Under Bankr. Code 362(c)(1), the automatic stay of action against property of the estate terminates when the property is no longer property of the estate. Under Bkry. Code 522, most debtors in a consumer Chapter 7 claim all of their property to be exempt. Under Bkry. Code 522(l), property that the debtor claims as exempt is exempt in the absence of objections filed by a trustee or a creditor (which, if filed, will be heard by the bankruptcy court). Under Rule 4003 of the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure, such objections must be filed within 30 days after the conclusion of the first meeting of creditors. Once exempt, the property is no longer property of the estate and the creditor is no longer bound by the automatic stay to refrain from actions against the property. However, I surmise that most creditors refrain from pursuing state law remedies against the collateral until the debtor has been granted a discharge, an event that is usually somewhat later than 30 days after the conclusion of the first meeting of creditors.
The injunction of the automatic stay is replaced, upon
discharge, by a discharge injunction. Bankr.Code 524(a). But under Bankr. Code
524(a)(2), discharge of a debtor from pre-petition debt operates as an injunction against
creditor action to recover a debt "as a personal liability of the debtor."
This language deliberately omits any injunction against action with respect to
collateral.