2012 - Page 3 of 4 - Better Call Dave

July 31, 2012

Can I Keep My House If I File Bankruptcy?

Can the lien of the second mortgage be removed from my house? - Bankruptcy

One of the most common questions we hear from our customers who are considering filing for bankruptcy is;

If I file for bankruptcy can I keep my house?

Unfortunately, it isn’t a simple yes or no. The short answer is sometimes.

Here we will look at the factors that determine whether or not your house can and should be saved.

Chapter 7 Bankruptcy:

When filing Chapter 7, the debtor may or may not be able to keep their house. This liquidates all of your assets to pay your creditors. Your home is included by federal law.

The catch is that most states have their own form of “homestead law” that protects a portion of the equity of a debtor’s home from the bankruptcy process.

If a debtor has less equity than is protected by his state law, they should be able to keep their home as long as they keep making payments. Your home’s equity exemption is determined by the homestead laws of which state you reside.

Chapter 13 Bankruptcy:

When filing Chapter 13, the debtor can generally keep their house as long as they continue to make the mortgage payment. If your equity in your home exceeds the amount protected by your local homestead laws, then Chapter 13 may be for you.

You might be able to stretch every dollar to make that mortgage payment, but should you? For instance, if you owe creditor’s more than your home is currently worth, your bankruptcy filing might be a good time to cut your losses and walk away.

Do I Want To Keep My House When I File for Bankruptcy?

There are other considerations which also determine your practical ability to keep your home. Are you caught up on payments? How much non-exempt equity do you actually have? When making the decision whether to try and keep your home or let it go you will want to speak to an attorney in your area who is knowledgeable about local bankruptcy laws.

At the end of the day, it is all a question of whether your house represents an asset or a financial hardship.

July 26, 2012

When Bankruptcy Won’t Work

Bankruptcy is considered the ultimate relief of financial burdens, but that does not mean that it is right for everyone. In some cases, even bankruptcy may not be able to help you out of your debts. Before you rely on this procedure to remove the pressure from your shoulders, you need to assess your life after bankruptcy. Do you think you could make it then? If not, going bankrupt may be a poor choice

You are usually allowed to keep your vehicle, home, and some other property when you file for bankruptcy, which means that you may still have loans to carry after the process is complete. If your income has been reduced to the point that you can no longer afford to pay for the home you live in and the car you drive, you need to first settle your finances before you can use bankruptcy for assistance. This means that you may have to give back your home, car, or both to get into something you can afford. You can then use the bankruptcy to wipe away any excess money owed to your former lending institutions.

Be realistic about your financial prospects so you do not end up in the same situation later on. After a successful Chapter 7 you will not be able to file Chapter 7 again for another eight years, and you certainly won’t be able to rebuild your credit if you have excessive loans to pay after the process. Rather than getting into that kind of bind, you need to figure out if bankruptcy is right for you at this point in time.

As you know by now, bankruptcy is not an option for everyone. Instead of jumping into this process with the hope of making your life better, you should assess the situation you will be in afterward. If your bills do not fit your current income, no bankruptcy specialist is going to be able to help you out.

July 24, 2012

Rebuilding Credit After Bankruptcy

People ask me a lot of questions. A very common question is “how can I rebuild my credit after bankruptcy?” Another variation of the question is “how long will it take to rebuild my credit after bankruptcy?” For most of the people who are calling me, I think that is the wrong question. Hidden beneath the “how can I rebuild my credit” question is another question which I am afraid is the real question: “How soon can I get back in debt?”

Once the bankruptcy is completed, most of my clients are really out of debt – or at least nearly out of debt. That can feel pretty strange for somebody who is not used to it. It can feel uncomfortable, just not normal, not OK. There can be a tendency to want to get back into debt as soon as possible, because being debt free is just too strange. Let me suggest this is not the time to be thinking about more credit. This is the time to focus on staying debt free and actually enjoying being debt free. Being debt free will start to feel really good if you allow yourself some time to let it start feeling normal.

