Chapter 13 Bankruptcy in Centre County, PA

Chapter 13 bankruptcy filings for Centre County residents are handled by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Chapter 13 is a 3–5 year repayment plan that stops foreclosure, lets you cure mortgage arrears, and pays priority taxes over time while discharging remaining unsecured debt at the end.

Chapter 13 is the right choice when you're behind on a mortgage, have non-dischargeable tax debt, have too much equity for Chapter 7, or earn too much to pass the Chapter 7 means test. Your plan payment is built from disposable income plus any arrears, priority taxes, and secured catch-up.

For Centre County clients specifically, we run the Pennsylvania means test using current state median income figures, file electronically with the Middle District clerk, and the automatic stay stops every Centre County creditor the moment the case is filed.

Centre County sits in Central Pennsylvania, with Bellefonte as the county seat, and its cases are administered by the Williamsport Division of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

The local economy is dominated by Penn State University and Mount Nittany Medical Center. That shows up directly on the debt schedules I prepare here — a typical Centre County filing includes Mount Nittany Medical Center, Penn State Federal Credit Union, and student-housing landlords.

Centre County's economy moves on the academic calendar — many filers are former Penn State graduate students or staff carrying private student-loan and credit-card debt. The pressure that most often pushes Centre County households into a Chapter 13 case is private student-loan balances and credit-card debt built up around graduate school.

In a Centre County Chapter 13 we build the plan around the arrears that actually exist here — mortgage catch-up on Centre County property, sheriff sales scheduled at the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte, county and school-district property taxes, and PA Department of Revenue claims.

Centre County bankruptcy petitions are filed in the Williamsport Division of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

Filing location:
Herman T. Schneebeli Federal Building
240 West Third Street, Suite 290
Williamsport, PA 17701
Clerk's office: (570) 320-5255

341 meeting of creditors: Held virtually by the Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 trustee assigned to your case — Centre County filers almost never appear in person at Williamsport.

The drive from Bellefonte to Williamsport is rarely necessary — petitions are filed electronically and the 341 meeting of creditors is held by video.