Do you imagine that your establishment’s inferior mortgage (resembling second mortgage or residence fairness line of credit score) secured by your main residence is wholly unsecured? In the event you imagine so, and are contemplating chapter (and prepared for a struggle), then you may attempt to strip off that lien out of your actual property.Remoted chapter courts not too long ago dominated {that a} second mortgage that’s wholly unsecured by advantage of the primary mortgage exceeding the worth of the property could also be “stripped off” pursuant to 11 U.S.C. 506(d) and discharged in a Chapter 7 chapter.After § 506 was enacted into the Chapter Code in 1984, courts typically held that “the plain language of § 506(a) meant that a creditor held a secured claim for the amount of the lien up to the value of the collateral and an unsecured claim for any amount of the lien over the amount of the value of the collateral.” In re Smith, 247 B.R. 191, 195 (W.D. Va. 2000) (quoting Crossroads of Hillsville v. Payne, 179 B.R. 486, 490 (W.D. Va. 1995)). These courts additional held that based on the plain language of § 506(d), the unsecured portion of a creditor’s lien is to be voided. See In re Folendore, 862 F.2nd 1537 (11th Cir. 1989); In re Mays, 85 B.R. 955 (Bankr. E.D. Pa. 1988); In re Lindsey, 823 F.2nd 189 (seventh Cir. 1987); In re O’Leary, 75 B.R. 881 (Bankr. D. Or. 1987). When a lien is voided, any post-petition property appreciation inures to the advantage of the debtor beneath chapter recent begin ideas. See In re Crouch, 76 B.R. 91 (Bankr. W.D. Va. 1987).Initially, attempt getting ready a requirement or settlement letter to your inferior lender. Cite the valuations by your native Property Appraiser which usually point out the assessed market worth of the home. You probably have a latest appraisal, you may make the most of that appraisal which needs to be much more persuasive. If the primary mortgage stability exceeds the sum of that appraised worth, then there isn’t any fairness to your second mortgage as safety.As on this state of affairs with respect to the second mortgage on the actual property, the place the declare is completely unsecured, there isn’t any fairness in any way for the junior lien to connect for functions of § 506(a) as a result of a creditor’s declare is secured solely “to the extent of the value of such creditor’s interest in such property”. With respect to an entirely unsecured lien, the creditor de facto solely has an unsecured declare beneath § 506(a). Accordingly, the wholly unsecured claims can not qualify as “allowed secured claims” beneath § 506(d), and should be voided. In re Zempel, 244 B.R. 625, 629-30 (Bankr. W.D. Ky. 1999).Due to this fact, in gentle of the unambiguous, clear language of §§ 506(a) and (d), § 506(d), the borrower claims that the regulation requires the U.S. Chapter Courtroom to void the lien as a matter of regulation no matter any attainable additional potential debtor advantages.Within the current situation, your lending establishment’s second mortgage declare wouldn’t be an allowed secured declare pursuant to part 502 of the Chapter Code, because it has no collateral to help its declare. It’s an allowed unsecured declare.Fairly than having to file a chapter to void the second mortgage lien pursuant to 11 U.S.C. §§ 506(a) and 506(d) towards the topic actual property, you may counsel that you’d favor to resolve your excellent money owed along with your collectors. In such communication, providing a one-time lump sum fee to fulfill the debt can be recommended.Though an attention-grabbing and troublesome argument, such effort can be nicely well worth the outcomes if you’re at present dealing with mortgage and monetary points and looking for options.