The better question would be “where can I learn some money management methods and principles?” I make no claim of being a money management expert. If you want such an expert, I have been recommending Lutheran Social Services and/or Family Means for years. Having said that, however, let me share a few money management ideas that I believe actually work:

Never let somebody else handle your check book or checking account. Always take care of it yourself. Otherwise you’ll never know what’s going on.
Minimize automatic withdrawals – they make it harder for a person to be aware of where the money is going.
Sit down and spend some time with your bills. Touch them, smell them – I’m serious. Accept that they are real and they are yours.
Pay each bill manually or as manually as technology these days permits. Avoid everything and anything that helps you forget that the bill is there.
Avoid credit cards whenever possible. In the situations where you must have one, use a debit card or a prepaid card.
Do whatever it takes to completely rid yourself of the idea that somebody or something is going to come along and bail you out. No matter what the politicians, your friends, your relatives (especially parents) say, there are no free gifts. No free bailouts. No free money of any kind. It all has a price of some kind that you will have to pay sooner or later.

Everything I’ve ever read about money management says you should do a written budget. Personally, I’m not sure that’s such a great idea. Diets don’t work for people who need to lose weight, and I think a budget is a lot like a diet. Best to take it day by day, being mindful every day of where your money is coming from and where it is going to. I don’t think it is at all a matter of needing to put yourself on something like a diet. I think it’s mostly a matter of needing to really just start paying attention.

This article is for general information purposes only and is not intended to be legal advice. Kelly Law Office is a debt relief agency helping people file for relief under the federal bankruptcy code.

July 9, 2012

How Does Bankruptcy Work

Filing for bankruptcy is often seen as an irreversible act that is only to be reserved for dire and desperate circumstances. For many, the very thought of filing brings to mind images of long shameful court battles and loss of wealth, reputation, and good credit standing.

In truth this undesirable image is largely exaggerated and undeserved. What many people don’t realize is that filing for bankruptcy protection is often the first step in climbing out of the dark hole of debt and into the light of financial recovery.

Oh No! Not the “B” Word

Much of the mystery and taboo associated with the subject comes from a general lack of understanding about how bankruptcy works and what it means for the person who is filing. Here we hope to dispel some of the myths and misinformation that surrounds the subject by offering you a brief look into how bankruptcy works.

In the U.S., bankruptcy is constitutionally required to be placed under federal jurisdiction. Thus congress has enacted a number of statutes governing bankruptcy law and proceedings. Likewise, bankruptcy cases must be filed in United States Bankruptcy Court. Although cases are filed under federal jurisdiction, state laws greatly affect certain aspects of the process so it is important to understand that bankruptcy laws vary significantly from state to state.

Six Shades of Debt Relief

Bankruptcy is a blanket term that refers to a variety of legal arrangements that are available to a debtor seeking to liquidate, restructure or resolve his debt. Under Title 11 of U.S. Bankruptcy Code there are six distinct chapters or types of bankruptcy available to debtors depending on who they are and their financial situation.

All attorney David Kelly handles, however, are Chapter 7s and Chapter 13s, so discussion here will be limited to those two kinds of bankruptcy. We we will focus on the those two types of bankruptcy available to most individuals who have fallen on hard times and are seeking relief from creditors. We will take a look at each process and how each type of bankruptcy works.

How Does Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Work?

Chapter 7: Basic Liquidation

As the name suggests, Chapter 7 is sometimes decribed as the basic liquidation is the sale of the debtor’s non-exempt property and the distribution of the proceeds to creditors. One might think that Chapter 7 is generally the “harshest” form of bankruptcy as it can involve the mandatory sale of ones assets and generally does not involve structured reorganization of debt or a payment plan.

In most states bankruptcy proceedings are handled by a U.S. Trustee operating under the authority of the department of justice. In most Chapter 7 proceedings the process starts with the debtor filing a petition with the bankruptcy court that serves the area where the debtor lives, does business or houses their principal assets.

Along with the petition, the debtor must also submit a collection of documents that provide a detailed account of the debtor’s financial situation. This includes but is not limited to income, assets, living expenses and debt obligations.

