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Recent Blog Posts
What Options Do Homeowners Have to Avoid Foreclosure Due to COVID-19?
For over a year, people throughout the United States have experienced multiple types of financial difficulties. Many families have had to deal with health issues related to COVID-19, resulting in large medical bills and affecting people’s ability to work and earn an income. Others have suffered job losses or decreases in work hours and income due to pandemic-related business closures. These financial problems have caused some families to be unable to cover their ongoing expenses, including mortgage payments. While many homeowners have been protected from foreclosure by a moratorium put in place by the federal government, this moratorium is coming to an end on July 31, 2021. However, federal agencies have implemented new rules and procedures that may help homeowners avoid the loss of their homes.
Lenders Required to Provide Borrowers With Options to Avoid Foreclosure
Am I Eligible for Cramdowns or Lien Stripping in a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy?
Anyone who struggles with significant debts will want to understand the options that may allow them to reduce or eliminate what they owe. Chapter 7 bankruptcy is often the ideal option for those who do not own significant assets since it can be completed quickly and will allow a person’s unsecured debts (such as credit card balances) to be discharged. However, those who have secured debts (such as a mortgage or car loan) or who own significant assets may need to use Chapter 13 bankruptcy. In these cases, debtors may have options for reducing the debts they owe through methods known as “cramdowns” and “lien stripping.”
Addressing Secured and Unsecured Debts in a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy
In a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, a person’s unsecured debts will be consolidated into a repayment plan. The debtor will make payments on this plan over a period of three to five years, and once all payments in the plan have been made, the remaining unsecured debts included in the plan will be discharged. Typically, a person will need to make ongoing payments on secured debts along with the payments made during their Chapter 13 repayment plan.
What Assets Are Exempt From Liquidation in a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy?
Debt can be a difficult issue for anyone to deal with. Fortunately, bankruptcy can provide relief for those who find themselves unable to pay the debts they owe while also covering their ongoing expenses. In many cases, Chapter 7 bankruptcy is the preferable option, since it will allow most debts to be eliminated quickly and easily. This form of debt relief is referred to as a “liquidation bankruptcy” since the bankruptcy trustee may seize some of a debtor’s assets and sell them to pay off the debts owed to creditors. However, certain types of assets are exempt from liquidation. By understanding what exemptions apply to them, debtors can determine whether Chapter 7 bankruptcy is their best option or whether they should choose a Chapter 13 bankruptcy instead.
Pandemic Relief Payments Still Excluded from Chapter 13 Calculations
The recent CARES Act deadline for excluding pandemic relief payments from Chapter 13 “current monthly income” was extended to March 27, 2022.
Way back in March 2020, the CARES Act made some helpful temporary changes to consumer bankruptcy law. (See our blog post in April 2020 about this.) Some of these changes would have expired, but in the meantime, Congress passed two other laws which extended the changes. These are still temporary, so it’s important to know the new deadlines. Last week we focused on one change dealing with Chapter 7’s means test. Today we focus on a similar change and new deadline about Chapter 13’s crucial “current monthly income” calculation.
The Crucial Role of Your “Current Monthly Income” in Your Chapter 13 Payment Plan
Means Test Extension beyond the CARES Act
The CARES Act’s March 27, 2021 deadline for excluding pandemic relief payments from the means test was extended by one year to March 27, 2022.
At the beginning of the pandemic, the CARES Act made some helpful temporary changes to consumer bankruptcy law. (See our blog post in March 2020 about this.) Those changes had expiration dates which have now passed. However, in the meantime, Congress passed two other laws which extended the changes. They are still temporary changes. As time passes, these consumer bankruptcy law changes and their new expiration dates continue to be important. Today we focus on one of these changes pertaining to the Chapter 7 means test.
All Pandemic Relief Payments Excluded as Income for the Means Test
The point of this first change is to prevent the pandemic relief payments from disqualifying people from Chapter 7, “straight bankruptcy.” People could receive and spend their payments without jeopardizing their bankruptcy options. Here’s how it works.
Can I File For Bankruptcy Without My Spouse if I Am Married?
