Get B240a/b Alt (form 240a/b Alt) (reaffirmation Agreement) (04/10)

When making an offer on a reaffirmation agreement, ask the lender to reduce the loan balance and the interest rate. Remember, this is a negotiation. You can expect the lender to come back with a counter offer. So, make your starting offer lower than the amount you are really willing to pay.

Reaffirmation agreements are strictly voluntary. A debtor is not required to reaffirm any of his or her debts. If a debtor signs a reaffirmation agreement, the debtor agrees to pay a debt that otherwise might be discharged in his or her bankruptcy case.

Reaffirmation agreements, although required by the bankruptcy laws for every secured debt that the debtor will continue to pay, are often not necessary in practice. This is because the only penalty for failure to sign the reaffirmation is that the creditor might repossess the collateral securing the loan.

Reaffirming Helps Rebuild Your Credit Since a bankruptcy wipes out the car loan but not the lender's security interest in the car, your car lender won't report your post-bankruptcy payments to any credit reporting agencies. ... If you reaffirm the loan, your lender will continue reporting payments.

Yes. You can cancel (or rescind ) your reaffirmation agreement, even if a judge has already approved it. NOTE: WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU SPEAK WITH AN ATTORNEY TO ADVISE YOU ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES OF CANCELLING A REAFFIRMATION AGREEMENT IN YOUR CASE.

If you don't sign a reaffirmation agreement, the lender can repossess your car after your case closes and the automatic stay lifts. Some car lenders are known to repossess the car immediately, even if you are current on payments.

To reaffirm a car loan, you must be able to show the court that the vehicle is necessary and that the payment is reasonable. You must also be able to show that the car payment isn't an undue hardship on your household (you'll still be able to afford the necessities of life). Effect of a reaffirmation agreement.

Reaffirmation agreements must be signed before the debtor gets his discharge in the bankruptcy. ... The debtor must then file a motion to reopen the bankruptcy case, then file a second motion to vacate the discharge, then file the reaffirmation agreement with the court. Most courts will not allow debtors to do this.

Lenders and banks absolutely want you to reaffirm your loans when you file bankruptcy. Why? Because if you default on your car loan 6 months or a year after your case is over, then they can repossess your car, and then sue you for the balance on the loan.

Answer: An agreement by a chapter 7 debtor to continue paying a dischargeable debt (such as an auto loan) after the bankruptcy, usually for the purpose of keeping collateral (i.e. the car) that would otherwise be subject to repossession.