Exempt Property:

Please know that most of the Chapter 7 clients at Kelly Law Office don’t have any assets liquidated at all. Most if not all of their assets can be claimed as exempt, so that they may keep them. For assets which are not exempt, the Trustee may allow the Debtor to buy the asset back by paying it’s value rather than surrendering the item itself.

Among the documents filed is a schedule of the debtor’s exempt property. This allows the debtor to retain all property that falls under federal and state protection from the liquidation process. It is important for a person filing for bankruptcy to consult with an attorney to determine which of his assets are exempt from the process.

Stop Collection:

Filing for Chapter 7 stops collection actions against the debtor. As soon as the debtor files for bankruptcy the assigned clerk gives notice to creditors and collection agents listed in the filing to stop all lawsuits and collection efforts against him.

Conclusion:

While the process can involve all eligible assets being repossessed and sold in an effort to satisfy all or a portion of the debtor’s outstanding debts, it is unusual for our clients to lose any assets at all. If any assets are lost, it is usually relatively minimal. Once the case is completed, most remaining debt is discharged and, with certain exceptions such as student loans, the Debtor no longer owes anything to the creditors listed in the filing.

Side Effects:

Filing for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy has several effects on the debtor in addition to the obvious outcome of debt relief. The filing is recorded on the debtor’s credit history and also affects their ability to file bankruptcy again using the same or other chapter filings.

Chapter 13: Individual Debt Adjustment (Personal)

Chapter 13 Bankruptcy is somewhat similar to Chapter 11 in that the debtor is working to formally or legally restructure and adjust their debt burden in a way that allows them to move forward without the constant hardship of collection activity.

Stop Collection:

Filing for Chapter 13 stops most collection actions against the debtor. As with Chapter 7 filings, the stay or stop in collection activity may only be temporary if one of the creditors is able to get an order lifting the stay with regard to the particular debt owing to that creditor. As soon as the debtor files for bankruptcy the assigned clerk gives notice to creditors and collection agents listed in the filing to stop all lawsuits and collection efforts against him.

Save Your Home

One notable advantage of Chapter 13 filings is that the Debtor may be able to use the Chapter 13 payment plan as a tool to get mortgage payments caught up. This can obviously help avoid foreclosure of his home. With a Chapter 7 filing, foreclosure may be delayed, but the Debtor is on his or her own to get the payments brought up to date. While bringing payments up to date in Chapter 13, the Debtor must also start and continue making the regular payments on the mortgage which come due after the case is filed. Many succeed at this, but often it is very difficult..

Conclusion

A Chapter 13 Bankruptcy may be preferable to a Chapter 7 for the debtor who wishes to get caught up on a mortgage which is behind. Income taxes which are behind can also be brought up to date in a similar manner under Chapter 13. The payment plan is not based on the amount of the debt but upon what the Debtors can afford to pay. Debtors are required to devote their entire disposable income – what’s left over after reasonable living expenses – to their Chapter 13 Plan payments. If the Trustee is satisfied that a good faith effort is being made, the creditors have little choice but to accept the proposed plan. Little if any negotiation is involved in most cases.

Summary: How Bankruptcy Works

Bankruptcy is a legal procedure or device that follows standard guidelines. Here’s how it works:

Debtor or Creditor brings to the attention of the court a debt or group of debts which the debtor has demonstrated he is unable to otherwise pay or resolve. In Chapters 7 and 13 all debts must be listed.
Debtor (or sometimes the creditor) initiates bankruptcy filing which establishes the chapter under which said bankruptcy is to be carried out.
Debtor is required to furnish a significant body of evidence detailing his financial standing and inability to pay the debts in question.
Creditors are given the opportunity to review the evidence and have the opportunity to file certain objections if they believe that the Debtors do not qualify for the relief they are requesting.
If all goes well, the Debtors will receive a Discharge after a certain period of time, which is essentially a court order which says all or a substantial part of the debts are gone.

This is a basic guide to how the most common forms of bankruptcy work. For more information we recommend you contact an attorney to determine your best course of action given your particular set of circumstances. Bankruptcy law varies greatly from state to state and circumstance to circumstance. We want to make sure you have the tools and knowledge to address your unique set of circumstances as best as possible. It is strongly suggested that you call attorney David Kelly for a no-cost screening over the phone (952-544-6367).

