Archive for the ‘Debt Settlement’ Category
Old debt with new Garnishment?
Old debt with a new garnishment?
A number of people have asked how long a creditor can issue a garnishment on an old debt.
WHAT IS A GARNISHMENT?
A garnishment is a court order for a third party to turn over property that belongs to the debtor to the creditor.
What does that mean in English? Someone else is holding something that belongs to you, like for example a bank holds your money, or an employer holds wages that are owed to you. A court orders that the bank or the employer pays some or all of the money that is owed to you to the creditor.
But there is a requirement that the creditor have a judgment. A garnishment is a secondary proceeding or order after the judge lowers the hammer and says that you owe the money.
Once there is a judgment, the creditor is in control. They can do lots of things. They can request a garnishment to be issued by the court, or levy against assets, attach cars, houses. But they can attach wages or bank accounts.
The judgment has its own statute of limitations. A judgment in General District Court is good for 10 years, renewable for 10. If the judgment is recorded in Circuit Court, or originates in Circuit Court, it is good for 20 years.
But all this assumes that the judgment is valid.
How do you know if the judgment is valid? There are a number of issues,
1- Was the judgment served or did you get notice that it was pending? In Virginia, you do not need to be “served” by a process server, service is done by “nail and mail” service. They attach a copy to the front door of your last known address, and mail a copy, regular mail to your last known address.
2- Are you the named defendant? Did they sue you or someone with a similar name?
3- Was the debt within the statute of limitations?
4- Do you have a defense to the claim?
Only after you have reviewed all the factors, can you go back and attack a judgment.
What can you do with a garnishment?
There are 4 options with garnishments.
1- You can do nothing, and let the creditor collect their money through the garnishment.
2- You can try to negotiate with the creditor and either settle the debt or make payments that are better for you.
3- You can get the evidence that allows you to attack the underlying judgment, and “un-do” the judgment, and fight the debt.
4- You can always file Bankruptcy.
KCLS LIMITS THE GEOGRAPHY IN WHICH WE TAKE CASES.
YOU MUST BE A VIRGINIA RESIDENT.
OUR FEES: Our fees are controlled by the local rules and your situation. They may vary from “free” or probono representation to a flat fee to an hourly fee, depending on your situation.
If you are not a Virginia Resident, click here to find a lawyer near you.
Contact us by e-mail or by telephone or fax or US Mail.
You can call us: 804.303.0204
You can fax us: 804.303.0209
You can contact us by US MAIL:
Krumbein Consumer Legal Services, Inc.
5310 Markel Rd.
Suite 102
Richmond, VA 23230
Bankruptcy Myths– BUSTED
There is a lot of false information regarding bankruptcy. Here is a list of the most common myths we’ve encountered.
1. My employer will find out and fire me, or my potential future employer will not hire me because I filed for bankruptcy.
Usually FALSE. Discrimination solely because you filed for bankruptcy is prohibited under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. Certain persons with security clearance and sensitive financial positions can have issues with bankruptcy, though even then, a Bankruptcy can show that you are dealing with the problem, and enable you to have the security clearance or sensitive financial position. The exceptions to this are positions that tend to handle money, like bank tellers.
2. I have to be broke or behind on my bills to file bankruptcy.
FALSE. Do not wait until you’ve drained out your savings, or 401(K), or borrowed more money from relatives and friends. There are no rules that say you have to be behind or broke to file for bankruptcy. In fact, draining your retirement account may be a serious problem if done immediately before the filing of the Bankruptcy. Consult with a bankruptcy attorney right away if you do not see a way out of your current financial situation, BEFORE you do something.
3. Bankruptcy is not affordable.
FALSE. We do our best to provide reasonable time to pay attorneys’ fees and costs. In fact, many clients find that stopping payments to credit cards for a couple of months cover attorneys’ fees. In Chapter 13, usually part of the fees are paid up front and some through the plan payments. Additionally, because many of our clients have violations of the law, they end of getting their money back from the debt collectors who come after them.
4. I will lose my home.
Usually FALSE. In Chapter 7, as long as you are current on your payments and meet the equity limits, you can keep your home. In Virginia, there is an exemption up to the following amounts:
(1) $5,000 for each debtor.
(2) an additional $500 per child under age 18.
Refer to Virginia Exemption Chart.
You are given the same equity limits in Chapter 13 as Chapter 7. But you do not have to be current on your mortgage. In Chapter 13, you are given up to 5 years to repay the missed mortgage payments.
