Posts Tagged ‘Bankruptcy’

A Bankruptcy Law Firm Can Help You Dig Yourself Out From These Problems

February 1st, 2010

A bankruptcy law firm may be the place to turn if money problems have piled up. With today’s economic unrest, many citizens are discovering that their financial lives have turned upside down. They may feel that they’re pedaling as fast as they can and getting nowhere. They are certainly not alone. Here are some reasons many individuals are finding themselves in dire straits:

- Unemployment: Many businesses, both large and small, are going under. In certain industries, job loss has been especially devastating. In a wide range of industries, hiring freezes and layoffs are common occurrences. Retail, restaurants, banking and the automobile sales and manufacturers have been hit hard. The economic downturn has cut down the average person’s discretionary spending which has contributed to slump in the business world.
– Burst of the housing bubble: Real estate prices rose sky-high for no good reason. The mortgage industry awarded loans to many individuals who couldn’t qualify without a bit of juggling numbers. No cash down, hybrid mortgages and widespread speculation led to home price escalation previously unheard of. Many were jumping on the get-rich-quick-through-real-estate bandwagon by buying up properties and flipping them to make a buck. It seemed to be too good to be true and in the end, it was. When the bubble burst, foreclosures went through the roof. It was a house of cards which toppled into many areas.
– Health care crisis: The cost of health care is astronomical even in the best of situations. Many companies are no longer offering health coverage to their employees and the insurance that is available is often extremely expensive. If any type of illness strikes a family, it is enough to bankrupt them. Sometimes insurance companies even cancel a policy when they find out someone is sick. The government is trying to change that but it is all still in the works.
– Divorce: Many couples’ marriages do not stand the test of time. One of the unfortunate side effects of divorce is financial calamity. While two adults in a financial marital partnership can make a go of it, each of them alone may not be able to. Many ex-spouses find themselves looking at red ink every month to the point of bankruptcy.
– Credit cards: There was a time when credit cards didn’t exist. Every person paid cash for their goods. With the advent of easy credit, monthly installments and consumer debt, came a wave of advertising by the media that drilled the “I deserve it” mantra into our heads. We thought we all had to drive new cars, dress like supermodels and eat at fine restaurants. We deserved it, right? And the monthly payment is so affordable. Right? Wrong. Credit cards are like a noose that we have hung ourselves with. Albatrosses of thousands of dollars with interest are carried by too many individuals.

A bankruptcy law firm can help clear the slate and bring you valuable peace of mind. Money problems can cause a great deal of stress. Insomnia, health problems and marital conflict may result. Let these individuals give you relief.

The Pros And Cons Of Reaffirming A Debt In Bankruptcy

January 26th, 2010

When you reaffirm a debt, you sign a contract to continue making payments to the lender. Think of this contract as taking your vehicle loan or mortgage totally out of the bankruptcy. This means that if you ever stopped making payments on the debt, the lender would be able to repossess the vehicle and collect the balance owed from you.

There are several pros to signing a reaffirmation agreement. First, since the debt does not show as discharged on your credit, you will continue to receive the positive impact on your credit from timely monthly payments. Also, since we are doing a great benefit to the lender by making it so that you cannot walk away from the vehicle in the future, lenders are often willing to negotiate better terms on your existing loan. We can often get interest rate deductions which help make your monthly payments more affordable, and can sometimes get principal balance reductions too. You also have the security of knowing you are complying will all laws, so the lender cannot repossess the vehicle unless you stop making your payments.

The main down-side of the reaffirmation agreement is that you are stuck in the loan in the future if you later can’t afford to pay.

All reaffirmation agreements require our office to prepare an agreement reaffirming the loan which must be signed by your attorney, you, the lender, and a bankruptcy Judge. You must also attend a special court appearance with the attorney to get the agreement approved by the court, and must be able to prove to the Judge that you have the ability to pay this loan each month. These extra steps are why our office charges additional fees for this work.