I called the credit union this morning and they did not approve my loan for the refinance. It had nothing to do with my credit, or so they said. It was due to the fact that according to their calcualtions and payoff figures, my car is worth less than the loan. Like way less according to the Credit Union. According to my on line research, it's worth a bit less than what I currently owe, but not as much as the CU said. Since I have an insane interest rate of course I owe "more". They did say that if the loan had originated with them, they do refinance car loans for customers in good standing. My loan did not orginate from the CU. The CU said they mailed me a rejection letter, which I'll probably get in the mail today or tomorrow. I'll read it, make sure it says what they told me on the phone and then shread the letter.
Ah well, I'm not going to argue with them, I gave it a shot, that's all I could do. I guess I'll just motivated myself to snowflake extra money towards paying off the car.
Showing posts with label credit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label credit. Show all posts
Monday, April 27, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
A New Credit Card is NOT an E-fund
But regretfully, my neighbors think it is. My lovely neighbors have been having issues and some money problems this past year. I'm getting concerned about the money problems. So many red flags are being tossed up it's scary!
At a holiday party, one of them won a home theater surround sound system. A very nice one I might add. They have an older TV and have said that they wanted to replace it. Two weeks ago they got a delivery of a 40 or 42" Sony Flat Screen Plasma TV. I was given their old surround sound system (still not installed, I need a new set of wires to connect to the TV). I offered to give them some money for it and they said no.
Fast forward to Wednesday night. I stop over to drop off a six pack and some of their mail that ended up in my mail box. The six pack was a thank you for the surround sound and in my mail was a disconnect notice from the local electric company for either this house or the apartment they are footing the bills for for their oldest daughter. Our local electric company sends out envelopes with a large IMPORTANT NOTICE on the front so you won't miss the disconnect notice.
We get to talking since I've not seen them for a few days. Here is the very scary part. My neighbor tells me that she owes $900 to the IRS and she is paying it by credit card. And she then tells me it's great timing that they got this new credit card since they have no money set aside to pay the IRS. She also tells me they put the new Plasma Flat Screen on the credit card as well and she will go to the bank, get a cash advance and pay the overdue electric bill, plus a few others.
Seems my neighbors got a new credit card about a month ago and have been having a grand time using the card. Hence the new TV. I was caught speechless. It's pretty hard to leave me speechless, but I was.
A couple things bother me
1) My neighbors husband has been running his own business for a number of years, they don't pay quarterly taxes, so each year at tax time they know they owe money and each year they put it on a credit card. They do no planning during the year to save for the payments or make any kind of estimated payments each quarter. They asked me what I did about my part time cash jobs I declare and I told them that I set aside a portion of money each quarter and pay estimated taxes so I'm not caught totally out come tax time.
2) Their oldest daughter is going to college and has moved out of the house to her own apartment. Her parents, my neighbors, not only help pay tuition, but have also picked up a large majority of the apartment expenses BECAUSE oldest child is either unwilling or unable to work more hours or get a cheaper place. My take is she is unwilling to work more hours or get a better paying job because it is easier for mummy and daddy to pay the bills. Like most 19 or 20 year olds, she would rather hang out with her unemployed boyfriend and listen to music. I see her at the house a lot eating meals,doing her laundry and oh, yeah, leaving the electric heat on 70F when she's not home.
3) My neighbors have been thinking about a new TV for a few months. I can attest to the fact that their old TV was starting to die. It may be time for a new one, but a new 40 or 42 inch plasma bought on credit?
4) They have no savings account and have already maxed out a HELOC and another credit card. They now consider this Credit Card their savings account.
I'm sure there is more I can add to the list.
I know how we all choose to spend our money is our own business, that's what makes personal finance personal. BUT it is distressing to see the above. Especially since I've had frank discussions about my own finances with my neighbors. My neighbors wife has asked me on a number of occasions what I'm doing with my money and budgets post Bankruptcy and I've told her that pretty much I live a cash only life and budget/plan for my expenses. Like my March trip, which was all in cash, save for a limited amount of items I put on my credit card, but them promptly paid off within three weeks of returning home. My new TV was paid for in cash once I saved up the funds and I set a price limit. I will have the money by the end of next week to FINALLY purchase a new lap top, again with cash.
The very scary part is even with the best of intentions, I know my neighbor won't stop buying things with the new card. I've seen them burn through a $20,000 HELOC and for what ever reason, they have a really hard time saying No to their kids and seem to be constantly forking over cash or buying items for both girls. All I can say is a new credit card is not an E-fund.
