Tipp FM Legal Slot – 5th March 2013
John M. Lynch on Personal Insolvency Act
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Download our News Brief – Part II Personal Insolvency Act notes
The Personal Insolvency Act 2012 was signed into law on St. Stephen’s day. Approximately how many mortgages are in arrears in Ireland and how can people who are burdened with debt benefit from the Personal Insolvency Act?
Recent reports from the Central Bank indicate that 112,916 mortgage accounts were in arrears of 90 days or more at the end of September 2012 with many thousands more struggling to make their monthly payments. These accounts amount to €24.7 billion of debt which people are simply unable to service. The Personal Insolvency Act 2012, which was signed into law by President Higgins on 26th December 2012, contains a number of mechanisms to deal with varying debt levels for those who simply cannot afford to meet repayments while having a reasonable standard of living. It is hoped that this Act will come into operation in May of this year.
The Act gives struggling homeowners the opportunity to write down the debt on their mortgages by spreading it over a six year period. The Act also reforms the Bankruptcy Act 1988 and a significant new measure under the Act is to reduce the bankruptcy period from 12 years to 3 years (8 years in some cases).
Personal Insolvency Act Seminar
In conjunction with Clonmel Chamber of Commerce we are having a Personal Insolvency Act Seminar in Raheen House Hotel on Tuesday, 26th March at 6.15pm. We welcome listeners to join us at the seminar where they will learn about how the Act will work in practice in terms of relief options for those with mortgage arrears and personal debt. People will have the opportunity to discuss any questions and queries you may have with members of the Lynch Solicitors team. For further details about the seminar please contact our office by emailing reception@lynchsolicitors.ie or by calling 052-6124344 / Freephone 1800 750 850..
What new measures/arrangements are in Personal Insolvency Act to assist people who cannot meet repayments?
The Act will help people to manage personal debt through budgeting advice and new arrangements with lenders and it will assist personal or mortgage debtors. The deals will be dealt with on a case by case basis and creditors, such as banks, will have to agree but up to a quarter of all Irish mortgage debt could be written down under the new proposals.
New arrangements include:
A Debt Relief Notice (DRN) will allow people with no assets or no income with debts of less than €20,000 to be written off. These debts are likely to be credit card debt and personal loans. The Act establishes an insolvency service which will administer debt relief options. In order to qualify borrowers must have a net monthly disposable income of €60 or less, assets of €400 or less, and must be resident in Ireland. Net disposable income includes salary or wages, welfare benefits such as job seekers allowance, income from pension, rental income and contributions from other household members. Certain debts are excluded including court fines, child support and spousal maintenance.
A Debt Settlement Arrangement (DSA) will cover loans with two or more creditors in the amount of €20,000 or more. The borrower will have to pay off a certain amount for up to 5 years and the balance will then be written off.
A Personal Insolvency Arrangement (PIA) will apply specifically to mortgage holders for secured and unsecured debts of €20,000 to €3million. 65% of the lenders must be in agreement for some of the debt to be written down. A borrower could have the option of handing back their property and paying part of the balance in monthly instalments over 6 years and the remainder would then be written off. Those who avail of a Personal Insolvency Arrangement can only do so once. Careful consideration needs to be given by those who wish to seek debt relief in this manner.
What will be the role of a Personal Insolvency Practitioner and who would set the amount that could be written off?
Personal Insolvency Practitioner
A personal insolvency practitioner licensed will make the proposal on behalf of the borrower provided the borrower themselves satisfy a number of criteria i.e. must be living in the State for a year before the date of application or domiciled here, the property which the loan was taken out for must be within the State, the borrower must be unable to pay their debts as they fall due and not have been declared bankrupt etc. The practitioner will also verify and certify a financial statement prepared by the borrower confirming their financial position.
The Insolvency Service
The amount which may be written off will be determined by a new body called The Insolvency Service with reference to the amount of outstanding debt the borrower has, the borrower’s income and the value of the assets they own while leaving the borrower with funds to allow a reasonable standard of living while repayments are being made. The practitioner here will prove to be a vital party who will form the link between the borrower, the Insolvency Service and the lender(s) in coming to an agreement as those who hold a 65% or higher stake in the borrower’s debt must agree to proposals.
The new Insolvency Service hopes to begin accepting applications from borrowers seeking debt relief in May of this year
What steps can people take now in advance of the Insolvency service coming into operation in May?
For those people in debt for mortgages on their homes it is very important to be aware that this arrangement will only be available if they have been engaging with their lender for at least six months prior to their application. Co-operation and negotiation are therefore key to the success of any such application and those who ignore their arrears will not be able to avail of the new arrangement.
It is vital therefore for those who may wish to avail of them to be seen to be actively corresponding with their lenders if not doing so already.
One of the most important factors at this stage is for people to be aware of exactly what loan arrangements are in place with each lender and what powers your lender has to enforce these. In preparation for these new laws we have been assisting many clients in carrying out full audits to ensure all proper procedures were followed by the lender at the time the loan was entered into. Any errors on their part could prove to be useful in negotiating the debt downwards at a later stage.
We have added new services to help clients deal with insolvency issues and we offer expert advice on the new measures.
As a team, we have continued to improve our expertise:
- I recently completed a Diploma in Insolvency and Corporate Restructuring
- Andrea Gleasure completed a Certificate in Banking Law.
We will negotiate, on behalf of clients, with banks, credit card companies, Credit Unions and other creditors to agree reduced repayments which they can realistically afford.
