The Pope Law Firm

 Compassionate Attorneys on YOUR Side.

 

The Pope Law Firm
6201 Bonhomme Rd.
Suite 252-N
Houston, TX 77036
ph: 713-589-5266
fax: 713-429-5987

Bankruptcy Terms

Bankruptcy Terms

A

adversary proceeding A lawsuit arising in or related to a bankruptcy case that is commenced by filing a complaint with the court. A nonexclusive list of adversary proceedings is set forth in Fed. R. Bankr. P. 7001.

assume An agreement to continue performing duties under a contract or lease.

automatic stay An injunction that automatically stops lawsuits, foreclosures, garnishments, and all collection activity against the debtor the moment a bankruptcy petition is filed.

B

bankruptcy A legal procedure for dealing with debt problems of individuals and businesses; specifically, a case filed under one of the chapters of title 11 of the United States Code (the Bankruptcy Code).

bankruptcy administrator An officer of the judiciary serving in the judicial districts of Alabama and North Carolina who, like the U.S. trustee, is responsible for supervising the administration of bankruptcy cases, estates, and trustees; monitoring plans and disclosure statements; monitoring creditors' committees; monitoring fee applications; and performing other statutory duties.

Bankruptcy Code The informal name for title 11 of the United States Code (11 U.S.C. §§ 101-1330), the federal bankruptcy law.

bankruptcy court The bankruptcy judges in regular active service in each district; a unit of the district court.

bankruptcy estate All legal or equitable interests of the debtor in property at the time of the bankruptcy filing. (The estate includes all property in which the debtor has an interest, even if it is owned or held by another person.)

bankruptcy judge A judicial officer of the United States district court who is the court official with decision-making power over federal bankruptcy cases.

bankruptcy petition The document filed by the debtor (in a voluntary case) or by creditors (in an involuntary case) by which opens the bankruptcy case. (There are official forms for bankruptcy petitions.)

C

chapter 7 The chapter of the Bankruptcy Code providing for "liquidation,"(i.e., the sale of a debtor's nonexempt property and the distribution of the proceeds to creditors.)

chapter 9 The chapter of the Bankruptcy Code providing for reorganization of municipalities (which includes cities and towns, as well as villages, counties, taxing districts, municipal utilities, and school districts).

chapter 11 The chapter of the Bankruptcy Code providing (generally) for reorganization, usually involving a corporation or partnership. (A chapter 11 debtor usually proposes a plan of reorganization to keep its business alive and pay creditors over time. People in business or individuals can also seek relief in chapter 11.)

chapter 12 The chapter of the Bankruptcy Code providing for adjustment of debts of a "family farmer," or a "family fisherman" as those terms are defined in the Bankruptcy Code.

chapter 13 The chapter of the Bankruptcy Code providing for adjustment of debts of an individual with regular income. (Chapter 13 allows a debtor to keep property and pay debts over time, usually three to five years.)

chapter 15 The chapter of the Bankruptcy Code dealing with cases of cross-border insolvency.

claim A creditor's assertion of a right to payment from the debtor or the debtor's property.

confirmation Bankruptcy judges's approval of a plan of reorganization or liquidation in chapter 11, or payment plan in chapter 12 or 13.

consumer debtor A debtor whose debts are primarily consumer debts.

consumer debts Debts incurred for personal, as opposed to business, needs.

contested matter Those matters, other than objections to claims, that are disputed but are not within the definition of adversary proceeding contained in Rule 7001.

contingent claim A claim that may be owed by the debtor under certain circumstances, e.g., where the debtor is a cosigner on another person's loan and that person fails to pay.

creditor One to whom the debtor owes money or who claims to be owed money by the debtor.

credit counseling Generally refers to two events in individual bankruptcy cases: (1) the "individual or group briefing" from a nonprofit budget and credit counseling agency that individual debtors must attend prior to filing under any chapter of the Bankruptcy Code; and (2) the "instructional course in personal financial management" in chapters 7 and 13 that an individual debtor must complete before a discharge is entered. There are exceptions to both requirements for certain categories of debtors, exigent circumstances, or if the U.S. trustee or bankruptcy administrator have determined that there are insufficient approved credit counseling agencies available to provide the necessary counseling.

creditors' meeting see 341 meeting

current monthly income The average monthly income received by the debtor over the six calendar months before commencement of the bankruptcy case, including regular contributions to household expenses from nondebtors and income from the debtor's spouse if the petition is a joint petition, but not including social security income and certain other payments made because the debtor is the victim of certain crimes. 11 U.S.C. § 101(10A).