At a holiday party, one of them won a home theater surround sound system. A very nice one I might add. They have an older TV and have said that they wanted to replace it. Two weeks ago they got a delivery of a 40 or 42" Sony Flat Screen Plasma TV. I was given their old surround sound system (still not installed, I need a new set of wires to connect to the TV). I offered to give them some money for it and they said no.
Fast forward to Wednesday night. I stop over to drop off a six pack and some of their mail that ended up in my mail box. The six pack was a thank you for the surround sound and in my mail was a disconnect notice from the local electric company for either this house or the apartment they are footing the bills for for their oldest daughter. Our local electric company sends out envelopes with a large IMPORTANT NOTICE on the front so you won't miss the disconnect notice.
We get to talking since I've not seen them for a few days. Here is the very scary part. My neighbor tells me that she owes $900 to the IRS and she is paying it by credit card. And she then tells me it's great timing that they got this new credit card since they have no money set aside to pay the IRS. She also tells me they put the new Plasma Flat Screen on the credit card as well and she will go to the bank, get a cash advance and pay the overdue electric bill, plus a few others.
Seems my neighbors got a new credit card about a month ago and have been having a grand time using the card. Hence the new TV. I was caught speechless. It's pretty hard to leave me speechless, but I was.
A couple things bother me
1) My neighbors husband has been running his own business for a number of years, they don't pay quarterly taxes, so each year at tax time they know they owe money and each year they put it on a credit card. They do no planning during the year to save for the payments or make any kind of estimated payments each quarter. They asked me what I did about my part time cash jobs I declare and I told them that I set aside a portion of money each quarter and pay estimated taxes so I'm not caught totally out come tax time.
2) Their oldest daughter is going to college and has moved out of the house to her own apartment. Her parents, my neighbors, not only help pay tuition, but have also picked up a large majority of the apartment expenses BECAUSE oldest child is either unwilling or unable to work more hours or get a cheaper place. My take is she is unwilling to work more hours or get a better paying job because it is easier for mummy and daddy to pay the bills. Like most 19 or 20 year olds, she would rather hang out with her unemployed boyfriend and listen to music. I see her at the house a lot eating meals,doing her laundry and oh, yeah, leaving the electric heat on 70F when she's not home.
3) My neighbors have been thinking about a new TV for a few months. I can attest to the fact that their old TV was starting to die. It may be time for a new one, but a new 40 or 42 inch plasma bought on credit?
4) They have no savings account and have already maxed out a HELOC and another credit card. They now consider this Credit Card their savings account.
I'm sure there is more I can add to the list.
I know how we all choose to spend our money is our own business, that's what makes personal finance personal. BUT it is distressing to see the above. Especially since I've had frank discussions about my own finances with my neighbors. My neighbors wife has asked me on a number of occasions what I'm doing with my money and budgets post Bankruptcy and I've told her that pretty much I live a cash only life and budget/plan for my expenses. Like my March trip, which was all in cash, save for a limited amount of items I put on my credit card, but them promptly paid off within three weeks of returning home. My new TV was paid for in cash once I saved up the funds and I set a price limit. I will have the money by the end of next week to FINALLY purchase a new lap top, again with cash.
The very scary part is even with the best of intentions, I know my neighbor won't stop buying things with the new card. I've seen them burn through a $20,000 HELOC and for what ever reason, they have a really hard time saying No to their kids and seem to be constantly forking over cash or buying items for both girls. All I can say is a new credit card is not an E-fund.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Got the New Credit Card Bill, Paid the New Credit Card Bill
I got a notice in my e-mail-Your Credit Card Statement is Ready. I logged in to my account, checked out the purchases to make sure everything was as it should be, then made a payment for the full balance. The choice was $15 minimum payment or pay in full $170. I paid in full the $170. I had budgeted out the funds, I had been treating my new credit card as a debit card. There was only one $14 purchase I had forgotten I made, but I had thought I made that particular purchase with my debit card. No biggie, the funds had been allocated. I now have my new credit card paid in full. That is a good thing!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
The May Round Up, the June Goals and a Realization About Myself
I did a quick peak at my May financials. In a nutshell, they stunk. I went way over budget (not that there was a budget, but you get the idea) on a couple items-home improvement (which includes the garden supplies,plants, lumber, paint, tools), gas, alcohol and laundry. And I spent $57 on some magazine subscriptions-I've not subscribed to more than one magazine in over three years, I broke down and bought three subscriptions. Honestly guys, I wanted to try one month where I did not "care" about my finances. And it was a failure all the way around. I am just not good at winging it by the seat of my pants with my money. I can't trust myself unless I have a written plan!