July 2, 2012July 2, 2012

Can Bankruptcy Stop Foreclosure?

Foreclosures continue to occur at an alarming rate in many parts of the country. Many homeowners who obtained subprime mortgages earlier in the past decade or who now find themselves unemployed or underemployed because of the depressed economy are unable or unwilling to make their monthly mortgage payments

State and federal programs for distressed homeowners to assist in loan modifications are available to some but you may not qualify. For others, a short sale transaction is a way to extricate themselves from a home whose value is less than the loan amount, but these can be complicated and may not work for any number of reasons.

As a result, many people facing overwhelming financial pressures turn to bankruptcy as a solution, but can a bankruptcy stop foreclosure?

The Foreclosure Process

Once you miss at least 3-4 consecutive mortgage payments and the lender has sent you notices warning you of possible foreclosure, the lender will generally begin the process to repossess your home. This can take several months and in some instances more than one year.

Minnesota is a non-judicial foreclosure state, meaning that there is usually no court action. When the foreclosure is done without court action, it is called a “foreclosure by advertisement.” Mortgages typically have a power of sale clause allowing an attorney to foreclose on your home. A lender may choose, however, to go to court in a judicial foreclosure to obtain a judgment of foreclosure.

If your home is taken, there are certain reporting and notice requirements before the lender can sell it at an auction conducted by the sheriff, usually at a greatly reduced price. In Minnesota, as long as it’s a foreclosure by advertisement, you are not subject to a deficiency judgment if the sale is for less than the loan amount. This means that most of the time, as long as there is only one mortgage, a homeowner in Minnesota can walk away from a house free and clear. If there is a second mortgage, however, watch out. These days the holders of second mortgages are suing people in large numbers after the first mortgage has foreclosed. Sometimes they don’t even wait for the first mortgage to foreclose if the payments are not up to date.

Accordingly, if you are facing foreclosure, can a bankruptcy stop the foreclosure or benefit you in some way?

Can a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Stop a Foreclosure?

Whenever you file for bankruptcy protection under a Chapter 7, an automatic stay of all legal proceedings, including foreclosures, goes into immediate effect. A Chapter 7, if you qualify, allows you to discharge most if not all of your debt.

Unfortunately, the lender is allowed to file a motion to lift the automatic stay as it pertains to your property as the lender can otherwise suffer economic harm. In this instance, a Chapter 7 will only temporarily delay the foreclosure.

It is very difficult to fight the motion to lift the automatic stay. About the only practical way to stop the motion is to get the payments up to date or make arrangements to bring the payments up to date. In a Chapter 7 the automatic stay ends when the discharge is granted, usually around three months after the case is filed. This means that most of the time lifting the stay doesn’t mean much anyway, because the stay was going away by itself.

At the least, you may be able to save thousands of dollars while not making any mortgage payments and take the time to look for alternative housing. Once the foreclosure is stopped, many lenders are very slow to get it started again. While the automatic stay officially only stops things for about three months, you will very likely gain much more time than that.

Can a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Stop a Foreclosure?

The other bankruptcy filing available to a homeowner is Chapter 13. Under this plan, you must submit a repayment plan that includes all your creditors and that is approved by the bankruptcy trustee. The automatic stay also goes into immediate effect once you file.

Unlike a Chapter 7, this chapter allows you to keep your home but you must have proof of sufficient income to not only maintain the current mortgage payments but to make up the arrearages over the life of the repayment plan. Many repayment plans are for the maximum 60 months. Under a Chapter 13, then, you may be able to stop the foreclosure so long as the indicated conditions are met.

In a Chapter 13 it might also be possible to do a lien strip. We’ll know for sure when the Eighth Circuit Court of appeals finally decides the Fisette case. A lien strip would benefit homeowners with multiple mortgages. It would eliminate payments on all mortgages except the first one. If your home’s value has declined and the first mortgage has secured all the home’s equity, if any, then the other mortgages would be considered unsecured debt and will be discharged.

In any case involving a foreclosure, consult with an attorney to explore all your legal options.

