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Recent Blog Posts
The Surprising Benefits: Use "Preference" Money to Pay a Favored Debt
When a creditor is forced to pay back recently received money through “preference” law, that money can go to pay a debt you want to be paid.
Last week we introduced the law of preferences. This law says that if a creditor takes or receives money from you within the 90 days before you file your bankruptcy case, the creditor may need to pay it back. There are some complicated conditions that may apply, but in many situations the creditor does need to pay it back. See Section 547 of the Bankruptcy Code.
We ended last week by asking where this returned money goes. What good does it do you if that money just goes to your Chapter 7 trustee? After all, this liquidating trustee’s job is to distribute that money among all your other creditors. So how does that help you?
Chapter 7 Trustee’s Collection of Bankruptcy Assets
Surprising Bankruptcy Benefits: Make Creditors Return Your Money
Bankruptcy doesn’t just stop garnishments and other collections. Sometimes you can make a creditor return money it recently took from you.
Bankruptcy’s “automatic stay” is one of the most immediate and powerful benefits of bankruptcy. It immediately stops almost all creditor collection actions against you, your income, and your assets. See Section 362 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.
But it does not go into effect until the moment you file your bankruptcy case. What if a creditor garnishes or otherwise gets your money right BEFORE you file bankruptcy?
Sometimes the creditor can be forced to give up such recently received money as well.
The Law of Preferences
This happens through the surprising and easily misunderstood law of “preferences.”
This law says that if a creditor takes money (or some other asset) from you within the 90 days before you file your bankruptcy case, the creditor may need to pay it back. It has to do so if keeping that money results in that creditor receiving a greater share of its debt than the rest of your creditors would get out of your bankruptcy case. See Section 547(b) of the Bankruptcy Code.
Giving a Creditor "Adequate Protection"
To be able to keep your property that’s collateral or security on a secured debt, you must give that secured creditor “adequate protection.”
In the bankruptcy system, debtors and creditors each get certain protections.
“Automatic Stay” Protection for You
A major protection that you as a debtor filing bankruptcy get is the “automatic stay.” That’s the part of bankruptcy law which stops creditors’ collection actions against you. That includes stopping a secured creditor from repossessing or foreclosing its collateral or its security. (See Section 362(a) of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.)
The automatic stay protection goes into effect immediately upon your filing of bankruptcy. But it doesn’t necessarily keep the collateral protected for the long term. The creditor can challenge that protection.
“Adequate Protection” Protection for Secured Creditors
What the IRS/State Can and Can't Do After You File Bankruptcy
Filing bankruptcy stops tax collection just like it stops other debt collection by more conventional creditors. But there are exceptions.
The last several weeks of blog posts have been about bankruptcy’s “automatic stay” protection from creditor collections. We’ve also gotten into many of the exceptions to that protection—when certain creditors CAN take certain actions.
Today we focus on some very limited exceptions to the automatic stay protection, those which apply specifically to income taxes. In bankruptcy you don’t want surprises, especially from a tax collector. These limited exceptions are reasonable. But it’ll still help you to understand them in order to not be surprised by them.
Tax Determination is Allowed, Tax Collection is Not
Simply put, the exceptions to the automatic stay protections are about determining the amount of tax owed. The IRS and the state tax authorities can take steps during bankruptcy to figure out how much you owe. They can make you do what the law requires along these lines. For example, they can require you to file your tax returns, regardless that you’ve filed bankruptcy. But then they can’t take any action beyond that to collect any taxes owed.
No Automatic Stay after Multiple Prior Bankruptcy Filings
If you’ve had more than 1 case filed and dismissed within the last year, you’ll need to show “good faith” to get automatic stay protection.
The Effect of ONE Prior Dismissed Bankruptcy Case
Our last blog post was about losing the automatic stay protection from debt collection, 30 days after filing bankruptcy. This loss of protection could happen as to ALL of your creditors, not just one particular one. It could happen if you had filed a bankruptcy case within 1 year before the filing of your present case, and that prior case got dismissed (thrown out and closed).
You could prevent losing this protection from debt collection by showing the new case is being filed “in good faith.” There are specific considerations laid out in the law for demonstrating “good faith.” See Section 362(c)(3) of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.
Does Hiring a Bankruptcy Lawyer Stop Collection Actions?
Hiring a bankruptcy lawyer can stop creditor phone calls and some other potentially very important collection actions against you.