WTF?!! I spent $65 on laundry!!. Granted I washed, dried, fluffed and folded almost every piece of clothing and blankets that I own, but wow, $65-there is not a cheaper laundromat around and sometimes my little portable machine just can't handle what needs to be washed (blankets, pillows, etc all). I did go a little crazy go nuts on gas traveling a couple weekends and to places that I did not need to go to (and at $55 a pop to fill the tank-ugh). I also bought a fair amount of wine and beer, both as belated Holiday and Birthday presents and for my own personal consumption. As I said in an early post, the wine and beer purchases stop-mainly for the waistline and health issues, but now for the pocketbook as well.
I had a boyfriend who called me a control freak. And he was right, I was a control freak at one point in time. Being this control freak made me good at a previous job, it got me two promotions and a couple decent raises, as well as it made me very one dimensional. I worked really hard to stop being a control freak. You know what~ it was around that time that I also fell into a big fiscal slide in my life. Are the two events related? Maybe, maybe not. I think they might have been.
Someone commented in my last post that I doing well re-organizing my life and they are right, I AM re-organizing my life, thanks for noticing! I do know that as a part of my "fiscal recovery", I need to "re-organizing" my life and if that means I have to become a control freak again, then I will. Part of the BK recovery is also about finding balance, balance in finances, balance in relationships, balance in life, and now a balance between being a control freak and not being a control freak. You know what, it's an amazing concept for me right now, it really is.
The June Goals
1) Really limit the grocery shopping-do only the bare necessities-fresh fruit, veg, milk
2) Continue the purge of the wardrobe and un-needed items-Goodwill here I come!
3) Pull the last credit report and get FICO score (truth time!)
4) Finally paint the kitchen cabinets now that I picked out the paint!
5) Continue on the second job hunt-nothing is scheduled for the part time grooms job until the END of June. I'd like to be able to have enough extra cash to cover my car payment by mid June-might not happen, but I'm gonna try.
6) Sketch out a tentative zero based budget for July based on April and May's spending.
7) Keep working on my gardens-free therapy and the grass is growing quite nicely now!
8) Seek out at least $150 in alternative income-pay per post, photo shoots, referrals, anything,anything.
9) Seriously investigate ways to monetize this blog. At least get some of those links up and running.
10). Post at least 2x week on personal blog (averaging about 1x a week now).
Hope you met your May goals and good luck setting your June ones!
WTF?!! I spent $65 on laundry!!. Granted I washed, dried, fluffed and folded almost every piece of clothing and blankets that I own, but wow, $65-there is not a cheaper laundromat around and sometimes my little portable machine just can't handle what needs to be washed (blankets, pillows, etc all). I did go a little crazy go nuts on gas traveling a couple weekends and to places that I did not need to go to (and at $55 a pop to fill the tank-ugh). I also bought a fair amount of wine and beer, both as belated Holiday and Birthday presents and for my own personal consumption. As I said in an early post, the wine and beer purchases stop-mainly for the waistline and health issues, but now for the pocketbook as well.
I had a boyfriend who called me a control freak. And he was right, I was a control freak at one point in time. Being this control freak made me good at a previous job, it got me two promotions and a couple decent raises, as well as it made me very one dimensional. I worked really hard to stop being a control freak. You know what~ it was around that time that I also fell into a big fiscal slide in my life. Are the two events related? Maybe, maybe not. I think they might have been.
Someone commented in my last post that I doing well re-organizing my life and they are right, I AM re-organizing my life, thanks for noticing! I do know that as a part of my "fiscal recovery", I need to "re-organizing" my life and if that means I have to become a control freak again, then I will. Part of the BK recovery is also about finding balance, balance in finances, balance in relationships, balance in life, and now a balance between being a control freak and not being a control freak. You know what, it's an amazing concept for me right now, it really is.
The June Goals
1) Really limit the grocery shopping-do only the bare necessities-fresh fruit, veg, milk
2) Continue the purge of the wardrobe and un-needed items-Goodwill here I come!
3) Pull the last credit report and get FICO score (truth time!)
4) Finally paint the kitchen cabinets now that I picked out the paint!
5) Continue on the second job hunt-nothing is scheduled for the part time grooms job until the END of June. I'd like to be able to have enough extra cash to cover my car payment by mid June-might not happen, but I'm gonna try.
