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Health Risks of Financial Stress and How Filing for Bankruptcy in Fairmont, MN Could Save Your Life

In today’s world, we face a huge amount of daily stress. From taking care of family and friends to work responsibilities and more, we all have many roles to fill. With all the pressures of the average American adult, it can seem almost impossible to cram another burden on top of all the others. However, it’s common that most are also dealing with a wide range of financial difficulties. Ridding yourself of this unnecessary stress is a real possibility. With the help of Behm Law Group, Ltd. attorneys you can successfully file for bankruptcy in Fairmont, MN, and get the stress-free fresh start you need.

Debt is one of the heaviest loads we bear. It weighs heavily on our daily activities and also impacts our mental and emotional state. Any individual can struggle with the stress that debts bear on quality of life and happiness, whether they’re responsible for a large household or just themselves.

 

The stress we experience each day has more negative health effects, both mental and physical, than many realize. Chronic stress is a real causative factor in increasing a range of health risks including heart conditions, anxiety, depression, gastrointestinal problems, weight fluctuations, diabetes, psoriasis, eating disorders, insomnia, and even cancer. Substance abuse is another common problem often caused in part by chronic stress, which leads to a wide range of additional health problems.

 

If you’re dealing with the stress of severe financial difficulties or have had difficulty in keeping up with debt payments for several months, bankruptcy might be the answer to rid yourself of debt and stress.

 

If your income is lower than the state median, you can choose to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. This process works to liquidate your non-exempt assets, distributing the sale value to your creditors. In return, your debts are discharged, lifting the stress of that burden.  In most cases, no assets are sold/liquidated and the only things “lost” through the procedure are one’s debts.

 

Even if your income is a little higher than the state median, you can still choose to file for Chapter 13 bankruptcy. This allows you to restructure your debts into a 3 to 5-year repayment plan that suits your current income. In this process your debts will also be discharged and you will only be required to pay back a portion.

 

Considering the severity of stress that financial difficulties can cause, using bankruptcy as a way out might save you from damaging health issues. With the help of Behm Law Group, Ltd., you can find out which type of bankruptcy is right for you and file a successful bankruptcy petition. For more information about filing for bankruptcy in Fairmont, MN, contact us at (507) 387-7200 today.

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How Discharge Plays a Part When You File for Bankruptcy in Mankato, MN, More than Once

The purpose of the U.S. bankruptcy system is to relieve individuals and businesses from debts and protect creditors from severe losses. In a nutshell, this process is built to be balanced and fair for all parties involved. This also means that the nature of the bankruptcy system prevents filers or creditors from abusing the benefits that are offered through court regulations. Behm Law Group, Ltd. offers the legal advice and assistance you need to get the most out of filing for bankruptcy in Mankato, MN, while sticking to the nuanced rules and requirements of the court.

 

One of the sticking points for the bankruptcy court is when filers appear to be taking advantage of the system with multiple filings. It’s not unacceptable to file for bankruptcy more than once in your life, but when, why, and how you file multiple bankruptcy petitions depends on certain timelines and the failure to abide by those timelines can affect the outcome of your case.

 

To file a successful case and be eligible for a bankruptcy discharge, it’s important to understand the timeframe stipulations for each type of bankruptcy:

  1. Chapter 7 cases have to be filed eight years apart for one to be eligible for a discharge. This period starts on the date you file your most recent bankruptcy petition. For instance, if you filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy relief on January 2, 2011, you would need to wait until January 3, 2019 to file chapter 7 bankruptcy in order to qualify for another chapter 7 bankruptcy discharge.
  2. Chapter 13 cases can be filed much sooner. The period required to pass before you can re-file for Chapter 13 bankruptcy is only two years from the date you file your most recent petition. This means that you could potentially stay within a debt-restructuring bankruptcy plan interminably. Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases must last at least 3 years (they can last up to 5 years,) so you could file a chapter 13 bankruptcy case, get a discharge in 3 years and then file chapter 13 right away again.  For instance, if you filed for chapter 13 bankruptcy on January 2, 2015, your case would have concluded in January 2018 but you would have qualified to file for chapter 13 bankruptcy relief again as of January 3, 2017.

