Apr 28

Both Chapeter 13 and Chapeter 7 insolvency have eligibility necessities which can forestall individuals from being able to file under that particular chapter. The most well known being the mean-test requirement under Chapter 7. Basically if an individual earns above a certain quantity, that person may not be eligible for Chapter 7 protection, and may only be eligible to file for Chapter 13. Unlike Chapter 7 nonetheless , Chapter 13 has debt limitations which have increasingly caused more and more folk to not be eligible to file.

Section 109 (e) of the Bankruptcy code places restrictions on the quantity of debt that an individual could have so as to file for Chapter 13. So as to be eligible to file for Chapter 13, an individual must have less than $360,475 of unsecured debt, and must have less than $1,081,400 of secured debt. Since these numbers on first glance seem very high, many of our customers are usually shocked when they discover that they will not be eligible because they surpass those debt limits.

The reason more of our customers are having issues with surpassing the debt restrictions of 109 (e) is thanks to the lack of equity in their homes. The breakdown of the home market hit Southwest Florida as hard as anywhere else in the country. A direct consequence of the home market collapse is that many people in Southwest Florida now owe more on their home than it is worth. The amount that a householder is underwater on their home counts towards the $360,475 unsecured debt limit. Also , if a property owner is underwater on their first loan and they also have a 2nd mortgage, that complete second mortgage would be considered unsecured. Since so many homeowners are underwater on their homes, many of them are finding out that they'd exceed the unsecured debt limit even if their other debt is low.

Up to date Florida cases have eased these limitations slightly at least for married debtors who file jointly. In In Re Scholz and In re Hannon the insolvency court held that married couples can ’stack ‘ their debt limits while each spouse would be well placed to file his or her own individual Chapter 13. In In Re Scholz, a married couple filed a Chapter 13 petition with $386,221.31 of unsecured debt and the Chapter 13 Trustee moved to dismiss the argument for surpassing the unsecured debt limitation. The Judge overruled the Trustee’s objection and authorized the couple to proceed with their joint Chapter 13 because as people, each debtor was below the $360,475 limit. It was just when their debt was mixed that they exceeded the debt limits. If married debtors are each able to file individual Chapter 13 Petitions, they may file a joint Chapter 13 petition not withstanding a combined debt total which exceeds the 109 (e) limits.

See In re Scholz, no. 6:10-bk-08466-ABB (Bankr. M.D. Fla. 2011) and In re Hannon, 23 Fla. L. Weekly Fed. B132 (Bankr. S.D. Fla. 2011).

Tag: Bankruptcy Attorney Fort Myers

Jonathan Bierfeld is an attorney with Martin Law Firm, P.L, whose practice focuses in Insolvency Law and Civil Legal proceedings. He’s admitted to practice law in the state of Florida and the Federal Court for the Middle District of Florida. He basically practices in Lee County Florida in Cape Coral and Fort Myers, Florida. If you are looking for a Fort Myers Bankruptcy attorney, Jonathan can be reached via his website at www.martinlawfirm.com.

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Apr 27

Before the enactment of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Shopper Protection Act of 2005 (‘BABCPA’), a debtor was eligible to receive a Chapter 13 discharge on completion of the Chapter 13 plan no matter whether the debtor had received a discharge in a prior case. BAPCPA added section 1328 (f) of the Insolvency code which provided that a court shall not grant a discharge to a debtor under Chapter 13 if the debtor had filed a prior case inside 4 years. This is presuming the debtor received a discharge in the prior case. Even though a debtor would not be eligible to receive a Chapter 13 discharge inside 4 years of filing a previous case, section 1328 (f) does not constrain a debtor from having the ability to basically file for Chapter 13 protection.

Chapter 20‘ cases (where a debtor’s prior Chapter 7 discharge bars a Chapter 13 discharge) can still offer substantial relief from creditors. The most significant of which would be in the case of a struggling home-owner who has fallen behind on his mortgage payments. Filing for Chapter 13 would permit that debtor to spread out the missed payments during the course of the Chapter 13 plan. He would be accepted for this relief regardless of if he has filed and received a discharge in a previous Chapter 7 case.

One of the most fascinating features of normal Chapter 13 cases is the capability for a home owner to ’strip ‘ the second mortgage on his home. If a householder owes more on his first mortgage than the value of the home, than a second mortgage’s claim is considered wholly unsecured. The lien is ’stripped-off ‘ and is treated then as regular unsecured debt such as credit card. Upon completing of the Chapter 13 plan, the second mortgage is discharged along with the other unsecured debt.

Courts have been split about whether a Chapter 13 debtor who is not suitable for a discharge because of a prior filing could still strip a second mortgage. A Florida case nevertheless , answered this question in the negative. In a recent decision in the Southern District of Florida, the bankruptcy judge ruled that Chapter 13 debtors who received a previous Chapter 7 discharge and were, accordingly, unsuitable for Chapter 13 discharge couldn't use Chapter 13 to strip unconditionally unsecured junior mortgages.

