Tips On Recovering From Declaring Bankruptcy

As the recession gets worse, more and more Americans are falling into debt, and more of us are declaring bankruptcy every day. Bankruptcy can be seen as a fresh start, absolving you of much of your debt and payments, but it will also destroy your credit report, remaining there for ten years, and diminishing it by several hundred points. In most cases, bankruptcy should be seen as a last resort because of how important it is to maintain a healthy credit score. If you are forced to file for bankruptcy, there are certain measures you should take to ensure that you can get on the road to financial recovery as quickly as possible.

The first step to rebuilding a healthy credit score, of course, is to know what it is. Be positive that it is free of mistakes or errors because inaccurate information will extend the amount of time that it will take to score high enough for conventional credit. Everyone with a credit score is entitled to a free credit report every twelve months from each national credit bureau. That means you could check your score at all three bureaus at once to compare the scores, or check your credit score every four months to make sure that the information is accurate. Either way, make sure you are on the up and up.

After bankruptcy, it is a good idea to get a hold of a secured credit card. Generally, these cards are credit cards that are secured by a deposit account (typically a savings account) that the cardholder owns. These cards are made for people with poor credit so that they can stay in low credit-limit situations for a long time at a high interest rate, so that you can build up a good history after bankruptcy. Also, having more than one kind of credit line will help improve your credit report.

One of the tools to use to obtain a decent credit score is to possess at least two credit cards from well known and respected banks, and other payments such as a house payment. The people who have great credit scores keep balances below fifteen percent of available credit every month. Around ten percent of your credit score is founded on the kinds of credit that you use.

An additional ten percent is founded on new credit accounts that can include credit lines that you can establish after declaring bankruptcy. Try to remember if you are searching for a way to fix your credit after declaring bankruptcy that some credit “doctor” or credit repair businesses might make sensational claims that they can miraculously fix your credit file, many times for an exorbitant fee. It is wise to remember that only time, not some magic cure can cause your negative credit history to drop off of your credit score.

Mallory Megan works for Rapid Recovery Solution and writes articles on commercial collection agencies. This article, Tips On Recovering From Declaring Bankruptcy is available for free reprint.

Three Ways To Collect On An Outstanding Debt.

No matter what you do to try and weed out potential deadbeat customers, sooner or later one or more accounts will become past due. When you find yourself with a past due account on your hands, the worst thing you can do is ignore the problem. The more time that passes between the payment due date and the time that the customer is contacted, the less likely you are to receive the full payment. After 6 months, you statistically collect just 50% of the amount due and after a year that amount drops to only 25% of the original debt. If you are serious about turning a profit, there are three ways to handle the collection on past due accounts; in house efforts, hiring a collection agency, or taking legal action.

Collecting the debt yourself: If the debt is relatively fresh or small, you will most likely start by trying to collect the debt yourself before hiring a collection agency or a lawyer. The most effective way to start the process of collecting an outstanding debt is by calling the debtor. Be firm, yet polite when you call. Always keep records of the time, date, and outcome of the phone call. You’ll need this information later when you decide to hire a collection agency or a lawyer.

Many deadbeat customers can talk a great talk on the phone, but then never deliver. If you get the “I have the check right here and will send it in the mail” line from a business customer more than once, tell them you’ll send a courier service or someone from your office over to pick it up. If the business is local, try making an appointment with their finance manager to talk face to face.

Another effective way to motivate customers to make a payment is with a 10 day demand letter. Some debt collection agencies offer a free 10 day demand letter service that includes postage and mailing of a demand letter sent on official debt collection agency letterhead. Many times, this is enough to get your customer to part with their payment.

Hire a Collection Agency: Many small businesses do not initially think of hiring a debt collection agency to collect on past due accounts, but of the outsourced solutions, a debt collection agency is usually the most cost effective and will generate the best results. When you consider the in-house time spent trying to keep on top of delinquent customers, a debt collection agency is often more cost effective than trying to handle it with your own staff.

With a debt collection agency, you won’t pay a dime until they collect the debt, meaning that the debt collection agency is highly motivated to find a way to get the deadbeat to pay. Because they don’t get paid unless you do, a debt collection agency tends to work fast, They tend to “work at odd hours”, and use all of it’s professional resources to locate skipped debtors.

Today’s breed of debt collectors no longer use scare tactics or bully customers. That type of behavior has been outdated since the 70′s. Besides, not all customers who are behind on payments are deadbeats. It’s never wise in business to make enemies and gain a reputation as a brute force knee breaker for any customer who has a tough month. When you choose a debt collection agency, make sure one of its goals is to maintain extreme professionalism.

Taking legal action: Another option to collecting a debt is to take legal action whether by taking the debtor to small claims court or by hiring a lawyer to pursue the debtor. This is by far the most costly of your options.

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Cali Collection Company Attempts To Get Healthy And Fit

A debt collection company based in California initiated a ploy to educate and motivate employees to live healthier lifestyles in early January. There are twenty eight employees at the agency; more than half are currently participating in the implementation.

