Tag: Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada

BEYOND BANKRUPTCY SERVICES: OUR BEST PERSONAL INSOLVENCY FAQ 2 JUMPSTART YOUR FINANCIAL LIFE

Post author By Brandon Smith
Post date May 16, 2022

Bankruptcy services and FAQ information

Bankruptcy is a last resort for Canadian individuals, entrepreneurs and companies looking for a debt solution. However, bankruptcy services are just one of the available options we canvass with you to provide the opportunity to rebuild your financial affairs and your life.

I help people and senior company management understand bankruptcy and the other options available to rebuild their life. Frankly, bankruptcy is always the last option and hopefully in most cases, can be avoided.

In this Brandon’s Blog, I provide my best FAQ answers to common questions about personal bankruptcy services. The answers below will contain all the information you need to know. So here we go. In the future Brandon’s Blogs, I will talk about corporate bankruptcy services in addition to personal and corporate restructuring as alternatives to bankruptcy services.

Bankruptcy services: Who files for bankruptcy and why?

Many people who are considering looking into the need for the bankruptcy process may feel alone and lost. This is because they may not know anyone who has gone through the same thing, making them feel like they have no one to talk to about it. Bankruptcy can be very scary and intimidating, especially if you feel like you’re the only one experiencing financial difficulties.

Financial problems affect people from all walks of life and all income levels. It doesn’t discriminate, affecting married and single people alike, regardless of age. Seniors and those just starting out in life, consumers and companies are all susceptible to needing bankruptcy services.

The Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada (OSB) keeps insolvency statistics. It used to be affiliated with a part of the federal government called Industry Canada. Now it is part of what is called Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. The OSB has not yet released the 2021 annual insolvency statistics. In 2020 99,244 insolvencies were filed in Canada. This was a 29.5% decrease in insolvencies filed with the OSB in 2020 compared to 2019. This is the largest annual decrease ever. The decrease can be largely attributed to the outbreak of COVID-19 and the various emergency response measures that followed.

The number of consumers filing for insolvency decreased from 137,178 to 96,458, while the number of businesses filing for insolvency decreased from 3,680 to 2,786. The proportion of proposals among consumer insolvency filings increased from 60.3% to 65.9%.

There are two things to remember from these statistics:

You are not alone. Many people face financial difficulties.
There are options available for avoiding bankruptcy services.
bankruptcy services

Bankruptcy services: Can bankruptcy clear debt in Canada?

Most outstanding debt owed to unsecured creditors is cleared not by a person filing for bankruptcy, but by that person receiving their absolute bankruptcy discharge.

Even after bankruptcy, some debts still need to be paid. This includes a student loan if it has been less than 7 years since you stopped being a student, alimony and child support, fines and penalties imposed by the court, and any debts due to fraud.

Also, any secured debts, such as a registered car loan or mortgage against real estate are not discharged by a bankruptcy – either personal bankruptcy or corporate bankruptcy.

What debts cannot be discharged through personal bankruptcy services in Canada?

See the section “Bankruptcy services: Can bankruptcy clear debt in Canada?” directly above.

Bankruptcy services: How much debt must you accumulate in order to file for bankruptcy in Canada?

The minimum amount of unsecured debt needed to file for bankruptcy in Canada is $1,000, as stipulated by the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (Canada) (BIA). In addition, the person, partnership or company must also be insolvent. Bankruptcy is a legal process. Insolvency is a bad financial situation.

Bankruptcy services: What debts are not erased in bankruptcy?

See the section “Bankruptcy services: Can bankruptcy clear debt in Canada?” directly above.

bankruptcy services

Bankruptcy services: What are the three types of bankruptcies?

There are several ways I could answer that question. For example, there are:

Personal bankruptcy is also sometimes referred to as consumer bankruptcy.
Small business bankruptcy. This would mainly be for a proprietorship or partnership.
Corporate bankruptcy – small or large companies.

Another way of answering the same question would be:

Voluntary bankruptcy – an assignment in bankruptcy being filed by the person or company.
Involuntary bankruptcy – a bankruptcy happening because one or more creditors issued a bankruptcy application resulting in a bankruptcy order.
Bankruptcy protection is not bankruptcy at all. It is a financial restructuring performed by a licensed insolvency trustee. The Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada maintains a searchable list of individuals licensed to act as a licensed insolvency trustee in Canada.

My final way of answering the same question is:

Consumer proposal – This is a financial restructuring under the BIA to avoid bankruptcy for a person who owes $250,000 or less not including any debts secured against the person’s principal residence.
Proposal – This is a financial restructuring under the BIA to avoid bankruptcy for a person who owes more than $250,000 (not including any debts secured against the person’s principal residence) or for a company with any amount of debt.
Financial restructuring under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act – This is what the media calls bankruptcy protection in order to restructure and avoid bankruptcy. To qualify to file under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act statute, the company must have a debt load of $5 million or more.

All of the above bankruptcy services can only be administered by a licensed insolvency trustee (formerly called a bankruptcy trustee or trustee in bankruptcy), but they are not all bankruptcy.

I guess these are really 9 types!! It all depends on how you wish to look at it.

Bankruptcy services: What are the consequences for your assets when declaring bankruptcy?

A bankruptcy does not mean you have to give up all your assets. There are rules about bankruptcy exemptions in bankruptcy law. Also, every province/territory has laws that say what assets you can keep and how much equity you can have. These types of assets are called exempt assets. There are certain assets that you are allowed to keep that are not accessible to your creditors during a bankruptcy. These assets are exempt under federal law, provincial law or both.

In order to understand what exempt assets are in bankruptcy in Ontario, we must first look at the BIA. Section 67(1) of the BIA addresses the bankruptcy exemption issue specifically. It outlines what property of the bankrupt is available to creditors does and does not include.

Property that is not included is:

Property that is held in trust by the bankrupt for any third party.
Assets that are not subject to seizure under provincial law.
Payments to the bankrupt are made under a program that can be described as social assistance provided by the federal or provincial government.
Retirement Savings Plans – The bankrupt’s RRSP (other than for the total of payments made in the 12 months before bankruptcy) or RRIF cannot be touched even in bankruptcy.

As mentioned before, one type of asset that cannot be seized during bankruptcy is any property that is protected under provincial law. In Ontario, the amounts prescribed for exemptions are outlined in the Ontario Execution Act.

These exemptions include:

Household furnishings and household appliances – $14,180.
Tools and other personal property used to generate income:
Exemptions for farmers, being a debtor engaged exclusively in cultivating the soil or farming (and therefore it is that farmer’s principal source of primary income), $31,379 for livestock, fowl, bees, books, tools and implements, and other chattels ordinarily used by the debtor; $14,405 for any other case.
$7,117 for a motor vehicle.
$10, 783 for a principal residence.

Since these exemptions are provincial, you need to look at provincial/territorial laws for other jurisdictions in Canada.

bankruptcy services

Bankruptcy services: What are the implications of personal bankruptcy on retirement plans?

There are 4 main ways Canadians save to live comfortably in retirement. They are:

The principal residence.
RRSP..
Investments.
Private pension plan.

#1 – The principal residence and bankruptcy

For many Canadians, their house is the biggest investment they make and the majority of their savings are tied up in it. Owning a home makes people more confident about their financial future.

If the owner of a home becomes bankrupt, either through an assignment in bankruptcy or bankruptcy order, the debtor’s equity in the home is an asset for the licensed insolvency trustee to sell. The exception is if the home is fully encumbered so that there is only $10,783 or less of equity (in Ontario) in the home.

If the bankrupt is a joint owner, then the Trustee only has access to the bankrupt’s interest, which would be half the equity.

The loss of wealth from the sale of the house or the encumbrance of the house will make it take much longer to build back the equity by paying off the mortgage(s). In the case of joint ownership, the natural purchaser would be the non-bankrupt spouse or partner who owns the other half. The person would likely have to take on more debt to buy the equity from the Trustee.

The loss of wealth as a result of bankruptcy can mean having to work longer than originally planned. This is one way that bankruptcy can affect retirement.

#2 – Your RRSP and bankruptcy

It is the rare debtor that seeks an insolvency option and has a significant amount in their RRSP. This is notwithstanding that a creditor cannot seize your RRSP funds in Ontario.

If you think about it, if you have a 7-figure RRSP and a 6-figure total debt, then you are not insolvent. To be eligible to use the Canadian insolvency process, you must meet certain conditions, one of which is being insolvent.

The only amount of your RRSP that is affected by bankruptcy is any contributions made to the RRSP in the 12 months before the bankruptcy happened. That amount is subject to seizure by your Trustee. Rather than seizing that amount from your RRSP, the Trustee will require you to pay that amount to the Trustee for the benefit of your bankruptcy estate.

Not having a sizeable RRSP to start withdrawing at retirement obviously will affect your retirement plans.

#3 – Bankruptcy and investments

People who are able to save for retirement invest their money to make it grow in addition to an RRSP and principal residence. Investments such as stocks, bonds and mutual funds are very typical. There are two general ways these investments can be held: (i) investment in funds maintained by a life insurance company naming a designated beneficiary (either a spouse or blood relative); and (ii) investments held with your broker.

If you have investments through a contract of insurance and you name your spouse, child, parent, or grandchild as the beneficiary, then those investments are exempt from seizure in Ontario. If you file an assignment in bankruptcy will not have any effect on these investments, and you will be able to keep them. Therefore, this will not affect your retirement plans.

If your investments are through the brokerage arm of your bank, then your investments can be seized in Ontario. These investments will be lost in your bankruptcy and this will affect your retirement plans. If your spouse or partner purchases your interest in these investments from the Trustee, then whatever debt the purchaser had to take on to buy them may affect retirement plans.

#4 – Bankruptcy and a private pension plan

Not everyone in Canada has a private pension plan through their employer. Individuals who are self-employed certainly don’t have it. Having a private pension plan can relieve some of a person’s financial worries as they head toward retirement.

In Ontario, private pensions are protected from seizure and therefore not available for the Trustee. However, if you are already retired and are receiving the private pension income, that income is taken into account when calculating any surplus income payments you may have to make to your Trustee.

bankruptcy services

How bankruptcy services work in Ontario: What is the average length of time for a person to be discharged from bankruptcy in Canada?

To be discharged from bankruptcy in Canada can differ based on whether it is a first or second bankruptcy, and whether the bankrupt has any surplus income contributions to make. For a first-time bankrupt it can take 9 months (no surplus income) -21 months (with surplus income contributions). For a second time or more bankruptcy, it takes 24 months (no surplus income) to 36 months (surplus income).

Bankruptcy services: Surplus income

Surplus income is not an ideal term to describe the extra money an individual has. Many people would not feel they have surplus income, especially when they are dealing with debt. However, in the bankruptcy context, surplus income refers to a calculation that determines how much money a bankrupt individual must pay into their bankruptcy estate for the benefit of their creditors.

When you file an assignment in bankruptcy or have a bankruptcy order made against you in Canada, your monthly income is taken into consideration. To have what is supposed to be a practical standard of living during the bankruptcy period, the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada establishes a standard on an annual basis.

The earnings criteria are adjusted for inflation each year and based on information collected by Statistics Canada. Your licensed insolvency trustee decides how much you pay by making monthly payments into your bankruptcy estate each month based on these standards.

It is really the Canadian poverty line that is established by the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada. Regardless of where you reside in Canada, there is no difference between an expensive city as well as a remote area. Just the most fundamental demands of individuals in addition to members of the family are considered.

Bankruptcy services: Debt problems got you down? Feeling overwhelmed?

I hope this Brandon’s Blog on personal bankruptcy services was helpful to you in understanding more about the personal bankruptcy system in Canada.