 

Because you can file for either Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy, you may experience multiple filings of each type. In these cases, the timeframes depend on which case came first:

  1. If you file for Chapter 7 first, you will face a waiting time of four years before you can file for Chapter 13, starting with your Chapter 7 petition date. For instance, if you filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy on January 2, 2015 and received a chapter 7 discharge, you would not be able to file a chapter 13 bankruptcy and qualify for a chapter 13 discharge until January 3, 2019.
  2. If you file for Chapter 13 first, you will generally have a waiting time of six years before you can file for Chapter 7 and qualify for a chapter 7 discharge. However, if you’ve fully repaid your unsecured creditors during your Chapter 13 repayment period, you may be able shorten the waiting time with permission from the court. You can also file within a shorter period if your chapter 13 case was in filed good faith, you represented your best effort in the payment plan, and you paid at least 70% of allowed unsecured claims.

 

If you’re considering filing for bankruptcy, we can help whether it’s your first time or not. Contact Behm Law Group, Ltd. at (507) 387-7200 for more information about our counsel and support for bankruptcy in Mankato, MN.

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Why a Discharge Can be Objected When You File for Bankruptcy in St. Peter, MN

Chapter 7 bankruptcy is the most common type of bankruptcy that both individuals and businesses file for. The process of debt discharge in Chapter 7 can become complicated even in cases that seem straightforward. Having an experienced professional at your side during the bankruptcy preparation process is a critical part of filing a successful case. Behm Law Group, Ltd. provides expert counsel when you choose to file for bankruptcy in St. Peter, MN.

When you file for Chapter 7, your bankruptcy estate is put through the organizational procedures of determining what exemptions you can claim and what assets can be effectively liquidated.

Generally, debts listed for discharge in the Chapter 7 process are left uncontested, but there are times when creditors or even your trustee may file a complaint objecting to the discharge of one or more of your debts. Trustees will most likely only object to a discharge if you have provided false information, transferred property in order to hide it, lied under oath, or exhibited other fraudulent behavior. With the help of a Behm attorney and as long as you are completely honest and forthright about listing all of your property and all of your creditors, there is much less risk of this happening.

However, creditors may choose to object the discharge of a specific (dischargeable) debt if they believe they are being treated unfairly or if they believe that you engaged in some sort of fraudulent behavior when you incurred the debt. There are a wide range of reasons a creditor may have grounds for objecting to the discharge of one of your debts. These commonly include:

  1. You made charges over $675 on a credit card in the 90 days prior to the filing of your bankruptcy case.
  2. You made a cash advance on a credit card over $950 in the 70 days prior to the filing of your bankruptcy case.
  3. You secured a loan with false information in your loan application or financial statement.
  4. You filed a tax return with incorrect information.
  5. Your debts were directly caused by malice or intentional misconduct that led to property damage.
  6. Your debts were directly caused by your harm to others while you operated a vehicle while intoxicated.
  7. Your income tax debt was due during the past three years.
  8. Your income tax debt is from a year you did not file your tax return on time.

There are several other rare cases that provide grounds for objection to discharge, including complicated processes related to income tax debts. Because of the intricately-nuanced regulations in debt discharge and plausible objections, building a case with the help of a Behm attorney is a great benefit to those filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

To learn about which type of bankruptcy would be the most suited to your financial situation and to find out more about how our attorneys can help you file for bankruptcy in St. Peter, MN, contact Behm Law Group, Ltd. at (507) 387-7200 today.

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Understanding Assignment and Bankruptcy in Mankato, MN

Businesses struggling with unmanageable debts have a range of options for debt relief at their hands. While debt consolidation and debt management plans are popular options that’ll keep a debtor’s overall credit in good standings, there are often situations when these debt relief options only act a bandage instead of a true healing process. When you’re unable to pay your debts and don’t have any way of increasing your income in the next few years, filing for bankruptcy is your best option. Behm Law Group, Ltd. offers the legal advice and assistance you need to successfully file for bankruptcy in Mankato, MN.

 

Bankruptcy is designed to help both debtors and creditors out of a sticky situation, but some creditors may try to dissuade you from filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and instead liquidate your business outside of court with an assignment process.

 

ABC

 

Assignment for the benefit of creditors (ABC) is an option for business debtors to privately sell assets and return the value of those sales to creditors. When creditors are awarded these sales, they’ll release debtors from payment obligations. This option might be a way to avoid attorney fees and court proceedings, but the process overall is more beneficial to your creditors than to you.

 

Why is Bankruptcy Better?

