Answer:

I received a call from a woman the other day who asked me about the differences between a Chapter 7 bankruptcy and a Chapter 13 bankruptcy. A Chapter 7 bankruptcy is something like a snapshot. It’s a picture of your finances at one particular time. A Chapter 13 is like a video. It’s a moving target. You look at your situation over a period of time. In a Chapter 13, you have a period of time of three to five years to pay back all your debt. If you have car loans, other debts, medical bills, you’re set up over a period of time to pay back that debt. In a Chapter 7, it’s a liquidation type bankruptcy where you look at your situation at one particular time. Your debts are discharged. If you have car notes or house mortgages, you’re not given the opportunity to catch up those payments. You have to keep those payments current. Whereas in a Chapter 13, you have an opportunity to catch up those payments and pay them over a three to five-year period. If you have any questions concerning a Chapter 13 or a Chapter 7, please give my office a call.