How to Negotiate a Doctor's Lien

Health insurance in the United States is often quite costly. According to CNN, 60 percent of bankruptcies in the U.S. are due to outstanding medical bills. Before bankruptcy, these bills will often show up as a judgment or a lien on your credit report. If you do not want to file bankruptcy, you can attempt to negotiate this debt with either the physician's collector or the collection agency. Instructions 1 Find out who holds the medical lien....

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How to Choose a Debt Consolidator

When you have too much debt and are looking for a way to reduce it, you may be considering debt consolidation to get your debt under control. There are plenty of debt consolidation companies out there that are happy to take your money, but how do you choose a debt consolidator that is legitimate and looking out for your best interests? Choose a debt consolidator who is willing to work as your partner to help you get out of debt once and for all....

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How to Remove Credit Report Judgments With Letters

Judgments are legal decisions reached in court and also are known as monetary judgments. Judgments are granted by a judge following a civil lawsuit, often for credit card debt. Judgment information is included on credit reports for seven years and is very damaging to credit scores. Removing judgments from credit reports with letters is not difficult -- if you can cite reasons within the Fair Credit Reporting Act for removing the information. Instructions 1 Review the Fair Credit Reporting Act (see Resources) to determine a legal basis for...

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Credit Card Problems With College Students

College students have incurred record rates of credit card debt since the 1990s, and every year the amount of debt that college students have on lines of credit rises. Credit card debt wreaks havoc among college students, who are often also in debt from student loans and have low-paying part-time jobs. While the credit information website Card Ratings states that increasing numbers of competent debt counselors specialize in student debt, larger...

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If I Owe Property Tax, Can My City or County Government Garnish My Social Security Retirement Check?

Property taxes are generally due and payable twice a year by residents of a city or county. If you fail to pay your property taxes on time, the city or county government may have a number of legal options available to secure payment of the past-due amount. Garnishment of your Social Security retirement benefits, however, isn't an option available to either a city or county government for payment of past-due property taxes. Garnishment Garnishment is a legal remedy available to a creditor when a debtor owes money to the creditor. Before...

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Can I File Bankruptcy on My Negative Bank Account?

It is possible to file for bankruptcy on a negative bank account, but that's a high price to pay just because you're indebted to your bank for a few hundred dollars because of overdrafts. Theoretically, a person could owe a bank more than that for overdrafts. However, even if the amount is a few thousand dollars, the debtor should think twice about filing for bankruptcy for that reason alone. Others may file for bankruptcy if their bank account is showing a large negative balance because of bank garnishment for an unpaid debt. Considerations...

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The Impact of Credit Card Debt

Credit card debt is a problem that can be crippling financially in the short-term and lead to even bigger problems in the future. Because of its high interest rates, credit card debt can take a long time to pay off and make a lasting impact on your credit score as well. Credit Score One way that credit card debt can negatively affect you is in your credit score. Carrying a small balance on your credit cards may not necessarily have any effect, but if you max out your card regularly, it can impact your score. You should strive to keep your...

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How to Fix Credit Fraud

Your credit history and score are an essential part of your financial identity. They determine everything about your major financial decisions, including loan approval or denial and interest rates. If your score is unusually low, you could be a victim of identity theft, in which a criminal uses your personal information to make fraudulent accounts and transactions. But don't worry, you can fix credit fraud if it's happened to you. Instructions 1 Call one of the major credit bureaus (Equifax, TransUnion or Experian) and put a fraud alert...

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Debt Forgiveness Rules

The only official form of debt forgiveness in the United States is the federal bankruptcy process, according to the book "How to File for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy" by Stephen Elias and others. Without formal debt forgiveness, creditors can legally sue debtors who did not pay their bills on time. Credit-related lawsuits also can lead to wage garnishments. Ineligible Debts Some types of debt cannot be forgiven through the bankruptcy process. You must deal directly with the family court on any child support or alimony obligations. In many states...

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Indiana Laws on Credit Freezes

Those living in Indiana may want to limit access to their credit files with credit freezes, which also are known as security freezes. People who request that credit bureaus place freezes on their files also need to manage their credit information to ensure it's available to lenders and creditors if they apply for new accounts. There are, however, situations in which credit freezes can be overridden. Credit Reports Indiana residents have the right to prevent credit reporting companies from releasing information in their credit files to others...

