Considering Chapter 13 Bankruptcy?
July 6, 2008 on 3:27 am | In Finance |Chapter 13 bankruptcy is one type of bankruptcy. There are various types of bankruptcy and understanding each type is important. Chapter 13 is available only in certain situations and only those who are best qualified for this type of bankruptcy should file under it.
Basic Outline of Chapter 13 Bankruptcy
If you are wondering who can file for Chapter 13, let me tell you this. Chapter 13 can only be filed by individuals who have a steady and secured income.
A Chapter 13 is a repayment plan. Debts are not wiped clean. Instead the individual agrees to a plan in court that established repayment of debts. Creditors also must agree to the plan, which is based on the individual’s income.
The Filing Process
The new bankruptcy laws require you to first eek counseling about your credits. You will then need to file paperwork before the process of Chapter 13 begins.
During a Chapter 13 your income and debts are looked at and a payment plan is devised based upon your income. You and your creditors must agree to the legally binding repayment plan.
As you can see, this is a lot of work and also time consuming as there are a lot of paperwork to be done and also court hearings to attend. However, the best suggestion I can offer you is that you should have a lawyer who can help you with negotiations with creditors. This may not be easy but trust me, it is worth the trouble. This way, you have nothing to worry about.
The process of fling for Chapter 13 can be time consuming but don’t worry about that because as long as you are still undergoing the process of filing for Chapter 13, your creditors will not be able to collect any form of debts from you.
What You Need to Know
After you have read all these, you may be wondering why you should file for Chapter 13 if it is only a repayment plan. Well, my answer to that is so that you can get protected by the court. Going to court and getting the court involved is not always a bad thing.
You have more protection and more options. The court makes sure you can afford the repayment. It is an equal process where you are treated like a willing party instead of being badgered into a payment plan you can not afford.
Other than that, another advantage of filing for bankruptcy is that you are protected from creditors when you file for bankruptcy.
In conclusion, if you think that you are facing financial problems, you should consider all options. You should also remember that bankruptcy us not always a good thing, as you may lose your assets and have a bad credit. Therefore, you should try to avoid it as much as possible.
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