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Bad Credit Auto Loan - Your best options?
<h2>Bad Credit Auto Loan - Your best options?</h2>
A bad credit auto loan isn't impossible to find-- it just takes a little work! If your credit is a little dented and dinged, it doesn't have to shut you out of an auto loan. There are...
Choosing The Right Credit Card
They come day after day after day. Sometimes two, three, or four at a time. Credit card offers. The credit card industry is highly competitive and banks and other financial institutions are constantly sending out mass mailings in an attempt to lure...
Credit, Money and the Home
Did you know that money is mentioned in the bible more times that heaven or hell? Does the idea of telling your spouse what you spent on marketing send chills down your spine? Why? Because you have nothing to show for it…yet? Do you have a set...
Home Equity Line of Credit - Finding The Best Home Equity Lender
Borrowing against the value of your home using a revolving credit account is known as a home equity line of credit. Lenders offer home equity lines of credit in several ways with either fixed or variable interest rates. Information on obtaining a...
Mortgage Loans For People With Adverse Credit - How Much Should You Borrow
"How much should you borrow?" is a question people with adverse credit wrestle with. The answer is simply as much as you can afford. This is probably less than what you will qualify to borrow from a mortgage lender. To determine what you can afford,...
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Credit Counseling – Six Tips to Avoid Counseling Scams
Credit counseling is a useful service for anyone with problem debt. A good counseling agency can provide advice regarding money management and debt consolidation. They can also help arrange a repayment plan with your creditors to help you get out of debt. A bad agency can charge excessive fees, pocket money that was intended to pay your bills, and steer you into greater debt than before. Predatory credit counseling has become a multibillion dollar industry, and with the recent passage of the Bankruptcy Abuse and Consumer Protection Act, credit counseling will soon become mandatory for anyone filing for bankruptcy. How can you avoid becoming a victim of credit counseling scams? How can you choose a helpful and reputable credit counselor?
Here are a few tips that can help you avoid becoming a victim of predatory agencies:
Many agencies claim to be nonprofit, but that doesn’t mean they don’t charge money or work with for-profit companies. Inquire about the fees the company charges. Is there a setup fee? Monthly payments? Does the company keep the first payment, or does some of it go towards your debts? Fees should fall within your ability to pay, and any agency that is trying to help you will know this. A company that charges hundreds or thousands of dollars in setup fees is probably not interested in anything other than your money.
Ask the counselor how he or she is compensated. A salary or hourly wage is a good answer, but you should be suspicious if they are on commission or earn incentives by steering you towards expensive debt consolidation programs. A good counselor should direct you towards solutions that help you, not solutions that earn them more
money.
Will your creditors work with this agency? Call your creditors directly and ask them if they will negotiate with the specific agency you’re seeing. Counselors often state that they can get your creditors to lower fees, restructure debt or lower interest rates. Can they? Call the creditors yourself to be sure.
Make sure that you get all of the counselors promises and terms in writing. Anything that he or she tells you verbally isn’t binding, so don’t believe it if it isn’t written down.
Make sure your agency provides you with monthly reports that state how much you have paid them and who is receiving the payments. Don’t take them at their word that your bills are being paid; verify it.
Check with your local Chamber of Commerce or Better Business Bureau to make sure that there are no outstanding complaints against this agency. The counseling business is full of fraud, and complaints are common. It’s smart to inquire.
By taking your time, asking the right questions, and doing proper research, you should be able to find a helpful and reputable credit counselor who can help you reduce or eliminate your debts. Thousands of Americans are victimized each year by predatory counseling firms, but there’s no reason why you should become a victim of one. If you have problem debt, you have trouble enough already without looking for more.
About the Author
©Copyright 2005 by Retro Marketing. Charles Essmeier is the owner of Retro Marketing, a firm devoted to informational Websites, including End-Your-Debt.com, a site devoted to establishing credit, debt consolidation and credit counseling.
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| CUNA: The Credit Union National Association |
| News and resource directory about credit unions. |
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| Credit/Debt Management - Tools and Advice for Managing Credit and Debt |
| Drowning in debt? Trying to improve your credit score? This is the place for you. Get real world information and tips, as well as the legal low down, ... |
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