Actually, there’s no income limit for filing bankruptcy. None, nada, no way. Instead, there’s the infamous means test, an awkward and complex formula, written by Congress, to identify individuals who are entitled to file Chapter 7. Not everyone has to take the means test. The means test doesn’s apply to individuals whose debt is primarily […]
Will recent credit card use sink my bankruptcy
If I’ve used credit cards before filing bankruptcy, do I have to wait? Too many people considering filing think there is some sort of waiting period between financial activity and filing bankruptcy. So, let’s look at the issues in play surrounding recent credit card charges and seeking bankruptcy relief. There’s no 90 day rule Everyone […]
When Your Bankruptcy Discharge Doesn’t End Your Case
Isn’t my case over? I got my discharge. Why’s the bankruptcy trustee still hounding me?, my client asks. People who’ve filed bankruptcy are focused on the discharge as their goal. With their discharge in hand, they think it’s all over. They lose sight of the fact that the administration of a bankruptcy estate by the trustee runs on a parallel track to […]
What You Keep In Chapter 13
Just because debtors can keep their upscale trappings and their toys bought on credit doesn’t mean they should. Still, I share my colleagues excitement over the 9th Circuit’s recent decision in Welsh. The appeals court held that a debtor wasn’t guilty of bad faith in proposing a Chapter 13 plan that kept and paid […]
What Your Signature On Your Bankruptcy Papers Really Says
Wish I had a buck for every time a client has told me, “Yes, I signed it, but I didn’t read it”. This is usually delivered as though the signature had no meaning if it wasn’t coupled with actual reading. Unfortunately, it isn’t so. Not true in commerce in general, and certainly not true when you […]
What You Left Out Of Your Bankruptcy Schedules
One of the first questions a bankruptcy trustee will ask you at the hearing in your bankruptcy case is: did you read the schedules before you signed them? The obvious, and expected, answer is YES. And if your answer is “yes”, then the trustee can conclude that you stand behind the information that the schedules […]
How Long Does Bankruptcy Take?
Every client filing bankruptcy asks that question: how long will bankruptcy take? Probably, the real question is “when will this be over?” Like so many questions in the law, the answer is “it depends.” From filing bankruptcy to discharge In a Chapter 7, filing to discharge is about four months; in Chapter 13 it’s three […]
What Happens To Your Bank Account in Chapter 13
Those considering filing a Chapter 13 bankruptcy worry about “what happens to my bank account?” Will the trustee take all the money? How do I pay my living expenses after I file? The short answer is: nothing changes. The account remains yours and available for all the expenses of day to day living. Because, in […]
Bankruptcy Can Rewrite The Divorce Property Division
The assets were divided in the divorce. The divorce was over. The house would go to Him, and he would pay Her $75,000 on stated terms. It was the end of a miserable stretch in their lives. Only it wasn’t. Before anyone recorded the judgment of dissolution (that’s Californian for “divorce”) laying out the division […]
What Happens To Liens In Bankruptcy?
Liens in bankruptcy have an uncertain fate. While most liens survive a bankruptcy discharge, some liens get wiped out. Think of mortgages, tax liens, and judgment liens. Each of them is a lien, but some get different treatment in bankruptcy. Some liens can even be reduced or eliminated . Lien basics A lien gives the […]
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