CONSUMER PROPOSAL FAQS

Is your debt overwhelming? Are collection calls getting to you? Are you making interest payments but not payments toward the principal amounts you owe? Are you thinking about filing for bankruptcy? If you are seriously considering bankruptcy, you may want to determine if you qualify for a consumer proposal. Many individuals opt for a consumer proposal and leave the default as an option of last resort.

Check out our other article, SHOULD YOU FILE A CONSUMER PROPOSAL OR BANKRUPTCY?

What is a Consumer Proposal?

A consumer proposal is a legal process administered under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act between you and your creditors to resolve your outstanding debt. A negotiated settlement requires you to pay all or a portion of your unsecured debts over a maximum five-year period. Your agreement with your creditors will depend on your income and the amount you owe.

What is the Purpose?

A consumer proposal makes it easier for you to make the payments you owe by reducing the amount and extending the total time to make payments. The option is a win-win situation for you and your creditors compared to the alternative of personal bankruptcy.

What Can a Consumer Proposal Include?

A consumer proposal can encompass most unsecured debt not backed by collateral. Common types of unsecured debt included in a consumer proposal are:

Lines of credit
Personal loans
Credit cards
Department store credit
Payday loans
Income tax debts
Certain student loans (if you have been out of school longer than seven years)

What Can’t a Consumer Proposal Include?

There are a few types of unsecured debt that a consumer proposal does not encompass (unless a creditor agrees to include it), such as:

Child and spousal support payments
Court fines and penalties
Debts due to fraud
Certain student loans (if you have been a student within the last seven years)

A consumer proposal does not include payments on secured debt, such as a mortgage or car loan.

How Would a Consumer Proposal Benefit Me?

Like filing for bankruptcy, you would obtain immediate protection from creditors. You will receive no more telephone calls, collection activities or legal action from your unsecured creditors. During the consumer proposal process, there are no more wage garnishments and/or writs (of seizure and sale).

As the debtor, you can expect to pay less of the total amount you owe in a new payment plan that extends up to five years. Interest typically stops accumulating, and you may receive reduced administrative fees.

A tremendous advantage of a consumer proposal is that, in preparing a plan where you cooperate with your creditors, you do not risk equity in your home, car, or other assets.

The impact on your credit rating will also be less, with an R7 rating in a consumer proposal instead of a more harmful R9 rating in bankruptcy. Also, an R7 rating will stay on your file for three years after your consumer proposal finishes, while an R9 rating will stay on your file for approximately seven years.

How Would my Creditors Benefit?

A consumer proposal, by design, allows your creditors to obtain a more significant financial benefit than what they would receive through bankruptcy. Your creditors may collect a one-time lump sum payment, more frequent payments than in default, and more significant total payments than under bankruptcy.

Do I Qualify?

To be eligible for a consumer proposal, you must have:

Debts greater than $1,000 but less than $250,000, excluding the secured debts owing on your principal residence; and the demonstrated ability to make regular payments. If you owe more than $250,000, then a Division I Proposal may be available.

How Does the Process Work?

With your input, a Licensed Insolvency Trustee prepares a consumer proposal and acts as a Proposal Administrator. The Proposal Administrator files your consumer proposal with the Official Receiver and your creditors with your consent. Your creditors then have 45 days to accept or reject the proposal with a voting letter.

A meeting of the creditors is held when requested by 25% of the dollar value of creditors (not 25% of your creditors). If a creditor has a meeting, they discuss the proposal with you and your Licensed Insolvency Trustee and approve or reject it. The court’s approval may also be required in some instances, but this is rare.

If the creditors or the court rejects the proposal, you can withdraw it and rewrite it again or file for bankruptcy.

If, after 45 days, a meeting is not called, the proposal is deemed to be accepted. Once accepted, you must begin making agreed payments (monthly or lump sum), and the agreed repayment amount must be completed within a maximum of 5 years.

If the proposal is accepted and you default on those terms, then the proposal may be deemed abandoned by you, and your creditors can pursue legal action.

Contact Fox Miles & Associates to Assess and Explain Your Debt Options

At our firm in Edmonton, a Licensed Insolvency Trustee can answer your questions about your unique debt situation. We can help you with the option of filing a consumer proposal in Edmonton. We can meet with you immediately; our consultation is confidential and free. Call us at 780-444-3939, so we can help. Don’t let debt overwhelm you anymore.

Check out some of our other articles here!