Articles Posted in Cram Down

One of the best benefits of declaring a Chapter 13 bankruptcy in Jacksonville, Florida is the ability to “Cram Down” certain assets such as a car loan, certain real estate debts, or even some personal property. A cram down allows debtors to lower the principal balance and interest rates on debts they owe on secured debts. A Jacksonville Bankruptcy Attorney can help you determine if any of your debts might be eligible for a cram down through bankruptcy.

So how does an asset qualify for a cram down? First, the debt must be a secured loan. A debt is a secured loan when a lender has a security interest in the asset or collateral. This interest grants the lender certain rights to the asset, such as the right of repossession of the item if the debtor defaults on his or her payments. The most common type of security interests are found in cars and houses.

A cram down can occur when a person declares a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy. Unlike a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, this type of bankruptcy requires that the debtor pays back his or her debts through a repayment program, which lasts 3 to 5 years.   It is important to note that a person’s homestead property does not qualify for this benefit. Continue reading →

When you finance a car, it’s accompanied by a note and there’s a monthly payment. The note gives the seller security, as they now have recourse if you don’t pay -they can repossess the vehicle. This system is good for the seller because their money is backed by an asset instead of backed by your credit score. You can damage a credit score, but you can’t repossess a credit score and sell it to someone else.

Ideally, the payment on the vehicle is based on the predicted future value of the car. If the car costs $10,000 today and will only be worth $2,000 in eight years, your payments over the eight years need to add up to $8,000 to keep the value balanced to the payments (I left interest out to make it less complicated). However, in some instances where the buyer’s credit is good the seller can offer the vehicle at a lower monthly payment despite knowing that the vehicle will be worth less than is owed on it. This is called negative equity. Eventually, that vehicle dies and the buyer is forced to purchase another car, still owing on the first. Instead of having a buyer who is unable to make two car payments, the new financing company offers to pay off the first car and roll the debt from it over into the new car’s note. Over time this vehicle gets more and more underwater and eventually the debtor is forced to file bankruptcy.

A “Cram-Down” occurs when a debtor asks the court to determine the value of their vehicle and to make this value the secured amount of the debt. i.e. if the debtor owes $10,000 on a vehicle, but it is now only worth $2,000, the court can lower the secured amount owed to $2,000. The remaining $8,000 becomes unsecured. This can be done in both a Chapter 7 or a Chapter 13 bankruptcy. However in a Chapter 7 the $2,000 has to be paid immediately, so it is less practical than in Chapter 13 where the debtor has several years over which to make payment.

Jacksonville residents have several options when it comes to dealing with secured assets when filing bankruptcy. They can redeem the property by paying the creditor it’s fair market value, reaffirm the debt by offering the creditor the same loan terms or surrender the item by giving it back to the creditor.

Redemption is an attractive choice for debtors because it allows them to pay what a secured asset is worth instead of what they owe on it. There can be a significant savings here as vehicles plummet in value as soon as they roll of the car lot. However, there are two conditions precedent that often get in the way.

First, if the car is being used for personal consumer use, the date of purchase (or refinance), must be longer than 910 days before filing the bankruptcy to redeem. If the car was purchased for business use, there is no waiting period. The second, and more difficult issue, is that the money to pay for the vehicle’s value must be paid for at the time of redemption. This is a problem because the debtors are bankrupt and rarely have enough cash to meet the payoff amount.

Florida was hit harder than most states when the recession of 2007 hit. The so named, “Middle District” being the third highest rate in the nation from mid-2010 to mid-2011.

As a result, it’s no surprise that Trailer Bridge, a local trucking and shipping company, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization yesterday. Truckers have been hit hard by the economic downturn and several of them are seeking loan modifications on their trucks. In a Chapter 13 reorganization, the secured amount owed on a truck can be reduced to what it’s fair market value is on the date of filing rather than what the driver actually owes in the contract. This method is called, “Redemption“. The loan new amount is also re-amortized to five years so that the driver leaves the bankruptcy owning the vehicle free and clear.

If you would like to learn more about “Redeeming” a vehicle, contact a Jacksonville Bankruptcy Attorney or call us at (904) 685-1200 to schedule a free initial consultation.