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Student Internet Activity & Identity Theft

According to the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Inspector General, identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the U.S. Identity theft happens when someone uses your personal information without your knowledge to commit fraudulent or criminal acts. Students are particularly vulnerable to identity theft because their personal information is widely available online. Features Identity thieves use your personal information...

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Are Debt Management Companies Legitimate?

A wide range of quality exists when it comes to the debt management field. If you are in the market to use a debt management firm, you can find legitimate ones. However, if you aren't careful, you could wind up with a second-rate company that overcharges you or even one that is a plain scam. Disreputable companies are successful at ripping off consumers, which is why you might have to wade through a minefield before you find a legitimate debt management company to help you. How It Works When you enter into a legitimate debt management plan,...

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Help for Credit Card Relief

Paying off credit cards and relieving debt can put you one step closer to debt-free living. Credit card balances increase your debt-to-income ratio, and if you owe an excessive amount, credit cards can lower your personal credit rating. Learn different tips for paying down these balances, and keeping balances within a reasonable range. Debt Consolidation Debt consolidation can provide help with relieving credit card debt. Debt consolidation agencies can help you through the debt elimination process. They often contact your creditors to...

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Can I Call the Creditor and Settle My Debt if I Have a Judgment on Me for a Credit Card?

If you fall behind in payments on a large a credit card debt, you risk the possibility of being sued in civil court by the company that issued the card. If you lose, you will be legally ordered to pay a certain amount of money to the company in damages. However, you may be able to settle for a smaller amount of money out of court after the civil judgment has been issued. Credit Card Debt When you take out a credit card, you must sign a legally binding contract to pay back the money borrowed against the line of credit. Although this contract...

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Credit Consumer Rights Information

Establishing credit is a good thing, maintaining good credit is even better. When applying for a loan, credit card or any other form of credit, businesses inspect your credit file to determine if you will be offered a line of credit. To ensure all consumers are given an equal and fair opportunity at being awarded credit, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) enforces credit laws for you. Credit Report Businesses buy your credit file from credit reporting agencies for the purpose of evaluating your credit. Your bankruptcy filings, liens and...

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How to Increase a Credit Score After Maxing Out a Card

Raising your credit card debt can have a substantially negative impact on your credit score. However, there are some things you can do to help your score rebound. Common sense and discipline are the real keys, but some specific strategies can also help. Instructions 1 Make your payments for all of your debt on time without fail. A history of late payments can damage your score as much as excessive debt balances. 2 Make more than the minimum payment each month if at all possible. Again, this can work for any debt balance you have, but...

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How to Get a Job When You Have Garnishments

Wage garnishment forces an employer to send a percentage of your paycheck to a debt collector. By law the employer must make payments each pay period until an unpaid debt you're responsible for is resolved. Wage garnishment is time-consuming for employers and it is an embarrassment for employees. Getting a job when you have garnishments is difficult because of the stigma. However, there are ways to manage garnishment and get the job you want. Instructions...

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Why Does a Company Do Credit Checks?

Getting a job has become increasingly challenging in recent times. Not only do you need a stellar resume and solid references, but you now need pristine credit. Credit checks have become commonplace in the screening process of applicants, even for jobs that don't involve dealing with money. Along with your resume and cover letter, your credit report is a document used by employers to make assumptions about your character and work ability. Importance of Credit Once upon a time, your credit score only measured what kind of interest rate you'd...

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How to Eliminate Your Growing Credit Card Debt

Too many credit card users have lived in debt so long, they regard debt-free living as virtually impossible. Adding to the hopelessness is an average interest rate of 10 to 30 percent and income that cannot keep pace, forcing consumers to make only minimum payments a clear prescription for long-term debt. If this is your situation, realize that a strategy does exist that will enable you to corral your debt and eventually eliminate it completely....

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Will Paying a Settlement Rather Than the Total Balance on a Credit Card Hurt Your Credit Report?

