Just like people, sometimes a corporation accrues more debt than it actually has the ability to pay back. When this occurs, a corporation sometimes declares bankruptcy. However, corporations do not always use the same kinds of bankruptcy that individuals use. The two most common corporate bankruptcy filings are Chapter 7 bankruptcy and Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Chapter 7, which can also be used by individuals, is for businesses that are giving up entirely. If a company declares Chapter 7 bankruptcy, that company will cease operations immediately. At that point, legal ownership of the company is transferred to the bankruptcy court. When ownership of the company is transferred to the court, a lawyer will be appointed by the court to oversee the rest of the bankruptcy. This will include overseeing the closing of that corporation's facilities. It will also include a liquidation of the company's assets. The assets will be sold, and the proceeds of those sales will be used to pay back creditors that are owed money by the company. Chapter 11 bankruptcy, not used by individuals, is a bit different. Instead of the business being closed, the business is allowed operate normally during the bankruptcy. The goal of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy is the restructuring of the corporation so it can be profitable once again. There is also another potential benefit from this kind of corporate bankruptcy. All or a good portion of the company's previous debts and other obligations may be absolved. This is due to the fact that the goal of Chapter 11 bankruptcy is reorganization. Debt or other obligations that would force a company to go out of business may be removed to help that occur. Obligations other than debt that may be set aside by the court can vary. Usually this includes things such as agreements with unions on employee pensions and benefits, leases for real estate and other expensive contracts. However, even if a corporation attempts to enter Chapter 11 bankruptcy, there is still a risk that the company may be liquidated as part of a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. This can occur if a plan is not agreed upon by the corporation, its creditors and the court. If this happens, the only remaining options are either entering Chapter 7 or returning back to the company's pre-bankruptcy state. Since the company entered bankruptcy because survival without reorganization was unlikely, both choices are rather undesirable.