 

Filing for bankruptcy, despite its effect on your credit, is a better option for business debtors than ABC for a number of reasons:

  1. In bankruptcy, creditors are forced to allow asset liquidation for all dischargeable debts, but in an ABC, they can choose to forgo approval of discharge on debts higher than the secured collateral value. For example, if you owe $5,000 on an auto loan, but the car is only worth $4,500, the creditor would not have to discharge the debt in an ABC.
  2. Unincorporated businesses are not protected during an ABC against creditors seizing the business owners’ personal assets. This means you could be forced to liquidate your personal car or other property in an ABC. In bankruptcy, however, the debts and the assets of incorporated and unincorporated businesses are generally not involved with the liquidation of one’s personal property.
  3. Personal collateral guarantees and other forms of personal security interests on business debts are not removed in an ABC as they would be in bankruptcy. This means if your property was used to secure a loan, creditors can force you to liquidate that property even if it’s not connected to your business in other ways. Bankruptcy allows for exemptions to prevent you from losing your property even if it’s tied to your business debt.

 

ABCs have their benefits, but most of those benefits inure to your creditors. Filing a bankruptcy is the most effective way to remove debt with minimized liability to you and your property. To learn more about the advantages of filing for bankruptcy in Mankato, MN and to find out how we can help, contact Behm Law Group, Ltd. at (507) 387-7200 today.

 

 

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Cancellation and Charging-Off vs Debt Discharge in Bankruptcy in Marshall, MN

When you enter into a loan agreement, it’s implied and expected you’ll repay the debt in full with interest. However, nobody is perfect. There are many life events that can affect your ability to meet debt obligations, especially when you accumulate several debts over time. If you find yourself unable to make monthly loan payments, you and your creditors are faced with how to resolve that. There are several ways creditors can try to continue collecting a debt and there are several ways for you to relieve that debt. With the help of Behm Law Group, Ltd., filing for bankruptcy in Marshall, MN, can be a viable way to resolve debt issues.

 

The three primary ways a debt issue can be resolved is to cancel a debt, charge-off a debt, or discharge a debt. Debt discharge occurs through the bankruptcy process, but certain types of debt can be cancelled or charged-off. The process of charging-off or cancelling a debt is most often done outside of bankruptcy, but it can be accomplished during a case without significantly affecting the proceedings.

 

Debt Cancellation

 

If you’re unable to repay a debt, a creditor may choose to cancel/write it off. You can negotiate with your creditors to convince them to cancel debts even while you’re in the process of filing for bankruptcy. However, you will be taxed for the amount you owed on the debt because the cancellation of the debt is considered income for tax purposes. For example, if you owed $1,000 on a debt at the time of its cancellation, you will be taxed for that amount. The exception to this is if the debt amount was $600 or less.

 

Charging-Off Debt

 

Creditors can also choose to charge-off a debt if you’re unable to repay it. In this case, the debt record is removed from the creditor’s records and the creditor can either attempt collections in-house or sell the debt to a debt buyer. By selling the debt to a debt buyer, the creditor is able to claim a tax exemption.  You still have the obligation to repay the debt but your obligation is to pay the new debt purchaser instead of the original creditor.

 

Debt Discharge

Choosing to file for bankruptcy may be a difficult decision to make, but the benefits are many. Discharging your debts through bankruptcy is the most effective way to permanently end your repayment obligations without any tax liability. If you have your debts discharged through bankruptcy, you are not taxed on any debt so discharged.   In any event, there is a specific IRS form to be excused from having to file taxes on debt discharged in bankruptcy.

 

Filing for bankruptcy gets a negative reputation, but it’s an effective legal process designed to provide debt relief to individuals and businesses struggling with overwhelming financial burdens. Cancellations and charge-offs both have many catches and will still follow you to tax season.

 

With the help of a quality lawyer, you can file for bankruptcy and successfully discharge debts for good. If you’re considering filing for bankruptcy in Marshall, MN, contact Behm Law Group, Ltd. at (507) 387-7200 for more information about working with our quality bankruptcy attorneys.

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Handling a Rental Property When Filing for Bankruptcy in Windom, MN

When filing for bankruptcy, you’ll have to take all your property into consideration. Your home, car, and even expensive jewelry are part of your bankruptcy estate and will be handled according to the exemptions you can claim, the equity in your property, and any additional claims your creditors make. Whether you file for Chapter 7 liquidation bankruptcy or Chapter 13 reorganization bankruptcy, there is a possibility that you might not be able to retain all of your property in the process. With the professional guidance of Behm Law Group, Ltd. attorneys, you can find the optimal solutions to resolving property issues and protecting your property when  filing for bankruptcy in Windom, MN.

