Bank finance articles and tips

New bankruptcy filers are often faced with bankruptcy terms they don't understand. Below are explanations of terms that bankruptcy debtors should know:

Means Test

The means test is an income test that bankruptcy debtors must take to determine how much disposable income they have to pay their debts. The means test was instituted in 2005 when the bankruptcy system was reformed because legislators and creditors wanted more debtors to forgo Chapter 7 bankruptcy and file Chapter 13 bankruptcy instead. The result is that bankruptcy debtors must now look at the past six months of income to determine whether or not they qualify for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Using their state's median income as a baseline and deducting their household expenses as allowed, debtors will either fail or pass the means test. If they pass the means test they are allowed to file Chapter 7 bankruptcy....