Personal Bankruptcy Halton Hills – Facts, Options & Alternatives | Ontario

Types of Debts – What Bankruptcy Won’t Do

There’s a lot that people don’t tell you about bankruptcy. Sure, it will get rid of most of your debts, but there are some debts you might still have to pay because they can’t be included in your bankruptcy.

3 types of debt that you can’t declare bankruptcy on:

• Secured debts, like mortgages or car loans
• Student loans that are less than 7 years old
• Child and alimony support payments that are in arrears

Some people also want to declare bankruptcy because of their credit card debt. However, if they only recently got into debt with their credit cards, creditors may oppose eliminating the debts with bankruptcy.

The Bankruptcy Process – Working with Your Trustee to Obtain Your Discharge

Those who have gone bankrupt might not tell you that it takes a minimum of 9 months to complete the bankruptcy process. There are costs and fees to go bankrupt, which you pay to your trustee, as well as bankruptcy counselling sessions you must attend. Depending on your circumstances, you may also need to pay extra to your creditors, which delays completing the process and obtaining your discharge. Not everyone loses their home and assets when they file for bankruptcy, but assets above what you’re allowed to keep in Ontario will be sold by your trustee.

You should also be aware that your trustee, your creditors, the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy or the Court can oppose or delay your bankruptcy discharge. Depending on your situation, you may need to attend a hearing, answer questions under oath and/or meet the additional requirements to obtain your discharge.

Your Credit Report & Bankruptcy in Canada

Bankruptcy is noted on your credit report and seriously impacts your credit rating. Despite what people say, getting credit after you have eliminated your debts legally through bankruptcy is not easy. It takes patience and time to prove yourself to creditors again. Until they trust you enough to lend you money again, your financial plans might be on hold because you won’t be able to take out a loan, renew your mortgage or apply for a low interest rate credit card.

Alternatives to Bankruptcy in Ontario

By now you are likely wondering what alternatives to bankruptcy really exist. There are quite a few, and combining them might also be a solution. Depending on your situation, 4 options that might work for you are: consolidation loans, debt repayment programs, debt settlement options or a Consumer Proposal.

Debt Consolidation & Debt Repayment Plans

Consolidation usually means consolidating your bills and everything you owe into a new loan. With a fine-tuned budget, this might work for you. For other people, consolidating only the monthly payments makes more sense. Don’t worry if you’ve been turned down by your bank or credit union. There are other types of debt consolidation that may be available.

If you happen to have bad credit, you might be worried about consolidating your debts, but consolidating payments doesn’t mean borrowing more money, so credit problems aren’t an issue. That’s how a debt management program with a non-profit credit counselling agency works. Your creditors help you by lowering or waiving interest charges. This makes smaller payments possible, saves you thousands in interest and lets you pay back what you borrowed. Your monthly payments are based on what you can afford and there’s no loan to get you deeper into debt.

Debt Settlement

Consolidation programs and loans help you repay what you borrowed. Most people really do want to pay back what they owe and not walk away from their debts by declaring bankruptcy. However, only paying back part of what you owe might be the best solution. That’s where a debt settlement, when structured properly, can help. You need a lump sum of money to offer your creditors a settlement, but sometimes that’s not as far-fetched an option as you might think.

Consumer Proposal

If you need a legal alternative to filing for bankruptcy, your situation might mean that you need a Consumer Proposal. A Consumer Proposal in Halton Hills is set up by a trustee, and once agreed to by your creditors, you make monthly payments to repay part of what you owe.

What’s My Best Option?

As you can tell, a lot depends on your situation. When you’re just trying to make ends meet and duck the collection phone calls, you need help looking at your circumstances objectively. You need a professionally trained Credit & Debt Counsellor to help you come up with a good plan.

Non Profit Bankruptcy & Credit Counselling Information & Advice in Halton Hills, Ontario

If you want to find out why someone shouldn’t declare bankruptcy, get answers to your questions about joint debts or debts left over from a divorce, or learn more about alternatives to bankruptcy, one of our Credit & Debt Counsellors can help! They are experts in helping people with their debts and money, and they’d be happy to provide you with the information you need to make an informed decision about your financial future.

Your Counsellor will:

• Explain all of your bankruptcy alternatives and debt relief options
• Show you how to budget effectively for all of your household expenses
• Recommend bankruptcy trustees in Halton Hills if it looks like declaring bankruptcy is the right option
• Provide answers and information so that you can choose the best way of dealing with your debts

Related Links

• The Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy in Ontario
• Insolvency Glossary
• Credit Counselling Society Ontario office locations

The Credit Counselling Society also offers assistance to people who need help with their payday loans in Pickering (even online ones).