● McKinney, TX (Collin County)
✓ Chapter 7 & Chapter 13 Bankruptcy
The Law Office of Veronica Deaver
Complete the short form below, and Veronica’s office will contact you about scheduling a private consultation.
Chapter 13 can give eligible individuals with regular income a structured way to reorganize debt through a court-supervised repayment plan. It can be especially important when mortgage arrears, vehicle debt, priority obligations, or the need to retain property make a multi-year plan worth exploring.
Chapter 13 is often called the wage earner’s plan, but the name can be misleading if it suggests only traditional employees qualify. The chapter is generally available to eligible individuals with regular income, and that can include some self-employed individuals and sole proprietors. The debtor proposes a plan that usually lasts three to five years, makes payments to a Chapter 13 trustee, and seeks court confirmation of how different claims will be treated.
People commonly explore Chapter 13 because they are behind on a mortgage, behind on a vehicle, carrying priority tax or support obligations, trying to retain property that would create problems in Chapter 7, or earning too much for a straightforward Chapter 7 analysis. None of those circumstances automatically guarantees that a plan will work. The plan must satisfy Bankruptcy Code requirements and be feasible based on the debtor’s financial situation.
Chapter 13 may allow certain pre-filing mortgage arrears to be cured over a reasonable period while ongoing mortgage obligations generally continue.
A plan can address some vehicle-loan arrears and other secured-debt issues, but treatment depends on the loan terms, timing, collateral, and applicable rules.
A Chapter 13 plan has to be funded. Income stability, household expenses, taxes, insurance, support obligations, and foreseeable costs all affect feasibility.
Build the case around accurate income, expenses, arrears, claims, and a realistic payment structure.
A Chapter 13 case begins with a bankruptcy petition and extensive financial disclosures. Unless the court grants an extension, the debtor generally files a repayment plan with the petition or within the time provided by the Bankruptcy Rules. The plan proposes regular payments to a Chapter 13 trustee, who distributes funds to creditors according to the plan and applicable law.
The plan is not simply whatever monthly payment the debtor would prefer. It must comply with statutory rules governing priority claims, secured claims, unsecured claims, disposable income, property value, good faith, feasibility, and other requirements. The trustee and creditors can object, and the bankruptcy court decides whether the plan can be confirmed.
For Eastern District of Texas cases, local forms and procedures matter. The court’s current forms page directs Chapter 13 filers to use local form 3015-a for the Chapter 13 plan and provides a Plano-specific confirmation-order form for Plano cases.
The Chapter 13 plan organizes claims by legal category and the rights attached to them. Priority claims receive special treatment under the Bankruptcy Code. Secured creditors have rights tied to collateral. Unsecured creditors do not have a lien on particular property, but the amount they receive can depend on disposable income, the value of nonexempt property, and other confirmation rules.
When a Chapter 13 petition is filed before a foreclosure sale, the automatic stay generally pauses many foreclosure actions, subject to statutory exceptions, prior-filing rules, and the creditor’s right to ask the court for relief from stay. The plan can then provide a structure for curing certain pre-filing mortgage arrears over time.
That does not mean the mortgage disappears. A debtor who wants to keep the home generally must also make the mortgage payments that come due after filing. Falling behind again can create a motion for relief from stay, plan-default issues, dismissal risk, or other problems.
Timing before the sale is crucial. U.S. Courts guidance warns that a debtor may still lose the home if the mortgage company completed the foreclosure sale under state law before the Chapter 13 petition was filed.
Bring the exact sale notice, payment history, reinstatement information, mortgage statements, and prior bankruptcy information. Do not rely on a website promise that Chapter 13 always stops foreclosure.
Chapter 13 can provide ways to address secured vehicle debt through the plan, but treatment is fact-specific. The loan date, collateral value, balance, arrears, interest, purchase timing, insurance, and whether the vehicle has already been repossessed or sold can all affect the options.
If the debtor still has the vehicle when the case is filed, the automatic stay generally prevents many collection actions while it remains in effect. If the creditor has already repossessed the vehicle, the analysis becomes more complicated. If the vehicle has already been sold, options can narrow further.
The automatic stay generally takes effect when the petition is filed and stops many collection actions. It can pause many lawsuits, garnishments, collection calls, foreclosure actions, and repossession efforts. Chapter 13 also includes a co-debtor stay for certain consumer debts. But the Bankruptcy Code contains exceptions, and the stay can be limited by prior cases or terminated after a creditor obtains relief from stay.
The correct conversion message is not “creditors are forbidden from doing anything.” Filing can create substantial federal protection, but the exact scope and duration depend on the type of collection action, prior filings, collateral, payment performance, and court orders.
Review income, expenses, assets, secured debt, mortgage arrears, vehicle arrears, taxes, support obligations, lawsuits, prior cases, and the practical monthly budget. Complete required credit counseling before filing, subject to limited exceptions.
File complete bankruptcy disclosures and a proposed Chapter 13 plan using required national and local forms. Accuracy matters because the trustee, creditors, and court rely on these filings.