If you or your company has too heavy a debt load, we understand how you feel. You’re stressed out and anxious because you can’t fix your or your company’s financial situation on your own. But don’t worry. As a government-licensed insolvency professional firm, we can help you get your personal or corporate finances back on track.

If you’re struggling with money problems, call the Ira Smith Team today. We’ll work with you to develop a personalized plan to get you back on track and stress-free, all while avoiding the bankruptcy process if at all possible.

Call us today and get back on the path to a healthy stress-free life.

Brandon Blog Post

WHAT DOES THE BANKRUPTCY TRUSTEE INVESTIGATE? SIMPLE RULES EXPLAINED BY A TORONTO TRUSTEE

Post author By Brandon Smith
Post date July 14, 2021

We hope that you and your family are safe, healthy and secure during this COVID-19 pandemic.

Ira Smith Trustee & Receiver Inc. is absolutely operational and Ira, in addition to Brandon Smith, is readily available for a telephone consultation or video meeting.

What does the bankruptcy trustee investigate – What is a bankruptcy trustee?

The new name for a bankruptcy trustee is a licensed insolvency trustee. I will use the terms interchangeably in this Brandon Blog. In this blog, I discuss what does the bankruptcy trustee investigate? But first, I want to go through a few basics.

The process of a bankruptcy trustee’s role in the Canadian insolvency system is a delicate one. The licensed insolvency trustee starts out by reviewing the debtor’s financial information and advises the debtor on whether a restructuring is possible to avoid bankruptcy or if filing for bankruptcy is their only realistic option.

The Trustee’s job is to help a debtor restructure his or her financial affairs and to do that, he or she must know what the debtor’s assets and liabilities are, the bigger picture of the debtor’s life and what transactions the debtor may have recently entered into. It is not just what he or she claims his or her debts are.

The Trustee collects all this information in order to advise the debtor on whether a bankruptcy protection financial restructuring filing is possible or if bankruptcy is their best option and why. The debtor then must choose what sort of insolvency process they wish to enter. Once filed, the Trustee also acts for the creditors and is required to perform an investigation.

Today I discuss what does the bankruptcy trustee investigate? Anyone contemplating a bankruptcy filing should know what they are in for before it is too late.

What does the bankruptcy trustee investigate – Tell your bankruptcy trustee everything

I thought of writing this blog topic because just yesterday, a lawyer friend called up with a question. The lawyer is a family law lawyer, representing a spouse who completed a consumer proposal. The lawyer, on behalf of his client, is making a claim as having a trust claim over his spouse’s home.

The judge asked if the client declared this claim as a potential asset in his sworn statement of affairs in the consumer proposal bankruptcy paperwork? The answer is no. Now the judge says, correctly, that the client had a duty to disclose that information at the time. The judge is correct. The judge then went on to ask how he can rely on the credibility of the client’s assertions now? What a jackpot they are now in!

That is why I say tell your bankruptcy trustee everything. If there is full disclosure in the initial interview before the period of time the bankruptcy process begins, I can then consider any troublesome issues and advise on the best course of action. Then you don’t need to worry about what does the bankruptcy trustee investigate. Nobody wants to have a nasty surprise like my lawyer friend’s client.

What does the bankruptcy trustee investigate? What if I fail to remember to divulge something?

It is fairly possible that you will accidentally neglect to divulge something in your bankruptcy documents or inform your Trustee about it. You do not want anyone thinking you are conducting the concealment of assets.

What does the bankruptcy trustee investigate? What can I do?

As quickly as you learn of your error, call your trustee right away and correct this mistake. You want to make sure the Trustee understands it was a simple error and not a case of you making a false claim.

What does the bankruptcy trustee investigate? What if I have outstanding tax returns?

If as an example, you forget to inform your insolvency trustee that you have unfiled tax returns, CRA can oppose your discharge and request that all outstanding returns be filed before you get to a discharge hearing. This will extend the time you remain in bankruptcy and puts your discharge into a court hearing.

It may turn out that the amount owing from those unfiled returns is not that large, and if you had filed the returns before going bankrupt and declared that additional liability, there would not have been a problem at all. Your Trustee actually should have caught that before you filed and got you to bring your tax filings current.

What does the bankruptcy trustee investigate? What happens If I overreported income?

Reporting earnings greater than you actually earn might set off a surplus income payment requirement that is either higher than it should be or where there would not have been one at all if you had properly reported your monthly income. Make sure you have documents to back up everything you are advising your trustee about so that such an error is not made.

The same holds true for underreporting. You may have a surplus income obligation that will not be caught and finding out at the end will hold up your discharge. Again, your Trustee should have asked for backup during your initial meeting and should have caught your error before filing for bankruptcy.

What does the bankruptcy trustee investigate? Suppose I am not divulging certain information?

If you fail to divulge particular information about your assets or give information that at some point complicates your insolvency, it is certain that this will complicate your discharge at the very least. It may also open you up to having committed a bankruptcy offence which will create worse penalties and headaches for you.

Recall that I mentioned at the beginning of this Brandon Blog that the reason I wrote on this topic today was because of a phone call received from a divorce lawyer friend of ours. The lack of disclosure was not caught in the consumer proposal administration. However, it may totally ruin the client’s chances for any meaningful recovery in his family law proceedings.

If the client had divulged the asset, which at the time was contingent, to the bankruptcy trustee acting as an administrator in the consumer proposal, the Trustee could have worked that into a successful outcome for the client AND the client would not now have his legal problems which could very well cost him big time!

What does the bankruptcy trustee investigate? – Collection of information by bankruptcy trustee also allowed under PIPEDA

A person filed a complaint after a bank, where she as well as her husband had gotten a mortgage from, revealed her personal information, especially regarding her financial situation, to the Trustee of the Bankrupt Estate of her spouse. There was no disagreement that this disclosure happened without the complainant’s understanding or permission.

However, the federal government ruled that it was allowable under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) given that the financial institution was required to provide the information under another law, namely, the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (BIA).

PIPEDA paragraph 7(3)(b) specifies that a party may disclose personal information without the knowledge or consent of that party if the disclosure is for the purpose of collecting on a financial obligation owed by the person to that party.

Paragraph 7(3)(i) of PIPEDA specifies that an organization might disclose personal information without the knowledge or permission of the person if the disclosure is required by law. Trustees are licensed by the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy (Canada) (OSB) under the BIA and also are held to requirements of practices or solutions established by the BIA.

The designated Trustee for her hubby’s insolvent estate wrote to the financial institution, requesting the complete financial institution file connected to the mortgage on the residence jointly had by the complainant wife and the bankrupt husband be disclosed, according to the provisions of S. 164(2) of the BIA.

The bank stated that it revealed the wife’s personal details without her understanding or permission, based on the PIPEDA sections I referenced above. The complainant thought that the Trustee did not have the right to access her individual info from the financial institution without her understanding or consent. The Privacy Commission ruled against her.

As long as the Trustee is asking for information from a 3rd party that will assist in the bankruptcy administration, that 3rd party can provide the information without worrying about what does the bankruptcy trustee investigate or a PIPEDA violation.

On the flip side, for every insolvency administration we perform, as part of the initial sign-up documents, we provide a PIPEDA disclosure statement to the debtor or designated officer of the company. Our PIPEDA disclosure says that in performing our duties we collect and store personal information which we may have to divulge to 3rd parties in performing our duties under the BIA, to the court or in assisting the debtor in reaching arrangements with their creditors.

What does the bankruptcy trustee investigate? – Can I sell my stuff before filing bankruptcy?

Bankruptcy is a fair and well-balanced treatment that considers the interests of all stakeholders. I always tell potential clients that any sale or transfer of property has to be done as if your creditors are evaluating your every move while you do it.

In Ontario, the Execution Act provides for certain personal exemptions, which also apply to anyone who does a bankruptcy filing in Ontario, up to a stated value. The exempt property consists of:

household furnishings and appliances – $14,180;
tools and other personal property used to earn an income:
- in the case of a debtor engaged solely in the tillage of the soil or farming, $31,379 for livestock, fowl, bees, books, tools and implements and other chattels ordinarily used by the debtor in the debtor’s occupation, or
- in any other case, $14,405;
motor vehicle – $7,117; and
principal residence – $10,783.

You might be liquidating assets that you don’t need to because they would be exempt. If you are thinking about liquidating nonexempt property to make financial settlements with certain of your creditors, this will be problematic. You could end up preferring some over others which will cause both you and them problems in your bankruptcy.

This is another factor to think about. My best advice is that you raise these issues with a Trustee before you do anything if you are contemplating bankruptcy. The Trustee will explain to you the ramifications of what you are thinking of doing so that you will have the smoothest time possible in your bankruptcy estate. The Trustee will also explain what does the bankruptcy trustee investigate so you will be informed.

What does the bankruptcy trustee investigate and look for in bank statements?

The personal bankruptcy trustee uses bank statements and other documents to discover errors or irregularities in your pre-filing personal bankruptcy paperwork. To start, you’ll list your creditors and the amounts you owe each of them; your assets, their values, and whether you can keep any of them as exempt property; your earnings for the last 12 months; as well your regular monthly expenditures. Not only will you disclose your income in several spots in the bankruptcy documents, but you’ll also give confirmation in the form of paycheque stubs and income tax returns, as well

The Trustee then goes over these anomalies with you to permit you to give better paperwork in support of your list of assets and liabilities. You’ll likewise have to send duplicates of your bank statements and also other documents that the Trustee asks for after you file for bankruptcy. Your licensed insolvency trustee makes use of the bank statements to validate your reported info.

If for some reason your historical financial institution deposits are dramatically different than your claimed earnings, you’ll need to be prepared to describe the disparity. If you approximated your bank accounts having a total of $100, yet it was, in fact, your deposit accounts had $1,500 on the day you filed, it will be nonexempt, and the Trustee will take it.

If you paid any type of huge expenses or transferred a large sum or an asset to someone right before you filed personal bankruptcy, the Trustee will have an obligation to report those transactions to your creditors, the OSB and the court and bring that cash back right into the personal bankruptcy estate for all creditors to share. If the cash is not recoverable from a third party, the Trustee will oppose your discharge and will look for payment of a minimum of that cash from YOU as a condition of your bankruptcy discharge.

If nevertheless, the Trustee thinks that you either lied or deliberately omitted details, the Trustee has to report that. The Trustee will certainly oppose your discharge and you will have a substantial issue on your hands needing you to retain a personal bankruptcy attorney.

What does the bankruptcy trustee investigate? All of that.

Red flags the bankruptcy trustee looks for at the meeting of creditors

Communicating with creditors and the meeting of creditors are very useful tools for the trustee in bankruptcy. The creditors have a much longer relationship with the bankrupt than the Trustee. They may very well have information that would be helpful to the Trustee in gaining a better understanding of the assets and liabilities of the bankrupt and of the bankrupt’s financial affairs not clear from the financial documents already reviewed by the Trustee.

At the First Meeting of Creditors in bankruptcy or the Meeting of Creditors in a Division I Proposal (or if required in a consumer proposal), the Trustee and creditor representatives can ask the debtor questions about their financial affairs. This is especially so for any type of discrepancies raised by your filing documents or financial records that indicates that you may be misstating assets or worse, the concealment of assets.

In any financial restructuring, including corporate reorganization plans, the value of the debtor’s nonexempt property really matters mainly because of the rule that entitles unsecured creditors to get a better outcome from such a repayment plan than would be the case in the debtor’s bankruptcy.

If your earnings don’t match your reported numbers, or if you improperly report side hustle business revenues, you can anticipate some sharp concerns and also possibly trouble getting your restructuring authorized or your discharge from bankruptcy.

