Should You Stop Foreclosure By Filing For Bankruptcy?

Knowing that your home is facing foreclosure is one of the most stressful events you can experience. Chances are, you would do almost anything to be able to stop worrying and know that your home is safe. When you file for chapter thirteen, you are able to stop foreclosure on your home.

As soon as you file, the foreclosure must be stayed and the bank cannot pursue any further collection action until the bankruptcy is dealt with. This allows you to come up with a plan to save your home by offering a modified schedule for paying your debts. The plan does not have to cover all of your unsecured debts, but it does have to get the approval of a bankruptcy judge before it can go into effect.

You can’t file for bankruptcy until after you have completed credit counseling. This requirement serves the purpose of making sure that bankruptcy is really the only way you will be able to pay off your debts. The credit counseling company will work with you try to come up with a way for you to repay your debts without bankruptcy. Their proposed plan must be submitted when you file.

You are given fourteen days from the time you file for chapter thirteen bankruptcy until your proposed repayment plan has to be on file with the court. This window can enable you to go ahead and file if you need to get the foreclosure on your home stopped before you can finish your plan.

After filing, a creditor’s meeting will be set up. You must appear at this meeting to answer your creditors’ questions about your repayment plan. Some of your creditors may question the amount you are proposing to pay. They want to make sure that you will not have any money left over after paying your debts and necessary living expenses.

Once your creditors have had a chance to object to the provisions of your plan, the judge will review it and make a decision. If your repayment plan is approved, you will have to make bimonthly or monthly payments to the court’s trustee. The money will then be distributed to your creditors according to the plan.

If you are able to stick to the repayment plan, chapter thirteen bankruptcy can stop foreclosure and save your home. However, if you default on the agreement, the court can convert your case to a chapter seven bankruptcy and sell off your assets to pay your debts. Because of the pros and cons involved with this plan, it is important to discuss this option with an experienced loan modification attorney before filing bankruptcy.

Call Janian and Associates for a free consultation with a Loan Modification Attorney.