5. My credit is destroyed forever.
FALSE. Bankruptcy is reported on your credit report for up to10 years (see 15 US Code section 1681c). Most people mistakenly believe that they get a Scarlett Letter stamped on their forehead and won’t be able to get credit for 10 years (or some even believe for life). In fact, most of our clients get credit offers within a few months after filing. Bankruptcy stops the bleeding and places you in a position to rebuild your credit worthiness. Clients usually start with credit cards with smaller limits. They use these wisely (never carrying a balance), and get higher limits. The credit score increases and permits more extensive credit such as car loans. It’s similar to building credit for the first time like a high school or college student graduate. Additionally, Krumbein Consumer Legal Services is one of the few law firms with the experience and skills to help make sure that your credit is accurate. With Bankruptcy, your debts should stay in the past, not follow you along forever.
6. I will never get a home, an apartment or car.
FALSE. People do rebuild their credit after bankruptcy and go on to buy homes and/or cars. Your credit score may actually increase after bankruptcy, especially since bankruptcy will have a positive effect on your debt-to-income ratio. Additionally, some clients have purchased a home because of the efforts of Krumbein Consumer Legal Services to correct the errors on their credit report.
7. You can’t go bankrupt anymore since the new law.
FALSE. As the business and consumer bankruptcy filings that have exceeded well over 1 million people per year show, this is not the case. The 2005 changes to the bankruptcy laws made it more difficult to file for bankruptcy, but we have spent a significant amount of time using the amendments to our clients’ benefit. Consult with a Richmond bankruptcy attorney from Krumbein Consumer Legal Services to determine how you qualify.
8. The new law says you have to pay everything back.
FALSE. In Chapter 7 bankruptcy, debts are wiped out completely with the exception of certain taxes, child support/alimony, student loans and specially designated debts. In Chapter 13, the amount you repay is based on your disposable income (money left after your expenses are subtracted from your income) or liquidation analysis (property that we cannot exempt). In most situations, 100% repayment is not required.
9. It will be in the newspaper.
Usually FALSE. We suppose this could change, but this does not occur in the Richmond Area unless you are generally a news maker. As it stands, your bankruptcy filing will not be announced in a publication. However, it is public information, and anyone that wants to can go to the Bankruptcy Court and request your file. Additionally, the information is available on a Federal Bankruptcy database. To access it, you must have an account and pay to view it per page. Hearings related to your case are also posted on the court’s website for a brief time, however a person would have to know that they should look.
10. I hear “you can’t go bankruptcy on credit cards any more”.
FALSE. Credit cards are unsecured debts and will generally be discharged by bankruptcy. Credit cards and medical debts are the debt we discharge the most often.
11. After you take a credit counseling course you must wait 6 months before you can file a bankruptcy.
No, in fact it’s the opposite. One you take the credit counseling course and receive the certificate, the certificate is valid for 180 days. You must file bankruptcy within that 180 day period to use the credit counseling certificate. If you wait too long and the credit counseling certificate expires, you will have to take another credit counseling course and get a new certificate. Check with the US Trustee’s Website for authorized Credit Counseling courses. We provide clients with information about credit counseling providers that we find are cost-effective and consumer friendly. Under most circumstances, the credit counseling course is included in the cost of the Bankruptcy through us.
In short, there is no waiting requirement after completing credit counseling to file for bankruptcy.
12. If I file for bankruptcy I’m a failure.
Well then so are your family, friends, co-workers and the businesses you visit. Our clients are doctors, teachers, constructions workers, retail workers, hair stylists, police officers, bankers, rich, poor, blue collar, white collar…you get the idea. Plenty of famous and successful people filed for bankruptcy. For those struggling with the idea of filing, ask yourself whether you want a society of people in indentured servitude that die poor paying their debts, or people free from debt that can be productive and active members of society? Certainly we all want to pay our debts if we can. But sometimes it’s just too overwhelming.
13. There’s a secret way to make your creditors accept a fraction of the debt.
ABSOLUTELY FALSE, and don’t let wishful thinking make you believe promises made by debt settlement companies and others feeding off your sense of fear or guilt. It is true that oftentimes credit card companies will settle on stale debts. Sometimes they don’t. The settlement amounts vary from 5% of the debt to 99% of the debt. Moreover, creditors may (and often do) sue you. Unless you have a valid defense for the lawsuit, you may lose the case (see our information about defending collection lawsuits). They can get a judgment against you and garnish your wages, take your money in your bank account or put a lien on your property.
