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| Articles: (Updated Frquently) |
| The Facts About Personal Bankruptcy |
| By: Jay B Stockman |
The thought of personal bankruptcy is very frightening, however over 5.4 per 1,000 people have filed for bankruptcy last year, and this rate has been growing at an average of nearly 7 percent. Researchers have determined that the primary cause of personal bankruptcy is uncontrollable levels of consumer debt oftentimes coupled with an unexpected event, such as a major medical expense not covered by insurance, the loss of a job, divorce or death of a spouse. According to economists’ surveys, the classic bankruptcy filer is a blue collar, high school graduate who is the head of a household in the lower middle-income class with heavy use of credit. In order to protect both debtor, and creditor,
laws were enacted to provide equal, and fair measures to satisfy the objectives of all parties. The primary purpose of the laws of bankruptcy are: (1) to give an honest debtor a fresh start in life by relieving the debtor of most debts, and (2) to repay creditors in an orderly manner to the extent that the debtor has property available for payment.
There are two types of structured plans for filing for personal bankruptcy, Chapter 7 or Chapter 13. Over two-thirds of personal filers choose Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Basically Chapter 7 requires the debtor to liquidate all non-exempt assets, and have them distributed among creditors. Some examples of exempt assets include equity in a primary residence, and a retirement program. On the other hand, Chapter 13 does not require liquidation, rather a debtor agrees to a specific payment plan, whereby a portion of any unsecured debts is paid, and the balance is forgiven. It must be stressed, that under both plans, certain debts are ineligible for bankruptcy protection. These debts include government student loans, child support, alimony, and income tax debt. These must be paid back in full.
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Some analysts are concerned that this unprecedented level of debt might pose a risk to the financial health of American households.
In an attempt to reverse the increasing trend in personal bankruptcy, the federal government has recently implemented sweeping bankruptcy reform legislation. On March 10, 2005, the Senate passed S. 256, the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005.
On April 20th, President Bush signed into law the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (Bankruptcy Act of 2005). This act makes filing for bankruptcy more difficult through income-means testing, tougher guidelines for the homestead exemption, increased lawyer liability and required credit counseling.
About the Author
Jay B Stockman is a contributing editor for Online Bankruptcy Resources Visit http://online-bankruptcy-lawyer.com/ for more information.
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| The bankruptcy code acknowledges the validity of the homestead exemption. |
| By: John E. Roush |
Many times the subject of bankruptcy seems baffling in its complexity. Actually the basic principals of bankruptcy are fairly simple even though the federal statuses on bankruptcy are extensive. The reason that the statutes are so complex is because in as effort at social engineering, the lawmakers want to cover every possible contingency. The very complexity of the Bankruptcy Code gives the lawyers ample opportunity to try to obtain interpretation of the law which best serves their clients interest. This results in extensive litigation and occasionally in interpretations of the Code which were not what legislature intended. This on turn results in additional legislation, which results in additional litigation and on and on. Nevertheless, the underlying principals are not as complex as the Code makes them seem. Here we will discuss the personal nature of bankruptcy.
The concept of bankruptcy is an old one in the English common law. If a person could not pay his debts, his creditors hauled him into court, took all of his assets, and used those assets to satisfy their debts. If the assets were insufficient to satisfy the debts, the debtor was taken from the bankruptcy court to debtors' prison. Since this is a rather extreme remedy, Article 1 Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution gives the Congress the right to establish "?.uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States."
As the popularity of debtors' prison declined, the concept of giving the debtor a fresh start became one of the primary purposes of the bankruptcy process. It is important to remember that a bankruptcy is a personal action which at time of discharge gives the petitioner (formerly the debtor) a fresh start. The property owned by the petitioner does not get the fresh start, the individual does.
The fact that bankruptcy is a personal action may shed some light on the effect of a homestead exemption in a bankruptcy proceeding. The bankruptcy code acknowledges the validity of homestead exemption. A homestead exemption is a personal exemption which, in an effort to preserve a person's home, protects a certain amount of an individual's equity in the homestead property. State law determines the extent and effect of a homestead exemption. Thus, if state law says that a person can declare a homestead up to $45,000 and if there is less than $45,000 equity in the property, that equity in the property is protected by the homestead exemption. This principal operates without regard to the Federal Bankruptcy Code.
About the Author
By John E. Roush, Broker-Owner Atrium Real Estate Investments. John is a full-time real estate agent specializing in real estate investment and real estate investment education. To contact John send all correspondence to Johnr@investorloft.com © 2005 www.InvestorLoft.com
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| Keywords: bankruptcy principals of bankruptcy, bankruptcy, homestead, homestead exemption, bankruptcy seems baffling, exemption, subject of bankruptcy, bankruptcy code, real estate |
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