6) Sketch out a tentative zero based budget for July based on April and May's spending.
7) Keep working on my gardens-free therapy and the grass is growing quite nicely now!
8) Seek out at least $150 in alternative income-pay per post, photo shoots, referrals, anything,anything.
9) Seriously investigate ways to monetize this blog. At least get some of those links up and running.
10). Post at least 2x week on personal blog (averaging about 1x a week now).
Hope you met your May goals and good luck setting your June ones!
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Phone Calls and More Credit Offers
I have posted in the past about the credit card and car loan offers that came in the mail to me just after my bankruptcy was discharged. Seems these folks knew about it before I did. To date I have gotten 7 car loan offers (some with really ridiculous rates, 23.9% on one in the fine fine print), and 5 credit card offers.
Last night the phone rang and I picked it up before I read the caller ID. It was the car loan company wanting to do two things 1) verify my information and 2) tell me about their great products and services.
I really hate telephone solicitations of any kind. I am on the do not call list pretty much for that purpose. But since I now have an existing relationship with these folks, they can call.
I politely asked the car loan folks what information they wanted verified. They wanted to tell me about their additional products and services first and did I have a pen. I politely declined, said they could mail me information so I could read it at my leisure and again asked what information they wanted verified. Again, they wanted to tell me about their products and services first.
So I changed tactics and said, Look, it's 8:15 PM, I am tired, I have already verified my information twice with your company, I've already gotten two letters from you about the loan outlining payment dates, etc, I don't want a marketing speech, I don't want phone calls to work or home, what information do you need verified again? The rep asked if there was another number she could call me at. I said, no, I don't want to be called period, what information do you want verified, you now have 30 seconds more of my time?
I never got an answer as to what information they wanted verified. Never. I asked to be taken off their phone telemarketing list, I did tell them they could mail me their offers so I could read them when I had the time and inclination. I told the rep that this was quickly becoming a waste of my time and I would have to terminate the conversation unless she cold tell me what information they wanted verified. Since it was obvious she had no information to verify, the call ended.
I did scroll through the caller ID and saw that the loan company had called 8 times in the past 3 days. 8 times and no messages. If the information verification was soo important, they would have left a message.
I've got to remember to check the Caller ID.
Last night the phone rang and I picked it up before I read the caller ID. It was the car loan company wanting to do two things 1) verify my information and 2) tell me about their great products and services.
I really hate telephone solicitations of any kind. I am on the do not call list pretty much for that purpose. But since I now have an existing relationship with these folks, they can call.
I politely asked the car loan folks what information they wanted verified. They wanted to tell me about their additional products and services first and did I have a pen. I politely declined, said they could mail me information so I could read it at my leisure and again asked what information they wanted verified. Again, they wanted to tell me about their products and services first.
So I changed tactics and said, Look, it's 8:15 PM, I am tired, I have already verified my information twice with your company, I've already gotten two letters from you about the loan outlining payment dates, etc, I don't want a marketing speech, I don't want phone calls to work or home, what information do you need verified again? The rep asked if there was another number she could call me at. I said, no, I don't want to be called period, what information do you want verified, you now have 30 seconds more of my time?
I never got an answer as to what information they wanted verified. Never. I asked to be taken off their phone telemarketing list, I did tell them they could mail me their offers so I could read them when I had the time and inclination. I told the rep that this was quickly becoming a waste of my time and I would have to terminate the conversation unless she cold tell me what information they wanted verified. Since it was obvious she had no information to verify, the call ended.
I did scroll through the caller ID and saw that the loan company had called 8 times in the past 3 days. 8 times and no messages. If the information verification was soo important, they would have left a message.
I've got to remember to check the Caller ID.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Already New Credit Card Offers
I don't even have the official from the Court discharge papers. What was in my mail box this am? A pre-approved credit card offer for "those who have challenged credit". With an APR of 16%. I did not read all the fine print, there's gotta be a catch. This was not a secured credit card I shook my head and put the offer in the shredder.
Honestly, my credit at this point is more than challenged. AND my discharge is not official yet. AND I'm getting credit card offers in the mail.
Prior to my couple years of really bad fiscal decisions and bankruptcy I had decent credit. I had figured that between the bad fiscal decisions being on my record and the bankruptcy, it was going to be next to dammed impossible to get credit. I plan on getting a secured credit card in the upcoming months, when I am ready to cross that bridge. Yet the offers are coming in and it's not even "official". Heck for all these folks know, I could be one of those multiple bankruptcy repeaters!