Assuming they do settle, what the creditors and debt settlement companies don’t tell you is this: the amount forgiven will be considered income to you and you may be taxed on the amount forgiven. It’s better to owe your credit card money than the IRS because you can discharge the credit card debt in bankruptcy much more easily, and debts discharged in Bankruptcy are deemed not income for purposes of your tax return. (see 26 US Code 108(a)(1))
14. I’ve hired a debt settlement firm to help me pay off all of my debts at a deep discount in 3 years or less and now I won’t have to file for bankruptcy.
See #13. It is common for our clients to be scammed by these companies. There is some promise to settle debts for pennies on the dollar. Creditors, however, do not have to settle with you at all; there is nothing special about the relationships between debt settlement companies and credit cards/debt collectors that guarantee settlements. Most of the time, the debt settlement companies will keep most of the money for themselves, leaving little for the actual settlement. They can’t do anything for you that you can’t already do for yourself – not pay your creditors then work out a settlement.
If you do decide to hire a debt settlement company, please be sure to check with the FTC and Attorney General office of the state the company is located. There are lots of warnings issued by governmental agencies regarding the dangers of hiring a debt settlement companies. We also see the United States Trustee that oversees bankruptcy sometimes go after debt settlement companies for scamming consumers. Also, many of the debt settlement companies are scams. They take your money and give you nothing in return.
15. My friend told me as long as I am going bankrupt I might as well max out my credit cards and use up what is left.
Accumulating debt with an anticipation of filing for bankruptcy may be considered fraud. Bankruptcy is for the unfortunate but honest debtor.
16. I should “leave one card out” of the bankruptcy.
ALL debts must be listed on the bankruptcy petition. Everyone you owe money to must be listed. This includes friends and families. Intentionally leaving a creditor out is grounds to deny you a Discharge, and may be an act of Bankruptcy fraud. Please note that Bankruptcy fraud is investigated by the FBI, and carries penalties up to and including jail and big fines.
17. “But my credit score will go down!”
See #5. If you are at serious risk of needing Bankruptcy, your credit score is already depressed. If you have defaulted on credit cards, home loans, car loans or student loans, they will already be reporting negatively on your credit report. Bankruptcy draws a line in the sand, and tells everyone that those debts are in the past. The credit reporting guidelines say that accounts that are included in a Bankruptcy are not scored, but all those charge-offs and delinquencies lower your score. A single missed payment can lower your score by as much as 150 points. But a Bankruptcy draws that line in the sand, and makes it go away.
18. I’ll never get credit again, or another, I won’t be able to get credit for 7 years.
After filing for bankruptcy, your debt-to-income ratio improves. This will help your credit score. Additionally, you cannot file again for 8 years (in case of Chapter 7) so you’re actually a “safe bet” for the creditors. Most of our clients report being able to get a secured credit card immediately after bankruptcy and an unsecured credit card with a modest credit limit within several months. This fluctuates with how banks extend credit. How long you have to wait to get a credit card will depend on your individual circumstances such as your income, work history and the banks’ lending practices at the time you apply.
19. Bankruptcy does not apply to certain creditors like Bank of America.
Bankruptcy applies to Bank of America as well as all other banks. Individual banks and persons do not get special passes. Read more about Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 to learn about which debts are discharged.
20. I will be making a better financial plan to suffer through and pay it back than to file for Bankruptcy.
Ask yourself, what will it take for me to get out of debt? Use this calculator to figure it out. Most people continue to make the minimum payments not realizing the amount of money it will actually take to get out of debt. Do not make the mistake of getting trapped in the cycle of making minimum payments – never being able to live debt free.
We suggest that you do a simple bit of math. Figure out your monthly living expense without paying on your debts. Figure out how much you have in income each month. Subtract the amount you have to spend from the amount you have for income (income-expenses). Take the total amount of your debt, and divide by 24. If the income-expenses number is not higher than your debt divided by 24, then when you try to pay it off, you will be forever paying mostly interest, and you will never get out.
If you will never be debt free, how can you ever get ahead?
Special thanks to Jeena Cho, of the JC Law Group, in San Francisco.
KCLS LIMITS THE GEOGRAPHY IN WHICH WE TAKE CASES.
YOU MUST BE A VIRGINIA RESIDENT.
OUR FEES: Our fees are controlled by the local rules and your situation. They may vary from “free” or probono representation to a flat fee to an hourly fee, depending on your situation.
If you are not a Virginia Resident, click here to find a lawyer near you.
Contact us by e-mail or by telephone or fax or US Mail.
You can call us: 804.303.0204
You can fax us: 804.303.0209
You can contact us by US MAIL:
Krumbein Consumer Legal Services, Inc.