What does the bankruptcy trustee investigate – When the bankruptcy trustee suspects fraud?

When allegations of bankruptcy fraud enter into bankruptcy administration, the next step normally includes obtaining information via an examination under oath. The BIA enables either the Trustee or the OSB to examine a bankrupt under oath. The BIA additionally permits the Trustee to put questions under oath to anyone that might have information, knowledge or documents concerning the affairs of the bankrupt. One of the key functions of the bankruptcy trustee is to protect the interests of unsecured creditors and to do so at every stage of the bankruptcy process.

As soon as the Trustee has gathered sufficient proof to support a case, the Trustee has 2 options, depending on the circumstances. If it is criminal activities or bankruptcy offences that the bankrupt person or the Directors of the bankrupt company have done, the Trustee can ask the OSB to review the proof. If they concur with the Trustee’s analysis, they can then call in the RCMP to check out.

If the RCMP has adequate evidence of a crime having been committed, or of bankruptcy offences, they will have the Crown lay bankruptcy fraud charges and then there will be a criminal trial. The result can be a fine, jail time or both. This will also give cause for the Trustee to have no choice but to oppose the person’s bankruptcy discharge.

If it is only about the recovery of money for creditors, the Trustee, if it has sufficient evidence and also funds, can launch a legal action against the appropriate party. The point of this kind of adversary case is to obtain cash for creditors (rather than prosecuting a criminal offence).

Such a proceeding resembles legal actions in various other courts yet generally, the matter in a bankruptcy administration will be heard in a shorter period of time in bankruptcy court than proceedings in various other courts. The obvious goal is for the Trustee to enter into settlement agreements with the offending parties. The goal of settlement agreements is to get cash for the creditors.

What does the bankruptcy trustee investigate summary

I hope that you found what does the bankruptcy trustee investigate Brandon Blog interesting and that you now have a better appreciation for the investigation aspect of an insolvency proceeding. Problems will arise when you are cash-starved and in debt. There are several insolvency processes available to a person or company with too much debt.

If you are concerned because you or your business are dealing with substantial debt challenges, you need debt help and you assume bankruptcy is your only option, call me.

It is not your fault that you remain in this way. You have actually been only shown the old ways to try to deal with financial issues. These old ways do not work anymore.

The Ira Smith Team utilizes new modern-day ways to get you out of your debt difficulties with debt relief options as alternatives to bankruptcy. We can get you the relief you need and so deserve. Our professional advice will create for you a personalized debt-free plan for you or your company during our no-cost initial consultation.

The tension put upon you is big. We know your discomfort factors. We will check out your entire situation and design a new approach that is as unique as you and your problems; financial and emotional. We will take the weight off of your shoulders and blow away the dark cloud hanging over you. We will design a debt settlement strategy for you. We know that we can help you now.

We understand that people and businesses facing financial issues need a realistic lifeline. There is no “one solution fits all” method with the Ira Smith Team. Not everyone has to file bankruptcy in Canada. The majority of our clients never do as we know the alternatives to bankruptcy. We help many people and companies stay clear of filing an assignment in bankruptcy.

That is why we can establish a new restructuring procedure for paying down debt that will be built just for you. It will be as one-of-a-kind as the economic issues and discomfort you are encountering. If any one of these seems familiar to you and you are serious about getting the solution you need to become debt-free, contact the Ira Smith Trustee & Receiver Inc. group today.

Call us now for a no-cost bankruptcy consultation.

We hope that you and your family are safe, healthy and secure during this COVID-19 pandemic.

Ira Smith Trustee & Receiver Inc. is absolutely operational and Ira, in addition to Brandon Smith, is readily available for a telephone consultation or video meeting.

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Brandon Blog Post

FILE FOR BANKRUPTCY: CAN YOU FILE FOR BANKRUPTCY CANADA FROM THE LUXURIOUS CARIBBEAN?

Post author By Brandon Smith
Post date February 22, 2021

We hope that you and your family are safe, healthy and secure during this coronavirus pandemic.

Ira Smith Trustee & Receiver Inc. is absolutely operational and Ira, in addition to Brandon Smith, is readily available for a telephone consultation or video meeting.

If you would prefer to listen to the audio version of this Brandon Blog, please scroll to the bottom and click play on the podcast.

File for bankruptcy introduction

You have all probably read about or heard about the Ontario judge who presided over Toronto-area court cases from the Caribbean. With today’s technology, it is electronically possible to attend Zoom court from anywhere in the world. That got me thinking. Can a Canadian file for bankruptcy from the Caribbean or anywhere else in the world?

So I did the research. In my opinion, using what is right now permissible technology, I think it is possible for a licensed insolvency trustee to either accept a Canadian filing bankruptcy or make it happen from the luxurious Caribbean or anywhere else outside of Canada. In this Brandon Blog, I will explain the bankruptcy process and why I think a person or company can file for bankruptcy from outside Canada.

You owe money: Considering bankruptcy?

To file for bankruptcy is a difficult decision to make, especially considering the financial and personal consequences it has on you and your family. But sometimes, there is no other option. If you find yourself unable to pay your debts, filing for bankruptcy may be your best bet for a fresh financial start. But before you decide to file for bankruptcy, you must assess your situation and understand the consequences.

It’s easy to be overwhelmed when you’re facing the prospect of filing for bankruptcy. Bankruptcy is a complicated legal proceeding, and the law has established procedures that must be followed in a specific order. If you’re considering bankruptcy, it’s important that you understand how the process works and the critical role a licensed insolvency trustee (formerly called either a trustee in bankruptcy or a bankruptcy trustee (Trustee) plays in that process.

As a Trustee, I can tell you that bankruptcy is a serious undertaking. It can have a big impact on you financially and emotionally, and there are many important decisions you must make before, during, and after the process. The decisions you make now will have a big impact on your future. As a Trustee, I always first try to help people and companies look at the alternatives to bankruptcy in order to avoid bankruptcy, rather than file for bankruptcy. Personal bankruptcy or business bankruptcies are truly a last resort when there is no other choice.

How to file for bankruptcy Canada: Let the licensed insolvency trustee no-cost consultation happen first

You may be considering filing for bankruptcy in Canada because you have debts that you can no longer pay. If you are drowning in debt, you might feel like there is no way out. But bankruptcy isn’t the end of the world. In fact, it can help many people get a fresh start by eliminating debts they can no longer pay. But as I always say, an individual or company may not need to file for bankruptcy. You have to consider all of your options. But in this section, we will focus on the bankruptcy filing process.

It all starts with you going to see a Trustee for a free, no-obligation initial consultation. The Trustee will listen to the facts you describe and ask you some questions to gain a better and deeper understanding of your specific situation. The Trustee will then tell you about the various debt relief options he or she believes are available to you. The Trustee will then provide you with his or her recommendation as to what is best for your situation and why.

Many factors will play into the Trustee’s recommendations, especially around your debt issues, including:

The types of debts.
Your unsecured debt vs. secured debts.
Do you have any student debt and if so, when did you graduate from the program that you acquired the student loan debt for?
The total amount of your Canadian debts and any foreign debt you may have.
Is Canada Revenue Agency hounding you for tax debt?
How appropriate are all the various debt options for your situation?
What percentage of debts are related to your assets that you cannot afford to lose.
What is the nature and extent of all of your assets?
Which assets are exempt from seizure and which are non-exempt?
Do you have any joint (co-signed) debt and how will your insolvency filing affect the other person?
Is the pressure from debt you are feeling right now require an immediate filing or could you wait a bit to see how some things play out over the short-term future?
Do you need immediate protection from debt and the related creditors or debt collectors taking collection actions right now such as trying to enforce against your assets, sue you or garnish your wages under a judgement?
How is your burden of debt currently affecting you and your family?
Comparing your current debt situation pre-filing to what your debt after filing and after your discharge will look like under each of the available alternatives.
How does the Trustee’s debt assessment factor into the realistic alternatives available to you to avoid bankruptcy?
Does your debt level at this stage that of overwhelming debts or are you right now only feeling mild indigestion? Perhaps you could work out of your debt problems on your own with just one or two strategies the Trustee will share with you at the no-cost consultation stage.

The Trustee considers all of this to see if you have an unmanageable debt to determine the best options available to you, including having you file for bankruptcy. You don’t want to do a consumer bankruptcy filing for yourself or have your company filing bankruptcy if it is not necessary to fix the debt problems.

How to file for bankruptcy – How the bankruptcy process starts

Alright, now for getting to answering the question I posed in the title and at the beginning of this Brandon Blog. Can a Canadian file for bankruptcy from the luxurious Caribbean? Can Canadian bankruptcy filings start from outside of Canada? To answer this question, we must look at what are the requirements of both the debtor, be it a person or company, and the Trustee, for a bankruptcy file to begin? All of my comments below, with appropriate amendments for context, will apply to:

an individual filing a debt settlement consumer proposal;
a person filing for personal bankruptcy;
either a person or a company filing a debt settlement financial restructuring proposal under Part III Division I of the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (Canada) (BIA); or
a company filing an assignment in bankruptcy.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the debtor and Trustee met in-person at the Trustee’s office in order for the Trustee to assess the debtor’s financial situation. If an insolvency process was required to help fix the debtor’s financial problems, then there was also an in-person meeting at the Trustee’s office to sign up the filing documents. Since the pandemic began, the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada (OSB) Messages to LITs concerning COVID-19 gave Trustees the authority to hold meetings by video conference. This is how the whole world has been operating for almost 1 year now. So this is how the insolvency process begins.

In addition to the initial consultation and signup. other meetings are also held via video meetings. Examples are a Meeting of Creditors and the two credit counselling sessions. Although the OSB’s guidance does say that Trustees can use methods other than in-person…..” for those areas where they have an approved resident or non-resident office…” keep in mind that a Trustee is licensed to act within an entire province! I won’t get into the semantics of the apparent conflict between the OSB’s guidance and its licensing approval process in this Brandon Blog.

Who can file for bankruptcy?

Any insolvent person can file for bankruptcy. Section 2 of the BIA defines an insolvent person as:

“insolvent person means a person who is not bankrupt and who resides, carries on business or has property in Canada, whose liabilities to creditors provable as claims under this Act amount to one thousand dollars, and

(a) who is for any reason unable to meet his obligations as they generally become due,
(b) who has ceased paying his current obligations in the ordinary course of business as they generally become due, or
(c) the aggregate of whose property is not, at a fair valuation, sufficient, or, if disposed of at a fairly conducted sale under legal process, would not be sufficient to enable payment of all his obligations, due and accruing due;”
So to file for bankruptcy, amongst other requirements, the person or company must reside, carry on business or have property in Canada.

The locality of the debtor

Once all the documents are signed up to file for bankruptcy, the Trustee has to file them with the OSB in the “locality of the debtor“. Section 2 of the BIA defines “locality of the debtor” as:

“locality of a debtor means the principal place

(a) where the debtor has carried on business during the year immediately preceding the date of the initial bankruptcy event,

(b) where the debtor has resided during the year immediately preceding the date of the initial bankruptcy event, or

(c) in cases not coming within paragraph (a) or (b), where the greater portion of the property of the debtor is situated;”

If the debtor has been living in the Caribbean for 4 months immediately preceding the date of the filing of the assignment in bankruptcy, do they qualify? The answer is yes. Court decisions have determined that the word “during” means “at some time” during the year preceding the date of bankruptcy. It does not mean continuously. So during these pandemic days where we meet with everyone online, it is possible for the Canadian person to be in the Caribbean, meet with the Trustee for the initial consultation, decide on an insolvency process, in this case, bankruptcy and then initiate the bankruptcy proceedings, all from the luxury of a Caribbean vacation spot.

