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Bankruptcy and Divorce

Filing for Bankruptcy is a decision you should make only after balancing it against all other circumstances and issues related to your divorce. Bankruptcy is a federal matter and is not covered by state law or the Texas Family Code.

You would want to file for Bankruptcy to discharge some or all of your debts or reorganize the payments on debt that you will still retain after completing the Bankruptcy. If successful in your bankruptcy proceeding, a judge would issue you a discharge that absolves you from having to make future debt payments on that loan. I should note that federally insured student loans are not dischargeable in bankruptcy proceedings. If a debt is discharged, that debt collector may not contact you to collect the debt.

The types of Bankruptcy proceedings

As an individual, you can file for Bankruptcy under Chapters 7, 11, and 13 of the bankruptcy code. Let’s break down each according to its specific attributes.

Chapter 7 Bankruptcies

Chapter 7 bankruptcy means that you as the debtor have to turn over any not exempt property (your home) to pay back your debt(s). A trustee will be assigned to your case to collect and hold this property. Household goods, vehicles, and retirement accounts are among those assets that are exempt from the collection requirements under a Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

Once the non-exempt property is collected, the trustee will take your property and convert it to cash. That cash will be used to pay as much of your debt as possible. Debtors favor Chapter 7 bankruptcy on the whole because a remedy arrives quickly (relatively speaking) in roughly six months. Due to the fast turnaround time, you would be able to move on with the rest of your life and begin to take steps towards rebuilding your financial affairs post-bankruptcy.

Chapter 13 Bankruptcies

A Chapter 7 Bankruptcy involves you submitting a plan to the judge in your case that relays a reorganization of your debts either partially or in whole. There is a trustee involved in Chapter 13 cases as well, and you will be obliged to make regular payments to this trustee, who will, in turn, send those payments on to those creditors who are due money from you.

If you earn an income above the national average, you may file a Chapter 13 bankruptcy instead of a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. The reason is that you have the ability financially to pay creditors back to the extent that those folks who file Chapter 7s are not. There is more to the analysis of which Bankruptcy type you qualify for, and you should speak to a bankruptcy attorney to learn more.

Credit cards and medical bills usually do not figure into Chapter 13 bankruptcies because these are unsecured lenders who cannot reclaim property or put liens on your home or assets. Secured lenders like your mortgage lender or your vehicle financier are among those debts commonly handled in Chapter 13 bankruptcy.

The impacts of Bankruptcy on individual persons

An immediate concern of most people, when faced with the decision of whether to file for Bankruptcy, is what effect the proceedings will have on their credit. If you are in this position, I will point out that your credit is probably not in the best shape already because you consider Bankruptcy a viable option. Your having missed payments previously tells me this.

Bankruptcy offers a fresh start for you and your future life on the plus side. It is available to us as citizens to get some relief from debt collectors and a past that you would probably like to move away from as much as possible.

Be aware that you can negotiate many debts directly with either the lender or the third-party debt collector working on behalf of the lender. Many companies buy debt accounts from lenders for pennies on the dollar. These businesses will typically accept, you guessed it, pennies on the dollar to settle your debt. To do so, it is a good idea to get the settlement offer in writing and then never to proceed to give the debt collector access to your checking account.

Get a prepaid debit card or send a check to the company to pay off the debt once you have it confirmed in writing. Once a letter confirming you have paid off the debt is sent to you, it should be kept for a good long while. You can verify that the debt has been paid in full by checking your credit report a few months after the debt was paid.

What good can a debt consolidation company do you?

If you are a stay-at-home parent or are feeling ill and are at home during any given weekday, I’m sure you have seen commercials on television for multiple debt consolidation companies. These businesses make it seem like they are the cure to all that ails you. Your credit card debt, car note, and other loans can all be rolled into one neat little package with a single interest rate to pay on. If you’re not careful, you will sign up for a program like this with the false knowledge that you did something to better your situation when you haven’t let. Allow me to explain why.

First of all, debt consolidation companies will often involve you allowing these folks to put a lien on your vehicle or your home that are not exempt from Bankruptcy. This puts you in a challenging position in this regard. Secondly- unless the debt consolidation lowers your overall interest rates on the loans, you haven’t done anything productive other than rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Finally, the companies operate by not paying your debts until the lenders contact them directly. They will negotiate on your behalf, but it won’t be for months and months. All the while, you are paying them for the privilege to do so. These are services you could perform yourself.

Can you solve your debt problem(s) without Bankruptcy? Talk to an attorney.

Suppose you are going through a divorce and are considering Bankruptcy. In that case, you are best left to speak to both a family law attorney and a bankruptcy attorney about how the processes of one legal issue affect the other. These attorneys may be able to guide you into a situation where you can resolve your debt problems while not going through what is sometimes a long and challenging bankruptcy.

After you have had an opportunity to discuss your situation with these folks about the viability of Bankruptcy, the next thing you need to decide upon is which form of Bankruptcy to file under. These decisions can have a lasting impact on your life moving forward and can cause delays in your divorce being decided as well.

I wondered when to file a bankruptcy or how a short sale of your home would work? Come back to our blog tomorrow to learn more.

If you owe more on your house than its market value, you are known as being “underwater” on your home. People in your position have spoken to me on previous occasions about whether it would be a good idea to attempt to make a short sale on their home instead of letting it become foreclosed upon. If you have questions on this subject, then you should come back to our blog tomorrow to read up on the subject in greater detail.

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Other Articles you may be interested in:

  1. Final thoughts on Bankruptcy and a transition into discussing the sale of your home in a divorce
  2. First comes divorce and then comes bankruptcy: What to expect when one follows the other
  3. Where Bankruptcy and Family Law Collide in Texas
  4. Is a Wife Responsible For Her Deceased Husband’s Credit Card Debt?
  5. What Happens To Debt in Texas Probate?
  6. What Happens to Your Debt When You Pass Away in Texas?
  7. Can I be held responsible for my spouse’s student loan debt if we divorce?
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  12. How is credit card debt handled in a Texas divorce?
  13. Know How Property and Debts are Divided, When Preparing for Your Texas Divorce
  14. What Happens to Marital Debt During a Texas Divorce?

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