D

debtor A person who has filed a petition for relief under the Bankruptcy Code.

debtor education see credit counseling

defendant An individual (or business) against whom a lawsuit is filed.

discharge A release of a debtor from personal liability for certain dischargeable debts set forth in the Bankruptcy Code. (A discharge releases a debtor from personal liability for certain debts known as dischargeable debts and prevents the creditors owed those debts from taking any action against the debtor to collect the debts. The discharge also prohibits creditors from communicating with the debtor regarding the debt, including telephone calls, letters, and personal contact.)

dischargeable debt A debt for which the Bankruptcy Code allows the debtor's personal liability to be eliminated.

disclosure statement A written document prepared by the chapter 11 debtor or other plan proponent that is designed to provide "adequate information" to creditors to enable them to evaluate the chapter 11 plan of reorganization.

E

equity The value of a debtor's interest in property that remains after liens and other creditors' interests are considered. (Example: If a house valued at $100,000 is subject to a $80,000 mortgage, there is $20,000 of equity.)

executory contract or lease Generally includes contracts or leases under which both parties to the agreement have duties remaining to be performed. (If a contract or lease is executory, a debtor may assume it or reject it.)

exemptions, exempt property Certain property owned by an individual debtor that the Bankruptcy Code or applicable state law permits the debtor to keep from unsecured creditors. For example, in some states the debtor may be able to exempt all or a portion of the equity in the debtor's primary residence (homestead exemption), or some or all "tools of the trade" used by the debtor to make a living (i.e., auto tools for an auto mechanic or dental tools for a dentist). The availability and amount of property the debtor may exempt depends on the state the debtor lives in.

F

family farmer or family fisherman An individual, individual and spouse, corporation, or partnership engaged in a farming or fishing operation that meets certain debt limits and other statutory criteria for filing a petition under chapter 12.

fraudulent transfer A transfer of a debtor's property made with intent to defraud or for which the debtor receives less than the transferred property's value.

fresh start The characterization of a debtor's status after bankruptcy, i.e., free of most debts. (Giving debtors a fresh start is one purpose of the Bankruptcy Code.)

I

insider (of individual debtor) Any relative of the debtor or of a general partner of the debtor; partnership in which the debtor is a general partner; general partner of the debtor; or a corporation of which the debtor is a director, officer, or person in control.

insider (of corporate debtor) A director, officer, or person in control of the debtor; a partnership in which the debtor is a general partner; a general partner of the debtor; or a relative of a general partner, director, officer, or person in control of the debtor.

J

joint administration A court-approved mechanism under which two or more cases can be administered together. (Assuming no conflicts of interest, these separate businesses or individuals can pool their resources, hire the same professionals, etc.)

joint petition One bankruptcy petition filed by a husband and wife together.

L

lien The right to take and hold or sell the property of a debtor as security or payment for a debt or duty.

liquidation A sale of a debtor's property with the proceeds to be used for the benefit of creditors.

liquidated claim A creditor's claim for a fixed amount of money.

M

means test Section 707(b)(2) of the Bankruptcy Code applies a "means test" to determine whether an individual debtor's chapter 7 filing is presumed to be an abuse of the Bankruptcy Code requiring dismissal or conversion of the case (generally to chapter 13). Abuse is presumed if the debtor's aggregate current monthly income (see definition above) over 5 years, net of certain statutorily allowed expenses is more than (i) $10,000, or (ii) 25% of the debtor's nonpriority unsecured debt, as long as that amount is at least $6,000. The debtor may rebut a presumption of abuse only by a showing of special circumstances that justify additional expenses or adjustments of current monthly income.

motion to lift the automatic stay A request by a creditor to allow the creditor to take action against the debtor or the debtor's property that would otherwise be prohibited by the automatic stay.

