Posted on December 27, 2017 in Secured Debts

You don’t need to go to a reaffirmation hearing, unless you don’t have a lawyer, or he or she does not sign the reaffirmation agreement.

Reaffirmation Agreement

If you want to keep the collateral on a debt usually you have to exclude that debt from the legal write-off (“discharge”) of your debts that you receive in a Chapter 7 “straight bankruptcy” case. You exclude that debt from the discharge by signing a “reaffirmation agreement.” You remain legally liable on that debt. Through that document. most of the time you agree to all the terms of your original debt agreement. See this sample form reaffirmation agreement.

For example, you agree to pay the same monthly payment at the same interest rate as originally agreed. And you agree that if you don’t make the payments the creditor can repossess the collateral. And in most circumstances the creditor can then come after you for any remaining balance owed. (See our recent blog post about this risk of owing a “deficiency balance” after repossession.)

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 Posted on December 25, 2017 in Vehicle Loans

You usually have to get current on a secured debt before you can reaffirm it. But the terms of a reaffirmation agreement may be negotiable.

Two blog posts ago we introduced reaffirmation agreements, and in the last one we discussed their risks. Today we get into what happens if you are not current on a debt that you want to reaffirm.

Reaffirmation Basics

Reaffirming a debt means excluding it from the legal write-off (the “discharge”) that you get in a Chapter 7 case.

The most common reason to reaffirm a debt is to be allowed to keep the collateral securing that debt. There are occasional other reasons. For example you might agree to reaffirm a debt because you allegedly incurred it fraudulently. So you settle the debt by agreeing to reaffirm and pay a portion. But the vast majority of reaffirmations are done to retain collateral that you want to keep.

Most of the time when you reaffirm, you agree to all the terms of your original debt agreement. For example, you agree that if you fail to make vehicle loan payments the creditor can repossess your vehicle and come after you for any remaining balance. (See our last blog post about this risk.)

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 Posted on December 22, 2017 in Vehicle Loans

Reaffirming a debt, including a vehicle loan, can be a very sensible choice. But be fully aware of the risks and possible other options.

Last time we introduced reaffirmation agreements as a good way to keep collateral like a vehicle under Chapter 7. Essentially, you get to keep the vehicle or other collateral in return for agreeing to remain liable on the debt. Plus this enables you to put positive information on your credit report as you make each monthly payment.

But reaffirming a debt comes with risks. You need to be clear about those risks as you consider whether to sign a reaffirmation agreement.

We’ll focus again today on vehicle loan reaffirmations because they are common, and a handy way to explain the issues.

Passing up Your One Opportunity to Escape the Debt

Chapter 7 “straight bankruptcy” gives you the near-lifetime opportunity to get out from under your debts. Don’t pass up on this opportunity as to any of your debts unless you do so with your eyes wide open.

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 Posted on December 20, 2017 in Secured Debts

You can usually keep collateral you need to keep by entering into a “reaffirmation agreement” with the creditor during your Chapter 7 case.

Last time we got into debts that you might voluntarily pay after a Chapter 7 case out of personal obligation. Today we cover debts voluntarily paid but for the purpose of keeping the collateral that’s securing the debt. This is usually done by “reaffirming” the secured debt.

There can be lots of important side issues with “reaffirmations.” For example, do you always have to reaffirm a debt in order to keep the collateral? What happens if you’re not current on the debt you want to reaffirm? Can you reaffirm a debt when it’s unsecured—when there is no collateral to retain? When is reaffirming a debt dangerous?

We’ll get to those and other side issues next time. But today we’re introducing reaffirmations in their most straightforward form.

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 Posted on December 18, 2017 in Bankruptcy Options

Chapter 7 is usually much better if one of your high priorities is to favor a debt by paying it. You can do so more easily and flexibly.

Our last blog post was about debts that you still pay after a Chapter 7 “straight bankruptcy” case. These included debts you might WANT to pay as well as those that you are legally REQUIRED to pay.

Today we focus on debts you might want to pay for no reason other than a sense of moral or personal obligation. That is, you’re not paying in order to be allowed to keep some collateral. You’re not “reaffirming” a mortgage or vehicle loan to keep the home or vehicle. (We’ll get into “reaffirmations” next time.)

One reason we’re looking at debts paid out of personal obligation is because how different this is in Chapter 7 vs. Chapter 13. For reasons we’ll show, it’s legally easy to favor such a debt in Chapter 7. But it’s not practical to do so in Chapter 13.

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 Posted on December 15, 2017 in Discharge of Debts

Often all your debts are discharged—legally written off—in Chapter 7. But some you might want to pay, or might not be able to discharge.

