Keep Your Car During Bankruptcy

“Will I be able to keep my car in bankruptcy?” Our Portland repossession lawyers and bankruptcy attorneys will often get this question from people considering bankruptcy, followed by “They can’t take my car! How would I get to work!”

The reality is that most people do not lose their car when they file for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Portland, Oregon. Like most things in bankruptcy, the law behind reality is much more complex so a true lawyer’s answer would be “It depends”, It depends on whether you have equity in your car and if so how much equity. It also depends on whether you have other assets which require protection from the Chapter 7 Trustee or not. To keep this as simple as possible let’s go through a flowchart:

The risk of losing your car in Chapter 7 bankruptcy goes up as the value or equity in the car goes up. It also depends on whether you have more than one car and what other assets you own. If you went through the above flowchart and are concerned that you would lose your car but need to explore bankruptcy protection, our Portland repossession lawyer can help.

At Michael D. O’Brien & Associates, Our Oregon bankruptcy attorneys are ready and able to advise you on how best to protect the assets you own while still receiving the protection of the Oregon bankruptcy Court. Call us today to get legal assistance in filing bankruptcy Chapter 13, Chapter 11, or Chapter 7 and guidance in exploring other debt alternatives in Bend, Clackamas, Portland, and more communities in Oregon.