Examples of Reaffirmation Agreement vs. Chapter 13

 Posted on January 05, 2018 in Bankruptcy Options

Here are examples of the reaffirmation of a secured debt (like a vehicle loan) in a Chapter 7 case vs. addressing it in a Chapter 13 case.

The last blog post was about when to reaffirm a secured debt under Chapter 7 and when to handle that under Chapter 13 instead. This kind of comparison of options can get a bit dry. So today we’re demonstrating how it really works with some examples. We change the facts a few times to show when each of these two options makes more sense.

The Initial Facts

Let’s say a guy named Trevor just fell two months behind on his vehicle loan. He’s at immediate risk of getting his car repossessed. He really needs to keep his vehicle to get to and from work. He’s always behind on his vehicle loan because he has so many other debts—mostly medical bill and unsecured credit cards. What’s especially killing him is that he got sued on some big medical bills and is getting his wages garnished.

Trevor sees a good bankruptcy lawyer. She tells him that filing quickly under either Chapter 7 or 13 would stop the repossession. Either option would also permanently stop the paycheck garnishment. He tells her that his brother can give him the money to catch up on the two missed payments. The brother is only willing to do this if he takes care of his other debts with some kind of bankruptcy solution.

Chapter 7 Reaffirmation If Can Bring Secured Debt Current

Much of the time if you want to keep collateral on a secured debt in a Chapter 7 case you must bring the debt current within a few weeks, and then reaffirm the debt on its original terms. This is particularly true with vehicle loans with the larger national lenders. In other words, you have to agree to remain fully liable on the debt. You have to agree to continue being legally bound by all the terms of the contract. (See our recent blog posts about the risks of reaffirming.)

Trevor has a relatively easy way to bring his vehicle loan current, thanks to his brother. So his lawyer recommends that he files a Chapter 7 “straight bankruptcy” case. Shortly after filing he can bring the vehicle loan current and sign a reaffirmation agreement. With all his other debts being discharged (legally written off), he’ll be able to keep current on his car payments. Problems solved.

If He Can’t Catch Up Fast

But what if Trevor didn’t have his brother’s help? He may not be able to catch up fast enough to be able to reaffirm his vehicle loan. In a Chapter 7 case he has about 2 months after filing—3 months at the most—to catch up. That’s because you usually have to get current before the creditor will let you reaffirm. And you have to reaffirm before the bankruptcy court enters the “discharge order” about 3 months after filing.

Assuming that Trevor didn’t think he could catch up in time, and because he absolutely didn’t want to risk not being able to keep his car, his lawyer would likely recommend Chapter 13 “adjustment of debts” filing instead. This would give him many months—maybe even a couple years—to bring the vehicle loan current.

Other Special Debts Encouraging a Chapter 13 Filing

Now also assume that Trevor’s financial pressures had also put him quite a few months behind on his spousal support. His ex-spouse had actually been quite flexible, letting him skip payments here and there, or send smaller amounts. But once the lawsuit’s garnishments started, his spousal support payments became even more irregular. So, his ex-spouse got fed up and sent the account to the state’s support enforcement agency. Trevor now finds himself $4,500 behind on support, with aggressive collection to start any moment. And a Chapter 7 filing won’t stop the state’s collection of this support.

Trevor’s lawyer tells him that a Chapter 13 filing WILL stop collection for this $4,500 of support. He’d have up to 5 years to bring that current. His Chapter 13 payment plan would be based on what he could afford to pay. That plan would show how he would—over time—catch up on both the vehicle loan arrearage and the support arrearage, while keeping current on ongoing payments.

His lawyer tells Trevor that a possible downside to Chapter 13 is he’d have to pay all that he could afford to his other creditors during 3 years. (5 years if his income is too high based on his state and family size.) But there may be very little—even possibly nothing—going to his other debts if most of his income goes to living expenses and to bring these two special debts current.

Trevor decides on a Chapter 13 case. He will be able to keep his vehicle, catching up as his budget allows. He also has a reasonable way to bring his big spousal support arrearage current. He knows that at the end of the process he’ll be current on these two, and will otherwise be completely debt free.