5310 Markel Rd.
Suite 102
Richmond, VA 23230
Joint Accounts and Garnishment
What happens when a creditor has a judgment and you have a joint bank account?
The creditor can issue a garnishment (seizure order) to the bank, and freeze all of the money. A separate notice is then sent to the other account holder. They then have the opportunity to come to court and claim that some or all of the money in the account is theirs.
In order to do so, they must come with 2 or 3 months of statements, and proof of the source of the deposits. For example, they need to bring pay advices showing that they are the one who deposited amount X on date Y.
If the joint account holder does not show up in court, the judgment creditor gets the benefit of the doubt, and gets all of the money.
One of the first things we always ask is how did the case get this far. Sometimes there are things we can do to alleviate the problem. Sometimes we will recommend Bankruptcy.
KCLS LIMITS THE GEOGRAPHY IN WHICH WE TAKE CASES.
YOU MUST BE A VIRGINIA RESIDENT.
OUR FEES: Our fees are controlled by the local rules and your situation. They may vary from “free” or probono representation to a flat fee to an hourly fee, depending on your situation.
DISCLOSURE: Pursuant to Federal law, KCLS is a debt relief agency. We help people, who need those services, to file for Bankruptcy, if there is no other option.
If you are not a Virginia Resident, click here to find a lawyer near you.
Contact us by e-mail or by telephone or fax or US Mail.
You can call us: 804.303.0204
You can fax us: 804.303.0209
You can contact us by US MAIL:
Krumbein Consumer Legal Services, Inc.
5310 Markel Rd. Suite 102
Richmond, VA 23230
Nations Largest Debt Settler Gets BUSTED
DEBT SETTLERS ARE BAD FOR YOU. DEBT MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS ARE DEBT SETTLEMENT IN DISGUISE.
All references to code sections are courtesy of the Legislative Information System of Virginia, and are provided by leg1.state.va.us.
Debt Management and Debt Settlement is regulated by the Virginia Bureau of Financial Institutions.
Recently, the Oregon Attorney General cracked down on Credit Solutions of America, a debt settler based in Texas. You can read the story here.
In that story, you will find that CSA has been scamming Oregon consumers for some time. They charge substantial upfront fees and encourage people to default on credit cards so they can afford the upfront fees.
This is also illegal in Virginia, however, the Virginia Attorney General has not yet come down on CSA.
Remember that with debt settlement, there is NO GUARANTEE that it will work. KCLS does not settle debts, though we have been known to settle lawsuits.
Debt settlers promise that they can settled your debts. There is no way to promise that truthfully. No one can promise that a debt will be settled with a creditor, collector, or lawfirm. There are only 2 ways to not pay for sure 1- Bankruptcy, and 2- win the collection lawsuit.
You can win a collections lawsuit because you do not owe the debt- ie: not yours, or billing errors.
You can win a collection lawsuit for technical reasons- ie: statute of limitations, hearsay, or other evidence problems.
You can also lose a collections lawsuit, even with a debt that is beyond the statute of limitations, with testimony that is based on hearsay, filled with billing errors, where the judge does not follow the law, or the rules of procedure or the rules of evidence. Even good lawyers can lose in these circumstances.
The most important thing to know is that if you do not try to defend, you cannot win. You must show up. Most debt settlers try to settle the debt from afar. They try to settle, while the collector proceeds to obtain judgment.
There are also some creditors and debt collectors that will not negotiate, and worse yet, when they understand that you have hired a debt settler, will sue, almost immediately, for the simple reason that they believe that the first one to sue will be one of the few to collect anything. The truth is that this is a self-fulfilling prophesy.
In summary, beware of debt settlers, it is very hard for them to comply with all of the provisions of the Virginia Credit Counseling Act (VCCA), Virginia Code Sections 6.1-363.2 through 6.1-363.26. Violations of the VCCA can be enforced by consumers who have been duped, pursuant to the Virginia Consumer Protection Act (VCPA), as VCCA specifies at Section 6.1-363.26 that any violation of VCCA is a violation of Section 59.1-200 of the VCPA.
If you have been impacted by anything we mentioned here, you can make an appointment to see us.
NO FEE IN YOUR VCCA/VCPA CASE UNLESS WE RECOVER!!
KCLS LIMITS THE GEOGRAPHY IN WHICH WE TAKE CASES.
YOU MUST BE A VIRGINIA RESIDENT.
If you are not a Virginia Resident, click here to find a lawyer near you.
