白領(lǐng)必看：破產(chǎn)保護(hù)到底是什么意思

　　最近，美國(guó)通用公司根據(jù)美國(guó)《聯(lián)邦破產(chǎn)法》第11條申請(qǐng)破產(chǎn)保護(hù)成為新聞?lì)^條，我曾經(jīng)一度疑惑是不是破產(chǎn)就等于倒閉了以后就沒(méi)有通用了，結(jié)果被告知破產(chǎn)不等于倒閉，那么到底破產(chǎn)保護(hù)是什么意思呢？這個(gè)《聯(lián)邦破產(chǎn)法》第11條到底是什么內(nèi)容呢？一起來(lái)看看吧。
　　When an inpidual or business is unable to make payment to creditors to pay off their debts, they can file for bankruptcy protection under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. For an inpidual, bankruptcy protection may involve either a cancellation of most debts, along with the selling off of some of their assets, or a structured plan to pay down the debts that are owed. For a business, bankruptcy protection may either provide complete or partial relief of debts and contracts, assuming the business will remain in operation, or the business may cease operation and sell off its assets to pay debts。
　　簡(jiǎn)單的說(shuō)，在美國(guó)，當(dāng)個(gè)人或者公司資不抵債的時(shí)候，就可以根據(jù)美國(guó)《聯(lián)邦破產(chǎn)法》申請(qǐng)破產(chǎn)保護(hù)。如果是個(gè)人，破產(chǎn)保護(hù)可能會(huì)通過(guò)變賣(mài)個(gè)人資產(chǎn)抵消債務(wù)，或者是用一個(gè)有組織的計(jì)劃來(lái)逐步償還債務(wù)；對(duì)于一家公司來(lái)說(shuō)，破產(chǎn)保護(hù)會(huì)減免公司的全部或者部分債務(wù)和合同，公司有可能會(huì)繼續(xù)運(yùn)營(yíng)，也可能會(huì)直接停產(chǎn)變賣(mài)資產(chǎn)。
　　There are two types of bankruptcy protection commonly used by inpiduals: Chapter Seven, and Chapter 13, where “chapter” refers to the chapter of the bankruptcy code that describes each one. In Chapter Seven, also called a “straight bankruptcy” or “liquidation”， a trustee is appointed to control the inpidual’s assets. The trustee then liquidates, or sells the assets, then gives the money to creditors in order to pay off debts, to the extent that this is possible. However, the inpidual is allowed to keep some personal property, depending on the laws of the state they live in。
　　對(duì)于個(gè)人來(lái)說(shuō)，通常有兩種破產(chǎn)保護(hù)的類(lèi)型：第7條和第13條。這個(gè)第幾條是指在《聯(lián)邦破產(chǎn)法》中的條目數(shù)。第7條又叫“直接破產(chǎn)”或者“破產(chǎn)清算”。會(huì)給債務(wù)人指定一個(gè)管理人，由這個(gè)管理人進(jìn)行清算或者變賣(mài)資產(chǎn)，然后把清算的錢(qián)給債權(quán)人來(lái)還清債務(wù)，不過(guò)有的地方債務(wù)人可以保留一些個(gè)人財(cái)產(chǎn)，這個(gè)要根據(jù)不同的州來(lái)決定了。
　　Chapter 13, also called “wage-earner bankruptcy”， allows the inpidual to propose a plan to repay their debts interest-free over a three to five-year period, although the inpidual’s payment plan is subject to court approval. While in Chapter 13, an inpidual is protected from creditors collecting on debt or seizing assets to pay debts, and creditors are required to abide by the terms of the approved payment plan. Both types of personal bankruptcy make it very difficult for the inpidual to obtain credit for a period of seven to ten years after seeking bankruptcy protection。
　　第13條也被叫做“掙工資的破產(chǎn)”，這項(xiàng)條款允許債權(quán)人在依據(jù)法庭判決制訂還款計(jì)劃，在3-5年內(nèi)還清貸款本金，不加利息。債務(wù)人在計(jì)劃期間要賺錢(qián)還債，而債權(quán)人在這段時(shí)間就只能等著。不管是第7條還是第13條，這兩種個(gè)人在申請(qǐng)破產(chǎn)保護(hù)之后的七到十年都很難再拿到貸款了。
　　香港的破產(chǎn)法也和歐美比較類(lèi)似，當(dāng)年明星鐘鎮(zhèn)濤申請(qǐng)破產(chǎn)差不多就是和第13條類(lèi)似的程序，他四年內(nèi)賺的錢(qián)都要還債，每月吃穿用度的開(kāi)銷(xiāo)都由香港破產(chǎn)管理署規(guī)定限額，直到08年四年還債期滿才終于在心理上重獲自由。
　　Businesses may also seek bankruptcy protection under Chapter Seven, but also under Chapter 11, which consists of a reorganization, rather than a liquidation of assets. It may take anywhere from months or years for a business to emerge from this type of bankruptcy. As in Chapter 13, a business in Chapter 11 may propose a repayment plan for its debts within a certain time frame, after which it is up to the creditors to come up with a plan. If the business has stock that is traded on a public stock exchange, then the stock is no longer allowed to be traded publicly once bankruptcy protection is pursued. In some cases, this causes the value of the company’s stock to go to zero。
　　對(duì)于公司來(lái)說(shuō)，申請(qǐng)破產(chǎn)的依據(jù)同樣也有第7條，另外就是第11條了。不過(guò)對(duì)于公司來(lái)說(shuō)，一般都會(huì)希望采用第11條資產(chǎn)重組的`方式而不是直接清算。根據(jù)第11條規(guī)定，公司要提出在一個(gè)確定的年限償還債務(wù)的計(jì)劃，這個(gè)計(jì)劃也要經(jīng)過(guò)債權(quán)人的同意。如果是上市公司，一旦實(shí)行了破產(chǎn)保護(hù)，股票摘牌，也就是說(shuō)，這家公司的股票價(jià)值為0了。
　　通用這次采用的就是第11條資產(chǎn)重組，賣(mài)掉了幾個(gè)內(nèi)部品牌，也基本成了國(guó)有公司，但是像通用這種百年品牌，破產(chǎn)保護(hù)的過(guò)程通常會(huì)無(wú)比漫長(zhǎng)，因此我們現(xiàn)在還沒(méi)有最后確切的消息通用的破產(chǎn)保護(hù)期有多久。不過(guò)依照美國(guó)政府大力扶持的情況來(lái)看，一旦全球經(jīng)濟(jì)回暖，也許通用又會(huì)迎來(lái)新的春天。