Usual Time Frame For Conversion

Question:
All seemed to have gone well with our conversion from a chapter 13 to a 7, and the lawyer seemed optimistic that all would be well. However, his only concern was that my husband's rise in income might bring a refusal from the trustee. This of course has me quite worried. Although his income has risen (he went with a new agency), our medical and household expenses have gone far beyond anything we could have anticipated. Besides my own bad health and the necessity to have more tests done and to try new (and quite expensive) medications, my husband's arthritis in his hands has progressed to the point where some of his fingers are becoming gnarled and painfully pulling on his muscles and tendons. This will no doubt entail either surgery or a variety of techniques to try and prevent further damage. There is no doubt he will have to be out of work for a while due to this problem. My major worry is with the nation's #1 predatory lender, who was getting stripped down in the Chap. 13 to the tune of $36000 and might put up a fuss over our conversion. They are known for causing lots of trouble, even over small items. They are #3, with two other mortgage lenders ahead of them. This is problematic because since we are giving up our home, we have already found a rental and they have the lease all ready to be signed, with a move in date of March 1. If a trustee were to object to the conversion, is there a standard time frame when we would learn of this? I understand that the lender would have 60 days. Our lawyer anticipates a meeting of creditors in about a month. He will be out of town next week so this is the only other place where I can pose my question. This is all deja vu and all the bad flashbacks have started again. Please do not think me a worry wart but if we don't get rid of this house it will only be a matter of two years or so before we would be filing for bankruptcy again. We have tried, but living week to week, denying ourselves medications and wearing a wardrobe that's, well, past its prime, is taking its toll on us both. Any comments would be most appreciated. Thank you all for your past support. Without this board I don't think I would have made it this far.

Answer:
If there were a problem, you generally would hear about it at the Meeting of Creditors or shortly thereafter. And you would have a chance to bring up the increase in medical expenses; you would just have to amend schedules I and J. Here in MD, converted 13s where the house is being lost to foreclosure usually aren't scrutinized that closely. The feeling is that if you're losing your house and there aren't signs of fraud, you're entitled to a Chapter 7 discharge.





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