Creditors' Rights
We Help Businesses Protect Their Bottom Line
Creditors' Rights and Collections in Central and Western Michigan
The time and labor costs required for collections work can cripple a lending institution or other business that extends credit, and if those collections efforts fail, necessary income is lost. At Hults, Helder & Lewis, PLLC, we serve businesses and lending institutions in Mount Pleasant, Big River and the surrounding area in Michigan. We have served the Big Rapids community since 1974.
Settlement Efforts
Whenever possible, we use the simplest, most direct process possible for our clients. Although it is rare in collections work, creditors are available and amenable to settlement negotiations in some cases. When this happens, we find that negotiating new repayment terms is a method that saves our clients a great deal of time and money compared to other collections methods, and they usually come out ahead in the end.
Collections Efforts
Most of the time, collections work requires more aggressive efforts. Our attorneys have experience petitioning the courts and using whatever legal methods are available to us to force the repayment of contract obligations that our clients need. Depending on the circumstances, we can:
- Garnish wages/accounts
- Seize vehicles
- Seize other assets
- Mortgage liens and foreclosures for real estate creditors
When Debtors File for Bankruptcy
In many cases, individual debtors file for Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy, farms will file for Chapter 12 and businesses steeped in debt will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for debt-reorganization. This can severely limit the ability of their creditors to collect what is owed.
We have extensive experience handling bankruptcy matters, and we are one of the few law firms in the West and Central Michigan areas that represent creditors in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy matters in both the Western and the Eastern District Bankruptcy Courts.
There are strict rules limiting collections activities against debtors who are in the bankruptcy process, but that does not mean debtors have no rights. It is a great benefit to creditors to have a commercial collections attorney with bankruptcy experience appearing for them in the bankruptcy proceedings to protect their interests. We understand how to maximize our clients' debt recovery efforts against bankrupt debtors, while avoiding any violations of bankruptcy regulations.
Contact Our Experienced Commercial Collections Lawyers
To discuss your collections needs with a trained and experienced attorney from Hults, Helder & Lewis, PLLC, call 800-897-6304 toll free, or contact us online.