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Recent Blog Posts
Does Hiring a Bankruptcy Lawyer Stop Collection Actions?
Hiring a bankruptcy lawyer can stop creditor phone calls and some other potentially very important collection actions against you.
What relief can you get when you get a bankruptcy lawyer?
Relief After vs. Before Filing Bankruptcy
The moment you file a bankruptcy case, all or most of your creditors must legally stop collecting their debts. The law that accomplishes this is called the “automatic stay.” This is what prevents a home foreclosure or vehicle repossession from going through. It also stops a lawsuit from turning into a wage garnishment, and ends an ongoing garnishment. See Section 362 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.
However, if you are just now looking into bankruptcy as an option you may be several weeks, or more, from actually filing your case. In very urgent situations you may be able to file a bankruptcy case quite quickly. But to be practical, it can take some time for you to understand and choose among your options. You may need some time to gather information or documents. It’s sometimes much better tactically to delay filing for a few days or weeks. In all these situations it can be really helpful if you could get some relief sooner than the bankruptcy filing itself.
Chapter 7 vs. 13 When Your Vehicle is Worth Too Much
Usually your car or truck is protected in bankruptcy with a vehicle exemption. Or if the vehicle is worth too much Chapter 13 can protect it.
How Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 affect your vehicle and vehicle loan can determine which of these options you choose. That’s why we’ve focused the last several blog posts on the differences between these options. We’ve especially looked at reaffirming a vehicle loan in Chapter 7 vs. cramming it down in Chapter 13. Depending on your circumstances one of these is likely a safer and/or less expensive way to keep your vehicle.
But there is another consideration we don’t want to lose sight of. What if you have too much value in your car or truck? What if you either own it free and clear or else it has lots of equity? What if you’re not worried about your lender but rather with the bankruptcy trustee taking your car or truck?
Exemption for Your Vehicle
Why would a bankruptcy trustee be interested taking your vehicle?
Cramdown on Vehicle Not Bought for Personal Use
The 910-day condition for doing a vehicle debt cramdown don’t apply if the vehicle was not “acquired for the personal use of the debtor.”
The Cramdown Advantage
The last several blog posts have been about the advantages of Chapter 13 cramdown, especially the cramdown of vehicle loans. Cramdown can be an excellent way to keep your vehicle. It usually allows you to reduce the monthly payment as well as the total you pay on the debt. Often the payment reduction is significant. You can often save thousands of dollars compared to what you’d usually pay on the debt overall. Through cramdown you may be able to keep a car or truck that you couldn’t afford to otherwise.
Because of these advantages vehicle loan cramdown may be a reason to file a Chapter 13 case. It’s not available under Chapter 7 “straight bankruptcy.”
The 910-Day Condition on “Personal Use” Purchases
Cramdown on Collateral Not Purchased with the Debt
The 910-day & 1-year conditions for doing a Chapter 13 cramdown don’t apply if the creditor doesn’t have a purchase money security interest.
The Cramdown Advantage
Last week we got into Chapter 13 cramdown of vehicle loans and furniture loans. Cramdown can be an excellent way to keep personal property that’s securing a loan. It allows you usually to reduce the monthly payment as well as the total you pay on the debt. Often the reductions are significant. Cramdown can enable you to keep a vehicle or some other important personal property that you couldn’t otherwise. It can be a reason to file a Chapter 13 case because it isn’t available under Chapter 7 “straight bankruptcy.”
The 910-Day and 1-Year Conditions
But as we’ve been discussing there is a timing condition you must meet to qualify for Chapter 13 cramdown. With vehicles you must have entered into the contract at least 910 days (about two and half years) before filing the Chapter 13 case. With any other kind of collateral the contract must be at least a year old.
Example of Reaffirming vs. Cramming Down Furniture Loan
An example comparing the reaffirmation of a debt secured by furniture in a Chapter 7 case and cramming down that debt in a Chapter 13 case.
Last time we showed how cramdown on a vehicle loan can reduce the payments and the total amount you pay. The amount you save monthly and in total may be enough to justify filing a Chapter 13 case. The alternative is usually paying the full monthly payments and the full contract balance through Chapter 7 reaffirmation.
Cramdown on Debt Secured by Non-Vehicle Personal Property
The concept is the same with secured debts on personal property other than your vehicle. Chapter 13 allows you to re-write the debt based on the value of the collateral, such as furniture you bought. That collateral value amount becomes the secured part of the debt. You pay that part in full, with interest but often at a lower interest rate. The monthly payment is almost always less than the contract amount. That’s because it’s based on the value of the collateral, which is less than the full loan balance.
