What is Bankruptcy? Bankruptcy allows individuals, couples, and businesses that cannot meet their financial obligations to be excused from repaying some or all of their debt. Bankruptcy has been in existence since ancient times. In the United States, the rules and procedures for filing bankruptcy are governed by federal law. States are prohibited from legislating in this area of the law. Generally speaking, there are two types of bankruptcy. In a liquidation bankruptcy, debtors must surrender their property, which is sold, and the proceeds distributed to creditors. In return, all debts are permanently discharged. In a reorganization bankruptcy, debtors are allowed to keep their property. But the debtors must agree to an installment plan to repay creditors a portion of the amount they owe. Filing for bankruptcy involves submitting a petition and fee to the bankruptcy court. The fee is close to $300 for most personal bankruptcies. The petition will contain sworn statements by the debtors concerning the amount of money they owe, their income and expenses, as well as a complete list of all of their assets. After filing, a court hearing is held to review the information in the petition. Chapter 7 bankruptcies are by far the most common. These are liquidation bankruptcies in which the debtors must turn over all non-exempt property to a supervising officer known as the bankruptcy trustee. Property is exempt if it falls within specific categories of assets that debtors are allowed to keep, such as a certain amount of clothing, household items, tools for work, and in some instances, vehicles and the family home. The Chapter 7 trustee will take the debtors non-exempt property (if there is any), and sell it. The money will be paid to the debtors creditors. This may result in creditors receiving a small fraction of their claims. The balance of the debtors loans and obligations are forgiven and can never be collected. Creditors who attempt to collect debts that have been discharged face severe penalties under federal law. Keep Your Property The fact that a liquidation bankruptcy wipes out debt completely is obviously attractive to anyone who cannot afford to pay their bills. But what about people who have non-exempt property that they do not want to give up? Chapter 13 is a reorganization bankruptcy. It allows debtors to keep their property by agreeing to make monthly payments toward their debt over the course of three to five years. Chapter 13 bankruptcies offer a number of benefits besides allowing debtors to keep their property. For example, certain types of secured debt, like a car loan, can be restructured by reducing principal to the market value of the collateral, and lowering payments by extending the repayment period to 60 months. Other obligations, like mortgages, student loans, and tax liabilities can be modified as well. Creditors are given no choice in the matter. Bankruptcy is not available to everyone. Those who have had their debts discharged in a Chapter 7 within the past eight years cannot re-file. For Chapter 13, the waiting period is six years. Too much disposable income is also a problem. Congress has established a means test for this purpose. Debtors who make enough money to repay their creditors will be barred from filing a liquidation bankruptcy, though reorganization may be an option. Businesses that have become insolvent but want to stay in business may be able to file a Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Like a personal reorganization, Chapter 11 allows businesses to obtain protection from their creditors while they put together a repayment plan. Liabilities can be reduced and restructured to give the business another chance at achieving profitability. Whether a debtor is considering filing under Chapter 7, 11, or 13, they must comply with a vast number of federal laws and regulations. An error at any step of the process can result in the court refusing to discharge the debtors liabilities. When the bankruptcy process ends this way, the consequences are disastrous. With so much at stake, hiring a licensed bankruptcy attorney at the outset is wise investment.
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Articles About Bankruptcy Law
- Divorce and Credit Card Debt Known and Unknown
More and more couples are racking up excessive amounts of debt. To make matters worse, some debt, especially credit card debt, is hidden from the other spouse. Some blame this phenomenon on the fact that more marriages consist of two-income couples. Each spouse may find it difficult to relinquish control of his or her own money. But when divorce is on the horizon, how is this debt ultimately divided?
- Handling Credit Card Debt
Credit Card Debt is something that is becoming a bigger problem as Americans are getting further in debt. One of the ways that you can address your mounting credit card debt is through debt relief via debt settlement. Contact a experienced bankruptcy lawyer or debt relief expert and find out what options are available to you regarding your credit card debt, other outstanding creditors, and methods of available debt relief.
- Bankruptcy vs Other Options
When you think about filing bankruptcy you really want to understand all your options. This is the quick overview of bankruptcy vs other other options.
- Alphabet Soup for Installment Agreements
What is an installment agreement? An installment agreement is an option for those who cannot pay their entire tax bills by the due date. It allows taxpayers to pay the amount due over a period of time
- New Report: Mortgage Default Risk Remains High
Mortgage default risk continues to plague the housing recovery. A new report issued by the American Enterprise Institute indicated that the national mortgage default risk remained high in March, even though it dropped slightly from February.
