Consumer credit law. Just the name sounds ominous. It brings up images of debtors prisons and courtrooms where credit attorneys argue about your worth as a person just because you are not able to pay your debts as agreed. Don t worry. There aren t any more debtors prisons. But a low credit score might make you feel like you re in one.
Listen, things happen. Circumstances change. Creditors sometimes wear blinders. All they want is their money. Credit law is daunting and complicated. I know I constantly preach about how you can settle your debts yourself, and I believe that you can. You need the right education, the right tools and above all the commitment. In some cases, you are going to need someone specializing in consumer credit law.
Even after you have negotiated and settled your debt, marks and blemishes can remain on your credit file for years. This can (and it s frankly certain in this economic climate) prevent you from getting home and auto loans. Even if you are able to borrow, you will get the highest rates and end up spending money on increased fees and charges to offset what the lender perceives at an increased risk.
Even if the negatives on your credit report aren t your fault, as in the case of identity theft. The majority of credit reports contain errors of some kind. And even if the entry is accurate, but negative, you need to try to get it removed.
You have debt rights. You have the law on your side. The FDCPA ( Fair Debt Collection Practices Act) protects you from unscrupulous creditors. But you do have to have a foundation, a basic knowledge of debt law. I don t usually speak too highly of lawyers, I mean, who does. But the truth is that we all hate em, until we need em.
Debt laws are made to protect you. But a good credit lawyer can t hurt. These guys have taken on creditors and collection agencies before. They know what the credit bureaus can and can t do. They know the procedures that can quickly get negatives removed from your credit report.
I m not singing their praises. I m just saying that the time comes for a little help, when you may not feel you know enough about credit law. You may need to turn to a professional who is experienced at dealing with credit bureaus and can make sure your credit rights are not violated!
If you have issues like a credit judgment or two on your credit report, there are procedures to get this removed. Getting a judgment vacated is not easy, but it can be done. It s really the experience factor that I think is important here. Credit lawyers have done this before. They already know what we as consumers would have to learn. And even after we learn it intellectually, we are still completely unfamiliar with the court procedures. If you are unable to get the debt judgment vacated, it can remain on your credit file for 10 or more years.
Practicing credit report law takes time to learn. While there are a lot of simple things you can do to correct your report, not all reports are simple. Many, in fact most, have numerous errors. In the case of identity theft, the errors and negative information can be almost insurmountable. Identity theft is definitely an area where you are going to need to contact an attorney who practices consumer credit law to correct the issues on your credit report.
It's estimated that over 80% of credit reports contain errors. Your credit report can be corrected. Some are easy, some are not. How do you know? Take a look at http://no-debt.net/
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