You've probably heard the expression---you can't have your cake and eat it, too. You can apply the same thinking to settling your credit card debt. You can certainly save money if you settle, but you won't keep your credit report golden if you do. Definition Debt settlement is negotiating with your creditor to pay less than what you owe. You can negotiate yourself or you can hire a debt-settlement firm to negotiate for you. If you hire a debt-settlement company, be aware that many such firms are fraudulent. Some charge upfront fees and...

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How to Stop Harassing Phone Calls From Creditors And Collectors

Federal law allows U.S. consumers to stop collection calls from credit card and debt collection companies. However, a verbal request to stop such calls isn't sufficient. Consumers need to submit such requests in writing. It's also important to understand that calls from creditors and collectors don't automatically qualify as harassment. The behavior of creditors and collectors affects whether they're harassing consumers under the terms of debt collection laws. Instructions 1 Ask the person who contacts you about a debt for his company's...

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How to Stop Receiving Collection Agency Calls

Collection agencies often call morning, noon and night, making it difficult to complete common tasks due to these constant phone calls. Even if you do owe the debt, you should not be harassed by credit agencies, and you can take steps to stop the harassing phone calls. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), collection agencies are not allowed to call before 8:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m. local time; and if they do, they are in violation of...

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Statute of Limitations on Internet Payday Loans

Internet payday loans are like regular payday loans, only instead of visiting a physical retail location, borrowers take out the loan on a website. Also, instead of providing the lender with a postdated check, the borrower will generally provide an Internet payday lender with a checking account from which the lender can withdraw money at a later date. The statute of limitations applied to this loan will usually depend on the laws of the state in which it was issued. Internet Payday Loans Internet payday loans are issued over the Internet,...

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What Can Happen When You Default on a Credit Card?

Since credit card debt is unsecured debt, you may be tempted to simply walk away from your accounts if you are having a difficult time paying your bills. But walking away can cause many problems, because the creditors usually won't go away, even if they stop bothering you for a while. Eventually, the unsecured debt may result in creditors placing liens against your property to collect the debt. Phone Calls Get behind on your credit card bills, and the phone will start ringing several times per day. The Fair Credit Debt Collection Act prohibits...

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Can You Really Get Grant Money to Pay Off Debt?

In tough economic times, consumers welcome virtually any help getting out of debt. A grant is a sum of money that an agency --- usually a non-profit or a government agency --- awards to fund a project. The most commonly awarded grants are those that fund educational or scientific research. Grants are also often awarded to fund philanthropic or charitable work. Generally speaking, no grants are available to help individuals pay off consumer debt....

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Credit Card Debt Collections Limitations In Florida

Floridians who are contacted by debt collectors have the right to limit collectors' contact with them or cut off contact altogether if they don't believe they owe the debt in question. In any case, debt collectors must provide consumers with legitimate information about collection accounts and turn over documentation on credit card accounts that debtors dispute. Statute of Limitations Florida's statute of limitations on credit card debt is four years. That means a creditor has four years to sue a consumer to collect money owed on a credit...

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Can You File Chapter 13 Bankruptcy When Buying a House?

You can file for Chapter 13 bankruptcy when buying a house, but it is an unlikely scenario. People file for Chapter 13 to reorganize excessive debt through a court-ordered payment plan lasting three to five years. Excessive debt makes most people ineligible for mortgage loans, making it virtually impossible to buy a house on credit while filing for Chapter 13 bankruptcy. The only other method of buying a house is to pay cash, but the federal bankruptcy court is unlikely to allow that once the debtor files for Chapter 13. Considerations ...

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How to Obtain Federal Housing Grants

If you're trying to get a federal housing grant to help you out of a difficult situation, it can be frustrating. Individuals rarely know where to look for grants and sometimes end up getting scammed by the many con-artists out there ready to charge for the same information you can get completely free. Below, you're going to learn how to obtain federal housing grants. Instructions 1 Check HUD. HUD or the US Department of Housing and Urban Development is a government organization that is designed to help low-income families and others find...

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What is a Debt Recovery Program?

