Some types of debts cannot be discharged in bankruptcy. These include income tax, child support and student loans. Then there are other types of debts that should be dischargeable in bankruptcy, but become non-dischargeable because of how the debt was incurred. For example, debtors that obtain money, property, or services through fraud remain liable for […]
BANKRUPTCY: CROSS-COLLATERALIZATION AND CREDIT UNIONS
In bankruptcy, debtors often wish to discharge their unsecured debt but keep their secured collateral. This is generally allowed in bankruptcy, but a practice commonly employed by credit unions makes this process more complicated and often more expensive. The reason is because credit unions often include cross-collateralization clauses in their loan documents. Cross-collateralization means that […]
BANKRUPTCY: YOUR CREDIT REPORT AFTER DISCHARGE
You filed bankruptcy. You filled out all the paperwork and met with your attorney. You attended a meeting with a trustee and eventually received a discharge. Now what? Well, the good news is that you are debt-free with the exception of any non-dischargable debts you may have and debts you did not wish to discharge. […]
Beware the Creditor Offering to Settle Your Debt!
I talk to people everyday that tell me that a creditor has offered to settle their debt for less than what they owe. unfortunately these creditors rarely tell the whole truth about how much settling their debt will actually cost. When a creditor cancels a portion of a debt, they report the amount of the […]
CHAPTER 7 BANKRUPTCY: NEGOTIATING A BETTER DEAL ON YOUR SECURED DEBT
The purpose of filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy is to discharge debt. However, discharging debt doesn’t remove liens on secured property, so although your liability for repaying a debt may be discharged, if you don’t continue making payments to secured creditors, they will likely enforce their lien through foreclosure or repossession. Debtors who wish to keep […]