New Jersey Bankruptcy Answers

Listed below are answers to common questions regarding bankruptcy: 

What is Bankruptcy?

Bankruptcy is a legal proceeding in which a person who cannot pay his or her bills  can get a fresh start. The right to file for bankruptcy is provided by federal law, and all bankruptcy cases are handled in federal court. Filing bankruptcy immediately stops all of your creditors from seeking to collect debts from you, at least until your debts are sorted out according to the law.

What can bankruptcy do for me?

Bankruptcy may make it possible for you to:

• Eliminate the legal obligation to pay most or all of your debts. This is called a "discharge" of debts. It is designed to give you a fresh financial start.
• Stop foreclosure on your house or mobile home and allow you an opportunity to catch up on missed payments. (Bankruptcy does not, however automatically eliminate mortgages and other liens on your property without payment.)
• Prevent repossession of a car or other property, or force the creditor to return property even after it has been repossessed.
• Stop wage garnishment, debt collection harassment, and similar creditor actions to collect a debt.
• Restore or prevent termination of utility service.
• Allow you to challenge the claims of creditors who have committed fraud or who are otherwise trying to collect more than you really owe.

Contact the office of New Jersey bankruptcy lawyer, 
Bruce C. Truesdale for help with your bankruptcy at 732.302.9600

What bankruptcy will not do

Bankruptcy cannot, however cure every financial problem. Nor is it the right step for every individual. In bankruptcy, it is usually not possible to:

• Eliminate certain rights of "secured" creditors. A "secured" creditor has taken a mortgage or other lien on property as collateral for the loan. Common examples are car loans and home mortgages. You can force secured creditors to take payments over time in the bankruptcy process and bankruptcy can eliminate your obligation to pay any additional money if your property is taken. Nevertheless, you generally cannot keep the collateral unless you continue to pay the debt.
• Discharge types of debts singled out by the bankruptcy law for special treatment, such as child support, alimony, certain other debts related to divorce, most student loans, court restitution orders, criminal fines, and some taxes.
• Protect cosigners on your debts. When a relative or friend has co-signed a loan, and the consumer discharges the loan in bankruptcy, the cosigner may still have to repay all or part of the loan.
• Discharge debts that arise after bankruptcy has been filed.

What different types of bankruptcy cases should I consider?

There are four types of bankruptcy cases provided under the law:

• Chapter 7 is known as "straight" bankruptcy or "liquidation". It requires a debtor to give up property which exceeds certain limits called "exemptions", so the property can be sold to pay creditors.
• Chapter 11, known as "reorganization", is used by businesses and a few individual debtors whose debts are very large.
• Chapter 12 is reserved for family farmers and fishermen.
• Chapter 13 is called "debt adjustment". It requires a debtor to file a plan to pay debts (or parts of debts) from current income.

Most people filing bankruptcy will want to file under either chapter 7 or chapter 13. Either type of case may be filed individually or by a married couple filing jointly.

If your income is above the median income for a family the size of your household in your state, you may have to file a chapter 13 case (the national median family income for a family of 4 in 2004 was approximately $63,012 -- your state's figures may be higher or lower). The median income for a family of 4 in New Jersey is higher. In 2005 the median income for a family of 4 was $88,401.00. A higher-income consumer, one exceeding the median income, must fill out "means test" forms requiring detailed information about income and expenses. If, under standards in the law, the consumer is found to have a certain amount left over that could be paid to unsecured creditors, the bankruptcy court may decide that the consumer cannot file a chapter 7 case, unless there are special extenuating circumstances.

Chapter 7 (Straight Bankruptcy or Liquidation Case)

In a bankruptcy case under chapter 7, you file a petition asking the court to discharge your debts. The basic idea in a chapter 7 bankruptcy is to wipe out (discharge) your debts in exchange for your giving up property, except for "exempt" property which the law allows you to keep. In most cases, all of your property will be exempt. But property which is not exempt ius sold, with the money distributed to creditors.

If you want to keep property like a home or a car and are behind on the payments on a mortgage or car loan, a chapter 7 case probably will not be the right choice for you. That is because chapter 7 bankruptcy does not eliminate the right of mortgage holders or car loan creditors to take your property to cover your debt.

Chapter 13 (Reorganization Case)

In a chapter 13 case you file a "plan" showing how you will pay off some of your past-due and current debts over three to five years. The most important thing about a chapter 13 case is that it will allow you to keep valuable property -- especially your home and your car -- which might otherwise be lost, if you can make the payments which the bankruptcy law requires to be made to your creditors. In most cases, these payments will be at least as much as your regular monthly payments on your mortgage or car loan, with some extra payment to get caught up on the amount you have fallen behind.

You should consider filing a chapter 13 plan if you:

1. Own your home and are in danger of losing it because of money problems;
2. Are behind on debt payments, but can catch up if given some time;
3. Have valuable property which is not exempt, but you can afford to pay creditors from your income over time.

You will need to have enough income in chapter 13 to pay for your necessities and to keep up with the required payments as they come due.

Contact the office of New Jersey bankruptcy lawyer, 
Bruce C. Truesdale for help with your bankruptcy at 732.302.9600

What does it cost to file for bankruptcy?