What relief can you get when you get a bankruptcy lawyer?
Relief After vs. Before Filing Bankruptcy
The moment you file a bankruptcy case, all or most of your creditors must legally stop collecting their debts. The law that accomplishes this is called the “automatic stay.” This is what prevents a home foreclosure or vehicle repossession from going through. It also stops a lawsuit from turning into a wage garnishment, and ends an ongoing garnishment. See Section 362 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.
However, if you are just now looking into bankruptcy as an option you may be several weeks, or more, from actually filing your case. In very urgent situations you may be able to file a bankruptcy case quite quickly. But to be practical, it can take some time for you to understand and choose among your options. You may need some time to gather information or documents. It’s sometimes much better tactically to delay filing for a few days or weeks. In all these situations it can be really helpful if you could get some relief sooner than the bankruptcy filing itself.
Chapter 7 vs. 13 When Your Vehicle is Worth Too Much
Usually your car or truck is protected in bankruptcy with a vehicle exemption. Or if the vehicle is worth too much Chapter 13 can protect it.
How Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 affect your vehicle and vehicle loan can determine which of these options you choose. That’s why we’ve focused the last several blog posts on the differences between these options. We’ve especially looked at reaffirming a vehicle loan in Chapter 7 vs. cramming it down in Chapter 13. Depending on your circumstances one of these is likely a safer and/or less expensive way to keep your vehicle.
But there is another consideration we don’t want to lose sight of. What if you have too much value in your car or truck? What if you either own it free and clear or else it has lots of equity? What if you’re not worried about your lender but rather with the bankruptcy trustee taking your car or truck?
Exemption for Your Vehicle
Why would a bankruptcy trustee be interested taking your vehicle?
Cramdown on Vehicle Not Bought for Personal Use
The 910-day condition for doing a vehicle debt cramdown don’t apply if the vehicle was not “acquired for the personal use of the debtor.”
The Cramdown Advantage
The last several blog posts have been about the advantages of Chapter 13 cramdown, especially the cramdown of vehicle loans. Cramdown can be an excellent way to keep your vehicle. It usually allows you to reduce the monthly payment as well as the total you pay on the debt. Often the payment reduction is significant. You can often save thousands of dollars compared to what you’d usually pay on the debt overall. Through cramdown you may be able to keep a car or truck that you couldn’t afford to otherwise.
Because of these advantages vehicle loan cramdown may be a reason to file a Chapter 13 case. It’s not available under Chapter 7 “straight bankruptcy.”
The 910-Day Condition on “Personal Use” Purchases
Cramdown on Collateral Not Purchased with the Debt
The 910-day & 1-year conditions for doing a Chapter 13 cramdown don’t apply if the creditor doesn’t have a purchase money security interest.
The Cramdown Advantage
Last week we got into Chapter 13 cramdown of vehicle loans and furniture loans. Cramdown can be an excellent way to keep personal property that’s securing a loan. It allows you usually to reduce the monthly payment as well as the total you pay on the debt. Often the reductions are significant. Cramdown can enable you to keep a vehicle or some other important personal property that you couldn’t otherwise. It can be a reason to file a Chapter 13 case because it isn’t available under Chapter 7 “straight bankruptcy.”
The 910-Day and 1-Year Conditions
But as we’ve been discussing there is a timing condition you must meet to qualify for Chapter 13 cramdown. With vehicles you must have entered into the contract at least 910 days (about two and half years) before filing the Chapter 13 case. With any other kind of collateral the contract must be at least a year old.
Example of Reaffirming vs. Cramming Down Furniture Loan
An example comparing the reaffirmation of a debt secured by furniture in a Chapter 7 case and cramming down that debt in a Chapter 13 case.
Last time we showed how cramdown on a vehicle loan can reduce the payments and the total amount you pay. The amount you save monthly and in total may be enough to justify filing a Chapter 13 case. The alternative is usually paying the full monthly payments and the full contract balance through Chapter 7 reaffirmation.
Cramdown on Debt Secured by Non-Vehicle Personal Property
The concept is the same with secured debts on personal property other than your vehicle. Chapter 13 allows you to re-write the debt based on the value of the collateral, such as furniture you bought. That collateral value amount becomes the secured part of the debt. You pay that part in full, with interest but often at a lower interest rate. The monthly payment is almost always less than the contract amount. That’s because it’s based on the value of the collateral, which is less than the full loan balance.
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