Does Filing for Bankruptcy Lower My House or Car Payment?

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Depending on which bankruptcy you file, bankruptcy may lower your monthly payments for a car but will not lower your payments for a house.  A Chapter 7 bankruptcy will not lower your monthly payments but you will be wiping out all of your other debts and will no longer be charged interest and late fees on those payments. Therefore, you free up more money each month which helps your ability to make your car or house payments each month.  If you still feel like there is no way that you would be able to afford to make the payment each month, then you can surrender your vehicle or house and wipe out any mortgage or car loan that is left over.

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In a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, once you file, your secured creditors will want you to sign what’s known as a reaffirmation agreement.  A reaffirmation agreement tells that creditor that you will continue to make your payments as contracted.   In a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, you are not required to sign a reaffirmation agreement on your home, but you must sign one in order to retain your vehicle.  In either case, you must continue to make your monthly payments, and upon default, they have the right to foreclose or repossess the property.  Now, there are some cases in which you can redeem your car instead of reaffirming it, but you will need to discuss this with your attorney.

In a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, the trustee will be making your house and vehicle payment through the bankruptcy plan.  As with a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, your mortgage payment will be the same as it was before you filed the bankruptcy.  There is no way to “get around” this unless you refinance your home, in which you will need to obtain permission from the court to do so once you have filed the bankruptcy.  If your vehicle is over 910 days (2 ½ years) before the date that you filed the bankruptcy, you may be able to do what’s known as a “cramdown”.  If your loan balance is higher than what your vehicle is worth (the court will usually determine the value based upon NADA), then you can pay back the vehicle based upon what it is worth rather than the contracted loan balance.  This option is only available in a Chapter 13 bankruptcy though.  If it was purchased within the 2 ½ years before you filed, you will pay back the amount that is contracted in your Chapter 13 plan.

Therefore, bankruptcy may lower your car payment through a “cramdown”. However, it you will not be able to lower your monthly house payment through a bankruptcy. If you are behind on your house payment you could potentially file a Chapter 13 bankruptcy which will help you pay back the arrearages, or amount owed, but it will not actually lower your mortgage payment.

What Types of Debts Cannot Be Wiped Out in Bankruptcy?

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Whether filing for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy or Chapter 13 bankruptcy, there are certain debts that you may not discharge when filing your petition.  These debts include the following:

Federal taxes and state taxes are typically not wiped out in bankruptcy. Any type of lien issued by the government is not eligible to be discharged through the bankruptcy.  We will include your debt in the bankruptcy petition so that the State of Federal authority will be notified of your filing.  It is your responsibility to contact the IRS or State to make payment arrangement.  If you fail to pay your current tax bill or repay your back taxes, the State or IRS would likely put a lien on your home or another asset that you own.  However, there are certain times where taxes may be wiped out. However, it is very rare that you will be able to have taxes wiped out.

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Government loans such as federal student loans cannot be discharged through bankruptcy and must be paid back, in full, to the agency that issued the loan.

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Court ordered domestic support obligations may supersede the Bankruptcy filing.  For instance, if you have a court ordered child support or alimony payment already in place with the Court, this payment is not a viable debt to be discharged in bankruptcy.  If you fail to make these payments, the Court may garnish your wages in order to collect the debt.

Any debts incurred AFTER you have filed your bankruptcy petition may not be wiped out. You may not incur additional debt and then contact your attorney requesting that the debt be added to your bankruptcy filing.  This is fraud and could result in further legal action.

Debts incurred within ninety (90) days of filing your petition are closely scrutinized by the Bankruptcy court and may not be eligible for discharge with your Bankruptcy filing if they are deemed to be fraudulent. If you go out and purchase items on a credit card, knowing that you were then going to file bankruptcy, the debts will not be wiped out.

What If I Stop Receiving Mortgage or Car Statements After Filing for Bankruptcy?

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Once you file a bankruptcy, an automatic stay goes into effect.  This automatic stay states that no creditor can try to collect any debt from you; according to statute 11 U.S.C § 362 (6), “any act to collect, assess, or recover a claim against the debtor that arose before the commencement of the case under this title”.   If a creditor does contact you with payment demands, a Charlotte bankruptcy lawyer or Greensboro bankruptcy lawyer can file what’s known as a “motion for sanctions” which reprimands the creditors attempting to collect the debt.

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Even though you are current, and are going to keep your house or car; many creditors will still not send you a bill once you have filed the bankruptcy.  Ever heard the phrase, “better safe than sorry”?  Well, this is exactly why you are not receiving your statements now; they do not in any way want to violate the automatic stay.  If you had set up automatic bill pay, this will likely stop as well.  You just have to remember regardless of whether you receive a bill, you must continue to make your house or car payment!  If not, the creditors have the legal right to foreclose on your home or repossess your vehicle.

What can you do?  Simply call them and request that they still continue to send you your statements.  They may send something to your bankruptcy attorney asking for he/she to sign off to give permission for you to resume receiving statements for their records, but in most cases, it is as simple as that.  Again, the main reason a creditor stops sending you statements is because they do not want those statements to be viewed as an effort to collect a debt which would violate the automatic stay that goes into effect when your bankruptcy is filed.

What if I Accidentally Leave a Creditor Off of My Bankruptcy?