Let’s not delve into how a debtor who needs to file for bankruptcy can afford to live in the Caribbean or whose villa it is. That is beyond the scope of this Brandon Blog.

What about the Trustee?

The same way the debtor, or a judge, can transact business by video meeting from outside Canada, the same is true for the Trustee. As long as the Trustee can access all his or her office documents and systems online from outside of the office, there is no reason why the Trustee could not operate from the Caribbean as well to handle the person or company that wants to file for bankruptcy.

I am not advocating for this position, especially when you consider both the danger of and the appropriateness of travelling during these times of hardship and sacrifice. But since the question was “Can a Canadian file for bankruptcy from the Caribbean or anywhere else in the world?”, the answer is YES.

So whether you are a judge in the Ontario court, an insolvent debtor or a Trustee, I do not see any legal reason why someone could not file for bankruptcy from the Caribbean or anywhere else in the world.

File for bankruptcy summary

I hope you enjoyed the file for bankruptcy Brandon Blog post. If you are concerned because you or your business are dealing with substantial debt challenges and you assume bankruptcy is your only option, call me. It is not your fault that you remain in this way. You have actually been only shown the old ways to try to deal with financial issues. These old ways do not work anymore.

The Ira Smith Team utilizes new modern-day ways to get you out of your debt difficulties while avoiding bankruptcy. We can get you the relief you need and so deserve.

The tension put upon you is big. We know your discomfort factors. We will check out your entire situation and design a new approach that is as unique as you and your problems; financial and emotional. We will take the weight off of your shoulders and blow away the dark cloud hanging over you. We will design a debt settlement strategy for you. We know that we can help you now.

We understand that people and businesses facing financial issues need a realistic lifeline. There is no “one solution fits all” method with the Ira Smith Team. Not everyone has to file bankruptcy in Canada. The majority of our clients never do. We help many people and companies stay clear of bankruptcy.

That is why we can establish a new restructuring procedure for paying down debt that will be built just for you. It will be as one-of-a-kind as the economic issues and discomfort you are encountering. If any one of these seems familiar to you and you are serious about getting the solution you need, contact the Ira Smith Trustee & Receiver Inc. group today.

Call us now for a no-cost consultation.

We will get you or your business back up driving to healthy and balanced trouble-free operations and get rid of the discomfort factors in your life, Starting Over, Starting Now.

We hope that you and your family are safe, healthy and secure during this coronavirus pandemic.

Ira Smith Trustee & Receiver Inc. is absolutely operational and Ira, in addition to Brandon Smith, is readily available for a telephone consultation or video meeting.

Tags avoid bankruptcy, Bankruptcy, Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, Consumer Proposal, debt assessment, debt collectors, debts, file for bankruptcy, filing bankruptcy, insolvency, insolvent person, Ira Smith Trustee, licensed insolvency trustee, locality of the debtor, Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada, student debt, Toronto-area court cases, unsecured debt

Brandon Blog Post

CONSUMER PROPOSAL VS BANKRUPTCY ONTARIO: THE BEST INFO YOU REALLY NEED

Post author By Brandon Smith
Post date September 16, 2020

The Ira Smith Trustee Team is absolutely operational and Ira, in addition to Brandon Smith, is readily available for a telephone consultation or video meeting. We hope that you and your family are safe and healthy.

Consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario introduction

What is the difference between a consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario is a question people calling me up these days are asking. No doubt the looming end of the various COVID-19 government support programs is now sparking this interest. People and businesses were given a reprieve with Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan and the courts being closed. Now fear is creeping back into everyone’s minds about their debts that essentially were put on hold for the last 6 months.

So, since people are asking me the question, I want to answer the consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario question in this Brandon’s Blog.

Consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario: Who qualifies for and what is a consumer proposal?

A consumer proposal is different from bankruptcy. Consumer proposals are available to individuals only whose overall financial obligations do not exceed $250,000, not including debts secured by their principal residence.

Division 1 proposals are offered to both companies with any debt level and people whose debts go beyond $250,000 (omitting the mortgage or any other debts secured by their primary residence).

Consumer proposals are official methods regulated by the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (Canada) (BIA) readily available to individuals. Collaborating with a licensed insolvency trustee (Trustee) serving as the consumer proposal administrator, you make a proposal to:

Pay your creditors a percentage of what you owe them over a certain period not exceeding 60 months.
Expand the time you need to settle those debts.
Or a mix of both.

Payments are made via the Trustee, and the Trustee utilizes that cash to pay each of your creditors their pro-rata share. The consumer proposal must be completed within 5 years from the day of filing.

Consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario: Who qualifies for bankruptcy?

You can declare bankruptcy if you:

Live in Canada.
Continue business or have assets in Canada.
Have financial debts totalling a minimum of $1,000.
Are insolvent.

There are different tests for insolvency laid out in the BIA. They are:

for any reason, you are unable to pay your financial debts as they generally come to be due;
you have ceased paying present debts in the regular course as they usually are due; or
the complete worth of your property is not, at a reasonable valuation, enough, or, if sold at a sale under legal process, would not be sufficient to make it possible for repayment of all your financial obligations.

Consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario: What is bankruptcy?

A consumer proposal is an excellent option for you if you can afford to make payments towards your financial debts monthly. If you are entirely unable to make enough payments for a consumer proposal, then bankruptcy is probably your only other alternative.

By statute, the offer you make your creditors via a consumer proposal must be a much better option than what your creditors would certainly get in your bankruptcy. I help people make that analysis during our initial no-cost consultation prior to them selecting the ideal insolvency process for them. We discover the choices readily available, including a consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario. Bankruptcy is an alternative when you cannot afford to fund a consumer proposal to your creditors.

If bankruptcy is the selected alternative, you work with me, as the Trustee, to complete the needed documents. I then submit them with the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada (OSB). When the OSB issues its Certificate, after that you are formally bankrupt.

From that point on, the Trustee will deal directly with your creditors in your place. As soon as you are bankrupt:

you will stop making payments to your unsecured creditors;
any type of garnishments against your wages or bank account will stop; and
any lawsuits for money against you from your creditors will also be stopped.

Consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario: What are the advantages of a consumer proposal?

The benefits of a consumer proposal vs. bankruptcy Ontario are:

You maintain all of your assets.
Actions against you by creditors, such as wage garnishments will quit.
Unlike informal financial debt settlement, the consumer proposal is a legal forum where every one of your creditors has to deal with your restructuring.
You do not have to think any more about the “B” word.

Consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario: What are the differences in credit score?

The person that files for bankruptcy will absolutely get an R9 rating. This is the lowest credit rating possible. It will continue to be on their record for at least 7 years. An individual that submits a consumer proposal will have an R7 credit score which is less extreme. It will certainly remain to be on their record for around 8 years overall, from the moment of filing.

You will absolutely pay less than the total you owe with a consumer proposal. Commonly as much as 70% less. All your unsecured financial obligations will be combined right into a simple regular month-to-month payment. This number will be based upon what you can afford.

Consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario: What are the costs and fees of a consumer proposal versus filing for bankruptcy?

When doing a consumer proposal, the Trustee’s charges are paid for out of the repayment you bargain with your creditors. For example, if your consumer proposal has you paying a total amount of $20,000 over 5 years, the Trustee’s fee and disbursements are drawn from those funds. The cost of the consumer proposal is likewise regulated by the BIA. The expense does not go up or down based upon the amount you are required to pay in your consumer proposal.

However, if you were to file for bankruptcy, the cost is once again controlled by the BIA. The Trustee is paid out of the funds available in your bankruptcy. Examples of sources of funds in personal bankruptcy are any surplus income you might need to pay as well as any assets that are available to the Trustee to sell.

If there are not expected to be any type of funds in your bankruptcy, the regulated cost to be funded either by the debtor or a third party guarantor will be around $2,000. This is one more difference between a consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario.

Consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario: Are assets treated differently between a consumer proposal vs bankruptcy?

If you do a consumer proposal, you can keep your assets whereas in bankruptcy your assets in most cases are affected. This includes the equity in your home if greater than $10,000, an auto or other vehicle worth greater than $6,600 (without liens against it), investments, tax refunds, as well as any RRSP contributions made in the 12 months immediately before filing for bankruptcy.

This distinction between a consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario is huge.

Consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario: What if I default on my consumer proposal vs bankruptcy payments?

If you do not keep up your payments on a consumer proposal, and drop 3 months behind, you have defaulted and the consumer proposal is void. You additionally are unable to submit a brand-new consumer proposal. Collection activity by your creditors will begin again.

In bankruptcy, if you do not complete all your obligations, you will not have the ability to get your discharge from bankruptcy. As soon as the Trustee gets its discharge, your creditors will certainly return to collection activities too.

This is one more consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario difference.

consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario

Consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario: When is a meeting of creditors held in a consumer proposal?

A meeting of creditors in a consumer proposal is held if one is requested by creditors that are owed at least one-quarter of the total amount of proven claims filed.

An ask for a meeting needs to be made by the creditors within 45 days of the declaring of the consumer proposal. The OSB can additionally ask for the Trustee to call a meeting any time within that same duration.

The meeting of creditors must be held within 21 days after being called. At the meeting of creditors, they vote to either accept or reject the proposal.

If no meeting of creditors is requested within 45 days of the declaring of the proposal, the proposal will be considered to have been approved by the creditors no matter any kind of objections made later.

**How long does it take to complete a consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario?**

A consumer proposal is ended when the individual has made the call for payments over the amount of time stated in the proposal itself. In a bankruptcy, the discharge relies on a selection of different aspects, including whether it was the very first time the debtor filed for bankruptcy and if they need to make surplus income payments.

If the borrower has never proclaimed bankruptcy and they do not need to make surplus income payments, then they are entitled to be discharged 9 months. However, if the bankrupt has surplus income, then a first-time bankrupt will need to pay for 21 months before when they can be discharged

If this is not the person’s first bankruptcy, and they do not have surplus income, they cannot get a discharge before the expiry of 24 months. If that person has a surplus income requirement, then they must pay for 36 months before being able to be discharged.

This is another distinction between a consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario.

Consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario: What do consumer proposals and bankruptcy have in common?

Both a consumer proposal and bankruptcy are lawfully binding treatments that are administered by a Trustee. If you are thinking of a consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario, it is vital that you consult with a Trustee to ensure that you completely understand what’s involved, and the costs. You can talk with friends or family that might have applied for one or the other before. It is also important that you get referrals from professionals you trust.

Declaring bankruptcy or doing a consumer proposal are both issues of public record. That means there will be a permanent public record concerning your insolvency that can be accessed by anyone. If your debts are joint or co-signed or guaranteed by someone else, the other person is liable for the debt. That is the case even if you file for either a consumer proposal or personal bankruptcy.

Even these similarities still point out differences between a consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario.

How do I choose between a consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario?

As you can see, when you consider a consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario, there are most definitely differences between the two. But they are both formal insolvency processes to eliminate your debt. What’s essential, though, is that you discover the best method to get yourself back on the right track in such a way that will assist you to achieve your long-term goals.

Consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario: How to file for bankruptcy?

In order to take advantage of either a consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario, you must involve a Trustee. This is a person or company licensed by the OSB to provide the insolvency process. The 10 actions listed below are a guide to the bankruptcy procedure.