Honestly, my credit at this point is more than challenged. AND my discharge is not official yet. AND I'm getting credit card offers in the mail.
Prior to my couple years of really bad fiscal decisions and bankruptcy I had decent credit. I had figured that between the bad fiscal decisions being on my record and the bankruptcy, it was going to be next to dammed impossible to get credit. I plan on getting a secured credit card in the upcoming months, when I am ready to cross that bridge. Yet the offers are coming in and it's not even "official". Heck for all these folks know, I could be one of those multiple bankruptcy repeaters!
Friday, November 30, 2007
Identity Theft Keeping Your Identity Safe this Holiday Season and Every Season
At one point in my life I was the victim of Identity Theft. A family member used my personal information to obtain a credit card in her name. I did not know about it because I never checked my credit report. ( I did not think to, I was very young). Up until I got a message from the credit card company looking for an overdue payment on a card I had no knowledge about. With a lot of legwork (and a call back to Visa), I was able to find out who this person was and really shocked to find out it was a family member who had been using this card for almost two years. Had I checked my credit report on a regular basis, I could have stopped this.
There are simple ways to protect yourself, the information below is from MSN Money.
There's no ironclad protection that guarantees that you ll never fall victim to some form of identity theft. But there are steps you can take to protect yourself, many of which are rather simple:
1. Destroy private records and statements. Tear up -- or, if you prefer, shred -- credit card statements, solicitations and other documents that contain private financial information.
2. Secure your mail. Empty your mailbox quickly, lock it or get a P.O. box so criminals don't have a chance to snatch credit card pitches. Never mail outgoing bill payments and checks from home. They can be stolen from your mailbox and the payee's name erased with solvents. Mail them from the post office or another secure location.
3. Safeguard your Social Security number. Never carry your card with you, or any other card that may have your number, like a health insurance card. And don't put your number on your checks. It's the primary target for identity thieves because it gives them access to your credit report and bank accounts. (For more on protecting your Social Security number, see "Safeguard your Social Security number.")
4. Don't leave a paper trail. Never leave ATM, credit card or gas station receipts behind.
5. Never let your credit card out of your sight. Worried about credit card skimming? Always keep an eye on your card or, when that's not possible, pay with cash.
6. Know who you're dealing with. Whenever anyone contacts you asking for private identity or financial information, make no response other than to find out who they are, what company they represent and the reason for the call. If you think the request is legitimate, contact the company yourself and confirm what you were told before revealing any of your personal data.
7. Take your name off marketers' hit lists. In addition to the national Do-Not-Call registry (1-888-382-1222), you can also cut down on junk mail and opt out of credit card solicitations. For details, see Liz Weston's article, "Free at last from telemarketing invasions."
8. Be more defensive with personal information. Ask salespeople and others if information such as a Social Security or drivers license number is absolutely necessary. Ask anyone who does require your Social Security number -- for instance, your insurance company -- what their privacy policy is and whether you can arrange for the organization not to share your information with anyone else.
9. Monitor your credit report. Obtain and thoroughly review your credit report (now available for free at Annualcreditreport.com or by calling 877-322-8228) at least once a year to look for suspicious activity. If you spot something, alert your card company or the creditor immediately. You may also want to subscribe to a credit protection service, like Experian's CreditCheck, which alerts you any time a change takes place with your credit report.
10. Review your credit card statements carefully. Make sure you recognize the merchants, locations and purchases listed before paying the bill. If you don't need or use department-store or bank-issued credit cards, consider closing the accounts. For more on when and how to close credit card accounts, see "Cancel a credit card -- the right way."
If something goes wrong Again, protecting yourself from identity theft is no sure thing. But there is plenty you can do if you uncover some wrongdoing:
First, contact the fraud departments of each of the three major credit bureaus. Tell them that you're an identity theft victim. Request that a "fraud alert" be placed in your file, along with a victim's statement asking that creditors call you before opening any new accounts or changing your existing accounts.
EquifaxTo report fraud: 1-800-525-6285 and write: P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
ExperianTo report fraud: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742) and write: P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013
TransUnionTo report fraud: 1-800-680-7289 and write: Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92634
Contact the creditors for any accounts that have been tampered with or opened fraudulently. Speak with someone in the security or fraud department of each creditor, and follow up with a letter.
File a report with your local police or the police in the community where the identity theft took place. Get a copy of the police report in case the bank, credit-card company or others need proof of the crime.
