Sunday, November 18, 2007

If you fall late on payments


In the credit counseling industry, we hear many different reasons why people got into debt and more importantly, why they are having problems getting out of debt. Issues range from life events such as death or divorce making it difficult to pay bills on time to loss of a job or what seems to be the prevalent of all reasons that is, simply overextending them. One size does not fit all when attempting to get out of debt, but the reality is that there are several options consumers have to resolve the situation. Getting out of debt options are as follows: Taking Care of it on your own: If you can afford it, it is best to always pay more than the minimum balance. When you pay the minimum balance, approximately 92% of the payment is applied to the interest, while 3-4% is applied to other charges. Only 3-5% is actually applied to the principal balance. Always pay the bill on time, as credit card companies are very quick to charge late and over-the-limit fees.

It may be only a short term solution and may not assist you over time.
Whatever deal you get, make sure that they put it in writing, preferably signed by a manager or supervisor.
This option is preferable for dead letter debtors who do want to pay their bills, but cannot afford the total amounts.

Keep in mind that since October 2006, the new bankruptcy law has been in place and there are specific stipulations that you must adhere to in order to file. Debt Settlements can sometimes be extremely harmful to your clatter health although there are some instances where a settlement can be to the debtor’s advantage. Some of the negatives include: A notation on your credit report that the debt was paid as settled and not paid in full. Lenders have a tendency to view this as a situation where the debtor was unable or unwilling to pay the debt in full and sends a red flag on any application for credit. Second, for any amount of money you save on the debt totaling over $600, you may be sent a 1099 tax form the following year, as the savings are considered earned income. Third, even when you settle the debt, the remaining balance may be sold to another collection company and in the future, you may be contacted and harassed by them regarding the debt. Finally, there are a number of debt settlement antimatter companies that will take payments from you over a period of time, but not make regular payments toward your debt. If your credit has been questionable, this method will make it even worse and it can then be extremely difficult to regain your creditworthiness. While refinancing can work for a number of people and assist in paying off credit card or unsecured debt, there is a danger involved. Some consumer counseling credit massachusetts service debtors pay off the debt, but then begin to use the credit cards again, sometimes to the point of maxing out the cards, thus having a much worse situation than when they refinanced. It is advisable to either cut up the cards at the time of the loan or at the least, put a freeze on the cards for a specific period of time. Judgments may stay on your report for up to 21 years, while a lien will stay on until it is satisfied. This may have an effect on the people to whom you leave your property, as they will have to satisfy the lien before they can benefit from any sale or disposition of the property. Advantages include the lower interest rates, waiving of late and over the limit fees and in most cases the re-aging of the plagiarizer account after three consecutive on time payments. As always, you must research any company that you do business with and make sure that they give you the terms and conditions in writing. Be advised that some lenders do consider debt management programs to be a negative. If a lender turns you down for credit, you can ask the debt management company to intercede on your behalf, or you might have to shop for a lender who is educated as to the meaning and advantages of debt management. If you fall late on payments to your creditors, you will be notified of penalties on your next billing cycle. You will also be subject to calls from your creditors, from what they call the in house collections department. If you cannot resolve the consumer credit counseling service georgia situation with the in-house collectors, over the course of the next few months, you will then be subject to calls from outside collectors, who will be more aggressive in their pursuit of your payment. Fortunately, when it comes to third party collectors, you do have rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Acts.

They cannot threaten to seize your property. They cannot speak to anyone but you, your spouse or your attorney regarding your debt and they cannot threaten you with jail. Keep in mind that collectors generally get paid a commission from what they collect, so they will not be working in your best interests. If you come to a payment agreement, make sure that you get it in writing and do not give out your checking account information, nor should you agree to pay with a credit card. Any consumer credit counseling service missouri payment should be made by a certified check or money order and you must hold to this, as many times a collector will drain your checking account and then say that you agreed to it. If you are unable to come to an agreement to pay off the debt, the collector then can either sue you or refer your account to a collection attorney. A collection attorney will be even more aggressive and threatening, but is still subject to the provisions of the FDCPA.
Failure to appear will mean a judgment automatically goes against you.



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