Call a qualified Trustee and go to a meeting with him or her to talk about your personal circumstance and your alternatives including if it is possible for you to prevent bankruptcy.
Deal with the Trustee to complete the needed forms. The Trustee will after that submit the bankruptcy with the OSB.
The Trustee notifies your creditors of the bankruptcy.
You participate in a meeting of creditors if one is called.
You participate in 2 counselling sessions.
Based on your personal exemptions, the Trustee markets your available assets; you may additionally need to make surplus income payments to the Trustee.
In certain circumstances, you might need to participate in an examination held by an OSB representative.
The Trustee prepares a report describing your actions throughout the bankruptcy.
You go to the discharge hearing if needed.
You obtain your discharge from your bankruptcy.

Afterward, the Trustee completes the administration, including paying a dividend to your creditors, if offered.

Consumer proposals and bankruptcy Ontario aren’t the only ways of obtaining debt relief and consolidating debt

There are additionally other ways of fixing debt problems that do not include a formal process or paying a fee. If you honestly wish to thoroughly and objectively take a look at all your options, contact a Trustee, and meet with him or her. They’ll pay attention to your scenario and concerns and advise you on what will work best for you even if you do not need to file for either a consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario. Their assistance is normally cost-free and non-judgmental.

At my Firm, declaring bankruptcy is only encouraged until all other potential solutions have investigated. A consumer proposal is the only government-approved financial debt settlement strategy and is always the far better bankruptcy alternative.

Consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario: Move on with your life

I hope you have enjoyed this consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario Brandon’s Blog. Both a successfully completed consumer proposal or obtaining your discharge from bankruptcy lets you get back on the road to financial health, relieve the stress you face, and bring you:

Freedom from lawsuits and garnishments;
The ability to live better than just hanging on one payday to the next;
Improved credit scores; and
Better health and well-being.

Do you have too much debt? Are you in need of financial restructuring? The financial restructuring process is complex. The Ira Smith Team understands how to do a complex restructuring. However, more importantly, we understand the needs of the entrepreneur or the person who has too much personal debt.

You are worried because you are facing significant financial challenges.
It is not your fault that you are in this situation. You have been only shown the old ways that do not work anymore. The Ira Smith Team uses new modern ways to get you out of your debt troubles while avoiding bankruptcy. We can get you debt relief freedom.

The stress placed upon you is huge. We understand your pain points. We look at your entire situation and devise a strategy that is as unique as you and your problems; financial and emotional. The way we take the load off of your shoulders and devise a debt settlement plan, we know that we can help you.

We know that people facing financial problems need a realistic lifeline. There is no “one solution fits all” approach with the Ira Smith Team. That is why we can develop a restructuring process as unique as the financial problems and pain you are facing. If any of this sounds familiar to you and you are serious in finding a solution, contact the Ira Smith Trustee & Receiver Inc. team today.
Call us now for a free consultation.

We will get you or your company back on the road to healthy stress-free operations and recover from the pain points in your life, Starting Over, Starting Now.

The Ira Smith Trustee Team is absolutely operational and Ira, in addition to Brandon Smith, is readily available for a telephone consultation or video meeting. We hope that you and your family are safe and healthy.

consumer proposal vs bankruptcy ontario — consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario

Tags alternatives to bankruptcy, Bankruptcy, bankruptcy alternative, bankruptcy and insolvency act canada, BIA, Consumer Proposal, consumer proposal vs bankruptcy, consumer proposal vs bankruptcy ontario, consumer proposals, Division I Proposal, insolvent, Ira Smith Trustee, licensed insolvency trustee, Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada, OSB, trustee

Brandon Blog Post

CCAA CANADA: OUR EXTRAORDINARY GUIDE TO 2020 TROUBLED CANADIAN COMPANIES SEEKING BANKRUPTCY PROTECTION

Post author By Brandon Smith
Post date August 10, 2020

The Ira Smith Team is totally operational and both Ira and Brandon Smith are here for a telephone consultation, conference calls and virtual meetings.

Keep healthy and safe everybody.

If you would prefer to listen to the audio version of this Brandon’s Blog, please scroll to the bottom and click play on the podcast.

CCAA Canada introduction

We are now about 5 months into this COVID-19 pandemic since the state of emergency was announced in Canada. There has also been a lot of media coverage of the many negative effects it has had on Canadians and the Canadian economy. I thought it might be interesting at this point to do some review on CCAA Canada. Now I am not talking about the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association. Rather, I am going to look at the companies that have so far filed for creditor protection under one of Canada’s insolvency statutes. The Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act.

When a company tries to reorganize under CCAA Canada – What does CCAA mean?

When Canadian companies who owe more than $5 million experience financial problems, they might go to court to seek creditor protection, filing under the CCAA Canada. That’s federal legislation that primarily offers a company time to try to work out its financial troubles with those to which it owes money.

As I have written before in various Brandon’s Blogs, if the company owes less than $5 million it can file under the Part III Division I reorganization section of the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (Canada). Although it is the other Canadian federal insolvency statute and some procedures are more streamlined and handled slightly differently, the net effect is the same as the matters I explain below about the CCAA Canada.

What does CCAA Canada protection mean? CCAA vs Chapter 11

“Bankruptcy protection” is a term closely associated with a US company filing under Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code. That term has been adopted into the Canadian insolvency dialogue. In Canada, it most likely means that the Canadian company has applied to a Canadian court to look for protection from their creditors by filing under CCAA Canada.

A firm files under CCAA Canada for consent to come up with a restructuring plan strategy that would certainly provide it time to rearrange its financial affairs to make sure that it can keep operating.

As long as a CCAA order continues to be in place, creditors are not allowed to start or continue any kind of action to recover money owed to them. They can’t try to confiscate the firm’s property or try to petition it into bankruptcy, without the prior approval of the court. This is called the CCAA stay of proceedings.

Considering that a CCAA Canada filing is made because a business is deeply in the red, the initial order of business is to strike some kind of satisfactory arrangement with its creditors. That includes secured creditors, unsecured creditors and shareholders.

Can CCAA Canada protection be extended?

Yes, under CCAA Canada, court-ordered protection can be extended. After Algoma Steel filed under CCAA Canada in April 2001, the firm had gotten eight extensions prior to emerging with a new ownership framework.

Who gets priority under a CCAA Canada filing?

Not all creditors are treated equally. There is a priority generally established for the ranking of creditors and the order in which they might be paid by a debtor.

First in a CCAA Canada restructuring, will be any government claims that rank as a priority deemed trust claim. Next will be any new charges ordered by the court as part of the restructuring. Examples of such court-ordered security charges are Key Employee Retention Plans, financing the company needs in order to survive during the restructuring period and the costs of the professionals involved in the restructuring for the company.

Secured creditors, including lenders and bondholders, usually head the list next when it concerns getting back their money. Secured creditors might hold security such as a general security agreement and/or a mortgage as security for their debt held.

Unsecured creditors follow next on the list of creditors. Unsecured creditors have supplied goods or services on credit to the company without being given any security. In the many retailer filings that have been in the news recently, even customers who have paid deposits for items not yet picked up or who have gift cards are also unsecured creditors. Last on the list are the shareholders.

What happens if the court doesn’t approve a CCAA Canada application or the sides can’t agree on how to restructure debt?

If a restructuring effort is not successful, or if the court does not approve it, a company can be placed right into receivership or bankruptcy. The main difference between a CCAA Canada filing and the options of receivership or bankruptcy, suggests that the company can no longer be a going concern and will be liquidated.

The choice between receivership or bankruptcy depends on the nature and extent of the creditors. If there is a major secured creditor who is owed more than the assets are worth, on a failed restructuring, the court will allow that secured creditor to appoint a receiver (or the court will appoint the receiver). The receiver will then liquidate the company’s assets and repay the secured creditor as much as possible. If there are no secured creditors (which is highly unusual), or there will be money left over from the liquidation after full repayment of the secured creditors, then there will be bankruptcy. The licensed insolvency trustee acting as the bankruptcy trustee will make a distribution to the unsecured creditors.

Sometimes the type of company or industry will require both receivership and bankruptcy. Retail liquidations are a good example. The reasons are outside the main topic of discussion for this CCAA Canada Brandon’s Blog, but, one day, I will do one on that topic.

What happens to shareholders in a CCAA Canada restructuring?

Holders of common stock generally come last. On a regular basis in a CCAA Canada restructuring, they tend to get wiped out. Their old shares come to be worthless. Usually, brand-new shares are issued in the restructured company.

Holders of preferred shares rank ahead of common shareholders (for this reason the title “preferred”) yet more often than not do not get back the full value of their shares.

Public company shares in a company if it enters CCAA Canada protection and all trading is halted

When a public company announces that it has filed under CCAA Canada, a trading halt is applied. The listing exchange notifies the marketplace that trading is not taking place. While the stop is in effect, brokers are forbidden from publishing quotations or signs of interest in trading. The listing exchange will end the trading stop by taking the actions called for by its rules. Generally, the marketplace is alerted that a trading halt is about to end either at the same time the halt finishes or a few minutes before.

When a company gets on the edge of bankruptcy, its stock value mirrors the danger of a CCAA Canada administration becoming liquidation. Purely as an example, a business that used to trade at $50 might trade at $2 per share as a result of the bankruptcy environment. After entering into a CCAA Canada filing, the company’s stock price might be up to $2.10. This value is composed of the potential amount that shareholders might get after liquidation and also the possibility that the firm might restructure and run effectively in the future. Investors can buy and sell these $2.10 shares in the market. The actual value does not reach zero unless the likelihood of restructuring is so low that liquidation becomes a certainty.

While the company is in a CCAA Canada restructuring, its stock will certainly still have some value, though it will likely plummet. The regulatory authorities will watch it very closely and shut down trading if any anomalies are encountered where investors could get hurt. This was recently seen in the United States in the Hertz Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection administration.

Nonetheless, if the business restructures and emerges from CCAA Canada reorganization as a solvent going-concern, its share price might start to rise again. How much will depend on the unique restructuring issues. If a business rises from its restructuring stronger than ever, investors can take advantage of the turnaround, as old stock may get cancelled during the insolvency process, and new shares issued.

List of CCAA filings under CCAA Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic so far?

There have been many media reports about companies filing under CCAA Canada during this coronavirus pandemic. I thought it would be useful to look at which companies have filed and what industries seem to be most affected between the calling for the state of emergency and the last date for which these statistics have been published, July 31, 2020. All of this information comes from statistics published by the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada.

The number of companies and the industries that these companies engage in is allocated as follows:

Cannabis	6
Charity	1
Construction	4
Energy	4
Entertainment	1
Hospitality	1
Manufacturing	1
Media	1
Mining	2
Pulp and Paper	1
Real Estate	2
Retail	8
Technology	1
Travel	1

	34

The following chart shows the filings by the province in this same time frame:

ccaa canada graph

CCAA Canada summary

I hope you enjoyed this CCAA Canada Brandon’s Blog. The Ira Smith Team family hopes you and your family are staying safe, healthy and well-balanced. Our hearts go out to every person who has been affected either through inconvenience or personal family tragedy.

We are all citizens of Canada and we have to coordinate our efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Social distancing and self-quarantining are sacrifices that are not optional. Family members are literally separated from each other. We look forward to the time when things can return to something close to normal and we can all be together again physically.

Ira Smith Trustee & Receiver Inc. has always employed clean and safe habits in our professional practice and continues to do so.

Revenue and cash flow shortages are critical issues facing entrepreneurs and their companies and businesses. Should you take advantage of the CEBA? I say a resounding YES!. I just wanted to highlight all of the issues that you should consider.

If anyone needs our assistance, feel confident that Ira or Brandon can still assist you. Telephone consultations and/or virtual conferences are readily available for anyone feeling the need to discuss their personal or company situation.

Are you now worried just how you or your business are going to survive? Those concerns are obviously on your mind. This pandemic situation has made everyone scared.