Keep records of everything involved in your efforts to clear up fraud, including copies of written correspondence and records of telephone calls.
There are simple ways to protect yourself, the information below is from MSN Money.
There's no ironclad protection that guarantees that you ll never fall victim to some form of identity theft. But there are steps you can take to protect yourself, many of which are rather simple:
1. Destroy private records and statements. Tear up -- or, if you prefer, shred -- credit card statements, solicitations and other documents that contain private financial information.
2. Secure your mail. Empty your mailbox quickly, lock it or get a P.O. box so criminals don't have a chance to snatch credit card pitches. Never mail outgoing bill payments and checks from home. They can be stolen from your mailbox and the payee's name erased with solvents. Mail them from the post office or another secure location.
3. Safeguard your Social Security number. Never carry your card with you, or any other card that may have your number, like a health insurance card. And don't put your number on your checks. It's the primary target for identity thieves because it gives them access to your credit report and bank accounts. (For more on protecting your Social Security number, see "Safeguard your Social Security number.")
4. Don't leave a paper trail. Never leave ATM, credit card or gas station receipts behind.
5. Never let your credit card out of your sight. Worried about credit card skimming? Always keep an eye on your card or, when that's not possible, pay with cash.
6. Know who you're dealing with. Whenever anyone contacts you asking for private identity or financial information, make no response other than to find out who they are, what company they represent and the reason for the call. If you think the request is legitimate, contact the company yourself and confirm what you were told before revealing any of your personal data.
7. Take your name off marketers' hit lists. In addition to the national Do-Not-Call registry (1-888-382-1222), you can also cut down on junk mail and opt out of credit card solicitations. For details, see Liz Weston's article, "Free at last from telemarketing invasions."
8. Be more defensive with personal information. Ask salespeople and others if information such as a Social Security or drivers license number is absolutely necessary. Ask anyone who does require your Social Security number -- for instance, your insurance company -- what their privacy policy is and whether you can arrange for the organization not to share your information with anyone else.
9. Monitor your credit report. Obtain and thoroughly review your credit report (now available for free at Annualcreditreport.com or by calling 877-322-8228) at least once a year to look for suspicious activity. If you spot something, alert your card company or the creditor immediately. You may also want to subscribe to a credit protection service, like Experian's CreditCheck, which alerts you any time a change takes place with your credit report.
10. Review your credit card statements carefully. Make sure you recognize the merchants, locations and purchases listed before paying the bill. If you don't need or use department-store or bank-issued credit cards, consider closing the accounts. For more on when and how to close credit card accounts, see "Cancel a credit card -- the right way."
If something goes wrong Again, protecting yourself from identity theft is no sure thing. But there is plenty you can do if you uncover some wrongdoing:
First, contact the fraud departments of each of the three major credit bureaus. Tell them that you're an identity theft victim. Request that a "fraud alert" be placed in your file, along with a victim's statement asking that creditors call you before opening any new accounts or changing your existing accounts.
EquifaxTo report fraud: 1-800-525-6285 and write: P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
ExperianTo report fraud: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742) and write: P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013
TransUnionTo report fraud: 1-800-680-7289 and write: Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92634
Contact the creditors for any accounts that have been tampered with or opened fraudulently. Speak with someone in the security or fraud department of each creditor, and follow up with a letter.
File a report with your local police or the police in the community where the identity theft took place. Get a copy of the police report in case the bank, credit-card company or others need proof of the crime.
Keep records of everything involved in your efforts to clear up fraud, including copies of written correspondence and records of telephone calls.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Just Trying Not to Lose My Temper, The ups and downs of it all
Probably one of the nice (if you can say that about this process) parts of going bankrupt, is when these nasty bill collectors call, I can refer them to my attorney's office and I get at least a little peace and quiet. At this point in the process, I know letters have been sent to each creditor so they have been notified. The number of calls has dramatically dropped. Except for one company.
I had told one such credit card company that called that I was filing and to contact my attorney, they said they would. They instead sold my account to a collections agency for more aggressive collections. This agency sort of stepped it up a notch, they must have Googled me because they called an acquaintance/sort of friend of mine who lives across the country looking for contact information. I have my name on a public web site for some outside work. It has my current contact information, so why the need to harass some poor volunteer, I don't know. It's hard to find my name on Google, I mean I'm back a good 5 pages if that and then it's linked to a small reference on this web site. My own personal web site that I've been working hard on to get better search engine rankings for my outside business doesn't even come up under my name. I know, because I look! I had to call said agency AGAIN, tell them my attorney contact information AGAIN and tell them if I found out they called friends, acquaintances, family, I would report them to the State Banking Commission for harassment. I also Googled them and it seems that this particular company's collection practices border on the illegal if not illegal with some. (Ripoff Report was an excellent read). I'm also sending them a certified letter with above information just as a CYA.