Businesses use debt recovery programs to collect past due money owed to them. The debt recovery process includes two parts: negotiating repayment and actual recovery of the money owed. Negotiation may include working out a payment plan with the company or individual in debt or, if needed, reducing the amount owed. The second step of a debt recovery program, recovery, includes the actual collection of the money owed. Contact Contacting the...

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How Does Debt Consolidation Affect Your Credit Report?

Debt consolidation may have a severe impact on your credit report if you aren't educated on making the right choices and managing your money during the consolidation process. It's vital that you create a plan prior to taking on consolidation loans, debt management plans and balance transfers to avoid falling into traps that get you further and further into debt. However, if used properly, these methods may get you out of debt faster and for less...

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Things You Must Have on the Debt Settlement Offer to Fix Your Credit

If you are paying or settling outstanding debts, try repairing your credit at the same time. Contact your creditors and offer to repay what you owe. Ask creditors to update or remove negative information from your credit report. When negotiating a settlement, be sure to get the details in writing. And make sure that it specifies the way in which your creditor reports your account status to the credit bureaus. Settling a Debt If you have a past-due debt that you would like to pay, while at the same time improving your credit, it may be possible...

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Can You Close an Account That Is Pending Garnishment?

In most states, if a creditor wins a lawsuit against you for a delinquent debt, it can apply to the court that awarded judgment against you for a writ of garnishment. This document gives the creditor the legal right to garnish funds in your bank account, subject to federal and state limitations. If a bank account is pending garnishment, you cannot close the account. Legal Judgment Before a private creditor can execute a bank garnishment, it must obtain legal authorization to do so. The creditor begins the process by filing a lawsuit in...

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Budget Credit & Counseling

Credit counselors review money management and budget plans with clients to provide practical assistance with managing their money. Often, clients believe they just need more money in order to survive when they may just need to examine their spending patterns. Sometimes, financial emergencies such as health issues create budget issues, but these can be avoided through good financial planning Budget Planning Many credit counseling companies...

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The Legal Amount to Take From a Paycheck for Garnishment in Virginia

Virginia law allows creditors to take legal action to recover unpaid debts -- if your debt account becomes severely delinquent, usually six months or more, your creditor may take steps to garnish a portion of your paycheck. This means that your employer will withhold part of your earnings to apply toward your debt. However, a creditor cannot take your entire paycheck -- Virginia places restrictions on amounts a creditor can legally garnish. Garnishment Limitation Virginia adheres to federal law regarding the percentage of your wages that...

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How to Remove Lines of Credit From a Report

Removing items from your credit report is difficult and takes perseverance. It is important to make sure your credit report is accurate, since its contents can have a great impact on your life. Lines of credit often appear on your credit report as fully funded, even if they are not. Also, if you've refinanced your line of credit, it might appear as numerous debts when it is one and the same debt. While accurate credit cannot be removed form your credit report, consider a few steps to take to request the removal of duplicate or incorrectly reported...

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What Are the Benefits of Bank of America Visa WorldPoints?

In essence, credit cards are like always-ready loans---often with very high interest rates. But some banks offer credit cards with attractive benefits that make using the card quite advantageous. The Bank of America Visa World Points Reward program offers such a credit card with premium services, benefits and rewards. Annual Perentage Rate As of March 2010, the Bank of America Visa World Points credit card offers a zero percent introductory...

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How to Negotiate With JC Penney on Late Fees

Resolving problems with a store credit card company usually begins when you notice inaccuracies in your bill or some other type of problem. When payments are received late often late fees can snowball into a bigger addition to your bill. In order to resolve the problem of late fees you may look into negotiating with JC Penney to lower your late fee charge or come up with some other repayment schedule that will better enable you to timely pay any bills due in the future. Instructions 1 Check your account status. Read through and verify if...

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Can I Be Responsible for a Debt if It Was Incurred While I Was a Minor?

A minor may enter into a contract, including obtaining a loan for various items. Whether or not you are responsible for settling an old debt you agreed to as a minor depends on any action you took concerning the loan contract while you were still a minor, and the purpose of the debt. Minors and Contracts A minor may void a contract at any time, with a few exceptions. Minors who enter into contracts that provide necessities to their health and safety may not void the contract. Contracts for necessities may include housing, clothing, food...

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