In parts one and two in this set of articles on the very basics of debt collection, I let you know about the differences between an in house collector and a third party debt collector. I spoke about the different sorts of ways that collection agents will find their debtors, and described a number of statements that the debt collector must say before they can proceed in their attempt to collect debt from you.
In my first article in my series on mutual funds, I did not even get a chance to touch on the subject of mutual funds! I very briefly covered securities, which we said is something that represents money. We covered two types of securities, stocks and bonds. We spoke about stock markets and bonds markets, and how if you wanted to invest in or sell stocks and bonds you are going to need the help of a dealer or broker.
Debt collectors, or bill and account collectors’ job is to try to collect payment on bills that are overdue. Most bill collectors are employed by third party collection agencies. The creditor, or the company or business that is owed the debt, will often hire outside of the company; especially if their accounts receivable department is small.
In the last article I spoke about debt settlement programs and whether it pays to agree to one or not. Keeping all of this information I relayed to you in mind, if you decide that debt settlement is not the best option for you, there are four other main choices: stay delinquent, come up with extra cash to make payments, work with a credit counselor, or file for bankruptcy.
In the last article I spoke about seemingly disreputable debt consolidation schemes that you should be aware of. Read on to find out more about these scams….
Divorce, in addition to bankruptcy can bring serious problems to the table for those involved in the situation. When a married couple who no longer wishes to remain together have debts piling up and are heading for divorce, bankruptcy might be one way to sort out the financial issues. Bankruptcy has the capacity to be filed by just one spouse, or jointly. The effects of bankruptcy on divorce proceedings? Abrupt at best. An automatic stay will put an end to all activities on divorce proceedings.
When does a collections agent over the phone cross over the line into harassment? Collection agencies are restricted from utilizing obscene language or threats of violence. However, they are allowed to insult your integrity and make you feel bad about the person you are.
Bankruptcy is generally seen as a quick fix solution to financial problems. Yet the effects of bankruptcy are long term and can hinder your ability to get employment, house, and any type of credit. It is important to weigh the pros and the cons of bankruptcy before making a major choice.
You should call in a credit collection agency sooner rather than later. The longer you wait to begin the collection process on past due accounts, the less of a chance you’ll have at recovering your money.
Recently the CARD act took effect, which means that cardholders will be able to get relief from double cycle billing and arbitrary rate increases. In addition, the CARD act promises that credit card bills will be much easier to read. However, with the new act comes a new series of rules and regulations that savvy consumers should know about.