Their messages to me this week have been. "We want to work with you to resolve this" sort of thing. HA! Had said credit card company worked with me 9 months ago, I might not be in this position. I really had to laugh, I really did. When it became apparent to me that I was getting in way over my head and tried to set up a payment plan, these folks did not want to play. It was all or nothing as far as they were concerned. And at that time I only had partial, which to them is nothing.
Believe me when I tell you had I been able to pay it all months ago or pay at all, I would have. But to have to deal with these idiots even post filing is just a pain in my rear. I kinda wonder what part of the following line they don't understand "I have retained legal counsel and am filing for bankruptcy, all further communications about this account must be referred to my attorney's office at the following number 555-555-55555. I do not authorize any further communication from you to my home, friends, family, or work numbers. To do so is considered harassment and will be reported to the authorities."
I guess even though I think I speak clearly and in English, I really must be speaking bastardized French-UGHH
To be continued
I had told one such credit card company that called that I was filing and to contact my attorney, they said they would. They instead sold my account to a collections agency for more aggressive collections. This agency sort of stepped it up a notch, they must have Googled me because they called an acquaintance/sort of friend of mine who lives across the country looking for contact information. I have my name on a public web site for some outside work. It has my current contact information, so why the need to harass some poor volunteer, I don't know. It's hard to find my name on Google, I mean I'm back a good 5 pages if that and then it's linked to a small reference on this web site. My own personal web site that I've been working hard on to get better search engine rankings for my outside business doesn't even come up under my name. I know, because I look! I had to call said agency AGAIN, tell them my attorney contact information AGAIN and tell them if I found out they called friends, acquaintances, family, I would report them to the State Banking Commission for harassment. I also Googled them and it seems that this particular company's collection practices border on the illegal if not illegal with some. (Ripoff Report was an excellent read). I'm also sending them a certified letter with above information just as a CYA.
Their messages to me this week have been. "We want to work with you to resolve this" sort of thing. HA! Had said credit card company worked with me 9 months ago, I might not be in this position. I really had to laugh, I really did. When it became apparent to me that I was getting in way over my head and tried to set up a payment plan, these folks did not want to play. It was all or nothing as far as they were concerned. And at that time I only had partial, which to them is nothing.
Believe me when I tell you had I been able to pay it all months ago or pay at all, I would have. But to have to deal with these idiots even post filing is just a pain in my rear. I kinda wonder what part of the following line they don't understand "I have retained legal counsel and am filing for bankruptcy, all further communications about this account must be referred to my attorney's office at the following number 555-555-55555. I do not authorize any further communication from you to my home, friends, family, or work numbers. To do so is considered harassment and will be reported to the authorities."
I guess even though I think I speak clearly and in English, I really must be speaking bastardized French-UGHH
To be continued
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
The General Ramblings of The Week
OK, so the plan yesterday was to work on my budget, but I did not. Shame shame on me. I did make a start, I balanced my check book, looked at my incoming cash flow, looked at my outgoing cash flow. At least faced up to it a bit. I just have to plug in the numbers.
I'm waiting for a payroll summary to arrive from my payroll department. Then that goes to my attorney (or I should say, his paralegal) and then I sign the forms. I did look at my ever growing file on the bankruptcty and realized I have to take classes. I think I can do them on line, so if that is the case, I'll try and start this weekend. I want to just get this done and over with.
What has been frustrating about this whole experience is I feel like I'm being told a bunch of things I need to do sort of after the fact. Hum, I thought I took very good notes in my two meetings with the legal office. Guess I did not or was soo overwhelmed I did not hear everything. The paralegal must think she is dealing with an idiot.
For those in a money crunch and you don't want to end up where I am. Here are a couple tipsI strongly suggest you do the following things AFTER YOU CUT UP AND SHREAD YOUR CREDIT CARDS.
1) Take a serious look at your credit card balances. Open those envelopes, write down the TOTAL amount owed and the percentage rate. Remember, I told you to organize your files so you can find your bills? This is one reason why.Then take a deep breathe and exhale.
2) If you are not deliquent, call your credit card company and ask for a lower interest rate. Make some phone calls. If you are having trouble paying the minimum, tell them, work with them see if they will work with you. Many will, they'd rather work with you than spend tons of their time and money sending you to collection.