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Under the stress of a bankruptcy filing, there are times when a creditor is inadvertently forgotten and left off of a bankruptcy filing. If you file Chapter 7 bankruptcy or Chapter 13 bankruptcy and realize that you accidentally left a creditor off of your bankruptcy, it may not be too late.

Bills in MailboxIf you realize before your creditors’ meeting that you have omitted a creditor, you will need to contact your attorney immediately. Generally speaking, you can add a creditor before your creditors’ meeting. Your attorney may charge a small fee and the court will charge a filing fee, but for most debtors these fees are insignificant compared to the amount owed to the omitted creditor. Your attorney will also send out the proper notices to the omitted creditor after the creditor has been added to the bankruptcy filing.

If you realize after your creditors’ meeting that you have omitted a creditor, there are more strict time limitations to adding a creditor and you will need to contact your attorney immediately to determine whether or not the time frame for you to add a creditor has lapsed.

The most important way to avoid accidentally omitting a creditor from your bankruptcy prior to the filing of your petition is to double-check your credit report from each of the three main credit reporting agencies: Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian (visit www.AnnualCreditReport.com to get your free credit report). You will also want to double-check your bills from your creditors to make sure that you have included all of your debts on your bankruptcy petition.

How Much Debt Can I Have When I File for Bankruptcy?

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Every potential bankruptcy client has a different amount of debt owed. Even the type of debt varies from debtor to debtor – some debtors have almost all credit card debt, while others may have almost all medical bills. A common question that potential bankruptcy clients have is whether their bankruptcy will be denied by the Court if they owe “too much money.”

For potential Chapter 7 bankruptcy clients, there is not a specific limit to the amount of debt that can be owed. However, the Bankruptcy Court will always do an analysis in each case to examine the amount of household income in relation to the amount and type of debt owed to ensure that the debtor is not abusing the bankruptcy system.

Bankruptcy InformationFor potential Chapter 13 bankruptcy clients, there are some limitations to the amount of debt that is allowed. Under Section 109(e) of the Bankruptcy Code (also known as the federal bankruptcy laws), an individual with regular income cannot owe more than $250,000.00 in unsecured debt and $750,000.00 in secured debt. In some bankruptcy courts, the bankruptcy Judge will hold a hearing for confirmation of your Chapter 13 Plan if there is more than $100,000.00 in consumer debt (credit cards and personal loans). These limitations are set to ensure that the debtor is not abusing the bankruptcy laws.

One way to avoid having issues with the amount of debt you owe is to stop using your credit cards as soon as you consider filing bankruptcy. In some cases, the Court may ask you when the last time you used your credit cards was. The Court asks this question to make sure that you did not run up your credit card charges immediately before filing bankruptcy.

You should contact a Charlotte bankruptcy attorney or Greensboro bankruptcy lawyer to get a more specific analysis of your own situation, but you can use these general guidelines to prepare yourself for whether or not the court will deny your bankruptcy if you owe “too much money.”

Will Bankruptcy Stop Creditor Phone Calls and Harassing Contact?

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Yes, once a person has case number after filing either a Chapter 7 bankruptcy or a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, a creditor is prohibited from trying contact the debtor in any attempt to collect a debt.

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Can I Get Fired From My Job For Filing Bankruptcy?

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The short answer is, no. Federal law prohibits an employer to discriminate against you for your declaring bankruptcy. According to 11 U.S.C § 525 (a) and (b), no governmental unit or private employer may “…terminate the employment of, or discriminate with the respect of employment someone who is or has been a debtor under this title…” In other words, you can’t be fired from your job simply because you have filed for bankruptcy.

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Can I Eliminate a Second or Third Mortgage by Filing Bankruptcy?

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If you are like many people, your home is not worth what it was a few years ago.  With the downturn of the economy, the value of your house has decreased.  Suddenly, you are “upside down” on your home and the sales price is not enough to pay off the first, second and sometimes third mortgage on your home.

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When the real estate market was strong, many people capitalized on the fact that their home was worth more than their first mortgage and obtained second and even third mortgage loans against their home.  Often this money was used to pay off credit cards or medical bills, and in some cases it was used to update or upgrade the home.  Regardless, the house is not worth what you owe on it today, and there is no way for you to sell the home without a short-sale or possible deficiency balance.

If the value of your home is less than what you owe on your first mortgage, you may be able to file Chapter 13 bankruptcy in a North Carolina bankruptcy court and “strip” the lien of the second mortgage.  In other words, if you file Chapter 13 bankruptcy you may be able to either file a lawsuit (adversary proceeding) or file a Motion to Value Realty and eliminate a great deal, if not all, of the amount owed on the second and/or third mortgage.  Obviously, the mortgage company has the right to argue the value placed on the property.  However, if you have obtained a market assessment by a licensed real estate agent or an appraisal by a licensed appraiser, it will be more difficult for the mortgage company to argue the value.

The adversary proceeding or Motion to Value Realty must be filed in addition to your Chapter 13 bankruptcy case.  For the lien of the second and/or third mortgage to be “stripped” or voided, you must have a bankruptcy court order canceling the lien on the second and/or third mortgage and you must receive a discharge in your Chapter 13 bankruptcy.

If you have questions on how you may be able to “strip” a lien on your home by filing Chapter 13 bankruptcy, please do not hesitate to contact us.