All of the parties that are involved have made a goal to lose ten percent of their total body weight by the end of June. Every Monday morning weigh-ins are scheduled and employees have a chance to win two cash rewards for losing five percent of their body weight by the end of March, and then another five percent by the end of June.

The Agency’s executive stated he had been considering the initiative for quite some time. He deems it perfect for the stereotypical office setting that is fraught with unhealthy eating, and employees taking breaks to get fast food. He made note of the fact that trying to make employees lose weight was more cost efficient than actually getting health insurance for his workers.

In a ploy to get employees to live healthier, the agency has sporadic lunches and “education track meetings” once a week. The meetings are supposed to assist employees target and plan for their weight loss goal. So far the program has been a success. The collection company has collectively lost 72 pounds to date. That’s the size of a small child.

The program works to produce a better all around worker. It follows that a worker that is less stressed will be more efficient and motivated. While a really relaxed debt collector does not seem like they would be the most efficient worker, it all seems like a good idea. As the government tries to sort out the health care system, perhaps it is time that more companies like this take this route. If employees cannot get health insurance, health initiatives and goals at work could be the next best solution.

Rapid Recovery Solution is a third party debt collection company. lawyer based and equipped with skiptracing tools. Visit the Uber Article Directory to get a totally unique version of this article for reprint.

Federal Agents Arrest Two In Buffalo For Debt Collection Scam

The U.S. Attorney’s office forwarded a criminal complaint Friday in U.S. District Court charging Timothy E. Arent and Neil G. Wieczkowski, both of Buffalo, N.Y., with mail fraud and conspiracy to commit mail fraud. Arent is also charged with bankruptcy fraud. The charge of mail fraud has a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The bankruptcy and conspiracy fraud charges each carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and fine of $250,000.

Assistant U.S. Attorney MaryEllen Kresse aforementioned the complaint asserts that, from September 2005 through the present, Arent and Wieczkowski were engaged in a deceptive debt collection scheme in which they intimidated monetary payments from their victims by means of false pretenses, false impersonation and false representations. The complaint states that the victims were individuals who at one time or another owed some type of debt that had gone into collection status.

According to the office, Arent and Wieczkowski crookedly told their victims that the victims had failed to respond to summonses, which would result in their imminent arrest. It is further alleged that Arent and Wieczkowski told the victims that the only way they could avoid apprehension and detention by law enforcement was to make substantial monetary payments, usually in a matter of hours. The complaint also charges that the defendants tried to avoid detection by modifying the names of their businesses up to 18 times, and by using mail drops and “virtual offices.” Deposits into accounts used by the defendants’ businesses during the scheme were more than $8 million.

The complaint also alleges that Arent filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy relief in 2005, and that, during the proceedings, Arent fraudulently withheld information from the Bankruptcy Court. The complaint alleges that Arent failed to disclose to the Bankruptcy Court that he had bought a 4,700 square-foot residence in Buffalo worth $500,000 before the bankruptcy, and that, after filing for bankruptcy, he was actively engaged in debt collection work through two corporate entities. Arent’s debts, as well as two civil judgments that had been filed against him concerning his pre-bankruptcy debt collection practices, were discharged by the bankruptcy court in 2006.

Arent and Wieczkowski appeared before Judge Scott Friday afternoon. Ms. Kresse moved for pretrial detention. Judge Scott granted the motion pending a detention hearing scheduled for October 6, 2009 at 2:00 pm EST.

Mallory Megan works for a collections agency that works with a debt collection lawyer. Also, she does stories on business and finance, consumer spending and collections agencies.

Debt Collection And Identity Theft

A call from a debt collection agency about a bill you know nothing about may be the first sign that you could be the victim of identity theft. This crime touches the lives of as many as ten million victims a year.

If a debt collector contacts you in regard to an unfamiliar bill, you should ask the collector for information about the debt, such as account applications and statements. The collector must tell the original creditor about the fraud or the identity theft.

It is a good idea to ask the collector to send you their fraud affidavit form. The best option to not be a victim is prevention; there are a number of ways to protect your identity. Most importantly, protect your social security number.

Never carry your social security card in your wallet. Only give your social security number when it is completely necessary. If there are other types of identification that you can use in any situation, use that.

If you are not sure why a business is asking for your number, always ask why. You should put passwords on your bank, phone and credit card accounts. Try not to choose passwords that could be easily guessed. Combinations of numbers, letters and special characters are usually the best.

Keep your information secure. Watch your wallet, and keep your information in a secure place at home. Shred your charge receipts, copies of credit applications, checks, bank statements and credit offers you get in the mail. You can stop receiving pre screened offers of credit in the mail by calling 1-888-5-OPT-OUT. Promptly remove mail from the mailbox.

A preventative method that might be worth thinking over is identity theft insurance. While it won\’t put an end to identity theft it can soften the damages to an extent. Bear in mind that in addition to loss of money, identity theft is time consuming. Also, many law enforcement officers and companies will only speak with you, making it impossible for someone else to help you.

Mallory McGuinness-Hickey is employed by debt collection agency Rapid Recovery Solution and writes articles on business and finance. You are welcome to reprint this article – but get your own unique content version here.