Reference - What You Need to Know
Filing bankruptcy is not only a last resort legal action; it is also
a very complicated legal action that definitely needs the expertise of a
lawyer. When thinking about bankruptcy, you first need to decide if
bankruptcy is right for you. If it is, then you need the help of an
attorney to decide which type of bankruptcy is required for your
particular situation.
The decision to file bankruptcy can be brought on by many different
circumstances. The most common circumstances are divorce, medical
hardships and credit card troubles. In cases of divorce, bankruptcy is
often inevitable. The sudden change in financial level and the added
burden of court costs, extra expenses and child support often cause one
or both parties to get behind on their financial obligations.
In the case of medical hardships, high medical bills can sometimes
overburden people even if they have insurance. This is even more likely
to happen if the person experiencing the medical emergency is also the
family breadwinner.
The most common case of financial hardship is incredibly high credit
card balances. After carrying numerous high credit balances for a
certain period of time, many people find themselves unable to make
anything but the minimum payment and sometimes not even being able to
make that. Then, when the high interest rates are added in, people find
themselves in a situation where repayment is often impossible.
Whether your situation arose from one of the above financial problems
or not, sometimes bankruptcy is the only answer to your monetary
problems. Once you have decided that bankruptcy is the answer for you,
you will need to enlist the services of a lawyer to decide which type of
bankruptcy to file and to help you navigate the many complex bankruptcy
laws and regulations.
There are four main types of bankruptcy, Chapter 7, Chapter 13,
Chapter 11 and Chapter 12. Chapter 7 is the most common form and can be
used by businesses and individuals. Chapter 13 is the second most common
form, but it limited to use by individuals only.
In a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, a debtor's property is divided into to
categories, exempt and non-exempt. Exempt properties include things that
the debtor will be allowed to keep like their home and automobile. In
the case of exempt properties, the debtor is allowed to keep them as
long as he or she continues to pay for them. If a person cannot continue
to make payments, the owner of the loan may repossess the property, even
after a bankruptcy has been finalized. Any non-exempt or unsecured
property will be sold to cover the debtor's financial obligations. Debts
such as credit card debts and medical bills can be written off with this
type of bankruptcy, but other debts like school loans and taxes cannot
be.
In Chapter 13 bankruptcy, the debtor is required to come up with a
way to repay his or her debts, but these debts usually do not have to be
repaid in full. In most cases, a creditor will agree to take a small
percentage of the owed debt as opposed to losing all repayment all
together. This form of bankruptcy is preferable for those individuals
that wish to keep all of their possessions and just need a chance to
catch up on their financial obligations. It does not, however, excuse a
debtor from priority debts like taxes and child support.
In order to qualify for Chapter 13 bankruptcy, an individual must
have a yearly income level that allows for repayment of each of his
debts within three to five years. After three to five years of
consistent repayment, the debtor's obligations are released.
After you have researched bankruptcy and decided that it is right for
you, you need to contact an attorney that specializes in bankruptcy to
help assure that you follow all legal guidelines and are protected from
further collection activity.
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