N

no-asset case A chapter 7 case where there are no assets available to satisfy any portion of the creditors' unsecured claims.

nondischargeable debt A debt that cannot be eliminated in bankruptcy. Examples include a home mortgage, debts for alimony or child support, certain taxes, debts for most government funded or guaranteed educational loans or benefit overpayments, debts arising from death or personal injury caused by driving while intoxicated or under the influence of drugs, and debts for restitution or a criminal fine included in a sentence on the debtor's conviction of a crime. Some debts, such as debts for money or property obtained by false pretenses and debts for fraud or defalcation while acting in a fiduciary capacity may be declared nondischargeable only if a creditor timely files and prevails in a nondischargeability action.

O

objection to dischargeability A trustee's or creditor's objection to the debtor being released from personal liability for certain dischargeable debts. Common reasons include allegations that the debt to be discharged was incurred by false pretenses or that debt arose because of the debtor's fraud while acting as a fiduciary.

objection to exemptions A trustee's or creditor's objection to the debtor's attempt to claim certain property as exempt from liquidation by the trustee to creditors.

P

party in interest A party who has standing to be heard by the court in a matter to be decided in the bankruptcy case. The debtor, the U.S. trustee or bankruptcy administrator, the case trustee and creditors are parties in interest for most matters.

petition preparer
A business not authorized to practice law that prepares bankruptcy petitions.


plan A debtor's detailed description of how the debtor proposes to pay creditors' claims over a fixed period of time.


plaintiff A person or business that files a formal complaint with the court.


postpetition transfer A transfer of the debtor's property made after the commencement of the case.

prebankruptcy planning The arrangement (or rearrangement) of a debtor's property to allow the debtor to take maximum advantage of exemptions. (Prebankruptcy planning typically includes converting nonexempt assets into exempt assets.)

preference or preferential debt payment A debt payment made to a creditor in the 90-day period before a debtor files bankruptcy (or within one year if the creditor was an insider) that gives the creditor more than the creditor would receive in the debtor's chapter 7 case.

presumption of abuse see means test

priority The Bankruptcy Code's statutory ranking of unsecured claims that determines the order in which unsecured claims will be paid if there is not enough money to pay all unsecured claims in full. For example, under the Bankruptcy Code's priority scheme, money owed to the case trustee or for prepetition alimony and/or child support must be paid in full before any general unsecured debt (i.e. trade debt or credit card debt) is paid.

priority claim An unsecured claim that is entitled to be paid ahead of other unsecured claims that are not entitled to priority status. Priority refers to the order in which these unsecured claims are to be paid.

proof of claim A written statement and verifying documentation filed by a creditor that describes the reason the debtor owes the creditor money. (There is an official form for this purpose.)

property of the estate All legal or equitable interests of the debtor in property as of the commencement of the case.

R

reaffirmation agreement An agreement by a chapter 7 debtor to continue paying a dischargeable debt (such as an auto loan) after the bankruptcy, usually for the purpose of keeping collateral (i.e. the car) that would otherwise be subject to repossession.

S

schedules Detailed lists filed by the debtor along with (or shortly after filing) the petition showing the debtor's assets, liabilities, and other financial information. (There are official forms a debtor must use.)


secured creditor A creditor holding a claim against the debtor who has the right to take and hold or sell certain property of the debtor in satisfaction of some or all of the claim.


secured debtDebt backed by a mortgage, pledge of collateral, or other lien; debt for which the creditor has the right to pursue specific pledged property upon default. Examples include home mortgages, auto loans and tax liens.


small business caseA special type of chapter 11 case in which there is no creditors' committee (or the creditors' committee is deemed inactive by the court) and in which the debtor is subject to more oversight by the U.S. trustee than other chapter 11 debtors. The Bankruptcy Code contains certain provisions designed to reduce the time a small business debtor is in bankruptcy.


statement of financial affairs A series of questions the debtor must answer in writing concerning sources of income, transfers of property, lawsuits by creditors, etc. (There is an official form a debtor must use.)


statement of intention A declaration made by a chapter 7 debtor concerning plans for dealing with consumer debts that are secured by property of the estate.


substantive consolidation Putting the assets and liabilities of two or more related debtors into a single pool to pay creditors. (Courts are reluctant to allow substantive consolidation since the action must not only justify the benefit that one set of creditors receives, but also the harm that other creditors suffer as a result.)


341 meeting The meeting of creditors required by section 341 of the Bankruptcy Code at which the debtor is questioned under oath by creditors, a trustee, examiner, or the U.S. trustee about his/her financial affairs. Also called creditors' meeting.

T

transfer Any mode or means by which a debtor disposes of or parts with his/her property.


trustee The representative of the bankruptcy estate who exercises statutory powers, principally for the benefit of the unsecured creditors, under the general supervision of the court and the direct supervision of the U.S. trustee or bankruptcy administrator. The trustee is a private individual or corporation appointed in all chapter 7, chapter 12, and chapter 13 cases and some chapter 11 cases. The trustee's responsibilities include reviewing the debtor's petition and schedules and bringing actions against creditors or the debtor to recover property of the bankruptcy estate. In chapter 7, the trustee liquidates property of the estate, and makes distributions to creditors. Trustees in chapter 12 and 13 have similar duties to a chapter 7 trustee and the additional responsibilities of overseeing the debtor's plan, receiving payments from debtors, and disbursing plan payments to creditors.

U

U.S. trustee An officer of the Justice Department responsible for supervising the administration of bankruptcy cases, estates, and trustees; monitoring plans and disclosure statements; monitoring creditors' committees; monitoring fee applications; and performing other statutory duties. Compare, bankruptcy administrator.


undersecured claim A debt secured by property that is worth less than the full amount of the debt.


unliquidated claim A claim for which a specific value has not been determined.


unscheduled debt A debt that should have been listed by the debtor in the schedules filed with the court but was not. (Depending on the circumstances, an unscheduled debt may or may not be discharged.)


unsecured claim A claim or debt for which a creditor holds no special assurance of payment, such as a mortgage or lien; a debt for which credit was extended based solely upon the creditor's assessment of the debtor's future ability to pay.

V

Voluntary transfer A transfer of a debtor's property with the debtor's consent.

Contact us today!
We welcome your questions and queries. Please see our Contact Us page for complete contact information.

 

Hosted by The Pope Law Firm!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

bankruptcy law houston, texas bankruptcy lawyer, bankruptcy attorney in houston texas, houston bankruptcy attorney, bankruptcy lawyer in texas, bankruptcy law, texas consumer bankruptcy lawyer, texas consumer bankruptcy attorney, houston attorney, houston lawyer, creditor harassment, foreclosure, credit card debt, repossession, chapter 7, liquidation, debt, debt collection, chapter 13 bankruptcy, debt consolidation, law firm, chapter 7, debtor, bankruptcy trustee, discharge, chapter 13, creditors, houston texas attorney, houston texas lawyer

 

Houston Bankruptcy Lawyer,Houston Bankruptcy Attorney,Houston Texas Bankruptcy Lawyer,Houston Texas Bankruptcy Attorney

 

bankruptcy lawyer in houston, houston family law attorney, houston divorce attorney, law firm, texas divorce, discounted attorney fees, professional legal services, debt relief agency, debt consolidation, consumer bankruptcy

 

foreclosure,home,financial,payments,house,problem,money,able,might,lender,interest,make,possible,foreclosure home,alternative,mortgage,mortgage payments,another alternative,ward foreclosure,lender explain problem

 

Houston, Texas,Debt Defense, Debt Lawsuit,Fair Debt Collection,fdcpa,Collection,Debt Collection,credit report,fcra,Fair Credit Reporting Act,tcpa,telemarketing,law,lawyer,attorney,door to door sales,forclosure,subprime lending,foreclosure, repossession,auto,car,autofraud, auto fraud,auto law,lemon law,consumer, consumer law,tila,truth in lending,dtpa,deceptive trade practice,udap,fraud,insurance bad faith,junk faxes,class action,arbitration, arbitration,law,debt buyer,consumer help,home repair law,bankruptcy,reorganization,chapter 7,chapter13,lawsuit,collector,debt collector,predatory lending,credit reprot errors,consumer lawyer,consumer attorney,equal credit opprotunity,ecoa,consumer credit,consumer credit law,consumer law,consumer law office,deceptive trade practices act,texas debt collection,texas debt collection,hosuton fair debt collection,houston consumer lawyer,houstin consumer attorney,houston fdcpa attorney,houston fair debt collection attorney,houston debt defense,debt defense houston,debt collection law,debt collection defense,houston debt defense,houston debt defense,debt defense houston,fcra lawyer, fcra attorney,houston fcra attorney,houston fcra lawyer,houston fdcpa attorney,houston fdcpa lawyer,fdcpa attorney houston,fdcpa lawyer,fdcpa attorney houston,fdcpa lawyer houston, houston fair debt collection attorneu,fair debt collection houston,houston fair debt collection,houston fair debt collection attorney,houston fair debt collection lawyer,fair debt collection attorney houston,fair debt collection lawyer houston,houston fair debt collection law,fair debt collection houston,debt attorney houston,debt lawyer houston,houston debt collection lawyer,debt collection lawyer houston,debt collection attorney houston,houston debt collection attorney,houston debt collection law,debt colection law houston,fcra lawyer houston,fcra attorney houston,houston fcra attorney,houston fcra lawyer,houston fair credit reporting act attorney,houston fair credit reporting act attorney,fiar credit reporting act attorney houston,fair credit reproting act attorney houston,houston credit report attorney,houston credit reprot lawyer,credit report attorrney houston,credit report lawyer houston,credit reprort law,credit reporting  law,houston credit reproting attorney,houston credit reporting lawyer,houston junk fax attorney,houston junk fax lawyer,junk fax attorneu houston,junk fax lawyer houston,tcpa lawyer houston,tcpa attorney houston,houston tcpa attorney,houston tcpa lawyer,houston dtpa attorney, houston dtpa law,houston dtpa lawyer,dtpa atorney houston,dtpa lawyer houston,houston deceptive trade practice attorney,houston deceptive trade practices lawyer,deceptive trade practices lawyer houston,deceptive trade practices attorney attorney houston,houeton consumer law,consumer law houston,houston consumer attrorney,houston consumer lawyer,consumer attorney houston,consumer lawyer houston,houston consumer class action attorney,houston consumer

 

bankruptcy law katy, texas bankruptcy lawyer, bankruptcy attorney in katy texas, katy bankruptcy attorney, bankruptcy lawyer in texas, bankruptcy law, texas consumer bankruptcy lawyer, texas consumer bankruptcy attorney, katy attorney, katy lawyer, creditor harassment, foreclosure, credit card debt, repossession, chapter 7, liquidation, debt, debt collection, chapter 13 bankruptcy, debt consolidation, law firm, chapter 7, debtor, bankruptcy trustee, discharge, chapter 13, creditors, katy texas attorney, katy texas lawyer

 

Katy Bankruptcy Lawyer,Katy Bankruptcy Attorney,Katy Texas Bankruptcy Lawyer,Katy Texas Bankruptcy Attorney

 

bankruptcy lawyer in katy, katy family law attorney, katy divorce attorney, law firm, texas divorce, discounted attorney fees, professional legal services, debt relief agency, debt consolidation, consumer bankruptcy

 

foreclosure,home,financial,payments,house,problem,money,able,might,lender,interest,make,possible,foreclosure home,alternative,mortgage,mortgage payments,another alternative,ward foreclosure,lender explain problem

 

Katy, Texas,Debt Defense, Debt Lawsuit,Fair Debt Collection,fdcpa,Collection,Debt Collection,credit report,fcra,Fair Credit Reproting Act,tcpa,telemarketing,law,lawyer,attorney,door to door sales,forclosure,subprime lending,foreclosure, repossession,auto,car,autofraud, auto fraud,auto law,lemon law,consumer, consumer law,tila,truth in lending,dtpa,deceptive trade practice,udap,fraud,insurance bad faith,junk faxes,class action,arbitration, arbitration,law,debt buyer,consumer help,home repair law,bankruptcy,reorganization,chapter 7,chapter13,lawsuit,collector,debt collector,predatory lending,credit reprot errors,consumer lawyer,consumer attorney,equal credit opprotunity,ecoa,consumer credit,consumer credit law,consumer law,consumer law office,deceptive trade practices act,texas debt collection,texas debt collection,hosuton fair debt collection,katy consumer lawyer,houstin consumer attorney,katy fdcpa attorney,katy fair debt collection attorney,katy debt defense,debt defense katy,debt collection law,debt collection defense,katy debt defense,katy debt defense,debt defense katy,fcra lawyer, fcra attorney,katy fcra attorney,katy fcra lawyer,katy fdcpa attorney,katy fdcpa lawyer,fdcpa attorney katy,fdcpa lawyer,fdcpa attorney katy,fdcpa lawyer katy, katy fair debt collection attorneu,fair debt collection katy,katy fair debt collection,katy fair debt collection attorney,katy fair debt collection lawyer,fair debt collection attorney katy,fair debt collection lawyer katy,katy fair debt collection law,fair debt collection katy,debt attorney katy,debt lawyer katy,katy debt collection lawyer,debt collection lawyer katy,debt collection attorney katy,katy debt collection attorney,katy debt collection law,debt colection law katy,fcra lawyer katy,fcra attorney katy,katy fcra attorney,katy fcra lawyer,katy fair credit reporting act attorney,katy fair credit reporting act attorney,fiar credit reporting act attorney katy,fair credit reproting act attorney katy,katy credit report attorney,katy credit reprot lawyer,credit report attorrney katy,credit report lawyer katy,credit reprort law,credit reporting  law,katy credit reproting attorney,katy credit reporting lawyer,katy junk fax attorney,katy junk fax lawyer,junk fax attorneu katy,junk fax lawyer katy,tcpa lawyer katy,tcpa attorney katy,katy tcpa attorney,katy tcpa lawyer,katy dtpa attorney, katy dtpa law,katy dtpa lawyer,dtpa atorney katy,dtpa lawyer katy,katy deceptive trade practice attorney,katy deceptive trade practices lawyer,deceptive trade practices lawyer katy,deceptive trade practices attorney attorney katy,houeton consumer law,consumer law katy,katy consumer attrorney,katy consumer lawyer,consumer attorney katy,consumer lawyer katy,katy consumer class action attorney,katy consumer

 

Foreclosure, Repo, Debt, Relief, Child Custody, Child Support, Debt Relief, Will, Real Estate, Quiet Title, Adverse Possession, Save my Home, Keep my Car, foreclosure prevention act, foreclosure prevention,LLC, Partnership, incorporate your business, help, need help, legal, legal help, lawyer, need a lawyer, bankruptcy lawyer in houston, lawyer in katy, lawyer in katy, attorney in lawyer, attorney in katy, Bankruptcy, Attorney, Stop Foreclosure, Stop Repo, Home, Car, Attorney, Lawyer, Real Estate, Consumer, DTPA, FDCPA, Contract, Bankruptcy attorney in Houston, Bankruptcy Attorney in Sugarland, Bankruptcy Attorney in Katy,The Pope Law Firm

 

The Pope Law Firm
6201 Bonhomme Rd.
Suite 252-N
Houston, TX 77036
ph: 713-589-5266
fax: 713-429-5987