Choosing the way out if you cannot pay your debts
can be a trying situation.
Yes, there are answers provided you do your
homework well.
To start with, however, you must assess your
financial strong points as well as your monetary Achilles’ heel.
Here are a few things you must do.
- Make a
list of the types of debts you have.
- Assess if
your financial problems are long term or for short duration.
- Get to
know your state’s wage garnishment limits or the limits from your monetary
compensation.
The types of debts you owe will, in a large part,
determine what your creditors can do to you.
Secured Debt
Your house or car loans are secured debts. These
provide the creditor special privileges to collect from assets you have pledged
as collateral for the loan.
If you are unable to repay your secured debt, the
creditor has the right to collect from the pledged property, if necessary,
through foreclosure.
Unsecured debt
Student loans, utility bills, telephone bills, and
credit cards charges constitute unsecured debt. These types of debts are not
linked to an asset. If you lag behind on payments for unsecured debts, the
lenders have no claim on your property.
A creditor does have his/her rights, but keep in
mind that any debt collection agency cannot do certain things such as:
- Calling
you at odd hours
- Use
abusive or annoying language
- Misrepresent
the owed amount
- Feign
themselves as a law enforcement officer or an attorney
- Threaten
false legal action
To know more, you can refer to Fair Debt
Collection Practices Act, which explicitly states that it is illegal for
creditors to harass debtors.
A first step is to write to your creditors to stop
contacting you. Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act stipulations, they
are bound to follow your request.
You can even file a complaint with the Federal
Trade Commission.
If you feel you are hounded by debt collection
agencies, and some of their actions are illegal, you may want to speak with a
law firm like Rowena N Nelson.
With office in Largo, this leading Maryland law
firm has helped clients on varied legal issues.
According to a Rowena N Nelson review, “The attorneys
of this firm make extra efforts to make certain their clients’ rights are
represented in the best possible manner”.
“I
was able to raise a defense that some of my debts were legally invalid for
certain reasons”, says a store owner. “I had read several Rowena N Nelson reviews, and this helped me get the best
representation”.
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