DTE_Energy_logoClients come in to our office due to a variety of financial issues, it could be credit cards, medical bills, collection accounts, mortgage bug or lawsuits.  The majority of our clients would be more than happy to pay their bills, but their electric current fiscal position prohibits them from doing so.  In fact, sometimes their financial position even prevents them from paying for necessary everyday living expenses such as hire, gas, electricity and h2o.

DTE Energy, a major provider of electric and natural gas for metro-Detroit residents, offers a multifariousness of payment programs for those struggling to make their monthly payments.    One of the payment options, BudgetWise Billing, offers clients the ability to make the aforementioned payment each month.  The intent is to help people deal with the seasonal ups and downs of your beak.  This means, on whatsoever given month, you may accept a credit or a residuum with DTE even if you are current on your payment programme.

Most of our clients fit into one of the following three categories.

  1. Kickoff is the person who is current on their payment plan, simply has a balance with DTE.
  2. Second is the person who is months behind on their DTE bills and facing shutoff.
  3. Third is the person who has an old DTE bill that has a residual.

Regardless of your specific state of affairs, this weblog is intended to examine how DTE Free energy operates if you lot file for bankruptcy and accept a balance on your DTE business relationship.

How is a DTE Bill Handled in Bankruptcy?

Once a bankruptcy is filed, the automated stay goes into place.  The automatic stay prevents DTE from collecting on any balance owed to them.  More chiefly, especially in the winter months, it prevents DTE from shutting off your service.

In guild to forestall violations of the automatic stay, which can have serious consequences, DTE uses a database to see if any of their clients who have an outstanding balance take filed for bankruptcy.  If they notice a person who has a residual, their electric current business relationship volition be airtight and DTE volition open a new account.  Next, DTE volition then send a notice requesting a client put downward a deposit on the new account.  This may seem like a violation of the automated stay.  Notwithstanding the bankruptcy lawmaking, specifically xi. U.S.C. §366, permits DTE to asking acceptable assurance payments in exchange for continued service.  DTE claims the eolith corporeality is based on the last 2 months average usage.  Nonetheless, in our feel we have found that is not always the case and DTE may ask for more.

Receiving a neb for a security eolith payment oft comes as a shock to clients who are current on their BudgetWise program.  The client typically does not list DTE because they do not believe a debt is owed, but due to the month their business relationship is currently carrying a balance.

Understandably, this tin be frustrating for our bankruptcy clients, but there are options.  First, you can pay the deposit corporeality and the utility service will be kept on.  Second, you can file a motion with the courtroom to determine what the security deposit for DTE should be.  If DTE responds to the motion, the judge will make a determination of what the security deposit is.

Thankfully, it is not all bad news.  The deposit will be returned if you make all of your payments on time for 12 consecutive months.