Mertzon, TX Bankruptcy Law Firms & Lawyers

For Chapter 7, 8 years must pass. Sounds like you have to wait until next year assuming you are talking about a Chapter 7 (both times) and your first case was successful.

A chargeoff is merely a bookkeeping entry.  It has nothing to do with whether or not you still owe a debt, or whether the creditor can take collections actions on it. Student loans are generally not dischargeable in bankruptcy.   You can seek an "undue hardship" discharge of the student loans by filing a complaint in your bankruptcy case, but the criteria you need to prove for this is very difficult. There are also non-bankruptcy alternatives, such as doing income-based repayment plans, but you have to get your loans out of default first in order to take advantage of such programs. I suggest having a consultation with a bankruptcy attorney in your area who is experienced with student loan litigation, to evaluate your options more fully. Mark Markus has been practicing exclusively bankruptcy law in California since 1991.  He is a Certified Specialist in Bankruptcy Law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization,  AV-Rated by martindale.com, and A+ rated by the Better Business Bureau.  

The following answer applies to California jurisdiction only. I don't know of any local bankruptcy attorney who would condone or suggest to a client that they reaffirm a mortgage debt. It is not in your best interest to do that so the fact that you did not reaffirm is not a bad thing. If at some point you can't afford to make the payments anymore because you have filed and received a discharge in bankruptcy AND because you have NOT reaffirmed the debt you can walk away from the property. The only remedy the creditor(s) have is to take the property, they cannot sue you for any deficiency or attempt to collect from you. The protection of the bankruptcy discharge makes any such collections illegal. A loan modification, should you get one, would not change this result. Refinancing however would because when you refinance you get a new loan and in your case it would be a loan acquired after the bankruptcy had already been filed. Hope this perspective helps. Take care.