The Ira Smith Team understands these concerns. More significantly, we know the requirements of the business owner or the individual that has way too much financial debt. You are trying to manage these difficult financial problems and you are understandably anxious.

It is not your fault you can’t fix this problem on your own. The pandemic has thrown everyone a curveball. We have not been trained to deal with this. You have only been taught the old ways. The old ways do not work anymore. The Ira Smith Team makes use of new contemporary ways to get you out of your debt problems while avoiding bankruptcy. We can get you debt relief now.

We look at your whole circumstance and design a strategy that is as distinct as you are. We take the load off of your shoulders as part of the debt settlement strategy we will draft just for you.

We understand that people facing money problems require a lifeline. That is why we can establish a restructuring procedure for you and end the discomfort you feel.

Call us now for a no-cost consultation. We will listen to the unique issues facing you and provide you with practical and actionable ideas you can implement right away to end the pain points in your life, Starting Over, Starting Now.

The Ira Smith Team is totally operational and both Ira and Brandon Smith are here for a telephone consultation, conference calls and virtual meetings.

Keep healthy and safe everybody.

Brandon Blog Post

INSOLVENCIES IN CANADA: THE CALM BEFORE THE SCARY STORM?

Post author By Brandon Smith
Post date June 24, 2020

The Ira Smith Team is absolutely operational and Ira, in addition to Brandon Smith, is readily available for a telephone consultation or video meeting.

Insolvencies in Canada introduction

Insolvencies in Canada are at a record low. Is it the calm before the scary storm?

Consumer insolvencies in Canada have been driven to unusually reduced degrees in recent years because of sustained low-interest rates and strong property values.

In this Brandon’s Blog, I discuss what could very well happen in the 4th quarter of 2020 and into 2021.

Insolvencies in Canada – recent history

The lower number of insolvency filings is not a new phenomenon. Insolvencies in Canada have been at historically low levels for many years. It was not until last year that personal insolvency filings increased year over year.

In 2019, consumer insolvencies for the 12-month period finishing December 31, 2019, increased by 9.5% compared to the 12-months ending December 31, 2018. Personal bankruptcy decreased by 1.2%, while consumer proposals were 17.9% higher.

After many successive years of steady decline, business bankruptcies in Canada had reached a plateau level in 2019. Typically speaking, business bankruptcies in Canada have been stable.

During the 1st quarter of 2020, the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada (OSB) reports that between the 4th quarter of 2019 and the end of the 1st quarter of 2020, for insolvencies in Canada:

Total insolvency filings decreased by 5.4%.
Consumer filings were down by 5.5%.
Business insolvency filings were 2.6% lower.
In all cases, bankruptcy filings were drastically lower and restructuring proposals were essentially flat.
For personal filings, Alberta was basically flat while the other provinces and territory showed decreases.
In business filings, Ontario showed a slight increase (8.3%) and British Columbia showed a huge increase (43.5%). Again, it was restructuring proposals, not bankruptcy, making up the majority of business filings. All other provinces and territories showed a decrease.

Then the effects of the economic shutdown of the country started taking hold in April 2020.

April 2020 insolvencies in Canada and the United States

The total variety of insolvencies in Canada (both bankruptcy and proposal filings) decreased by 38.7% in April 2020 contrasted to March 2020. Personal bankruptcy decreased by 41.5% and proposals decreased by 37.2%.

The number of insolvencies filed in April 2020 was 43.5% less than the total in April 2019. Consumer bankruptcies decreased by 43.1%, while consumer proposals decreased by 54.8%.

The story in the United States is very similar. American Banker reports that presently in the US, personal bankruptcy filings are actually reduced year over year. It reports that according to information from the federal courts, there were 186,000 consumer bankruptcy cases in the first quarter of 2019. By comparison, there were 175,000 for the initial quarter of 2020.

A lot more noticeably, the rate of consumer insolvency cases for April of 2020 was 46% lower than in April of 2019.

There are a variety of reasons in both countries. From my discussions with a couple of US bankruptcy lawyers, I am friendly with, it seems the reasons in both countries are generally the same.

In no particular order, the main reasons are:

Mortgage payment deferral programs masking what might otherwise be increased delinquencies.
Lower overall credit card spending while people are at home in self-quarantine.
Various government programs supplying much-needed cash to unemployed people and businesses.
Government programs deferring the timing for filing income tax returns and the payment of income tax.
Moral suasion so far stopping banks, credit card companies and collection agencies from aggressively making collection attempts during this time.
The closure of the courts making it impossible to sue anyone.
insolvencies in canada

The economy is starting to reopen

In conjunction with the federal government, the provinces and territories are starting to reopen cities and businesses. No doubt there will be a lot of growing pains as the economy reopens. What should we expect? What will it mean for insolvencies in Canada?

In his first speech as Governor of the Bank of Canada, on June 22, 2020, Tiff Macklem stated that he expects there will be an initial boost to the Canadian economy as it reopens and activity resumes. He does not expect that good news to last very long. Rather, he expects there will be the 2nd stage of economic recovery that will certainly be long and slow, due to the remaining unpredictability around the coronavirus.

The federal government will need to wean Canadians off of the various support programs. When that happens, all the financial pain currently hiding under the radar will rise to the forefront. COVID-19 support programs, payment deferrals and other “time outs” will end and the courts will reopen. Creditors will get back to business as usual in chasing delinquent accounts. The federal, provincial and territorial governments will feel they have done enough to the tune of trillions of dollars. Their attitude will be, in so many words, it is now time for you to stand on your own two feet again.

In fact, some government attitudes are already changing.

Will temporary layoffs be a harbinger for business insolvencies in Canada?

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, BC seemed to handle their lockdown and other COVID-19 things a bit differently than the other provinces and territories. As they now consider reopening, BC businesses are worried.

British Columbia businesses are discouraged by Labour Minister Harry Bains’s failure to recognize the seriousness of problems facing the mainly small and medium-sized businesses. Their issue is the possibility for thousands of companies to have to make an insolvency filing. Their main worry is that they will be compelled to make severance payments as a result of the unexpected scenarios brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Minister has it within his power to supply a Ministerial Order to expand the temporary layoff time frame under the Employment Standards Act to provide companies with the breathing room” required to survive, recoup, and facilitate return-to-work for laid-off staff.

All provinces and territories face extraordinary difficulties as a result of the economic results from COVID-19. Few business owners can plan for or have the cash-on-hand to terminate all or a considerable part of their labour force at the same time throughout the very best of times.

BC companies will be faced with fears as the clock ticks to target dates beginning in very early July requiring several companies to either recall or permanently terminate laid-off staff members. They don’t have enough business or money to rehire everyone. They also don’t have the cash to make the severance payments. Without legislative support, this problem will face all Canadian businesses.

In the nick of time, the federal government has come to the rescue. On June 23, 2020, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the federal government has expanded the period for temporary layoffs by as much as 6 months. Employers now have more time to recall staff members who were laid off due to COVID-19.

Now, for employees who were laid off before March 31, the government has proposed that their employers have the earlier of 6 months or up until December 30 to recall their staff. For employees laid off between March 31 and September 30, their company will have up until December 30, unless a later recall day was given on their layoff notification.

I caution that this is a proposal floated by our PM right now and not actual legislation. Labour legislation is largely left up to the provinces and territories. It is interesting to note that the Feds seem to be stepping into this. As we all know, ultimately, businesses will either be able to survive or will have to restructure under our laws for insolvencies in Canada.

Will extending employee recalls be a harbinger for personal insolvencies in Canada?

So now that employees can expect to remain unemployed for longer, what is that going to mean? For several years now polls have shown that Canadians are on the brink of insolvency. As I already mentioned, rock-bottom interest rates and rising real estate values, leading to lots of home equity lines of credit room to borrow on. This has kept Canadians in debt and out of becoming one of the statistics for insolvencies in Canada.

So the question is, once the Canada Employment Response Benefit (CERB) runs out, what will the unemployed do? Seems to me there are a few options, none of them good:

Cut back on spending as much as possible. In places like the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), you have to be a magician to be able to live on $2,000 per month (after putting away the amount you will have to pay eventually in CERB income tax).
Burn through the rest of your savings until you have no cash.
As a result of 1 or 2, go deeper into debt on your lines of credit and credit cards until you have no more borrowing room.

Once all of this has happened, the only thing left to do will be to consult with a licensed insolvency trustee (formerly called a bankruptcy trustee) to discuss your realistic options for eliminating debt.

Insolvencies in Canada summary

I hope you have found the insolvencies in Canada Brandon’s Blog interesting and helpful. The Ira Smith Team family hopes that you and your family members are remaining secure, healthy and well-balanced. Our hearts go out to every person that has been affected either via misfortune or inconvenience.

We all must help each other to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Social distancing and self-quarantining are sacrifices that are not optional. Families are literally separated from each other. We look forward to the time when life can return to something near to typical and we can all be together once again.

Ira Smith Trustee & Receiver Inc. has constantly used clean, safe and secure ways in our professional firm and we continue to do so.

Income, revenue and cash flow shortages are critical issues facing entrepreneurs, their companies and individual Canadians. This is especially true these days.

If anyone needs our assistance for debt relief Canada COVID-19, or you just need some answers for questions that are bothering you, feel confident that Ira or Brandon can still assist you. Telephone consultations and/or virtual conferences are readily available for anyone feeling the need to discuss their personal or company situation.

The Ira Smith Team is absolutely operational and Ira, in addition to Brandon Smith, is readily available for a telephone consultation or video meeting.

Tags american banker, bank of canada, bankruptcy trustee, business bankruptcy, canada employment response benefit, cerb, consumer insolvencies, Consumer Proposal, coronavirus, covid-19, covid-19 pandemic, debt relief, insolvencies in canada, ira smith team, licensed insolvency trustee, Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada, personal insolvency, tiff macklem

Brandon Blog Post

BANKRUPTCY TRUSTEE NEAR ME IS NOW A LICENSED INSOLVENCY TRUSTEE NEAR ME

Post author By Brandon Smith
Post date November 14, 2018

Bankruptcy trustee near me: Introduction

This Brandon’s Blog is about picking a licensed insolvency trustee. As the title suggests, performing an online search for bankruptcy trustee “near me”, based solely on geography, is one way. Being around the corner is certainly convenient, but it may have no place in making a life-altering decision. This isn’t a coffee place you are looking for. If you required life-saving surgery, would you base your decision only upon which surgeon operates out of the hospital closest to your home? I don’t think so.

Bankruptcy trustee near me: Don’t fall into the debt consultant/debt settlement company trap

I am talking about people who actually hold a license issued by the Canadian Superintendent of Bankruptcy to administer the insolvency system in Canada. I am not talking about debt consultants or others who claim to be able to help you avoid bankruptcy and end debt.

There is no government licensing or supervision of debt consultants. They merely charge you for a first intake consultation, that a bankruptcy trustee would do for free. Once they have your information, you have paid them for the visit, and perhaps they have signed you up for more expensive “credit score improvement tools”, they hand you over to the licensed insolvency trustee who now will perform the actual work.

Using this type of arrangement costs you more money than you need to spend. The money you can’t afford to pay! The Superintendent of Bankruptcy is putting new controls in place over licensed insolvency trustees to stop bankruptcy trustees from allowing debt consultants to associate shoddy practices and perhaps even profit based on their relationships with licensed insolvency trustees.

Bankruptcy trustee near me: There are different types

I am not referring to good or bad when I say there are different types of bankruptcy trustees. I am talking about the type of practice they run. Generally, there are 4 groups; bankruptcy trustees who run:

Only a personal bankruptcy practice out of one site;
A corporate bankruptcy firm out of one or a few strategically placed locations around the greater metropolitan area of your city;
Both a corporate and personal bankruptcy practice out of one or a limited number of locations; or
The personal bankruptcy practice being operated out of many locations following a coffee or fast food restaurant model of being near every street corner.