June 28, 2012September 13, 2022

How Much it Costs to File Bankruptcy

By Dave Kelly, Minnesota Bankruptcy Lawyer

I often receive phone calls where the first thing I hear is “how much does it cost to file bankruptcy?” It’s very hard for me to provide a simple answer. Bankruptcies aren’t like cans of beans which I keep here on a shelf already stamped with a price.

If the caller will let me ask a series of questions so that I can get an idea of what kind of case it would be, then I might be able to suggest what the fee would probably be. If the caller wants a number right away, the conversation usually ends fairly quickly. My fees are not the lowest in the area, and if that’s all someone is looking for, then I’m not the lawyer they want. All I can do in this situation is say “Can I ask you a few questions?” and see if they want to discuss it or not.

Lawyer fees in bankruptcy are a matter of public record. In every case the petition includes information on what the lawyer has charged. When it comes to Chapter 13 cases, it’s true that there is what is called the “no-look fee.” This is the amount that the judges have agreed a lawyer can charge without having to provide a detailed explanation. In Minnesota this has not gone up for a long time, and I often hear complaints from my colleagues that it is too low. Several lawyers I know make it their policy to provide a detailed billing for every Chapter 13 case so they can go higher than the no-look fee. For many of the more complicated cases, such as a case involving a lien strip, I can certainly see this might be an appropriate thing to do.

Personally, however, I have always so far just charged the no-look fee. Right now as of the date of this writing, the no-look fee in Minnesota is $2,500 for a below median Chapter 13 and $3,000 for an above median Chapter 13. The court filing fee is always additional. BUT in a Chapter 13 part of the lawyer’s fee can be put into the Chapter 13 Plan so that the client does not have to pay it before the case is filed. In most Chapter 13 cases, putting part of the attorney fee in the Plan just means that the creditors get that much less. So from the point of view of my client, the part that goes into the Plan might as well be free. The result is that in most of my Chapter 13 cases, I wind of asking for less before filing than I do in the Chapter 7s. The current court filing fees are $281 for a Chapter 13 and $306 for a Chapter 7. Whatever it is that I’m charging, the court filing fee has to be put on top of that.

For most of the Chapter 7 work that I do, my fees are lower than they are for the Chapter 13s. There’s a good reason for that: in the Chapter 13 case I am responsible for the case for between three and five years. Chapter 7s are over usually in a matter of months. My fees for the Chapter 7s are competitive, but not the lowest in town. I dare not say much more than that without having a specific situation in mind. Every case is so much different from every other case that I’ve never been able to come up with a one size fits all fee schedule. But I’m always glad to discuss my fee with anyone who can take a few minutes to chat about their situation on the phone, and for those chats on the phone I don’t charge a thing.

I should mention here that there is a counseling requirement that must be satisfied in both Chapter 7 and 13. There is one counseling course that must be done before filing, and another that must be done after filing. That’s two (2) courses that must be done before the process is complete. My clients can go anywhere they want for the counseling, as long as the agency has been approved by the US Trustee’s office. The agency I recommend charges $40 per course if I sign the client up for the course, and $10 more per course if the client goes there on their own. It can be done on line and over the phone without leaving home. I don’t get any sort of commission or referral fee from the counseling people, although they did send me some cookies one Christmas. When you count the before filing and the after filing courses together, this is another $80 of total cost.

I am not comfortable with filing anything with the court unless I have given it the proper amount of attention, so I know it’s done right and likely to go smoothly. I tell my clients that we are going to do the work in my office before filing the case, so that we don’t have to do a lot of extra work at the courthouse after the case is filed. By the time we get to the hearing, also known as the first meeting of creditors, I want the case to be the most boring and plain vanilla thing the Trustee has ever seen. If the Trustee almost falls asleep during the hearing, I did it right. My clients often say after the hearing, “is that all there is to this?” Most of the time at that point it is all there is, because I did all the sweating over the case before it was filed.

