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IVA Advice

Posted by | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on 01-07-2011

Getting into debt can be difficult for one to get accepted by creditors. An IVA is a solution available to get creditors to give you a plan you can afford. Getting iva advice is important because debt problems will not disappear on their own; they must be dealt with as soon as possible.

When getting iva advice, the first thing required is to get all the information together on who you owe money to including companies and financial institutions. Once you have all the information about your debts in one detailed document, the next thing to do will be to choose which debts have the highest priorities. You must decide which debts should be paid off first and which will affect you the most if time is an issue.

With an iva, you will be required to pay off as much debt as you can afford for a certain period of time after which all the remaining debts will be written off. Getting iva advice is important because it is a better alternative than declaring bankruptcy. There are several options available when seeking iva advice; call centers are available and there are practitioners which are also available to help you out. It is best to seek as much iva advice as soon as possible which will allow you to have more time to pay off your debts. Most iva advice is free when contacting a call center. They will help you make your plan to propose it to creditors who will normally give you a plan that is affordable to you.

One of the great benefits of receiving iva advice is that most of the debtors will have their interest rates frozen. This will allow you to only pay off the loaned amount without have to pay off the high increase of interest.

Debt Consolidation Can Never Be A Mistake

Posted by | Posted in Debt Management | Posted on 13-04-2011

The purpose of debt consolidation is to pay only one loan. Many individuals are faced with the problems of paying many loans. There might be student loans, home loans, personal loans or even credit card payments. When it comes to all of these, there will be confusion about which one to pay and when to pay it.

Not only will the interest rates vary from bank to bank, the payment options as well as the time of the payment will also vary. To sort out this problem, a debt consolidation is sought. Through this method, the borrower may pool in all his debts, and take a fresh loan against some security. This method is normally sought to seek lower interest rates, and also to make sure the interest rate is fixed.

In most cases the collateral taken for this loan is a house. If there is no security, there are chances that the interest rate may be higher. So it is wiser to set the loan against some security. Many individuals who seek these loans will want to pay back certain credit card loans, as the interest on those will be higher than most loans.

The option of debt consolidation will also have to be thought of carefully by the person going in for such a loan. If he is doing this because he prefers this to declaring bankruptcy, there will be the debts to consider. He will have to pay back all the debts. It is sometimes better to choose this option, as it will allow the person more chances of maintaining his credit record, and it will be good for further use.

Debt consolidation is also used against property, as this will give the lender assurance that he is safe even if his loan is not returned. This is the only reason for him to reduce the loan interest rates. The borrower should also be smart enough to look around for several lenders, and check all their interest rates, before picking one lender.

The borrower must also not hesitate to ask if there are any various options that he can choose from. Some companies may indulge in forcing the borrower to refinance the loan, and get into a situation where he is unable to come out of it. So before applying for the loan, the borrower should also check the credentials of the company.

Debt consolidation also means that the unsecured loans are all becoming secure loans. This will mean that the borrower risks the chances of losing his property if he is not paying back on time. Though in this debt, the borrower needs to pay only monthly installments, the entire amount including the interest may calculate to a much higher amount.

Some companies also offer the options of offering debt consolidation loans, without it being secured. This option will also have to be looked into by the borrower. And he must seek the advice of a financial consultant before moving forward.

Credit Card Debt - Increasing Every Day

Posted by | Posted in Debt Management | Posted on 26-02-2011

Credit card debt is increasing every day, with credit cards becoming easier to obtain, consumers balances are on the rise, and people are even using one credit card to pay off another.  Credit card debt is also becoming a problem on college campuses and it is a major factor in a lot of bankruptcy cases, with near £20 billion discharged in chapter 7 bankruptcy cases each year.  It is an outbreak in world but even more so in the western world, most notable in the US.

A debt consolidation loan could help you to consolidate the high debts on your current credit cards to a lower interest rate and probably a lower payment.  Consolidation loans are intended to help consumers pay off their bills and lower debt.  When you have many cards with large amounts of debt and high interest, debt consolidation can be a life saver.

Rates on credit cards vary quite a bit, so a good idea is to know all your rates and try to transfer balances to lower rate cards when ever possible.  It is also possible that consumers can call their creditors and negotiate for lower interest rates, usually it’s best to consolidate the debt at a lower rate when possible.  If you fail to make your monthly payments as agreed, your interest rate will then go to the penalty rate which is usually quite high.

