Overlooked by the cloudy headlines about the mortgage market is the fact that there is a silver lining which has already started to emerge. Falling interest rates should ease some of the pressure on mortgage companies, and potentially open up home equity debt consolidation opportunities once more. 

If you can't afford to just double or triple your monthly payments to pay it back, then two of the most common choices are credit counseling and debt negotiation or more commonly known as debt settlement. 

You're a hard working person. You worked hard to develop your credit rating to the point where you have great credit. The home you and your family live in is modest. But despite the fact you live in a modest home your taxes continually rise. On top of that, your wife has just been laid off at her job. 

A Chapter 13 bankruptcy is the specific type of legal proceeding that is granted under Federal statues to provide a repayment program for debts that are owed. Under Chapter 13 bankruptcy, a three-year or a five-year repayment plan is created for specific creditors according to the rules governing bankruptcy and through agreement by all parties involved. The arrangements are all overseen by a trustee who is appointed by the Federal court. 

A couple of years ago, the Congress of the United States overhauled the US Federal bankruptcy laws in the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005. One of the provisions that was written into the new procedures for filing for bankruptcy, was the requirement that all debtors must attend bankruptcy classes.