Well, yes and no. Yes, a creditor can garnish, but no, they can’t just start garnishing without going through a series of steps first. The first thing that has to happen is the creditor has to file a lawsuit. (There are two exceptions to this first step–the IRS [...]

Debtors come in my office saying that a Debt Collector is calling their mother, their grown siblings, or their neighbor, trying to (1) get the Debtor to call the Debt Collector back or (2) to get an address for them. The Debtor feels harassed and embarrassed. Guess what?!? That is exactly [...]

When you feel completely overwhelmed and bankruptcy is not an option in your personal situation, the first step is to take a moment and a step back–look at what you owe and what money you have coming into your household.   Realize that sometimes creditors will work with you in order to avoid their debt being [...]

Okay, so you can’t afford your car anymore. It looked nice on the lot and you believed you could make the payments, but now? Last month’s payment was used to pay the day care provider and ……….. and the car creditor is calling five times a day threatening that a repo man will [...]

Many of my colleagues’ and my postings have concerned the abuse by debt collectors and how the FDCPA protects consumers….BUT, what about when original creditors heap abuse on someone?   Many states have passed a state version of the FDCPA to protect their consumers, but one benefit of those state laws is that often, original creditors [...]