So obviously you first need to recognize whether your financial issues are those for your company, you personally or both. As I said at the beginning, geography is nice, but it is not the most important criteria. One simple reason is that multi-location bankruptcy trustees do not make every office of theirs a full-time office. In contrast, you will see that they are operating out of either office for daily rent locations, a lawyer’s or accountant’s office, or the worst, a debt consultant’s office.

You cannot stretch yourself too thin over many offices. So, more often than not, even if your first free consultation is with a member of the Trustee’s staff, you may be meeting with an experienced clerk, but not the actual bankruptcy trustee.

My 5 point checklist to find a licensed insolvency trustee

Quality and professionalism.
Someone around the corner from you may not have the experience you need to solve your financial problems. To begin in selecting the very best bankruptcy trustee for you, look at the Canadian Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Professionals (CAIRP) website. Membership in this professional organization shows a Trustee committed to the industry and staying on top of all the current advancements. Also check the website of the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy, to make sure the bankruptcy trustees you are thinking about are not under suspension or supervision by the regulator.
You need to be able to interact with them on lots of levels.
In the beginning, you’ll need them to be able to quickly comprehend your needs and desires and they need to offer you a realistic plan that you can follow through on. They also need to be available for you if you have issues or concerns show up. Search for their interest. Are they enthusiastic about their industry? Do you really feel the compassion they have for you? Can you form a bond with this person? This is exactly how you assess enthusiasm. An enthusiastic licensed insolvency trustee will make certain that you are offered the most effective suggestions and solutions. This type of person may not exist within walking distance of your home or workplace.
Can you agree on the same concepts?
Professional Trustees are not totally free. The price can differ based on how complicated your circumstance is. If you feel that the bankruptcy trustee is simply attempting to make money, you are less likely to trust them. Spend the time to discover those who seem to be on the same page as you for a realistic value for service. That type of licensed insolvency trustee may not be the closest drive from your home.
Bankruptcy trustee websites.
Today you can type in search terms like “bankruptcy trustee near me” and get various websites to go to. What sort of feel do you get from the website? Do they answer some of your more general questions through a bankruptcy FAQ page? Can you see pictures of people you would deal with? Do they show that they have a deep knowledge base from their blog page? You may not get the best feeling from the website of the licensed insolvency trustee whose place is closest to your home.
Meet with several Trustees.
You won’t know which one is the best fit for you until you are sitting across the table from him or her. Speak to at least two bankruptcy trustees to compare. The one you feel best about, may or may not be on the next street corner!

Bankruptcy trustee near me: The choice is up to you

Our best relationships are with our clients who were referred to us by someone they know, like or trust. If the referral source is trusted by you, we have already received the highest compliment possible. I am proud to say that we have helped family members of lawyers and accountants who know us. They felt safest referring a loved one to us. That is the best feeling in the world for everyone!

The Ira Smith Team has decades and generations of experience people and companies in financial trouble. Whether it is a consumer proposal debt settlement plan or a larger personal or corporate restructuring proposal debt settlement plan, we have the experience.

Our approach for each file is to create an end result where Starting Over, Starting Now takes place. This starts the minute you are at our front door. You’re simply one phone call away from taking the necessary steps to get back to leading a healthy, balanced hassle-free life. Call us today for your free consultation.

Tags accountant, bankruptcy trustee, bankruptcy trustee near me, bankruptcy trustees, Canadian Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Professionals, Consumer Proposal, credit score improvement tools, debt consultant, debt restructuring, debt settlement, Ira Smith Trustee, lawyer, licensed insolvency trustee, licensed insolvency trustee near me, licensed insolvency trustees, Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada, online search, search terms

Brandon Blog Post

ONLINE BANKRUPTCY SEARCH: THIS CANADIAN INSOLVENCY RECORDS SEARCH RENEWAL (IRS) WON’T CHASE YOU FOR MONEY!

Post author By Brandon Smith
Post date November 29, 2017

Online bankruptcy search: Introduction

This blog is about the Canadian government’s plan to update its online bankruptcy search function. It is an update to our November 15, 2017 Brandon’s Blog titled: “BANKRUPTCY FILINGS FREE PUBLIC RECORDS: WILL FREE SEARCHES TURN YOU INTO A PERSONAL BANKRUPTCY RECORDS SLEUTH FOR THE TRUTH”.

As you can imagine, I have a schedule for creating Brandon’s Blog. I created the above-mentioned blog and related video on the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy (OSB) insolvency records search renewal (IRS) program and posted it for publishing on November 15. After doing so, the OSB published an update on its IRS program. The purpose of this blog is to give you the updated information.

The OSB November 2017 update offers more information about the IRS post it published in August 2017.

Online bankruptcy search: Updating the technology

The OSB has stated that its updated IRS system will consist of modern-day safeguards. The new IRS will secure the private information of people or companies who have either filed or become bankrupt or who have filed a consumer proposal or Division I proposal.

Online bankruptcy search: The legislative need

Under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (BIA), the Superintendent of Bankruptcy is required to keep and make available a public document of all personal and corporate bankruptcies and proposals. The public document, includes the names of the insolvent debtors given statutory stay of proceedings from the commitment to pay their financial debts.

This record consists of vital information needed to administer the bankruptcy system. It is also important for the running of an efficient and well-functioning Canadian marketplace.

Online bankruptcy search: The purpose of the current system

The current Bankruptcy and Insolvency Records Search data source offers Canadians with access to search the public database for specific people or companies that have submitted a (consumer) proposal or bankruptcy, as the case may be. It is also for creditors to see if any party applying for credit are in an insolvency proceeding.

Online bankruptcy search: Uses of the current system

The OSB’s database allows for searches for:

creditors to take necessary activity with respect to specific insolvency filings;
insolvent debtors, either an individual or Directors of a company, to acquire information about their bankruptcy or proposal;
Licensed Insolvency Trustees (LIT) to properly administer insolvency estates;
people and companies making informed credit choices on people or organizations applying for loans or trade credit.

Online bankruptcy search: How many times a year is the current system searched?

Each year the current database, (which has a cost of $8 each search for public users), is searched about 800,000 times by individual Canadians, including LITs (for whom there is no charge). Any member of the public who pays the charge could browse the government insolvency records. The present system does not limit access in any other way.

Online bankruptcy search: The proposed new IRS

The OSB will be changing the current system. It is outdated by today’s privacy standards. The OSB will create a new IRS. While still attending to the legislative needs to give access to a public document of bankruptcies, it will substantially make individual information of debtors more secure.

As compared to the old system, the IRS will consist of many steps developed to particularly restrict the disclosure and use of the individual’s details of the debtors who file for an insolvency proceeding.

online bankruptcy search

Online bankruptcy search: New IRS protections

Examples of the brand-new protections which are not available in the current system, to shield disclosure of individual information, are:

Individual information entered will just be confirmed, not offered in a search result.
Searchers will need to recognize the first, last name, as well as date of birth of a debtor. This is required to get verification of an individual in bankruptcy or who has filed a (consumer) proposal.
The new system will no longer supply access to bankrupts’ documents that do not match the search requirements. The new IRS will be search specific, and not providing a complete list of names matching search criteria.
For every right search, a decreased measure of individual information will certainly be returned in the public search results page. Home addresses and complete postal codes will no longer be included in search results.
The public document search retention will be lower. The duration for the storage of details will be 10 years post-discharge.
The new system will consist of innovations designed to decrease the possibility for unexpected uses of the information. For example, machine-based searches.

Online bankruptcy search: Meeting the needs of LITs

The OSB has talked to the Canadian Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Professionals (CAIRP) as part of developing the IRS. The OSB has dealt with comments received thus far. The IRS layout will certainly make best use of technology to protect personal information. The new system will fulfill the specific needs of LITs, in meeting their insolvency estate management and legal requirements.

It must be kept in mind that the OSB has no plan to remove the $8 charge from the current system before its being retired. The first introduction of the fee was designed exclusively to sustain the OSB’s operating expenses in developing and keeping the existing system.

The new IRS will consist of many measures to appropriately reduce disclosure and increase the defense of personal information of debtors. The OSB says that it has no proof that a service charge with the brand-new IRS would better safeguard debtor information against improper use.

Online bankruptcy search: This IRS won’t chase you for money!

As a result, the OSB says it will look at and suggest getting rid of the historic governing arrangement which permitted the charging of a cost to get access to the public record. The OSB states that this will align with Treasury Board Policy. That is why this IRS, is not planning to ever chase you for money!

Online bankruptcy search: What to do if you think you might need an insolvency process

Are you or your company insolvent and in need of restructuring? Are you scared to become another entry in an online bankruptcy search? If so, the worst thing you can do is procrastinate and not take positive steps to remedy your situation. Contact the Ira Smith Trustee & Receiver Team. If we meet with you early on, we can create a restructuring and turnaround strategy designed specifically for you.

online bankruptcy search 1 — online bankruptcy search

Brandon Blog Post

BANKRUPTCY FILINGS FREE PUBLIC RECORDS: WILL FREE SEARCHES TURN YOU INTO A PERSONAL BANKRUPTCY RECORDS SLEUTH FOR THE TRUTH

Post author By Brandon Smith
Post date November 22, 2017

After writing and recording this blog, the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy issued a position paper on measures to limit public disclosure of personal information while meeting legislative requirements to establish a public record. So watch next week for our video and blog titled “ONLINE BANKRUPTCY SEARCH: THIS CANADIAN INSOLVENCY RECORDS SEARCH RENEWAL (IRS) WON’T CHASE YOU FOR MONEY!” where we will describe what they have advised to date.

Bankruptcy filings free public records: Introduction

Ottawa’s planning to drop the $8 online search cost for personal bankruptcy records. The change to bankruptcy filings free public records may make it harder for some people. Especially those with earlier economic problems to get a job or a home.

Bankruptcy filings free public records: No cost personal bankruptcy records search

The Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada is updating its online bankruptcy document search that allows users to get access to public documents on bankruptcy estates. Their database allows users to search online for bankruptcies as well as receiverships. The have not explained yet why they are considering dropping the search cost so that the information becomes bankruptcy filings free public records.

Bankruptcy filings free public records: Why does a licensed insolvency trustee need to search for bankruptcy filings

A licensed insolvency trustee (LIT) maintains an account with the Superintendent of Bankruptcy. A LIT is allowed to do a bankruptcy search through its account for free. The bankruptcy system requires a LIT, prior to accepting either a personal bankruptcy or consumer proposal file, to do such a search.

The reason is that a LIT is required to find if the person considering filing has ever used the Canadian insolvency system before. If they have, what were the circumstances and what was the outcome?

This is important because one aim of the Canadian insolvency system is rehabilitating the honest but unfortunate debtor. For the person who is currently in financial trouble, the LIT must understand past problems, if any. The LIT must also find if the current problems are a result of the same behaviour and reasons as in the past or something different.

The LIT then has a duty to take all these factors into consideration when advising the person what their options are and the recommendations the LIT will make.

Bankruptcy filings free public records: Who else normally searches bankruptcy filings public records?

Right now, for $8 per search, employers, property owners, marketers or just meddlesome neighbors can conveniently access minimal information about an applicant’s, occupant’s or neighbour’s bankruptcy data. This will allow them to make assumptions about that person’s financial problems, credit worthiness or even trustworthiness.

The problem in doing so is that it is without proper context. If the federal government eliminates the $8 search fee, personal bankruptcy records can be searched for free.