By the time I get to the courthouse, it is likely that I will have spent as many as 15 hours on a case, sometimes much more than that. I will have had at least four face to face meetings – often many more than that – with my client, probably a couple hours each time. Recently I checked my calendar and found that I had met with one client 11 times before the case was ready to file. A bankruptcy petition has somewhere in the range of 500 questions, and tends to run between 50 and 65 pages in length. These questions are answered under penalty of perjury. An incorrect answer can be a crime for my client. When I sign the petition, I also am certifying that everything in it is correct. I can be sanctioned, perhaps severely, if it’s not. A client asked me recently, after the case was completed, “Kelly how can you sleep at night with all this stuff to keep track of?” All I can say is that I sleep better when I know I’ve given it my best.

June 18, 2012June 20, 2012

Should I File for Bankruptcy?

This is a difficult question. As you can imagine, I get asked this a lot. Usually “Should I File For Bankruptcy?” is asked as one of the first questions when a new prospective client calls or emails me. Most of the time, the question is too complicated for dealing with by email, so early on in the exchange of emails I am very likely to suggest that the person just call me on the phone.

I usually break the conversation down into two issues: First, can these people file for bankruptcy – are they eligible; and second, we answer the question “should I file for bankruptcy”.

For details of the technicalities of eligibility, you should look at my pages devoted specially to Chapter 13 and Chapter 7. Almost everyone qualifies for one or the other, although I do run into a few who don’t qualify for either.

Assuming that a person qualifies, the question of should I file for bankruptcy is probably harder to figure out. In my opinion nobody should file any kind of a bankruptcy if they have any other options available to them. How does one know if there are any other options? After all there are adds on the TV and the radio for debt management programs and debt consolidation programs.

In my opinion you are out of other choices if your dischargeable unsecured debt – the debt that usually can be gotten rid of in a bankruptcy – equals or exceeds one half of your annual gross income.

So first I will try to figure out how much your annual income is right now, and then I will want to start adding up the debts. When I add up the unsecured debt, I do not include the student loans, because they will still be there after the bankruptcy is finished. I also would not include child support arrearages and most taxes for the same reason. As a practical matter, however, lots of student loan debt or other nondischargeable debt may lower ratio of how much other debt as compared to annual gross income would justify filing in my opinion. The higher the student loan debt, the lower the dischargeable unsecured debt to income ratio I would want to see before taking the case.

What Does The Law Say about Filing for Bankruptcy?

The law doesn’t help answer the question of Should I File for Bankruptcy. It provides for no minimum amount of debt which is required to be there before one can file a bankruptcy.

Every case is different, and there has never been a foolproof mathematical formula that has seemed to work for me. But here’s what I am really trying to figure out: as a practical matter can these people live long enough and work hard enough to pay off this debt by some time within their reasonable life expectancy?

If the answer is no, then I recommend that either a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 be filed. What I find is that most of the people who call me have passed the point of no return some time ago.

If you need to talk to a professional about whether or not you should file for bankruptcy, give me a call today at: 952-544-6356

Or Fill Out Our Contact Form Here

June 5, 2012February 4, 2022

Eligibility Requirements for Filing a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Petition

If you are one of many people across the country who are suffering from more debts and obligations than your budget can seem to handle, you are probably thinking about seeking the protection of a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Like most, you may also be wondering if there are specific rules or regulations that determine your eligibility to file a petition.

In order to file a petition for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, you need to meet certain conditions defined within the bankruptcy codes. To begin with, your level of income must fall below a specific amount, and if so, you next have to pass another set of eligibility standards called the ‘means test’. However, the bankruptcy laws also state that the bankruptcy court can dismiss your petition if you have previously filed for bankruptcy during a specific length of time. The bankruptcy court can also dismiss your petition if feels you might be defrauding your creditors.

In previous bankruptcy laws prior to 2005, the judge presiding over the case could dismiss any Chapter 7 petition if you had enough disposable income to finance a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy repayment schedule to your creditors. With the new bankruptcy laws in effect, there are much clearer guidelines that determine if you will be allowed to remain in Chapter 7 bankruptcy, or if you might be required to petition for a Chapter 13. Only disabled veterans who have built up debts while on active duty, and people who have taken on too much debt because of a struggling business are allowed to submit an uncontested Chapter 7 petition.

