Everything You Need To Know About Bankruptcy
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.
It is a fact that bankruptcy comes with a number of benefits. First and foremost it annihilates most of your debt. It can aid you with repossessions, missed debt payments, defaults and lawsuits. It can get you started on rehabiliation if you have poor credit.
Bankruptcy will hinder the phone calls from creditors, collections letters, repossessions, declined charge authorizations, cancelled credit cards, and lawsuits. You can also keep your car if you keep up on the payment; bankruptcy will also allow you to keep your home if you remain current on the payments.
Bankruptcy allows you to stop foreclosure and permits you to make monthly payments on amounts you have owed in the past. Finally, it stops creditors from making a claim after it is filed, even if your financial situation changes.
Conversely, bankruptcy law can offer a “fresh start” but only every six years in most cases. Bankruptcy will stay on your credit report for ten years and hurts your credit rating severly. Additionally, filing bankruptcy may require a wait of two years before it is possible to buy a home. Some lenders allow for home loans after one year however.
Bankruptcy does not wipe out most tax debt. It does not clear away student loan debt. It requires that you give up your credit cards. It might cause you to lose some of your things, and unfortunately bankruptcy carries a stigma that can be embarrassing.
If you are not positive whether you should file for bankruptcy or not, get in touch with your creditors to see what type of repayment plan they can come up for you. While bankruptcy is an option, in most cases it should be seen as a last resort.
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Medical Debt Relief Act Evens Things Out….Sort Of
From 1999 to 2009, premium costs for family insurance have risen by one hundred and thirty one percent. That\’s easily over three times the rate at which wages rose during this time. In the recession, millions of jobs have been lost, putting workers who just lost their jobs at risk of also living without health insurance. For those who remain employed, employers are pushing more of the costs of health insurance onto their workers as they struggle with economic uncertainty. Then there are blue collar and retail workers, waitresses and the like who are paid less, work harder and are not offered health insurance plans at their jobs. No wonder that Americans are struggling to pay their medical bills.
In 2007, about seventy two million Americans struggled with their medical bills. A large amount of these people made paying off their medical bills their top priority, while they had to struggle to pay for basic necessities like food, rent or heat. More than THIRTY MILLION American adults used up ALL of their savings or BORROWED AGAINST THEIR HOMES in order to pay off medical bills. Unfortunately, in this time of economic hardship, many Americans could not stop the bill collector from knocking on their door.
Thirty million Americans are contacted every year by collection agencies for delinquent medical bills; many struggle to pay these. Many people are unclear as to why their insurance refused to pay a claim, others are confused about the amount they owe. Over half of people who were surveyed said that they were puzzled by the medical jargon on their bills, and one in four said confusion led them to allow bills to go past the due date or to be sent to a collection agency.
A medical bill that is being sent to collections will typically be reported to credit bureaus. Unpaid debts will results in a lower credit score. Medical accounts, even those that have been fully paid off will remain on a credit report for up to seven years. This will result in lower credit scores and increases the costs of mortgages, car loans, or credit card interest.
Luckily, Ohio Congresswoman Kilroy saw the consequences of outstanding medical bills. She decided to take action because she saw medical debt as unique. She introduced The Medical Debt Relief Act, which states that medical debt that is fully paid off or settled must be removed from a consumer\’s credit report within thirty days.
Although this does not fix our botched healthcare system, it would provide relief for those who have paid off medical debt, while the rest of us wait for better health care reform.
Mallory McGuinness is employed by a debt collection agency. She also does articles on business, finance, consumer spending, and debt collection. This and other unique content \’rmcb collection agency\’ articles are available with free reprint rights.
Student Loan Consolidation Might Be Your Best Bet For Debt
Income is limited these days for everyone, who struggles to maintain the standard of living. In the past, loans carried you through college, but now that you\’re out these debts have come out to haunt you. You may be contacted by various debt collectors and left a frantic mess seeking someone who can help you with a school loan consolidation.
The majority of students that have just finished their education and are currently looking for jobs try for federal school loan consolidation first. This loan is beneficial in a number of ways. First, the government is the source of this loan but it is issued by private lenders. That means that the time you have to repay the loan can be extended for a long duration.
Maybe the most tempting aspect of school loan consolidation is that the multiple student loans are substituted with just one loan. The overall sum of the debt is reduced; at times this reduction can even go up to 60%. This, of course leads to reduction in your monthly payment.
Even better, the new rate of interest is founded on the weighted average of the rates that are applicable on your present loans. You\’ll also get rid of the mental stress associated with remembering the details about multiple loans. Consolidation does not require a cosigner or any checking of the credit score, and you can utilize this opportunity to improve the credit score or rating.
The only drawback is it is extremely hard to prove yourself eligible for the federal school loan consolidation. Typically, you will need the assistance of a good debt consolidation expert to prove that you are eligible for this kind of consolidation. The standards to be qualified for this loan are very rigid, leaving many ineligible for the loan. Nevertheless, it is worthwhile to check to see if you qualify. It could be a good resource for protecting your finances in the future.
Mallory McGuinnessworks for a debt collection agency. She also writes articles on the credit industry, business and finance, and debt collection. Visit the Uber Article Directory to get a totally unique version of this article for reprint.
Bankruptcy Filings Blow Up As Economy Suffers
Layoffs and pay cuts pushed more people into bankruptcy last year, and analysts say that the situation will most likely not improve until the unemployment issue improves. In Wisconsin, bankruptcy filings raised to 30 percent in 2009. This came on top of a 35 percent increase in the preceding year.
According to bankruptcy lawyers, it is not just firings and layoffs that are motivation to file. It\’s the losses of once-regular over time pay and full time status that have left consumers from keeping up with monthly payments that in the past were not an issue to pay.
U.S. Bankruptcy Court information shows that there were 27,413 bankruptcy petitions filed in Wisconsin last year. More than 80% were Chapter 7 cases. Chapter 7 cases annihilate medical bills, credit card balances, and other types of debt. Recent Research by The Associated Press illustrated that more than 1.4 million bankruptcies were filed in 2009, an increase of about 32% from 2008.
And despite the fact that bankruptcy takes away the looming debt and offers consumers a fresh financial start, debtors often remain unemployed and are unable to find employment to get a suitableincome again.
Worse still, unless the economy improves enough for companies to start hiring, there is little reason to think that bankruptcies will go down in 2010. Experts have noted that home foreclosures will continue to pile up in 2010 because people who previously had adequate credit have lost employment and cannot keep up with payments.
Bankruptcy might seem like an acceptable option to get a fresh start, but it affects your credit report negatively for ten years, rendering you not able to get a car, place of residence, or employment. Before declaring bankruptcy, it is a wise decision to speak with your creditors and see if some sort of repayment plan can be worked out.
Mallory McGuinness-Hickey is employed by a debt collection agency. Also, she composesarticles on consumer spending, business, finance, and debt collection. Click here to get your own unique version of this article with free reprint rights.