Examples of Reaffirmation Agreement vs. Chapter 13
Here are examples of the reaffirmation of a secured debt (like a vehicle loan) in a Chapter 7 case vs. addressing it in a Chapter 13 case.
The last blog post was about when to reaffirm a secured debt under Chapter 7 and when to handle that under Chapter 13 instead. This kind of comparison of options can get a bit dry. So today we’re demonstrating how it really works with some examples. We change the facts a few times to show when each of these two options makes more sense.
The Initial Facts
Let’s say a guy named Trevor just fell two months behind on his vehicle loan. He’s at immediate risk of getting his car repossessed. He really needs to keep his vehicle to get to and from work. He’s always behind on his vehicle loan because he has so many other debts—mostly medical bill and unsecured credit cards. What’s especially killing him is that he got sued on some big medical bills and is getting his wages garnished.
Get a New Financial Start with this New Year
Get a new financial start for 2026. Stop creditor pressures immediately, write off all or most debts, and responsibly deal with the rest.
That might sound too good to be true, but hundreds of thousands of people successfully do this every year. In fact, according to the Federal Courts of the United States, personal bankruptcies in the fiscal year ending in June 2025 totaled nearly 500,000 cases.
Right now, the average American household carries over $100,000 in total debt, including mortgages, credit cards, auto loans, and student loans. Credit card debt alone reached record highs, with the average balance exceeding $6,500 per cardholder. When debt becomes unmanageable, bankruptcy provides legal protection and a path forward.
You have options for a better year in 2026. Call a Kerrville, TX consumer bankruptcy lawyer today and find out how you can start the new year off on the right financial footing.
Rescinding a Reaffirmation Agreement
Unlike most legal contracts, you can change your mind and undo a reaffirmation agreement during a short period of time after signing it.
Reaffirmation Agreements
Our last four blog posts have been about reaffirmation agreements in a “straight bankruptcy” Chapter 7 case. In particular the first of these introduced these special agreements and the second one discussed their risks. (The ones dated December 20 and 22.) You might want to look at those before reading further here.
In one sentence: if you want to keep for yourself the collateral on a debt (such as a vehicle), usually you have to agree to continue owing that debt, which you do by signing a reaffirmation agreement. That agreement excludes that one debt from the discharge (the legal write-off) of your debts provided through your bankruptcy case.
Your bankruptcy lawyer should fully advise you of your options and rights before you sign a reaffirmation agreement. One of the rights you should learn about is your time-limited right to rescind the agreement. This is the subject of today’s blog post.
A Debt Reaffirmed under Chapter 7
You can usually keep collateral you need to keep by entering into a “reaffirmation agreement” with the creditor during your Chapter 7 case.
Last time we got into debts that you might voluntarily pay after a Chapter 7 case out of personal obligation. Today we cover debts voluntarily paid but for the purpose of keeping the collateral that’s securing the debt. This is usually done by “reaffirming” the secured debt.
There can be lots of important side issues with “reaffirmations.” For example, do you always have to reaffirm a debt in order to keep the collateral? What happens if you’re not current on the debt you want to reaffirm? Can you reaffirm a debt when it’s unsecured—when there is no collateral to retain? When is reaffirming a debt dangerous?
We’ll get to those and other side issues next time. But today we’re introducing reaffirmations in their most straightforward form.
Chapter 7 Buys Time to Redeem Your Vehicle
If your vehicle is worth less than its debt, and you can get the money representing that value, you can “redeem” the vehicle free and clear.
Two blog post ago we went through a list of ways Chapter 7 buys you time with your vehicle lender. Included was that it buys “time to gather funds to redeem your vehicle for less than you owe on it.” This “redemption” option deserves more attention.
Reaffirmation and Redemption
If you want to keep your vehicle in a Chapter 7 “straight bankruptcy,” your two options are “reaffirmation” and “redemption.” You can either reaffirm the debt or redeem the vehicle.
Reaffirmation is far more common. You enter into a reaffirmation agreement, agreeing to repay the loan as if you had not filed bankruptcy. You almost always recommit to paying the entire loan balance, reaffirming that you want to pay it. You agree to remain liable on the original loan, excluding it from the discharge that you are receiving of all or most of your other debts. (We covered reaffirmation a few months ago.)
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