Chapter 11 business bankruptcy is also referred to as business reorganization. It involves filing a reorganization plan (along with specified financial documents) with a bankruptcy court. All creditors are called for a meeting by the court, and they have to vote on the reorganization plan presented, which must be approved by 3/4th majority. The reorganization plan is carried out by the business, and once the bankruptcy ends, the business becomes free from debt.

Chapter 11 Business Bankruptcy Warning Signs:

- When the money that you have withheld for taxes is already being used. That money needs to be paid to government, however, if you already use it for business, it signifies that you are cash-strapped.

- Whenever you keep stretching payments to vendors for a long period of time, not able to pay vendors punctually, or when you are already desperate for credit and keep on switching vendors.

- When serious instances that could affect the business happen such as a natural disaster, death of a partner, or embezzlement, and the like.

- When you are often late or unable to repay secured debt installments.

- When your business has one or two customers and they declared business bankruptcy.

Business owners tend to wait for better times and expect their creditors to listen to them, which is in fact one of the biggest mistakes they could make. Creditors want repayment of debts and will do anything to get their money back. A business owner must designate a Chapter 11 business bankruptcy attorney as soon as the warning indicators emerge.

Hiring an attorney can aid the business look into options other than bankruptcy as well. For example, the attorney will first evaluate the situation and then suggest a debt restructuring exercise or a debt-for-equity swap. If the business owner does not hire an attorney, then he is simply digging a deeper hole for himself.

There is no simple business bankruptcy. Child support, taxes, alimony, etc, which are classified as priority debts would have to be paid, and if the business owner's personal property has to be sold just to repay these, then it has to be done. When it comes to priority debts, the law does not take pity. So if priority debts are the cause why a business is struggling, then a Chapter 11 business bankruptcy is not the option but a Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

Once priority debts are met, secured creditors come next, followed by semi-secured creditors and eventually unsecured creditors. In a Chapter 11 business bankruptcy, majority of these creditors ought to agree with the reorganization plan. The moment that a reorganization plan is agreed upon, it must be carried out properly by the business owner. The creditors could take legal steps to recover their money in the event that the Chapter 11 process fails, which could come about if the business owner does not execute the plan.
5/6/2012 03:30:04 pm

Comment deleted


Comments are closed.