One of the biggest concerns for homeowners filing for bankruptcy is whether or not they’ll lose their home in the process. That’s where the homestead exemption comes into play, protecting most homes from liquidation during Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Because debts are restructured in a Chapter 13 case, homeowners generally don’t have to worry about losing their homes in Chapter 13 bankruptcy.

However, there are cases where a filer owns multiple rental properties in addition to one’s principle residence. The homestead exemption you can use to protect your primary residence isn’t applicable to rental properties, so it can be more difficult to keep rental properties when filing for bankruptcy.

Rental Property in Chapter 7

If you have equity on your rental property and its value is higher than the debt you owe, you probably want to hang onto that property. To try and protect your rental property from liquidation during the Chapter 7 filing process, you have to assert an exemption claim. Because you can’t use the homestead exemption, your only choices include a portion of the un-used federal homestead exemption (up to $11,850) and the federal wildcard exemption (adding another $1,250). In Minnesota people can elect to utilize either the state or the federal exemptions, so it’s possible you can protect some value in your rental property depending on its worth versus how much debt is against it. If the value of your rental property is less than the debt against, the trustee will not attempt to liquidate it because the entire value is extinguished by the debt against it.  Essentially, the creditor that holds the mortgage or other secured lien has full and complete rights to it.  Generally, you can keep making mortgage payments on the rental property outside of bankruptcy.

Rental Property in Chapter 13

In Chapter 13, your property debts are reorganized with other applicable debts into a three to five year repayment plan. This means you’ll be able to keep your rental property and continue making the monthly payments on it.  However, you can only do this if there is equity or value in the rental property above the debt you owe against it and the property generates a positive income for you.  In other words, the income you receive from the rental property must exceed the associated monthly expenses (mortgage payment, utility payments, property tax payments, insurance payments, etc.). If the rental property generates negative revenue, however, you will be required to surrender it in Chapter 13. You may also be able to find options to cram down or strip liens off to keep a rental property that generates a negative cash flow.

Find Professional Help When Filing for Bankruptcy

If you’re considering filing for bankruptcy in Windom, MN and own rental property, Behm Law Group, Ltd. can help you work to retain that property during the bankruptcy process. Contact us at (507) 387-7200 for more information about filing for bankruptcy and how our expert bankruptcy attorneys can help you.

 

 

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Understanding Bad Faith Cases When Filing for Bankruptcy in New Ulm, MN

If you are considering filing for bankruptcy, there are a number of ways you can prepare your financial situation before you file a bankruptcy petition that can help your case and bring about the best results for you. Many of these preparation techniques are acceptable methods for improving the possible outcome of your bankruptcy case—for example, choosing a certain time to file or avoiding certain financial obligations. However, there are instances when certain actions done before filing for bankruptcy or during a bankruptcy case can result in the dismissal of your case on the grounds of “bad faith.” Behm Law Group, Ltd. offers legal advice and assistance to help prevent a potential bad faith bankruptcy case when you’re filing for bankruptcy in New Ulm, MN.

While there are legitimate means of preparing for filing for bankruptcy or altering your finances to your advantage before you file a bankruptcy case, some such techniques could be considered bankruptcy “red flags” and prompt your bankruptcy trustee to determine that your case has been filed in bad faith. When you file for Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy, you must meet the “good faith” requirement in order to proceed. If there are aspects of your case that suggest you may be trying to take advantage of the bankruptcy system, your bankruptcy trustee or even one of your creditors could view your case as having been filed in bad faith and could ask the bankruptcy court to dismiss your case.

Examples of common actions or circumstances that could be construed as bad faith include:

  1. The filer hid certain assets, like keeping cash in a coffee jar or in a safe in one’s home, and did not disclose the cash in one’s bankruptcy petition.
  2. The filer has little to no cash flow and is not registered as being unemployed with the government (this could alert a trustee to think that there is hidden income somewhere – the trustee could conclude that you are working for cash only and not disclosing it).
  3. The filer had a job change during the bankruptcy period or recently prior to filing for bankruptcy and did not reveal an income increase to the trustee.
  4. The filer made one or more large luxury purchases prior to filing for bankruptcy (vacation expenses, electronics, and jewelry are common examples).

