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The Facts Concerning Bad Debt Consolidation Loans

Dec 10

Posted by Graham McKenzie in Debt Management | No Comments

It is bad enough to be head over heels in debt, but it is even worse when you fall behind on your payments, and your debts begin to destroy your credit score. When this happens, what should you do or where should you turn for help? Be careful! Bad debt consolidation isn’t everything it is advertised to be.

Many people will tell you that you won’t be able to get a consolidation loan if you have bad credit. That is not true. There are places on the internet that will guarantee you a consolidation loan for your bad debt. There is always a consolidator that will be ready and willing to entice you with an easy to get bad debt loan that will lump all of your debt together. What they don’t tell you is that your interest will be as high as 20 to 22 percent because you’ll be considered a high risk.

All of this is true: lower monthly payments, all of your bills lumped together into one monthly payment and extra time to pay it off. You. ‘ll have at least 10 years to repay your loan, and they will extend it even longer if you ask them to. Have you considered what the results will be of that extremely high interest rate? You. ‘ll pay a whole lot more in the long run.

They will even paint a rainbow in the picture by offering to take care of everything. They aren’t lying either. They will charge you an extra 10 percent fee that will be hidden in your monthly payments. If you pay $500 per month, $50 will go to the consolidation loan company and only $450 will go to your actual creditors. In the long run this will add a considerable amount to the total you have to repay.

You need to ask yourself if it is really worth paying someone else that much money, ($40 a month over 10 years, the minimum time you can pay it back, is $400) to do something that you can do yourself? You can talk with your creditors and negotiate a lower interest rate, stretch out your repayment plan and pay off the highest interest debt first.

Although, you will be assured that by making your one monthly loan payment on time, your credit will begin to rise, beware! The consolidation companies don. ‘t report your payments to the credit companies, and they have been known to pay your creditors late, making your credit score fall even more.

What is the solution? Attempt to work with your creditors first, and leave a bad debt consolidation loan as the last resort. See if you can come to an agreement with your creditors, and end up saving yourself a considerable amount of money.

Can Debt Consolidation be the choice for you money problems? Find ways that you can use Bad Debt Consolidation to help you out. Get out from under the pressure of all those payments now!

categories: Debt,Bad Debt,Finance,Loans,Credit Cards,Personal Finance,Money,Money Management

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I Can’t Pay my Loan-Student Guidelines for Recovery

Dec 3

Posted by Zorten in Debt Management, Personal Finance | No Comments

You graduated and now your student loan is due. The job hasn’t come through yet, or you are just in over your head. What can you do about that student loan?

Before you enter the default stage, relax and review your options. Realize that you aren’t alone. Unfortunately, since so many former students default on their loans each year, the Department of Education has a well-oiled process of collecting payments from those who default.

If you just stop paying, or never begin making payments when they are due, you can expect the Department of Education to take action to collect your student loan. There are several drawbacks to procrastinating. First, they will add substantial collection fees to your outstanding balance. You owe enough already, but they are going to want extra to track you down and force you to pay.

The IRS works closely with the Department of Education, and they’ll take any tax refund that you might be due. That’s right, they’ll turn it over to the Department of Education without a second thought.

Finally, once you do get a job, they can garnish your wages. Not only will they get the collection fees and hit your take home pay, but your employer will know you defaulted on your loans as well.

If you default, your credit will be damaged. This will prevent you from getting the best available financing deals, a mortgage and possibly even a job.

Want to avoid all that hassle? First, realize that you do have options. Shirking your responsibilities should be the last option. Contact an Ombudsman at the Department of Education (877-577-2575). Review your options and choose one that you can live with.

You may be able to defer your loans. This program allows you to defer, or put off, payments on principal, interest or both under some conditions. If you’re out of work but looking for a job, experiencing a financial hardship or going back to school you may be able to put off paying for awhile. You must apply and be approved, so be proactive and request the paperwork from your lender before you find yourself in default.

Most loans have a provision for cancellation. However, canceling a student loan is very difficult. If you meet one of the requirements you can apply for a cancellation by completing a form provided by your lender. Some of the qualifications include total disability, either permanent or temporary, death, providing instruction or other services to needy populations or entering a rehabilitation program for your disability. Serving in one of the armed forces may also allow you to cancel your student loans under certain circumstances. Cancellations are hard to obtain and will always require documentation of your condition or situation.

If you find yourself in extreme circumstances, student loans can be discharged through certain types of bankruptcy. However, you must be able to prove that if you repaid the loan you would suffer severe financial difficulty, and most student loans can only be discharged through Chapter 13 bankruptcies in which you must repay a portion of your debt (usually pennies on the dollar).

Whatever your situation, deal with your student loan problem before it enters default. Whatever choice you make, don’t ignore the problem. It won’t go away, it’ll only get bigger. Contact the Ombudsman at the Department of Education or your lender before you find yourself in default.

About the Author
Jay Moncliff is the founder of http://www.saving-loans.com a website specialized on Loan, resources and articles. For more info visit his site: Loan

Article source:
I Can’t Pay my Loan-Student Guidelines for Recovery

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