Q: Do I make payments on my car during bankruptcy proceedings.
I have a title loan on my car and I filed for chapter 7 in middle court of Florida. I checked that I wanted to keep making payments because I didn’t want to reaffirm or give up my vehicle. My car is exempt. I was wondering if I had to keep making payments during chapter 7 proceedings or would i only have to continue making payments once the court discharges it.
A:
The Bankruptcy Code gives a Ch. 7 debtor three choices of how to handle a secured claim- surrender the collateral to the creditor in full satisfaction of the secured claim; redeem, i.e., pay the secured claim in cash, or reaffirm the debt.
Perfected liens against collateral are NOT discharged in bankruptcy, to the extent of the fair market value of the collateral.
if you want to keep the car, you must continue to make timely payments to the secured creditor. You will be fortunate if the creditor permits you to exercise the "fourth option", e.g., keeping the collateral just by continuing monthly payments, without reaffirming or redeeming.
Christopher Crull agrees with this answer
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