OUR LEGAL FEES:
The rights afforded to you, as a consumer, under the Virginia Credit Counseling Act and the Virginia Consumer Protection Act means that a corporation or party who has violated your rights may ultimately be made to pay for statutory damages, actual damages, and your legal fees. Therefore, if we agree to represent you in any case, you won’t pay any attorney’s fees unless we are successful and we recover on your behalf. We are here to serve and have assisted many consumers TO enforce their legal rights. Let us try and see if we can help you too. That means you pay no fee in your case unless we recover.
Contact us by e-mail or by telephone or fax or US Mail.
You can call us: 804.673.4358
You can fax us: 804.673.4350
You can contact us by US MAIL:
Krumbein Consumer Legal Services, Inc.
1650 Willow Lawn Drive
Suite 300
Richmond, VA 23230
Debt Settlement and Debt Management in Virginia
DEBT SETTLERS ARE BAD FOR YOU. DEBT MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS ARE DEBT SETTLEMENT IN DISGUISE.
All references to code sections are courtesy of the Legislative Information System of Virginia, and are provided by leg1.state.va.us.
Debt Management and Debt Settlement is regulated by the Virginia Bureau of Financial Institutions. Debt settlers often use the tactic of telling you that you can settle your debts for less than you owe. The new tactic is to claim that the Obama Administration has passed a new law that says that you have the right to settle your debts for less than the full amount owed.
THIS IS FALSE INFORMATION.
You can settle, but you do not have a RIGHT to settle. Some, but not all, credit card companies will settle for less than the full amount owed because the options for them are a total loss, or a partial settlement.
The Debt Settlers may also tell you that settling your debts through them can improve your credit score.
THIS IS FALSE INFORMATION.
A settled debt is reported as status 7, settled for less than full value. This is HIGHLY damaging to your credit report.
But what they also don’t tell you is that just being IN a debt settlement plan lowers your score almost as much as filing for Bankruptcy.
The Debt Settlers may also tell you that they can get a creditor or debt collector to leave you alone- stop calling, stop writing, stop suing.
THIS IS FALSE INFORMATION.
Virginia law has very little protections from creditors.
Under Virginia law, a creditor can call during hours prohibited to debt collectors under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (8am to 9pm).
Under Virginia law, a creditor can contact third parties, like family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers, and tell them about your debts, even though a debt collector is prohibited under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
Under Virginia law, a creditor can contact you, even though they know you are represented by counsel, even though a debt collector is prohibited by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
Under Virginia law, and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, almost nothing can stop a suit from being filed by either a creditor or a debt collector.
Under Virginia law, once the suit is filed, only an attorney can defend a lawsuit, and stand a chance of dealing with a creditor or debt collector in court.
Debt settlers and debt management plans do not have attorneys on staff to deal with violations of law under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, to defend consumers who are being sued, and to protect your rights.
ONLY AN ATTORNEY LICENSED IN VIRGINIA CAN STOP THESE ACTIONS IN VIRGINIA.
But when the debt settlers tell you that they can, they may be violating the Virginia Credit Counseling Act (VCCA), Virginia Code Sections 6.1-363.2 through 6.1-363.26. Violations of the VCCA can be enforced by consumers who have been duped, pursuant to the Virginia Consumer Protection Act (VCPA), as VCCA specifies at Section 6.1-363.26 that any violation of VCCA is a violation of Section 59.1-200 of the VCPA.
If you have been impacted by anything we mentioned here, you can make an appointment to see us.
KCLS LIMITS THE GEOGRAPHY IN WHICH WE TAKE CASES.
YOU MUST BE A VIRGINIA RESIDENT. If you are not a Virginia Resident, click here to find a lawyer near you. NO FEE IN YOUR VCCA/VCPA CASE UNLESS WE RECOVER!! OUR LEGAL FEES: The rights afforded to you, as a consumer, under the Virginia Credit Counseling Act and the Virginia Consumer Protection Act means that a corporation or party who has violated your rights may ultimately be made to pay for statutory damages, actual damages, and your legal fees. Therefore, if we agree to represent you in any case, you won’t pay any attorney’s fees unless we are successful and we recover on your behalf. We are here to serve and have assisted many consumers TO enforce their legal rights. Let us try and see if we can help you too. That means you pay no fee in your case unless we recover. Contact us by e-mail or by telephone or fax or US Mail.
You can call us: 804.303.0204
You can fax us: 804.303.0209
You can contact us by US MAIL:
Krumbein Consumer Legal Services, Inc.
5310 Markel Rd.
Suite 102
Richmond, VA 23230