Overwhelming credit card debt is also causing students to be hounded by creditors and in many cases, declaring bankruptcy said Candy Acezedo, director of education at Consumer Credit Counseling Service.  A high debt can also force a student to take a part time or regular job, which often will have a negative effect on their studies.

The best way to stay out of trouble with debt, is to just use your head and don’t spend money you know you will have a hard time paying back. If you are already drowning in debt, there are free credit counseling agencies that can be found online, that will be able to help get you started in the right direction.

Are New Bankruptcy Laws Going To Help You?

Posted by | Posted in Debt Management | Posted on 20-12-2009

There are 2 sides to the changes in bankruptcy rules. It will be a lot harder to file bankruptcy under chapter 7 and get a totally clean slate.

For businesses, relying on issuing credit, the new personal bankruptcy law is doing great, reducing personal bankruptcy claims from the thousands to double digits.(In the short run).

However, lawyers working with the actual people filing for bankruptcy say that the new law is seriously flawed because it puts more financial burdens on already broke clients and reduces potential debt repayment to small businesses.

And then of course you have the credit card companies charging high interest rates which in quite a few cases caused the bankruptcy in the first place.
According to some financial specialists, much of the debt people accumulate is a result of keeping up with the Joneses and not thinking ahead.

For 80% of clients counseled each month, the debt is credit card related and averages $32,000 - a result of six to eight cards. Consumer credit organizations say the new law provides debt-reducing strategies for those considering filing bankruptcy and curbs abuse.

Under the new law it has become a requirement that the person filing bankruptcy obtains credit counseling both before and after filing for which that person will be charged..

So now the consumer would then know the advantages and disadvantages of declaring bankruptcy. Yet it seems merely another expense for an already financially stressed individual.

People filing bankruptcy in general are not overspenders, but merely faced with temporary financial disasters such as medical costs, layoffs, a divorce, gambling debts or other crises. Before you can file bankruptcy,you are now required to complete credit counseling with an agency approved by the U.S. Trustees office.

This credit counseling is designed to help you determine whether or not bankruptcy is appropriate.

Once you complete your bankruptcy, the law requires you to attend another credit counseling session.

These are new requirements, before this law was passed the law did not require a person to go through counseling either before or after the filing of bankruptcy.

Second, under the old law, a person could decide to file under Chapter 7 or Chapter 13. Under the new law, the court will look at your monthly income and apply a means test relating to the state in which you live. If your income is less than or equal to the medium income then you will be allowed to file Chapter 7 which in effect will give you a clean slate.

This medium income can vary from $28,000 in Missouri to $56,000 in Alaska. If your income is greater, you may be forced to file Chapter 13 unless you can demonstrate you do not have enough disposable income.

Under Chapter 13 you will not get a clean slate but will have to make payments on your debts.

Also, your attorney now has to personally certify that your bankruptcy filing is accurate. This means more work for the attorney, with higher legal fees.

Advantages of declaring Bankruptcy:

Legal protection from creditors
Takes care of all or most debt
In some cases, can keep home and car
May stop complete financial ruin
Provides a fresh start

Disadvantages of declaring Bankruptcy:

Bad credit
May have to repay partial debt load and return collateral to creditors
May lose assets, including house and car (If the house is worth more than a certain amount).
Bankruptcy becomes public record, and
Remains on credit record for seven to 10 years

“In the past, a bankruptcy offered a fresh start for the filer,” said Columbia attorney Gwen Froeschner Hart. “The new federal legislation offers language directed at helping creditors.”

If you analyze credit card expenses for most people you’ll see that they often include medical bills and day-to-day expenses for the elderly or those earning low or fixed incomes. Records show that 50% of credit card holders do not pay their full credit card bills every month.

33% of the population can’t afford medical insurance so have to charge their prescription drugs.
With the recent Medicaid cuts and rigid bankruptcy legislation who knows what is going to happen to these people.

There are some who say consumers are abusing creditors. The irony is that credit card companies are begging for customers and offering large amounts of unsecured credit, yet at the same time, lobbying for stricter debt controls.