Why Communication Is Crucial To The Success Of Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

Chapter 13 bankruptcy gives you the chance to reorganize your financial life by settling your debts at a reasonable schedule. However, this is only possible if you stay on top of your communication during your Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Here are some of the crucial communications to expect during this time:

Communications with Trustee

Prepare yourself to receive lots of reports and inquiries from the trustee's office. Here are some of the things that that the reports or inquiries may entail:

  • Payment histories
  • When your payments were applied to your creditors
  • Proof of claims from your creditors
  • Mismatched creditor claims (claims that differ from those you mentioned in your original schedules)
  • Notice to dismiss your case in case of a violation, for example, if your bankruptcy papers aren't complete

These are all important reports since they keep you on top of your payment plans. That way you can raise a dispute if you suspect that your creditor's claims are erroneous. In some cases, errors in your estimation may result in higher figures and necessitate a readjustment of your payment plans.

Communications from Creditors

Although your creditors aren't supposed to communicate with you directly, they may do so if they don't know you have filed Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Other creditors may even violate the automatic stay if they are impatient or feel that the repayment plan is fair to them.

Even though these communications are violations of your automatic stay, you aren't supposed to ignore them. Instead, you need to inform the creditors of your bankruptcy (furnish them with all details) and also forward the information to your attorney.

Communication from Your Attorney

Lastly, you should also expect lots of communications from your bankruptcy attorney. These can range from routine notices on the progress of your case to unexpected things such as a creditors objection to your Chapter 13 filing. Your attorney will also notify you if a creditor has filed a relief to your automatic stay and intends to come to you directly for their cash. You also need to furnish your attorney with all the necessary papers, such as financial documents, and notify them any time something changes.

These are just a few examples of communications you will need to stay on top of if you want your Chapter 13 bankruptcy to succeed. You should also know that most of them will come with response deadlines, and failure to adhere to those deadlines may jeopardize your claim.  Therefore, you must ensure that your contacts are all up to date and the trustee, creditors, and attorney can reach you at any time. Click for more information.


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