One of the biggest concerns that people have when they file for bankruptcy is how it will affect their financial situation. Many people who are married have shared finances with their spouse, making bankruptcy that much more difficult. Many people falsely believe that when they are married, they must file for bankruptcy along with their divorce. However, even if you are married and have joint finances with your spouse, you can still file for bankruptcy individually. It is important to note, though, that filing for bankruptcy without your spouse can have an adverse effect on his or her credit, depending on the situation.
What Happens to Our Property?
In Texas, any property that either spouse acquires during the course of the marriage is considered to be joint property. However, for the purposes of bankruptcy, joint property is only considered to be that which has both you and your spouse’s name on it. For example, if a person files bankruptcy separately from their spouse in Texas, all of the property that they own -- even jointly -- is part of the bankruptcy estate. This means a spouse’s vehicle can also be included in the bankruptcy estate, even if they have financed the vehicle alone.
Borrowing to Pay Medical Debts
Borrowing to pay medical debts creates new potential risks. A debt that was easy to discharge in bankruptcy becomes one that you often can’t.
About one-fourth (26%) of American adults (18-64 years old) reported that they or someone in their household had problems paying medical bills during the previous year. This is according to a 2016 survey by the highly reputable Kaiser Family Foundation, The Burden of Medical Debt. Not surprisingly, more than half of people who did not have health insurance reported such problems. However, more than one-fifth of people who had health insurance still had trouble paying medical bills. So if your medical bills are a challenge for you, you are clearly not alone.
You may have options short of borrowing money to pay off the medical debts. It’s worth contacting the medical creditor—as early as possible—to find out their payment alternatives. Sometimes interest-free repayment plans are available. In some situations, medical providers are willing to negotiate a settlement with you reducing the balance. Especially if you are uninsured, you might even qualify for financial assistance.
Affordable Care Act Enrollment Deadline of August 15, 2021
The usual deadline to apply for health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act was Dec. 15, 2020. It’s now been extended to Aug. 15, 2021.
Our last several weeks of blog posts have been about health insurance and medical bills. Two weeks ago, we got into the topic of health insurance and bankruptcy. Last week was a Q&A about medical bankruptcy. Today we provide urgent information about the current extended Special Enrollment Period for getting insurance under the Affordable Care Act.
Two Key Changes
In the last several months, there have been two major developments with the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”). First, a Special Enrollment Period allowed people to start health insurance coverage way past the usual December 15, 2020 deadline. Second, the American Rescue Plan Act lowered the cost of monthly premiums under the Affordable Care Act, often significantly.
What is the Difference Between Debt Settlement and Bankruptcy?
Being in debt is not uncommon. According to Bankrate, consumer debt across the United States has reached $14.2 trillion, with the average American being nearly $93,000 in total debt. There are many different types of debt, including credit card debt, student loans, car loans, or personal loans. When you are in debt over your head, you have a couple of options when you are seeking assistance. Both debt settlement and bankruptcy can help you get out of debt, but the method through which they do that could not be any more different.
Debt Settlement
Debt settlement is an alternative to bankruptcy that may be right for some people. Debt settlement occurs when you or a representative from a debt settlement company contact your creditor to negotiate a settlement amount that is typically much lower than the original amount you owed. In some cases, you may be able to negotiate the settlement so that you are only left responsible for 50 to 70 percent of what your total debt was. The upside to debt settlement is that it is not a legal process. You do not have to file anything with the court. Furthermore, debt settlement does not have the same long-term effect on your creditworthiness as bankruptcy.
Answers about Medical Bankruptcy
Even though legally, there’s no such thing as a medical bankruptcy, many bankruptcies are caused by medical problems. Here’s a Q&A about these.
In the last two weeks, we’ve written about health insurance. Two weeks ago, we discussed the six months of free health insurance provided by the recent American Rescue Plan Act. Last week we got into the broader topic of health insurance and bankruptcy. Today we broaden it out even more with a Q&A about medical bankruptcy.
What is Medical Bankruptcy, Legally?
Although the phrase is thrown around a lot, legally, there is no such thing. The legally designated types of bankruptcy are labeled according to their Chapters in the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. Chapter 7, the so-called “straight bankruptcy,” and Chapter 13 “adjustment of debts,” are the most common forms of personal bankruptcy. Both Chapter 7 and 13 can deal effectively with medical debts and other financial problems arising from medical events.
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