Another common occurrence that may lead to a dismissal for bad faith is an attempted conversion from a Chapter 13 case to a Chapter 7 case.

Chapter 7 Conversion When Filing for Bankruptcy

If a filer is in a Chapter 13 repayment plan, one may attempt to convert that case to a Chapter 7 case if one can no longer pay the monthly Chapter 13 plan payments. This can occur if the filer had a job change, experienced a temporary period where one was unemployed, or incurred unexpected large expenses. However, if the filer begins to convert a case to Chapter 7 and one’s situation improves during that time (for example, one gets a better paying job, or a family member gives one a large sum of money through inheritance or otherwise), one’s case could be dismissed for bad faith.  In short, it would be seen that one would be inappropriately trying to convert to a chapter 7 case – essentially indicating that one does not have the financial ability to make any payments to one’s creditors – from a chapter 13 case.  Given the receipt of a large sum of money from a relative or given a higher paying job, the trustee and the bankruptcy court would conclude that one would have the ability to continue making payments to one’s creditors and should, therefore, be required to stay in a chapter 13 case.

There are other examples of why your case may be dismissed for bad faith, and you can learn about all the additional circumstances that may lead to bad faith in the American Bankruptcy Institute Journal.

Find out more about filing for bankruptcy in New Ulm, MN with the help of Behm Law Group, Ltd. and contact us today at (507) 387-7200.

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How a New Job Affects Chapter 7 Bankruptcy in Mankato, MN

If you’ve been struggling with extreme financial difficulties, bankruptcy is a way to find relief and recovery. If you have a low income or are unemployed, Chapter 7 bankruptcy is designed to help your situation. For individuals, Chapter 7 is the most common type of bankruptcy. It’s applicable to most situations for unemployed filers, low income filers, and high debt filers. Behm Law Group, Ltd. provides expert counsel if you’re considering Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Mankato, MN.

The most important thing to be aware of when filing for bankruptcy is that honesty counts in every aspect of your case. The U.S. Bankruptcy Courts and bankruptcy trustees are highly experienced and trained in examining bankruptcy cases and detecting mistakes and fraudulent behavior. With the guidance of a bankruptcy attorney, you can more effectively lay out your financial circumstances establishing your need for Chapter 7 relief.

Qualifying for Chapter 7 bankruptcy requires you to pass the Means Test to determine if your income is too low to make debt repayments possible. If you pass this test, your income is either lower than the state median income of a similar household size or the total amount of your debt is exceedingly high.

After you’ve passed the Means Test and qualified for Chapter 7 bankruptcy relief, you’ll begin to work through the process of discharging certain debts, exempting certain properties, and figuring out the details of your bankruptcy estate. In most cases, a filer’s job status doesn’t change during the bankruptcy process. However, there are some times during the pendency of a case when some filers have employment or other income changes.

New Income

If you have a change in employment during the pendency of your bankruptcy case, it’s likely that your income will change as well. If this happens, the best thing to do is to immediately notify your attorney. This change in income may significantly alter your case.  New income can affect your case in several ways:

  1. Your case can be converted to a Chapter 13 bankruptcy case, and you could enter a restructured debt repayment plan that could last three to five years.
  2. If you receive income from lawsuit settlements, lottery winnings, divorce settlements or if you inherit any money or property within 180 days after your case is filed, such income could be used by the bankruptcy trustee administering your case to pay your creditors.
  3. Your case may be dismissed because of your lack of disclosure of any income changes or for other fraudulent behavior.

Other sources causing an income change are also taken into account in a Chapter 7 case, and you should be open and honest about all alterations to your financial situation. For more information about filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Mankato, MN, contact Behm Law Group, Ltd. at (507) 387-7200 today.

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Priority Claim Treatment for Debts Resolved With Bankruptcy in Worthington, MN

If you’re an individual struggling financially in the United States, you have several options to resolve your debts effectively. These options include bankruptcy, which in many cases is a far more beneficial option than other remedies such as debt settlement or debt consolidation. Individual bankruptcy options commonly take the form of asset liquidation/debt discharge or debt reorganization, known respectively in bankruptcy terms as Chapter 7 and Chapter 13. If you choose to file for bankruptcy in Worthington, MN, Behm Law Group, Ltd. provides legal advice and assistance in navigating the process from start to finish.

