The North Carolina Bankruptcy Information Blog

Liens can certainly throw a wrench in bankruptcy plans, especially for the unsuspecting. Unlike unsecured debts, which are simply discharged through a normal Chapter 7 bankruptcy, liens won’t be so efficiently eliminated with your filing. So what options do you have to at least address liens you can’t eliminate entirely?

One solution is to file for Chapter 13 bankruptcy rather than Chapter 7 and take advantage of some of the special privileges unique to that chapter. When you file for Chapter 13, you propose a repayment plan. Chapter 13 allows you to stretch out payments to creditors for the life of the plan, usually three to five years, and when it comes to a secured debt―that is, one where the lender holds lien on property that is acting as collateral to secure the interest― someone filing for Chapter 13 may be able to pay for only the value of the collateral rather than the total amount owed.…

Liens―a kind of property interest that secures payment on a loan, or the performance of some obligation―are a thorny little issue in bankruptcy cases. Unlike many kind of debts, liens generally (with only a few exceptions) will not be discharged automatically in a bankruptcy the way unsecured debt is. Liens come in many flavors―how about tax liens, mortgage liens, and mechanic’s liens, to name a few― but they generally fall into one of two categories: consensual liens and nonconsensual liens. Consensual liens are themselves split into two categories; one category of consensual liens is generally referred to as a “purchase-money interest,” while the other is known as a “nonpurchase-money security interest.”
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1) Consensual Liens
purchase-money security interests, nonpurchase-money security interest

2) Nonconsensual Liens
Judgment liens, statutory liens, tax liens.…

The power a lender has to enforce a lien can be very daunting; someone who lends you money while gaining a lien over your property has the considerable advantage of securing that loan, with the possibility of suing for what is owed, repossessing the collateral, or both. A lien can also be imposed against someone as a result of a lawsuit. Liens are punishing indeed. But before a lien holder has the power to come after your stuff, the lien must have been entered properly. In order to comply with the law, someone who wants to put a lien on your property must undergo a process called “perfecting” the lien.…

Many of us encounter purchase-money security interests when we buy a car or perhaps shop at department stores. This is the situation where a lender gives you money to buy a specific item (a car; a tv, a bedroom set, etc.) and in exchange you give him a lien on the property, allowing that property to secure the debt as collateral. The other kind of consensual lien, the non purchase-money security interest, apart from being a mouthful, is somewhat less common. You’re likely to come across it if you’ve been given a small loan from a store front lender such as American General or Beneficial.…