Two blog posts ago we ended by saying that most general unsecured debts get legally written off—“discharged”—in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy case, but that there are some exceptions. We’ll get into those exceptions now. These exceptions include all types of debts—general unsecured, secured, and priority debts.

Definitely Not Discharged vs. Might Not Get Discharged

When you file a Chapter 7 “straight bankruptcy” likely your main objective is to discharge your debts and move on. The point is to get a fresh financial start. So when you’re considering your options you need to know whether you will still owe any of your debts after finishing bankruptcy.

Debts Definitely Not Discharged

You might still owe debts afterwards that you’ll know in advance you’ll owe. These include two types—those you’ll still owe voluntarily and those you’ll owe whether you want to or not.

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 Posted on December 13, 2017 in Chapter 13

You pay your general unsecured debts only as much as you can afford during a Chapter 13 plan, with the rest then legally written off forever.

Our last blog post was about how Chapter 7 “straight bankruptcy” deals with “general unsecured debts.” Mostly, they are discharged—legally, permanently written off. There are some exceptions. At the end of the last blog post we said we’d talk next about those exceptions. But before we do, today we want to give the Chapter 13 “adjustment of debts” side. What happens to “general unsecured debts” in a Chapter 13 case?

“Priority” and “General Unsecured” Debts

First, let’s remind you about the difference between these two kinds of unsecured debts. The difference is crucial because of how they completely differently they are treated in a Chapter 13 case.

Remember that priority debts are specific categories of debts that the law says must be treated very specially. They are all on a list at Section 507 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. The main “priority” debts in consumer Chapter 13 cases are past-due child and spousal support and certain recent income tax debts.

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 Posted on December 11, 2017 in Chapter 7

In a Chapter 7 case all or most “general unsecured debts” get “discharged”—legally written off. That’s one of the big benefits of Chapter 7.

Last time we said there are two kinds of unsecured debts, “priority” and “general unsecured”:

• “Priority” debts are those that the law treats as special for various reasons. Past-due child support and unpaid recent income taxes are “priority” debts. The law treats them as special, by treating them much better than other unsecured debts. You can find a list of all the priority debts at Section 507 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.
• “General unsecured” debts are simply the rest of the unsecured debts, those that aren’t “priority.” “General unsecured” debts include most unsecured ones. Examples are almost all medical and credit card debts, retail accounts, personal loans, many payday and internet loans, unpaid utilities and other similar bills, claims against you arising out accidents or other bodily injuries, damages arising from contracts and business disputes, overdrawn checking accounts, bounced checks, the remaining debt after a vehicle repossession or real estate foreclosure, and countless other kinds. If the debt is not secured, and isn’t “priority,” then its “general unsecured.”

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 Posted on December 08, 2017 in Bankruptcy

Your debts are either secured by something you own, or they are unsecured. Unsecured debts are either “priority” or “general unsecured.”

Unsecured Debts

Debts that are unsecured are those which are not legally tied to anything you own. The creditor has no “security” attached to the debt, no “security interest” in anything. It has no right to repossess or seize anything of yours if you don’t pay the debt. It can only pursue the debt itself.

It’s usually easier to deal with unsecured debts than secured ones in bankruptcy. Most unsecured debts can be discharged—legally written off—through either Chapter 7 “straight bankruptcy” or Chapter 13 “adjustment of debts.”

An Unsecured Debt Can Sometimes Turn into a Secured One

Under some circumstances an unsecured debts can become secured if you don’t pay it.

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 Posted on December 06, 2017 in Chapter 13

Chapter 13 can work much better than Chapter 7 if you have a judgment or HOA lien on your home, or get behind on child or spousal support.

You may need the extra help of Chapter 13 if you have any of the following liens against your home:

• Judgment lien
• Homeowner association lien
• Unpaid child or spousal support

Or you may not need that extra help. Two blog posts ago we showed scenarios where Chapter 7 “straight bankruptcy” could handle these situations well. If you’re current on your mortgage but have any of these three issues, check out that earlier blog post.

But even if you are current on your first mortgage, if you do have any of these 3 debts/liens in some circumstances Chapter 13 could definitely be better for you. Today we show you how.

Judgment Liens

When we got into judgment liens two blog posts ago, we ended by saying that having a judgment (or “judicial”) lien is not a deciding factor in choosing between Chapter 7 and 13. That’s because judgment lien “avoidance” is available under both, with the same rules for qualifying for it. (That’s in contrast to a number of legal benefits only available under Chapter 13.)

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