- What Can A Tax Attorney Do For Me?
Of the professionals that you can turn to for help with IRS problems, tax attorneys can most effectively help you sort through legal issues. Hiring such an expert is the most efficient way of getting on the right track. Here are seven reasons that make them valuable and indispensable.
- Using Bankruptcy to Eliminate Credit Card Debt
Have you fallen so behind on your credit card debt that you just cannot get them paid? If so, continuing to struggle is the worst thing that you can do. Find out how you can file for Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy today and eliminate your credit card debts.
- Liens and Levies Make the IRS a Collection Agency on Steroids
Sometimes the problem with food for thought is that it can almost choke you with its stark simplicity. Take our tax system, for example. The federal government prints our money, regulates the places where we keep it and has vast powers to take it away from us if we dont give them their cut.
- The Pro Se Bankruptcy Filing Problem in Detroit
The Detroit bankruptcy court in recent years has been inundated with a large number of "pro se" bankruptcy filings. In many of these cases, the debtors have been helped with the preparation of their petition and schedules by individuals whom the court has prohibited from assisting people for failure to abide by the rules that bankruptcy petition preparers must follow.
- Dealing with Harassment from Debt Collectors
The Texas Debt Collection Act and the Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act prohibit debt collectors from taking certain actions when dealing with alleged debtors. They also provide remedies for people when collectors fail to comply with the statutes. This article is to help you determine whether a debt collector has violated the law and what you can do about it.
- All Debtor and Creditor Law Articles
United States Bankruptcy Courts
Bankruptcy Law - US
- ABA - Bankruptcy
The American Bar Association, Division for Public Education maintains an online resource center covering a variety of legal topics including the ABA Guide to Credit and Bankruptcy. This section will help you understand the rules of the two major forms of personal bankruptcy and the other options that exist for those in financial straits.
- Bankruptcy - Overview
The Legal Information Institute offers a helpful overview of the bankruptcy process, as well as an excerpt from the Institutes Plain-English Dictionary entry for bankruptcy.
- Bankruptcy Resources - Filing for Bankruptcy Without an Attorney
For an explanation of the dangers of filing for bankruptcy without an attorney, visit this web page published by the United States Courts.
- Chapter 11 Bankruptcy - Reorganization Under the Bankruptcy Code
Corporations, partnerships, and other businesses looking to file for Chapter 11 reorganization will benefit from this comprehensive description of the process.
- Chapter 13 Bankruptcy
The ABA website contains a series of articles devoted to Chapter 13, also known as the wage earners bankruptcy.
- Chapter 7 Bankruptcy - Liquidation Under the Bankruptcy Code
The official website of the federal courts includes this page about liquidation bankruptcies. Footnotes to relevant portions of the United States Code are provided.
- Department of the Treasury - Financial Stability Plan
Helping Americans achieve financial stability has been a priority of the federal government throughout the economic crises. This page describes actions taken by the Treasury Department to address the issue.
- Federal Reserve System - Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP)
In the wake of the housing market collapse, Congress enacted the TARP program to bolster the U.S. banking industry. The program is outlined in this page published by the Federal Reserve.
- Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure (2012)
Cornell University Law School maintains this searchable version of the bankruptcy rules. These rules apply to all bankruptcy cases in federal court.
- IRS - Bankruptcy Fraud
Bankruptcy fraud carries potential civil and criminal penalties. The Internal Revenue Service offers this brief overview of the steps their agency takes to deal with the situation.
- Means Testing - Census Bureau, IRS Data and Administrative Expenses Multipliers
The United States Department of Justice uses this web page to republish data from the Census Bureau and the IRS, so it can be accessed by potential bankruptcy filers when completing the Means Test.
- SEC - Corporate Bankruptcy
Securities investors need to understand what will happen to the value of their shares when a publicly-traded company files for bankruptcy.
- United States Bankruptcy Courts
The website of the United States Courts offers forms, rules, and other bankruptcy resources. This page also provides access to the Bankruptcy Basics informational video series.
- US Code - Title 11 - Bankruptcy
Title 11 of the United States Code contains the federal laws governing bankruptcy.
- US Trustee Program - Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (BAPCPA)
Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (BAPCPA) is a bankruptcy reform law was passed in 2005. This web page provides a summary of the legislation.
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