It now costs $299 to file for bankruptcy under chapter 7 and $274 to file for bankruptcy under chapter 13, whether for one person or a married couple. The court may allow you to pay this filing fee in installments if you cannot pay all at once. If you are unable to pay the filing fee in installments, you may request that the court waive the filing fee. If you hire an attorney you will also have to pay the attorney's fees you agree to.

What Must I Do Before Filing Bankruptcy?             

You must receive budget and credit counseling from an approved credit counseling agency within 180 days before your bankruptcy case is filed.  The agency will review possible options available to you in credit counseling and assist you in reviewing your budget.  Different agencies provide the counseling in-person, by telephone, or over the Internet.  

If you decide to file bankruptcy, you will need to file with the bankruptcy forms in your case a certificate from the agency stating that you received the counseling. If you decide to go ahead with bankruptcy, you should be very careful in choosing an agency for the required counseling.  It is extremely difficult to sort out the good counseling agencies from the bad ones.  Many agencies are legitimate, but many are simply rip-offs.  And being an “approved” agency for bankruptcy counseling is no guarantee that the agency is good.

It is also important to understand that even good agencies won’t be able to help you much if you’re already too deep in financial trouble. Some of the approved agencies offer debt management plans (also called DMPs).  This is a plan to repay some or all of your debts in which you send the counseling agency a monthly payment that it then distributes to your creditors.  Debt management plans can be helpful for some consumers.  For others, they are a terrible idea.  The problem is that many counseling agencies will pressure you into a debt management plan as a way of avoiding bankruptcy whether it makes sense for you or not.  It is important to keep in mind these important points:

• Bankruptcy is not necessarily to be avoided at all costs.  In many cases, bankruptcy may actually be the best choice for you.  
• If you sign up for a debt management plan that you can’t afford, you may end up in bankruptcy anyway (and a copy of the plan must also be filed in your bankruptcy case).  
• There are approved agencies for bankruptcy counseling that do not offer debt management plans. It is usually a good idea for you to meet with an attorney before you receive the required credit counseling.  Unlike a credit counselor, who can not give legal advice, an attorney can provide counseling on whether bankruptcy is the best option.  If bankruptcy is not the right answer for you, a good attorney will offer a range of other suggestions.  The attorney can also provide you with a list of approved credit counseling agencies, or you can check the website for the United States Trustee Program office at www.usdoj.gov/ust

Contact the office of New Jersey bankruptcy lawyer, 
Bruce C. Truesdale for help with your bankruptcy at 732.302.9600

What Property Can I Keep?

(Note: This answer applies to the State of New Jersey, where the Federal Bankruptcy Exemptions are generally utilized as opposed to the State exemptions.  Therefore, if you live in a state that has “opted out” or does not use the Federal Bankruptcy Exemptions, the answer to this question will differ depending on the exemptions for that particular state.)  

In a chapter 7 case, you can keep all property which the law says is “exempt” from the claims of creditors.  You can choose between your exemptions under your state law or under federal law.  In many cases, the federal exemptions are better.  Federal exemptions include:

• $20,200 in equity in your home;
• $3,225 in equity in your car;
• $525 per item in any household goods up to a total of $10,125;
• $2,025 in things you need for your job (tools, books, etc.);
• $1,075 in any property, plus part of the unused exemption in your home, up to $10,125;

Your right to receive certain benefits such as social security, unemployment compensation, veteran’s benefits, public assistance, and pensions--regardless of the amount.The amounts of the exemptions are doubled when a married couple files together.  

In determining whether property is exempt, you must keep a few things in mind.  The value of property is not the amount you paid for it, but what it is worth now.  Especially for furniture and cars, this may be a lot less than what you paid or what it would cost to buy a replacement.

You also only need to look at your equity in property.  This means that you count your exemptions against the full value minus any money that you owe on mortgages or liens.  For example, if you own a $50,000 house with a $40,000 mortgage, you count your exemptions against the $10,000 which is your equity if you sell it. 

While your exemptions allow you to keep property even in a chapter 7 case, your exemptions do not make any difference to the right of a mortgage holder or car loan creditor to take the property to cover the debt if you are behind.  In a chapter 13 case, you can keep all of your property if your plan meets the requirements of the bankruptcy law.  In most cases you will have to pay the mortgages or liens as you would if you didn’t file bankruptcy.  

What Will Happen to My Home and Car If I File Bankruptcy?             

In most cases you will not lose your home or car during your bankruptcy case as long as your equity in the property is fully exempt.  Even if your property is not fully exempt, you will be able to keep it, if you pay its non-exempt value to creditors in chapter 13.  

However, some of your creditors may have a “security interest” in your home, automobile or other personal property.  This means that you gave that creditor a mortgage on the home or put your other property up as collateral for the debt.  Bankruptcy does not make these security interests go away.  If you don’t make your payments on that debt, the creditor may be able to take and sell the home or the property, during or after the bankruptcy case.               

There are several ways that you can keep collateral or mortgaged property after you file bankruptcy.  You can agree to keep making your payments on the debt until it is paid in full.  Or you can pay the creditor the amount that the property you want to keep is worth.  In some cases involving fraud or other improper conduct by the creditor, you may be able to challenge the debt.  If you put up your household goods as collateral for a loan (other than a loan to purchase the goods), you can usually keep your property without making any more payments on that debt.