3) If you are deliquent and are having problems, call Consumer Credit Counseling Services. They are a not for profit agency that will evaluate your financial situation and help you set up a repayment plan. Word of warning, these are no nonsense folks, they cut up your credit cards, you pay them, they pay your creditors and if you fall behind with them, you are on your own! Check your phone book for an agency close to you. Make sure they are licensed to do business in your state. I wish I had found them sooner, I did not.
4) DON'T fall prey to these other credit agencies that claim they can help you. Do your reasearch before you committ to any agency. There are agencies that claim they can clear your credit and give you a fresh start within months.
5) Be prepared to give up the extra's in your life, meals out, tons of new clothes, travel, etc. Remember, the goal here is to pay down, pay off your debt and get out of trouble.
6) Find a way to pay off a little extra on the minium balance to each credit card.
7) Keep a running total of what you owe and what you have paid off. Track your progress.
Karyn Bosnak eliminated her debt with her on line grubbling via her web site. Excellent idea, got her on the Today show, a book deal, and she is debt free and donated the money she got from folks to charity as well once she was debt free. I'm four years too late stealing her idea, I'm not reccommending you set up a web site for the sole purpose of getting out of debt, but she does have some excellent tips for budgeting, etc.
DISCLAIMER:The information given here is not to be in place of or in lieu of any professional advice you get from a financial advisor or other legal entity. These are some tips I have researched from other blogs and web sites and are tips based on my own personal experience. They are not the be all end all to financial planning. Every person and situation is unqiue and I strongly reccommend that you seek professional advice when dealing with your financial situation.
I'm waiting for a payroll summary to arrive from my payroll department. Then that goes to my attorney (or I should say, his paralegal) and then I sign the forms. I did look at my ever growing file on the bankruptcty and realized I have to take classes. I think I can do them on line, so if that is the case, I'll try and start this weekend. I want to just get this done and over with.
What has been frustrating about this whole experience is I feel like I'm being told a bunch of things I need to do sort of after the fact. Hum, I thought I took very good notes in my two meetings with the legal office. Guess I did not or was soo overwhelmed I did not hear everything. The paralegal must think she is dealing with an idiot.
For those in a money crunch and you don't want to end up where I am. Here are a couple tipsI strongly suggest you do the following things AFTER YOU CUT UP AND SHREAD YOUR CREDIT CARDS.
1) Take a serious look at your credit card balances. Open those envelopes, write down the TOTAL amount owed and the percentage rate. Remember, I told you to organize your files so you can find your bills? This is one reason why.Then take a deep breathe and exhale.
2) If you are not deliquent, call your credit card company and ask for a lower interest rate. Make some phone calls. If you are having trouble paying the minimum, tell them, work with them see if they will work with you. Many will, they'd rather work with you than spend tons of their time and money sending you to collection.
3) If you are deliquent and are having problems, call Consumer Credit Counseling Services. They are a not for profit agency that will evaluate your financial situation and help you set up a repayment plan. Word of warning, these are no nonsense folks, they cut up your credit cards, you pay them, they pay your creditors and if you fall behind with them, you are on your own! Check your phone book for an agency close to you. Make sure they are licensed to do business in your state. I wish I had found them sooner, I did not.
4) DON'T fall prey to these other credit agencies that claim they can help you. Do your reasearch before you committ to any agency. There are agencies that claim they can clear your credit and give you a fresh start within months.
5) Be prepared to give up the extra's in your life, meals out, tons of new clothes, travel, etc. Remember, the goal here is to pay down, pay off your debt and get out of trouble.
6) Find a way to pay off a little extra on the minium balance to each credit card.
7) Keep a running total of what you owe and what you have paid off. Track your progress.
Karyn Bosnak eliminated her debt with her on line grubbling via her web site. Excellent idea, got her on the Today show, a book deal, and she is debt free and donated the money she got from folks to charity as well once she was debt free. I'm four years too late stealing her idea, I'm not reccommending you set up a web site for the sole purpose of getting out of debt, but she does have some excellent tips for budgeting, etc.
DISCLAIMER:The information given here is not to be in place of or in lieu of any professional advice you get from a financial advisor or other legal entity. These are some tips I have researched from other blogs and web sites and are tips based on my own personal experience. They are not the be all end all to financial planning. Every person and situation is unqiue and I strongly reccommend that you seek professional advice when dealing with your financial situation.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)