In bankruptcy cases a bankruptcy trustee is a court-appointed impartial officer who is charged with administering the debtor's estate. The trustee is appointed by the Department of Justice's United States Trustee and serves as a representative of creditors and protects their interests both in cases filed under Chapter 13 and Chapter 7.
There are many ways of dealing with debt in case you are unable to repay it within the time period decided upon. While declaring bankruptcy is one way of dealing with the situation, it has a long-lasting impact on your financial life.
Bankruptcy laws are complicated and the interpretation and intervention of the law varies from case to case. In case the loan has co-signatories where one decides to file bankruptcy might affect the others.