See In Re Quiros-Amy, 23 Fla. L. Weekly Fed. B125 (Bankr. S.D. Fla. 2011)

Note: If you are considering bankruptcy it is important to seek the advice of an experienced bankruptcy attorney

Jonathan Bierfeld is a Fort Myers bankruptcy attorney with Martin Law Firm, P.L, whose practice focuses in Insolvency Law and Civil Legal action. He's admitted to practice law in the state of Florida and the Fed. Court for the Middle District of Florida. He basically practices in Lee County Florida in Cape Coral and Fort Myers, Florida. If you require a bankruptcy attorney in Fort Myers you can reach Jonathan at www.martinlawfirm.com

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Apr 26

Following you have produced a choice to file for personal bankruptcy, the following thing you ought to issue by yourself with is his charges. You want to decide regardless of whether you can manage to pay the payment. If the reply is no, you must not file the petition. Possessing an understanding of what sum and how to spend expenses is by no means a extremely overwhelming matter even when submitting has been an presently harrowing expertise. The charge differs from a single lawyer to another. Being ready to spend the personal bankruptcy attorney fees is a very good notion because most of authorized specialist practitioners will call for you shell out up front retainer charge that will be utilised for afterwards costs. In case in which filling the function involved is normally significantly less comprehensive than in other sorts of situations, a expert and considerate lawyer needs reduced personal bankruptcy legal professional costs. It is critical to see the listing of the sum of upfront charge required when you are considering hiring a authorized specialist.

It is similarly critical to know no matter whether the individual bankruptcy lawyer expenses consist of factors like the fundamental filling costs and no matter whether you will be charged additional charge for extra provider like when your attorney will be assembly your lenders and other fascinated events in your petition. It is critical to know that in the function your insolvency case is involving your enterprise enterprise, the charges that are charged for individual bankruptcy legal professional expenses are always increased than the person insolvency cases. In instances the place you could be expected to attend required monetary administration and credit score counseling classes, you ought to be prepared to pay out far more costs for the guidelines. In order for you to be ready to pay out bankruptcy legal professional charges, there are numerous options that are accessible to you. Your law firm may possibly suggest you to cease spending the bills and implement the income that is saved toward legal costs. The considering guiding this is that your financial debt may possibly be evaluated and reorganized as your proceeding go forward.

Other alternatives contain promoting non exempt attributes just before filling your petition in order to increase the personal bankruptcy lawyer fees and looking for support from your household members. Elevating cash from close friends is also an option of raising charge. In addition, it is attainable for you to achieve a waiver for filling charges that will go a long way in chopping down the volume you might be expected to pay out up entrance for the authorized services and hence lowering your overall charge. On top of it, you are necessary to also pay for your personal bankruptcy submitting expenses. Personal bankruptcy submitting charges are the cash you right pay to the court to get care of the cost of filling and managing your petition. In purchase to determine a attorney who is charging affordable personal bankruptcy attorney expenses, you require to get in touch with at minimum about three lawyers and permit them quotation the payment they are likely to charge you. Also, you need to have to do some investigation regarding them in purchase to figure out their experience and qualifications in the subject of individual bankruptcy regulation.

If you can get a lawyer who expenses a flat charge for a individual bankruptcy legal professional fees, he ought to be best for you considering that you are in each economic and monetary crunch that has created you to make a heartbreaking economic determination. In addition, you really should know that there are some attorneys who cost the bankruptcy legal professional expenses on hourly prices. Thus, if you get such a attorney, you ought to make certain that you have the details of when the hourly fee commences. Or else, you may be surprised afterwards on if your lawyer decides to cost you all the calling bills he or she has incurred even though pursuing your case.

A Escondido Bankruptcy Attorney will be committed to getting you debt relief and providing you with valuable information, services and advice to get you a better financial future.

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Apr 25

When filing bankruptcy, you may need to file Chapter 7, depending on what you can file for and what you are eligible to do.  For most people they feel that it is the end of the world and they can never buy a home for example and no point of even shopping the homes in the Santa Maria real estate, market but not true.  Although you do have to re-establish your credit but it can be done and in 2 years you can be a home owner again buying one of the homes in Santa Maria for sale.  But for most filing Bk for a  person or buisness means ceasing of operations and appointing a Chapter 7 Trustee who will handle the selling of all your assets, and distributing money to the creditors. People who work for you might lose their jobs. Most of the time when a company is sold off, business might proceed but partially intact with different person in charge.

An individual can file Chapter 7 and eliminate alot of the debt that you owe.  But it also means that you can reaffirm on the debt that you want to keep as well such as certain properties which are exempted. In this case, if you have real estate mortgages for buying one of Santa Maria homes, you can elect to keep it in tact. The trustee will sell all assets which are not exempted.

Cancellation of other types of unsecured debts will be cancelled. There are some debts that are going to be your responsibility such as most taxes, student loans, child support and any fines for committing a crime.

Since most of your debts will be cancelled, you will be able to start again after filing bankruptcy. Most of your valued properties might have been sold, so you need to start over again. One major disadvantage is that you’re going to have a record of bankruptcy on your credit report for ten years. This will prevent you from getting the loan that you want.

Prior to filing Chapter 7, keep in mind the important things that must be taken into account. These things can help avoid being forced to file on abusive grounds. You might choose to file for Chapter 13 instead wherein your assets and properties won’t be sold off.

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