These new guidelines for filing a Chapter 7 petition begin by determining how your ‘current monthly income’ amount compares to a standard or ‘median’ income level, and is it also based on your particular household size in your state. This amount is also calculated by averaging your total earnings during the previous six months prior to filing your petition. If your earnings happen to fall below or are equal to this median amount, you will certainly be able to qualify for a Chapter 7 petition.

On the other hand, if your earnings are above this median figure, then you must meet the next challenge by passing the ‘means test’ required in the up-dated bankruptcy guidelines. The means test is used to find out whether you have enough disposable income, after deducting living expenses and other debts like child support or alimony for instance, to repay your creditors over a three to five year repayment plan in a Chapter 13 petition. These guidelines were designed to keep people with higher levels of income from filing for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

The new bankruptcy laws also state that you may not file a Chapter 7 petition if you have already received a discharge of your debts in a Chapter 7 case within the previous 8 years, or in a Chapter 13 within the previous 6 years. In addition, you cannot file if either a previous 7 or a 13 was dismissed anytime within the previous six months because you violated a court order, you committed any fraudulent activities, or you dismissed your case because a creditor sought relief from the protection provided by the automatic stay.
Finally, the bankruptcy court can also have your case dismissed if it is felt you attempted to commit fraud against your creditors, or tried to conceal your assets or personal property from the bankruptcy court in order to avoid the liquidation process. The liquidation of your assets is necessary so that the court-appointed trustee on your case can repay as much of your unsecured debts as possible to your creditors.

It is important to remember that simply because you qualify under the means test guidelines does not mean you should automatically file a petition for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The test is only intended to confirm that you are eligible to file. Any decision to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy should be made only after considering all other options and possible alternatives, and only after discussing these options with knowledgeable and qualified bankruptcy attorney.

If your would like to know more about Chapter 7 Bankruptcy and your Eligibility, Call David Kelly Today at: 952-544-6356

Or Fill Out Our Online Contact Form

June 1, 2012July 24, 2012

CBS Evening News?

As I’ve gone about my business this week, I’ve been somewhat disturbed by what I saw on Memorial Day when I sat down for the first time in years and watched the CBS Evening News. Most days I’m still at the office when that comes on.

Earlier that day I had seen in the Wall Street Journal that the mood of the country was turning pessimistic. This seemed to jive with the tone of the phone calls I have been getting and with the mood of the people who come in to see me. So I was curious to say the least when CBS presented a piece about how things were getting all better and consumer confidence was on the rise. The scene they presented was Atlantic City, which if I recall correctly is located in New Jersey. Several merchants were interviewed along with a few customers, and they were all upbeat and optimistic. In part this was because of the drop in gasoline prices.

No mention here of how the reason for the gas price drop – again what I see in the Wall Street Journal – is that the world economy is apparently on the edge of some sort of collapse or depression, Exhibit A being Greece.

I noted with interest on Tuesday morning a report from the AP indicating new consumer confidence numbers showing the biggest drop in months. And today I can’t help but notice that the unemployment rate – which had gone down some because of the large number of people giving up on looking for work – just went up this morning.

So what’s the deal with CBS News? I felt a bit insulted to be expected to buy that item about how everybody is confident that things are getting better. I used to love Walter Cronkite. He told us the way it was. Can’t help but feel disappointed with what I saw from his previous employer on Monday.

May 5, 2012July 24, 2012

Launching New Website Soon

If you have been having trouble finding my website, please know that I am still here. The site at http://www.mn-bankruptcy.com suddenly became less visible when Google changed it’s algorithm
about two weeks ago.

I’ve always done the site on my own, but maybe that was a mistake. I constantly tell people to seek professional advice, and I guess it’s time for me to do that. Gosh I hate to. I suppose that’s how people feel when they decide they need to call me.

Long story short, last week I hired a web site design person who is now in the process of reworking my entire site. When he analyzed the site as it stands now he found over 40 code errors. We are hoping to have the newly designed site launched within a couple of more weeks.

On the new site the information you are looking for will probably be easier to find. So keep an eye out for the changes.