If you buy furniture, appliances or jewelry on store credit, they have a right to get it back after your bankruptcy is over.  (Unless you keep paying, of course.)

In Virginia, and most states, that right is found in the Uniform Commercial Code. http://www.law.cornell.edu/ucc/9/overview.html.  That law–lawyers call it the UCC–also gives the bank the right to repossess your car if you stop making car payments.  http://www.law.cornell.edu/ucc/9/9-503.html.

The fact is, they are more likely to come after your car, if you stop paying, than to come after your big screen TV.  Two reasons for that.

First, the car is parked out on the street, where they can get to it.  Second, the market for used cars is a lot better than the market for used TV’s.

Still, if they want to, after bankruptcy they can file a legal paper, called a detinue in Virginia law, and ask you to turn over the TV, jewelry or whatever.   I’ve done twelve thousand bankruptcies, and I haven’t seen two dozen detinue.  I’ve seen two or three for jewelry worth more than five thousand dollars.  And the rest were filed mainly by USA Discounters, a furniture and appliance outfit located mainly near military bases.

OK, so who are Weltman, Weinberg & Reis?  This is a law firm that after bankruptcy, will write to you about something you bought at Best Buy or Kay Jewelry and a few other places.   They say they want you to call 800-837-6008 to arrange to turn back in their “collateral.”

You’ll notice they don’t even tell you what the “collateral”–the stuff–is.  That tells you the “collateral” isn’t really what they want.  They want you to call and offer them a payment.

Don’t do it.

My rule is this.  If they contact my clients with a list of what you bought and when you bought it, send that to me.  (Assuming I’m your bankruptcy lawyer.)  I’ll contact them and work something out.  That hardly ever happens.

As for their typical letter.  ”We want our stuff back”–without telling you what it is.  Just toss those out.

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