Bankruptcy Codes And You

The thought of going bankrupt is generally something that most people don't consciously consider doing. However, the reality of today is that more and more people are not only considering bankruptcy; they are actively seeking it. Various forms of bankruptcy such as chapter 13 and chapter 11 are being exercised by people throughout the country today.

Congress was the body of lawmakers that decided that the U.S. bankruptcy laws were in need of uniformity and as such they implemented Federal bankruptcy laws that the states are obligated to conform to. Although each state can have its own set of bankruptcy laws there are some basic statutes mandated by the U.S. government that all must follow. These bankruptcy codes have been put in place to help people relieve themselves from financial burden and to cease engaging in financial self destruction.

At the time of this writing there are currently four different chapters to the bankruptcy code. For example, you may be familiar with the bankruptcy term Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The chapter 7 part is the section of code or the statutes that address the rules and regulations of Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

With these various chapters of bankruptcy, are explanations of how the various laws are set up to deal with the filing procedures and how the debt is relieved or negotiated down. There are also provisions regulating the behavior of the creditors themselves as it pertains to contacting and collection attempts by the creditor.

The individual states can have and pass their own statutes concerning bankruptcy laws or codes. However, any statue that a state may be considering for law must still work within the framework of the Federal bankruptcy codes.

So, even though the individual states cannot change the intent of the Federal bankruptcy laws, each state can however, interpret how the claims must be filed and how the claims are acted upon.

If you've not considered the dynamic nature of statutes, you would be well advised to. Bankruptcy statutes (just like all statutes)are dynamic in nature. They can and do change at the local (and Federal level)based on the lawmakers either adding amendments to the current statutes or adding completely new sections to the chapters themselves. Because of this it would be a good idea for anyone considering taking the bankruptcy route to consult with the appropriate counsel.

Any change to the base bankruptcy laws of the U.S. will be originated from Congress itself. An example of such came with the filing requirements of a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. This particular changed effected the primary rules for the filing in that it added additional burden of proof on the person filing to have met the specific criteria and as such would have the right to file for bankruptcy.

With this change, the person seeking relief from the bankruptcy courts will only be approved for filing once they have completed a court approved financial and bankruptcy session. With the ever growing number of people seeking relief from debt via the bankruptcy system, this amendment was added to help ensure that the person filing was truly in a financial dead end and not someone who had just incurred a great deal of debt with no intention of paying it off.