (866) 381-9100


Please file proof(s) of claim, if any, via US Mail or other hand delivery system. Facsimile and other electronic delivery methods are not acceptable. You must file an originally executed proof of claim. If you would like a copy of your claim returned to you as proof of receipt, please enclose an additional copy and a self-addressed postage-paid envelope.

Attorneys' Addresses

Brian A. Bash, Esq.
Baker & Hostetler LLP
Key Tower, 127 Public Square
Suite 2000
Cleveland, OH 44114-1214
T: 216-621-0200
F: 216-696-0740
http://www.bakerlaw.com


Alexis Beachdell, Esq.
Kelly S. Burgan, Esq.
Joseph M. Esmont, Esq.
Baker & Hostetler LLP
Key Tower, 127 Public Square
Suite 2000
Cleveland, OH 44114-1214
T: 216-621-0200
F: 216-696-0740
http://www.bakerlaw.com/


Daniel M McDermott, US Trustee
Lenore Kleinman, Trial Attorney
201 Superior Avenue East, Suite 441
Cleveland, OH 44114
T: 216-552-7800
F: 216-522-7193


Note

Kurtzman Carson Consultants LLC ("KCC") maintains this website at the direction of the Interim Chapter 7 Trustee and Baker & Hostetler LLP, counsel to the Chapter 7 Trustee. KCC maintains this website for the public's convenience and, while KCC makes every attempt to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, this website is not the website of the United States Bankruptcy Court and does not contain the complete, official record of the Bankruptcy Court. All documents filed with the Court are available for inspection at the Clerk of the Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Ohio.