The stay generally begins with filing. A Chapter 13 trustee is appointed to review the case, receive plan payments, conduct the meeting of creditors, and distribute funds under the confirmed plan.
The debtor answers questions under oath about financial disclosures and the proposed plan. Creditors may attend and ask appropriate questions.
The trustee and creditors may object to the plan. The debtor may need to amend it or resolve disputes before the court confirms it.
After confirmation, the debtor continues making required plan payments and other ongoing obligations. Financial changes should be addressed promptly.
After successful completion of the plan and satisfaction of other statutory requirements, an eligible debtor can receive a Chapter 13 discharge. Some debts survive discharge.
Jobs change. Income can increase or decrease. Insurance premiums rise. Vehicles break down. Families move. Medical expenses appear. A Chapter 13 case should not treat those events as something to hide until payments are missed.
A confirmed plan can sometimes be modified before completion, subject to the Bankruptcy Code and court approval. Depending on circumstances, other options can include conversion, dismissal, or, in limited situations, hardship-discharge issues. The right response depends on why the plan is no longer working.
The practical rule is simple: tell counsel about a material income or expense change before a small problem turns into repeated missed payments and a motion to dismiss.
A plan that looks mathematically possible on filing day but leaves no room for ordinary life is not a strong plan. Accurate housing, transportation, insurance, taxes, food, medical costs, support obligations, and foreseeable expenses matter to feasibility.
Chapter 7 may be the simpler fit for some eligible consumers whose main goal is discharge of qualifying unsecured debt and who do not need a repayment plan to address mortgage arrears or other secured-debt problems. Chapter 13 may be more appropriate when regular income can support a plan and the debtor needs time to cure arrears, address certain priority debt, or retain property under a court-supervised structure.
Veronica Deaver’s office is at 1575 Heritage Dr Suite 107, McKinney, TX 75069. This core Chapter 13 page prioritizes McKinney ZIP codes 75069, 75070, 75071, and 75072, with nearby support for Allen, Frisco, Prosper, Melissa, Princeton, and Collin County.
Collin County is in the Sherman Division of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The Sherman Division is served by the Plano office at 660 North Central Expressway, Suite 300B, Plano, TX 75074.
The legacy page relies heavily on generic experienced-attorney language. The stronger trust signal is concrete: Veronica Deaver is the attorney, her office is in McKinney, and the site states she has been licensed in Texas since 1998. Use accurate singular language and avoid invented firm size, case counts, awards, or superiority claims.
A useful Chapter 13 consultation should identify why a repayment plan may be needed, estimate the practical plan burden, identify mortgage or vehicle arrears, review taxes and support, examine assets and nonexempt value, and determine what documents or facts are missing before filing.
Recent pay information, self-employment records, benefits, support income, bonuses, overtime, and other regular sources.
Mortgage statements, arrearage notices, vehicle loans, tax notices, domestic-support information, liens, and creditor correspondence.
Housing, utilities, insurance, transportation, food, medical expenses, taxes, childcare, support, and other recurring costs.
Chapter 13 is the bankruptcy chapter for individuals with regular income who propose a court-supervised plan to repay all or part of their debts over time. Plans generally last three to five years.
Chapter 13 is for eligible individuals with regular income, including some self-employed individuals and sole proprietors. Eligibility also depends on statutory debt limits, filing history, credit counseling, and other requirements.
A Chapter 13 plan generally lasts three to five years. Income and other Bankruptcy Code rules affect the applicable commitment period, and a plan cannot provide for payments beyond five years.
Filing before a foreclosure sale can trigger the automatic stay and pause many foreclosure actions, subject to exceptions and limitations. Chapter 13 may allow certain mortgage arrears to be cured over time, but ongoing mortgage payments generally still must be made.
If a mortgage lender completed the foreclosure sale under applicable state law before the bankruptcy petition was filed, the available Chapter 13 options can change dramatically.
Chapter 13 can provide ways to treat secured vehicle debt through the plan, but treatment depends on the loan, collateral value, purchase timing, payment history, and other rules.
Not necessarily. The amount paid to unsecured creditors depends on several Chapter 13 rules, including disposable income, the value creditors would receive in Chapter 7, plan feasibility, claim treatment, and other requirements.
The Chapter 13 trustee reviews the proposed plan, conducts the meeting of creditors, receives plan payments, distributes funds according to the confirmed plan, and performs other statutory duties.
The bankruptcy court determines whether the proposed Chapter 13 plan satisfies applicable legal requirements. Creditors or the trustee may object, and the plan may need amendment before confirmation.
A confirmed Chapter 13 plan can sometimes be modified when circumstances change, subject to statutory requirements and court approval.
Collin County is in the Sherman Division of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Texas, served by the Plano office at 660 North Central Expressway, Suite 300B, Plano, Texas 75074.
Bring recent income records, tax returns, bank statements, mortgage and vehicle statements, arrearage notices, lawsuits, tax or support information, a list of debts and assets, and a realistic monthly-expense picture.
Bring the arrears, income, secured debt, taxes, property, prior filings, and monthly budget into one review. The goal is not merely to file a plan. It is to propose a plan that satisfies the law and has a realistic chance of working.