Bankruptcy is a legally declared inability by an individual, or business, to pay their creditors. The declaration is known as seeking bankruptcy protection (from creditors) or initiating a bankruptcy filing. Unsecured debts -- like credit card balances -- are typically in peril in bankruptcy filings. But recent changes to the U.S. bankruptcy code have seen more consumers forced to file Chapter 13, which requires a debt repayment plan, rather than Chapter 7, which effectively wipes out unsecured debt.

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