Credit Card Bankruptcy

Increasing number people are filing for bankruptcy to get out of debt. But, what is bankruptcy? Do you know enough of it? How does it help you? If these questions also bother you, the following article describing 7 most important things about bankruptcy will help you get an answer.

1. Bankruptcy is  process adopted by  federal court process catering to individuals and businesses repay their debts or clear their debts under the protection of bankruptcy court. Also known as "reorganizations " or "liquidations", bankruptcy is often the last recourse to get out of any debt.

2. When  the property of the debtor is sold to recover and pay off the debt it is called Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Contrary to popular belief, all the property owned by a debtor is not sold, some part of it is left with him to allow him to start afresh.

3. When there is no sale of property but the debt are reorganized so as the debtors, are able to repay them over a long period it is called Chapter 13  bankruptcy.

4. Both these types of bankruptcy have a large number of  rules, and exceptions, suited to different kind of debts, individuals and other concerns.

5. The "ticket in" is counseling session that everyone who wishes to file a bankruptcy must attend. This session must be attended at least six months prior to filing for bankruptcy. This term was adopted in the new bankruptcy law.

6.  The "ticket out" means to attend a  financial education class from listed agencies before getting approved for bankruptcy. This was also adopted by new law. During this session the the court will also determine according to predetermined standards by IRS that what all is required for food, clothing, shelter etc. and what all can be used to recover debts.

7.  The bankruptcy court determines whether or not you can qualify for chapter 7 bankruptcy.

The most popular solutions to the problem of heavy debt burden is to get a debt settlement or file for bankruptcy. Among these two debt settlement is preferred as it has a relatively less impact on credit report. In this article we assess the benefits and drawbacks of debt settlement.

Debt settlement is a process in which an organization will go to your lenders and negotiate with them regarding your debt. The purpose of the whole exercise is to reduce your debt burden. If a settlement company is good it can get your debt reduced by as much as 50%. This is  what a creditor needs and this is the most visible benefit of debt settlement. The amount of the debt is reduced, the repayment plan is made easy and often the monthly installments are spread over a long period. This makes life a lot more easier for the borrower.

However, debt settlement is not without its drawbacks. There are two things to worry about. First, is the cost of debt settlement. Debt settlement companies will charge huge amounts for their services. The usual range is between 10-15% of the debt amount. Paying this much amount upfront can turn your financial situation from bad to worse.

The second problem caused by debt settlement is the damage done to your credit report. The very fact that you are going for a debt settlement will show negatively on your report. But, it is still better than filing for bankruptcy, which will make a bigger dent in your financial credibility.

The whole process of debt settlement becomes meaningless if you don't change your financial habits for good. With all the drawbacks, debt settlement still provides a chance to get your finances back on track and should be used for it.