Bankruptcy filings free public records: Reasons for personal bankruptcy

There can be many reasons why a person filed either a consumer proposal or for bankruptcy; divorce, illness, accident or plain overspending are just a few of the possibilities.

Bankruptcy filings free public records: What will personal bankruptcy case records search show us?

A search only tells the:

date when the specific person filed for bankruptcy or the consumer proposal;
overall worth of their assets and obligations;
name of the LIT;
whether they successfully completed their consumer proposal or obtained their absolute discharge from bankruptcy; and
discharge date of the LIT.
bankruptcy filings free public records

Bankruptcy filings free public records: Will this change to find personal bankruptcy records mean anything really?

The $8 cost likely limits random searches. A potential employer or landlord will not be deterred by this cost, but a nosy neighbour will be. This charge therefore provides some small security to personal information.

I believe the federal government earns about $4 million a year in bankruptcy search fees. That $4 million annually is a rounding error in terms of the size of the federal government’s budget.

However, in times where our Prime Minister Trudeau and our Finance Minister Morneau are looking to increase revenue, why give away $4 million? The government could use some of that money to give financial education to Canadians.

For the reasons I stated above, I doubt dropping the $8 search fee will increase the number of searches. You still have to know how to do the search. Nosy neighbours probably won’t spend the time to learn.

Equifax and TransUnion pay the Superintendent of Bankruptcy to get access to the bankruptcy search records. Therefore, the bankruptcy or consumer proposal information is available, if granted authorization, by obtaining a person’s credit report.

The Superintendent of Bankruptcy stated it will certainly protect the documents from trolling marketers. Exactly how they will do this has not been described. They also have not yet made public the date the searches will start to be free.

Bankruptcy filings free public records: Take our free consultation before your name appears in a Canadian bankruptcies search

If you have actually been declined for a loan through a normal lender, then that is a signal that you have debt concerns that have to be handled.
Contact Ira Smith Trustee & Receiver Inc. today. We are professional trustees. As such, the Canadian government licenses and supervises us. First, we will assess your situation and help you to come to the very best possible solution for your troubles.

When you come to us for your free consultation, we first check and figure out with you if one of the bankruptcy alternative choices is best for you. These include credit counselling, debt consolidation or a consumer proposal. If none of those options are available to you, only then will we discuss the bankruptcy route. Starting Over, Starting Now we can help recover you to financial health.

After writing and recording this blog, the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy issued a position paper on measures to limit public disclosure of personal information while meeting legislative requirements to establish a public record. So watch next week for our video and blog titled “ONLINE BANKRUPTCY SEARCH: THIS CANADIAN INSOLVENCY RECORDS SEARCH RENEWAL (IRS) WON’T CHASE YOU FOR MONEY!” where we will describe what they have advised to date.

bankruptcy filings free personal records

Brandon Blog Post

#VIDEO-HIDING ASSETS IN BANKRUPTCY: HIDE AND SEEK WITH SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES#

Post author By Brandon Smith
Post date July 20, 2016

Hiding assets in bankruptcy is a huge mistake

When you are contemplating filing for bankruptcy, don’t believe that hiding assets in bankruptcy proceedings will work for you. A licensed insolvency trustee is very good at finding undisclosed property. And if you intentionally try to hide assets, you could face severe consequences.

Some people filing for bankruptcy think that if they don’t list property in their sworn statement of affairs, they can dupe the licensed insolvency trustee and keep the property. This is a huge mistake and illegal.

The first assessment

A licensed insolvency trustee does a full assessment of the person considering filing for bankruptcy, to decide if they can avoid bankruptcy. The Trustee will get a written statement from the debtor of his or her assets and liabilities.

In addition to requesting the person to list all of his or her assets, there will also be certain questions, such as:

Have you sold, disposed of, or transferred any assets in the past twelve months?
Have you sold or transferred any property in the past five years while you knew yourself to be insolvent, either in Canada or Elsewhere?
Have you made any gifts to a relative or other person that was of a value in excess of $500.00 in the past five years?
Have you received any lump sum payments or settlements in the last 12 months?

The purpose of these intake questions is so that the Trustee can get a full picture of the person’s situation, to give the best advice possible about using bankruptcy proceedings, or some other options that are available to the person as an alternative to and a way to avoid bankruptcy.

The Trustee’s analysis, which includes comparing the answers to these questions to, the person’s current budget of income and how they spend their money, their expenses, and the assets listed by them, may very well highlight inconsistencies, which will lead to more questions, and probably uncover the assets that the person is attempting to hide.

As part of the Trustee’s analysis, the Trustee will also want to look at some recent bank statements as well as your filed income tax return and notice of assessment for the previous year. There may very well be things jumping out of this review that will highlight inconsistencies, if someone is trying for hiding assets in bankruptcy.

Finally, the person’s creditors have a lot of information about the debtor’s financial affairs. Once the person files for bankruptcy, his or her creditors get notice of the bankruptcy and look at the disclosure on the sworn statement of affairs. If they are aware of an asset that has not been disclosed, I can guarantee you that they will call the Trustee to ask what about that other asset – and then tell the Trustee when they say, what are you talking about?

In a proposal filing we recently did, the person, in making an honest mistake, forgot to tell us of a piece of real estate they own with a sibling, bought for their mother to live in. The mother pays the running costs of the property. With all the stress the person was under, they sincerely forgot to tell us.

Once we mailed our notice to creditors, two days later a creditor emailed us asking what about the real estate, and supplied us with a title search to prove that the real estate is apparently half owned by our client! We then had to rework the proposal to account for this extra value.

So what if I just don’t list the asset(s) – will this work for hiding assets in bankruptcy?

If you think that hiding assets in bankruptcy is a good way to hang on to your property; think again. This is not a minor matter. In fact it’s a violation of the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (BIA) and the Criminal Code and it’s punishable by hefty fines and/or prison time.

Committing fraud against the government is never a good idea and the likelihood is that you will get caught. When the Trustee has reason to believe that an offence exists, we report it to the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada (OSB). The Superintendent sends the file to one of its special investigation units.

The investigation units work closely with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). The OSB encourages people to report fraudulent activities that relate to a bankruptcy file and they even have a toll-free number to call 1-877-376-9902. The OSB will encourage the RCMP to press criminal charges.

In addition to fines and/or prison time, if you are trying for hiding assets in bankruptcy:

You will not get a discharge of your debts
The Trustee can revoke your discharge and those debts cannot be discharged in future bankruptcies

Still think that hiding assets in bankruptcy is a good idea?

Honesty is always the best policy. If you make an honest mistake, just let your Trustee know, so they can figure out the best way to handle it.

If you are thinking of declaring bankruptcy, contact Ira Smith Trustee & Receiver as soon as possible. We will guide you through the process and Starting Over, Starting Now get you well on your way to living a debt free life.

THIS VLOG WAS INSPIRED IN PART BY OUR eBOOK – PERSONAL BANKRUPTCY CANADA: Not because you are a dummy, because you need to get your life back on track

Tags avoid bankruptcy, Bankruptcy, declaring bankruptcy, hiding assets in bankruptcy, Ira Smith Trustee, licensed insolvency trustee, Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada, proposal, RCMP

Bankruptcy services and FAQ information

Bankruptcy services: Who files for bankruptcy and why?

Bankruptcy services: Can bankruptcy clear debt in Canada?

What debts cannot be discharged through personal bankruptcy services in Canada?

Bankruptcy services: How much debt must you accumulate in order to file for bankruptcy in Canada?

Bankruptcy services: What debts are not erased in bankruptcy?

Bankruptcy services: What are the three types of bankruptcies?

Bankruptcy services: What are the consequences for your assets when declaring bankruptcy?

Bankruptcy services: What are the implications of personal bankruptcy on retirement plans?

#1 – The principal residence and bankruptcy

#2 – Your RRSP and bankruptcy

#3 – Bankruptcy and investments

#4 – Bankruptcy and a private pension plan

How bankruptcy services work in Ontario: What is the average length of time for a person to be discharged from bankruptcy in Canada?

Bankruptcy services: Surplus income

Bankruptcy services: Debt problems got you down? Feeling overwhelmed?

What does the bankruptcy trustee investigate – What is a bankruptcy trustee?

What does the bankruptcy trustee investigate – Tell your bankruptcy trustee everything

What does the bankruptcy trustee investigate? What if I fail to remember to divulge something?

What does the bankruptcy trustee investigate? What can I do?

What does the bankruptcy trustee investigate? What if I have outstanding tax returns?

What does the bankruptcy trustee investigate? What happens If I overreported income?

What does the bankruptcy trustee investigate? Suppose I am not divulging certain information?

What does the bankruptcy trustee investigate? – Collection of information by bankruptcy trustee also allowed under PIPEDA

What does the bankruptcy trustee investigate? – Can I sell my stuff before filing bankruptcy?

What does the bankruptcy trustee investigate and look for in bank statements?

Red flags the bankruptcy trustee looks for at the meeting of creditors

What does the bankruptcy trustee investigate – When the bankruptcy trustee suspects fraud?

What does the bankruptcy trustee investigate summary

File for bankruptcy introduction

You owe money: Considering bankruptcy?

How to file for bankruptcy Canada: Let the licensed insolvency trustee no-cost consultation happen first

How to file for bankruptcy – How the bankruptcy process starts

Who can file for bankruptcy?

The locality of the debtor

What about the Trustee?

File for bankruptcy summary

Consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario introduction

Consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario: Who qualifies for and what is a consumer proposal?

Consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario: Who qualifies for bankruptcy?

Consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario: What is bankruptcy?

Consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario: What are the advantages of a consumer proposal?

Consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario: What if I default on my consumer proposal vs bankruptcy payments?

Consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario: When is a meeting of creditors held in a consumer proposal?

How long does it take to complete a consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario?

Consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario: What do consumer proposals and bankruptcy have in common?

How do I choose between a consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario?

Consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario: How to file for bankruptcy?

Consumer proposals and bankruptcy Ontario aren’t the only ways of obtaining debt relief and consolidating debt

Consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario: Move on with your life

CCAA Canada introduction

When a company tries to reorganize under CCAA Canada – What does CCAA mean?

What does CCAA Canada protection mean? CCAA vs Chapter 11

Can CCAA Canada protection be extended?

Who gets priority under a CCAA Canada filing?

What happens if the court doesn’t approve a CCAA Canada application or the sides can’t agree on how to restructure debt?

What happens to shareholders in a CCAA Canada restructuring?

Public company shares in a company if it enters CCAA Canada protection and all trading is halted

List of CCAA filings under CCAA Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic so far?

CCAA Canada summary

Insolvencies in Canada introduction

Insolvencies in Canada – recent history

April 2020 insolvencies in Canada and the United States

The economy is starting to reopen

Will temporary layoffs be a harbinger for business insolvencies in Canada?

Will extending employee recalls be a harbinger for personal insolvencies in Canada?

Insolvencies in Canada summary

Bankruptcy trustee near me: Introduction

Bankruptcy trustee near me: Don’t fall into the debt consultant/debt settlement company trap

Bankruptcy trustee near me: There are different types

My 5 point checklist to find a licensed insolvency trustee

Quality and professionalism.

You need to be able to interact with them on lots of levels.

Can you agree on the same concepts?

Bankruptcy trustee websites.

Meet with several Trustees.

Bankruptcy trustee near me: The choice is up to you

Online bankruptcy search: Introduction

Online bankruptcy search: Updating the technology

Online bankruptcy search: The legislative need

**How long does it take to complete a consumer proposal vs bankruptcy Ontario?**

Bankruptcy filings free public records: What will personal bankruptcy case records search show us?

A search only tells the: