I filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy in December of 2002. When can my husband & I file chapter 7 jointly? I know you have to wait 8 years between filings, but what about if you file jointly as opposed to single. We live in Michigan and have been hit very hard by the down-turn in the economy here.
Even with the new, tougher bankruptcy laws; my husband & I financially qualify to file. My question is how long do we have to wait to file jointly (after I filed personally in December of 2002)?
Yogi: Never judge a person until you walk a mile in their shoes. I assumed I would receive a few insensitive answers, yours is the first.

Technorati Tags: 8 years, amp, bankruptcy laws, chapter 7 bankruptcy, economy, shoes, tougher bankruptcy, yogi

I just checked my credit report online, and I see that Con Edison (my electric company) checked my credit report last year. Why would they do that? I did file for bankruptcy two years ago (for credit cards), but I’ve been paying consistently to Con Edison for 8 years. Why would they request my credit report?!

Technorati Tags: 8 years, bankruptcy, con edison, credit cards, credit report

I just checked my credit report online, and I see that Con Edison (my electric company) checked my credit report last year. Why would they do that? I did file for bankruptcy two years ago (for credit cards), but I’ve been paying consistently to Con Edison for 8 years. Why would they request my credit report?!

Technorati Tags: 8 years, bankruptcy, con edison, credit cards, credit report

my ex and i filed joint bankruptcy in 2003. we divorced 8 years ago and i need to file again.

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I have done everything I can to reduce my spending, and my interest rates (on unsecured debt), yet there are still so many demands on my income that I am still unable to meet my monthly obligations. (My VA Compensation was just "reduced" making my problems even worse). Due to the nature of my current "graveyard employment", I have been experiencing a great deal of trouble finding a second job.

Must Bankruptcy be my only solution? I entered into a Debt Management Program (to have interest reduced), 4 months ago. Until then, I had not even had a "late payment" in over 8 years (no longer the case thanks to the DMP).

I was forced to file Bankruptcy in 1999 (so it is about to be removed from my credit file), due to my divorce and excessive student loan payments.

Now I am about to "start all over again" due to my inability to obtain reasonable interest rates on my debts.

Can anyone suggest alternatives to Bankruptcy?

Technorati Tags: 4 months, 8 years, alternatives to bankruptcy, case thanks, debt management program, debts, divorce, dmp, excessive student, graveyard, interest rates, second job, student loan payments, unsecured debt

My boyfriend lost his job and I co-signed for him but now we canno afford his payment. We don’t want to file bankruptcy or have a repossession on our credit. Ibhve really good credit and I’m freaking out. Does any one know of any programs in California or anythingwe can do or try?
LET ME MAKE THIS VERY CLEAR! I’m not depending on the state or anyone else to bail me out! And it makes no difference to co sign to someone your married to. Dovorce is on the rise honey! My bf and I have been together 6 years, have both kept the same jobs for the bast 8 years for me and 9 years for him. LIFE HAPPENS and he got laid off!

Technorati Tags: 6 years, 8 years, bankruptcy, bast, bf, honey, job, jobs, repossession

A few years ago I settled a debt with a credit card company and I had to claim the part of the debt that was forgiven as income. Now here it is about 8 years later and I am having to file chapter 7, with all the K in unsecured debt that I have, will I have to claim this as income too?

Technorati Tags: 8 years, chapter 7, credit card company, unsecured debt

I have a little over ,000 in credit card debt between my husband and myself on six different cards. Of those cards all of them are above 20% interest rates. The highest balance is 00. 8 ½ years ago I had to file for bankruptcy before I married my husband because of a car I was duped (very long story and this was the only thing I filed) into signing for, thus I cannot file bankruptcy. We also have 00 in hospital bills we have accumulated in the last year we are paying on sporadically when I can make payments. They were 00. I am about to have a baby in July, which means I will be on maternity leave for two months with a reduced income. We are having problems making payments on our bills now because we are overwhelmed. Prior to, financially we were doing ok, but we had some unexpected expenses come up and we previously had gotten lots of overtime at both our jobs which has been cut due to the economy. I just obtained 00 from a family member I do not have to pay back and I am having a hard time deciding where to put this money towards. A few of the doctor bills have threatened to send us to collections even though I am making payments when I can. I figure credit cards are best to put the money towards because of fees, credit report problems and interest. I have only been about 10 days late on one of the 6 cards and maybe 16 days late on another one, thus none of them show up late on my credit report. I manage to make payments, but barely. Late fees have been racking up though because I may pay a week late here and there on those two. Here are my primary questions after hearing my story…

1) Should I try to negotiate lowering my debt on the credit cards and doctor bills so I can get them paid off although I am not really showing up late on my credit report? Will they work with me if I am going to pay off the balance? I figure it is pointless to negotiate interest rates if my point is to pay it off…
2) Should I pay off the highest balance of 00, which also happens to have the highest interest rate and then put the rest towards doctor bills or the next higher interest rate card, which the balance is more than what will be left over? Or, should I put the left over money towards paying off the lower credit card amounts and the 00?
3) I have read that if I negotiate lowering my pay off amount with credit card companies then it will affect my credit and this is what I am worried about primarily. Has anyone had any experience with this?
Thank you ahead of time!!

Technorati Tags: 8 years, bankruptcy, collections, credit card debt, credit cards, credit report problems, doctor bills, economy, family member, hard time, hospital bills, interest rates, jobs, late fees, maternity, money, overtime, story 1, unexpected expenses

I filed bankruptcy on my own in December 2000, it was discharged in April 2001. My husband has been recently diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and is receiving little income. As a result, all of our bills are getting behind and we are going to have to file again or we are going to lose what little we have left. I read somewhere that you can file again after 8 years. Is this true? He has filed for disability, but I have a feeling it will get denied the first time around. Also, when I filed it was a matter of getting all my bills together and giving it to the lawyer. I know the laws have changed since then, can someone tell me what I would have to do now to file, if I’m eligible again?

Thank you

Technorati Tags: 8 years, bankruptcy, bi polar disorder, disability, lawyer

? If we can’t buy now, what can we do to prepare to buy? My Husband filed for bankruptcy (ALONE) as little as 6 months ago, and I started a new job (which is in the same field I’ve worked in for the past 8 years). Together we make yearly and I have a total of $,000.00 in debt (if comparing debt to income) ,000.00 is for a 7 year old car repossession (that will not go away) and the rest is for a car I’m financing (which has been on time for the past two years), other than that, my credit is nice. I’ve never been evicted and I have a truck that was paid off in 2005. Of course since my Husband filed chapter 7 he has no history (score of 0). When should we be able to purchase?

Please answer ALL questions if you can.

Technorati Tags: 8 years, bankruptcy, car repossession, chapter 7, new job, score

Schools, the food market, everyday people, planes… Everyone is being effected.

Screw that gas tax holiday, what will we save? 13 cents a gallon while it slowly raises to five bucks a gallon?

Even ASE are being looked at. Many independant companies asking them to use their skills to figure out something. There are predictions going around that we’ll have a major bankruptcy wave, then gas prices will finally fall in about 8 years because of alternative energy sources…

And during all this Exxon Mobile… Who has nothing to do with the prices, so they say, are making even larger record profits than last year, even when gas sales are down.
Oh I am very ungrateful when 25% of my paycheck pays for me to go to work.

Technorati Tags: 8 years, alternative energy sources, bankruptcy, everyday people, exxon, exxon mobile, five bucks, food market, gas prices, independant companies, paycheck, planes, record profits, screw, tax holiday

my credit was stolen about five years ago, i was in hawaii with my husband who was in the army at the time, but my credit says i bought a car in Oh and a house in WV, the thing is my parents stole my credit. i can’t press charges against them, even though my husband wanted nothing more than for me to do that. they also got several credit cards in my name. basically my credit is shot. i refused to press charges on them because they are my parents, but w/o pressing charges i am responsible to pay back the debt, it’s been 5 years and the debt just keeps adding up, we’ve already paid several thousands of dollars to try and restore my credit. i was estranged from my parents for 8 years and we just started building a relationship before all this happened. is it wrong to file bankruptcy to get rid of the debt, my credit is shot, i still owe about 20,000 that i know of, nothing me and my husband own is in my name, but with a new baby and another child in the house and a car payment, we can’t afford to keep paying on stuff we didn’t even get. is it wrong to file bankruptcy in this case? or to press charges against your parents when they do that? they admitted it when they got caught, but never even apologized to me. what do you think? and which bankruptcy should i file? 7 or 13 thank you
my parents already made it clear they won’t pay any of it back. they said we should ignore the bills. we can’t do that. i’m just afraid of how it will look to my children, if i put their grandparents in prison, especially when they are older. and isn’t it mean to put your parents in jail, though they did ruin my credit, and our lives. we have had to cut back on so much stuff because we’re paying off their bills. so bankrubtcy is not an option, will my kids hate me later for putting my parents in jail?

Technorati Tags: 8 years, army, bankruptcy, car payment, credit cards, grandparents, hawaii, new baby, parents, pressing charges, relationship, thousands of dollars

When i went to court for the hearing my lawyer relized he had made a mistake in the filing of my chapter 7 because i have not been off my previous chapter 7 but for 7 years and it hasa to be off for 8 years before you can file a chapter 7.What will happen now?

Technorati Tags: 8 years, chapter 7, lawyer, mistake

If you have filled a bankruptcy in 2000 and it discharged in May 2001 when can you start to file again? Do you have to wait until 8 years has passed before you can start the process? I dont quit understand the laws.

Technorati Tags: 8 years, bankruptcy

I have recently lost my job after being in the telecommunications industry for ten years. I have had no luck finding a new 9-5 job with a regular salary. I have been forced to take a job full time at a restaurant.

I have over ,000 in credit card debt most with APR’s in the high 20’s. I have done my best over the last 6 months to keep up with my minimum payments but am finding it impossible recently to balance my debt along with my living expenses. By living expense, I do mean the bare minimums. Rent,utilities, gas, food etc.. I have not wasted funds on entertainment or purchases other than does required for work.

I had an hour long conversation today with a debt consolidation company. It is has been in business since 1965 and is non-profit. I actually used their services in the past to consolidate debt that I managed to pay off about 8 years ago. They analyzed all of my assets, income, debt and overall financial situation. They determined that I was running at a 65% deficit between what I am brining in and what I owe. They recommended that, although it may sound harsh, my best option was to file for bankruptcy. They determined that I would not be able to keep up with any type of repayment schedule that they would negotiate with the banks and that a fresh start may be my best option.

I have avoided the thought of filing for bankruptcy in the past for several reasons. But now that my income is at an all time low and my job prospects do not seem to be sorting themselves out in the near future, I do not now what other options I have available to me. Needless to say, the stress of the whole situation has been making life extremely unpleasant.

I am single, have no kids, and will not be purchasing a house in the near future. The only asset I own, is an 8 year old car.

I have five questions:

1) Other than having a bankruptcy ruling on my file for the next ten years and not being able to secure credit, what are the other disadvantages of filing for bankruptcy?

2) I do not have disposable income. I am making enough to pay for essentials. Would my chances of having the entire debt excused be good? Or would I still be responsible for paying a percentage?

3) I know from my corporate experience that my credit file would be reviewed during the job applications process. I am considering a career with the Federal Government. How would a bankruptcy ruling be looked upon by the government during the job application process?

4) How much with a reputable bankruptcy lawyer cost me?

5) I have also read that another option is to do nothing and ignore my creditors. The following excerpt below is from http://bankruptcy.findlaw.com/ . Is this plausible?

Do Nothing
Surprisingly, the best approach for some people deeply in debt is to take no action at all. If you’re living simply, with little income and property, and look forward to a similar life in the future, you may be what’s known as "judgment proof." This means that anyone who sues you and obtains a court judgment won’t be able to collect from you simply because you don’t have anything they can legally take. (As a famous song of the 1970s said, "freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.")

Except in unusual situations (being a tax protester or willfully failing to pay child support) you can’t be thrown in jail for not paying your debts. Nor can a creditor take away such essentials as basic clothing, ordinary household furnishings, personal effects, food, or Social Security, unemployment, or public assistance benefits.

So, if you don’t anticipate having a steady income or property a creditor could grab, bankruptcy is probably not necessary. Your creditors probably won’t sue you, because it’s unlikely they could collect the judgment. Instead, they’ll simply write off your debt and treat it as a deductible business loss for income tax purposes. In several years, the debt will become legally uncollectible. And in seven years, the debt will come off your credit record.

I am planning on contacting a bankruptcy lawyer for further advice but wanted to get an idea as to what I am dealing with before I further the process.

I appreciate any feedback the Yahoo community is able to provide!

Thank you in advance!!

Technorati Tags: 8 years, assets, banks, credit card debt, debt consolidation company, filing for bankruptcy, financial situation, fresh start, full time, gas food, job prospects, living expenses, minimum payments, repayment schedule, salary, stress, telecommunications industry

I live in Michigan and need to file bankruptcy. However, even doing that costs money that I really don’t have. I know that I can file it myself and save on lawyer fees, but I don’t know how hard the paperwork is to do.

I don’t own any real property, nor do I have any mortgage debt. I currently do not have any income – I’m going to school. Mostly its credit card and various other stuff thats almost 5-8 years old now.

Has anyone done this before? And how difficult was it?

Or if I should pay to have it done, does anyone know of a low cost way to go?

Thanks ahead of time!
The debt amount is around ,000

Technorati Tags: 8 years, bankruptcy, costs money, credit card, lawyer fees, mortgage debt, paperwork