Debt Consolidation/Relief Part 2 of 2

In the first part of this series, we covered the misleading things that businesses advertise on television, radio and elsewhere for “debt consolidation” or “debt settlement” services.
If you decide to enter into an agreement with a creditor, or want to fix a bad credit score keep these five things in mind.

How to proceed with the [...]

Debt Consolidation/Relief Part 1 of 2

Hardly a day goes by without seeing on television, or hearing on the radio, a commercial for “debt consolidation” or “debt settlement” services. Often, the ad includes a statement to the effect that if you owe more than $10,000.00 in credit card debt, you have the “legal right” to settle for less. Further, [...]

Credit Report Disputes

People often call our offices for help cleaning up their credit reports.  We suggest they use this letter, provided courtesy of the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Orange County.
We advise sending the letter to all three bureaus (Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian), by certified mail, return receipt requested, and including their SSN and full legal name [...]

Foreclosure Prevention Resources

To supplement our series for Distressed Homeowners, I found some resources to help preserve home ownership, avoid foreclosure, and protect against foreclosure and debt elimination scams.
Before you work with a firm that claims it can help you “rescue” you from foreclosure be sure to familiarize yourself with:

Foreclosure “rescue” and refinance fraud
Fake “government” modification program
Leaseback/rent-to-buy schemes
Bankruptcy [...]

Who Defaults, and Why?

This month we’ve run a series for distressed homeowners and published NC foreclosure data. To round out our coverage on the topic I want to discuss a paper written by James E. Rogers of the University of Arizona’s College of Law because it runs counter to what people generally believe is happening with people “walking [...]

Primer for Distressed Homeowners: Part 3 of 3

In our first post of this series we covered the foreclosure process and defined some basic real estate terms related to distressed sales.
In the second post, we answered questions on preventing foreclosure, negotiating with a mortgage company, and what to do about an adjustable rate mortgage that will soon reset.
This post addresses questions on short [...]

Primer for Distressed Homeowners: Part 2 of 3

In our first post of this series we covered the foreclosure process and defined some basic real estate terms related to distressed sales.
In this article we cover questions and answers on preventing foreclosure, negotiating with a mortgage company, and what to do about an adjustable rate mortgage that will soon reset.
Q: Can I legally prevent [...]

Surviving USAirways Layoffs & Furloughs

Charlotte has fared better than other cities at the hands of USAirways, but it hasn’t been easy for those who’ve been laid off, furloughed or left doing the work of their former coworkers.
CEO Doug Parker says analysts predict the airline will lose $600 million this year and obviously such losses are untenable. Management will continue [...]

Credit Score News

This week’s USAToday ran a helpful story analyzing changes in credit scoring in the face of developments in this Great Recession. Highlights:

Lenders are closing credit card accounts and lowering credit limits for millions of consumers and business owners who have never paid late. Some lenders are reporting mortgage modifications in a way that dings consumers’ [...]

Mortgage Modification Trends

A USA Today story analyzed trends in mortgage modifications, finding that some homeowners who were hoping for lower payments are facing modifications that rolled late fees, back taxes or other costs into the principal.
End result? What started out as a difficult payment is now an impossible one. The story noted that this is one reason [...]

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