With either bankruptcy chapter, any individuals, companies, or organizations to which you have debt obligations are categorized into types of creditors based on the kind of debt owed. These categorizations will determine how your debts are handled and how your creditors may be paid in your bankruptcy case.

One type of debt that is commonly encountered in bankruptcy cases is priority, unsecured debt. This kind of debt is generally treated more preferentially than general, unsecured debts.  Priority creditors will often file proofs of claim regarding the debts you owe.  In a chapter 7 bankruptcy case, priority, unsecured debts will not be discharged and a debtor will remain liable on those debts after a chapter 7 bankruptcy case is concluded.  In a chapter 13 bankruptcy case, priority, unsecured debts must be paid in full in order for a chapter 13 repayment plan to be approved by the bankruptcy court.

Creditors with priority claims will often have debts that are directly linked to the well-being of another person or organization. This includes debts owed to employees, child support and other spousal support obligations, contracted amounts owed in return for promised services, taxes, and settlements for injuries caused by intoxicated or substance-influenced motor vehicle accidents.

These claims are treated in accordance with the chapter regulations that delegate how all other debts are handled in a case.

Chapter 13: Priority claims in a Chapter 13 case determine in part how the filer’s repayment plan will be structured. In most cases, these debts will be handled in a process similar to secured debts. This means filers might be required to repay priority debts in full during their 3 to 5-year repayment plan period.  However, unlike secured debts, priority claims are not paid interest.

Chapter 7: In a Chapter 7 case, debts are processed in terms of discharge and exceptions to discharge.  As indicated above, the claims of priority, unsecured creditors will not be encompassed by the discharge issued by the bankruptcy court at the end of the case.

If you’re considering filing for bankruptcy in Worthington, MN, it’s important to understand how your creditors will be defined and what options they might have in the process. Behm Law Group, Ltd. provides counsel and support for both Chapter 13 and Chapter 7 cases. Contact us at (507) 387-7200 today for more information.

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Categorizing Creditors When You File for Bankruptcy in Owatonna, MN

Almost all U.S. citizens hold one or more forms of debt in their day-to-day financial obligations. This includes anything from mortgages to credit card debts, and most individuals find ways to work those debts into their budgets. If you’ve found yourself struggling to do this, however, you might consider bankruptcy. If you choose to file for bankruptcy, Behm Law Group, Ltd. offers legal support to help you navigate through the process when you file for bankruptcy in Owatonna, MN.

If you have debts, the individuals, companies, or organizations that loaned you those debts are your creditors. Even with personal loans from family members or employers or friends, the lenders are considered your creditors until those debts are fully repaid. When you file for bankruptcy, the status of your creditors is determined based on the type of debts you owe to them.

This categorization of creditors can impact how your debts are repaid in bankruptcy. For a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, this means one creditor may not collect a higher return over another creditor. In a Chapter 13 plan, this categorization of creditors determines the percentage of debt you will repay throughout your repayment period.

These are the types of creditors involved in a bankruptcy case: 

  1. Secured: Any debt that involves a tangible property (i.e. mortgages or car loans) is considered secured, and the lenders of those debts are secured by that property, even in the event of a bankruptcy filing. Chapter 7 secured creditors will take back any collateral that secures their claims. In a Chapter 13 repayment plan, the secured creditors are generally repaid the present value, plus reasonable interest, of the assets securing their claims.
  2. Unsecured: Virtually every other type of debt not involving a property is an unsecured debt, and the creditors of those debts are also unsecured in repayment if you file for bankruptcy. For example, credit card debts, personal loans not involving property, medical bills, and certain older tax debts are all unsecured. The creditors of these debts will often only receive small partial repayments in a Chapter 13 plan and, often, will not receive any payment in a chapter 7 bankruptcy case.
  3. Priority: Priority creditors are, in fact, unsecured creditors much like credit cards or medical debts. However, for certain public policy reasons, the drafters of the bankruptcy code wanted to make it much more difficult to discharge or get rid of these debts.  Some examples of priority creditors are unpaid employees of the debtor, spouses with unpaid child support or alimony, or children of the debtor with certain unpaid obligations, tax debts, and criminal court fines and restitution awards.

These creditors are involved in most bankruptcy cases. Behm Law Group, Ltd. offers protection and counsel throughout your case. Contact us at (507) 387-7200 today for more information about filing for bankruptcy in Owatonna, MN.