Bankruptcy? debt consolidation service? Consumer Credit Counceling Serv?
101060
If you feel the moral obligation to repay some of your debts over time, you might consider a Chapter 13 bankruptcy.  I consider debt consolidationn services to be worthless.  Contact a local bankruptcy for further assistance.
1149542
Get copies of your credit reports from all of the major reporting agencies.  Challenge the bankruptcy.\n\nYour lender can also "fast-track" the cleanup process and get your credit re-scored.  There is a small fee for this, typically about $50.00 per item on the credit record.  This is the fastest way to get this cleared.
1131773
You are paying off bills with another bill! Did you ever try Consumer Credit Counseling? I believe it's a free service and they help you reduce your payments maybe even lower your interest rate. I would try that first before you get deeper into debt.
787989
There's still a few other options other than bankruptcy.  Here's a good website that may answer your questions:\n\nhttp://www.fixmymess.com
901211
Speak to the Citizens' Advice Bureau about FREE debt advice. There are some other charities that will offer you free advice about the best/quickest way to repay what you owe but I am unaware of any organisation that will administer your debt for you or give you a consolidation loan without making some sort of charge. \n\nCAB will encourage you to look at what all your income and outgoings are and devise a strategy with you, not for you, as to how you are to pay it all back. Meanwhile, write a holding letter to your creditors telling them that you are seeking independent advice about the debt. It will only serve to stall them temporarily. \n\nWork out your priority and non priority debts. Priority debts are ones which will affect your home or your liberty and include rent/mortgage, water, gas and electric and any other loan secured against your property. Non-payment of council tax can lead to imprisonment and so is a priority debt. All other debts are non-priority. It is vital that these are paid first.\n\nDraw up an honest list of what comes in to your household and what goes out and include everything, including newspaper money and pocket money for the kids etc. Don't try to hide an amount under the heading 'Housekeeping'. Debt companies know what to expect to see under all the headings based on reasonable amounts according to your home circumstances and trying to hide amounts under ambiguous headings won't work. \n\nYou then need to write again to your creditors and include the income and expenditure form. They should then come to an agreement with you although they are not obliged to. If you go to the CAB with this information, they can help you work out payment plans for each creditor and give you a standard letter to send. It may also carry more weight with the creditors if they know CAB are involved. \n\nCreditors are not obliged to accept your suggested payment plans and will be looking for some commitment from you that you are determined to clear your debt. Can you return the cards to the company, cut up? Can you sell some of your assets? Can you take on another part-time job specifically to pay them off? Could you rent a room out in your house? \n\nThere are other options like IVAs or bankruptcy depending on how much debt you are in but these have as many cons as they do pros and are not the answer for everyone, particularly if you own a house with equity. You could speak to CAB about these options but think carefully before going down these routes. \n\nYou are right to think about alternatives to taking out more debt. There are obvious problems if you cannot keep up repayments on bigger consolidation debts especially if they are secured against your home. I don't know your own circumstances, of course, but maybe going through the debt procedures above will concentrate your mind on how you managed to get into debt in the first place, the pain of being in debt and how hard it was to get out of it which will prevent you from ever going down that road again. I know that I learned that same lesson the hard way and am steering well clear of ever going there ever again. Consolidation seems like easier options but will anyone ever learn to change their behaviour or is it just a quick fix to allow the same thing to carry on all over again? \n\nAnyway, good luck. It seems like a pit you can never climb out of but it will get easier. Promise!
99738
Your best bet is NOT to use a consolidation company for a loan.  This will reflect more negatively on your credit.  The best bet, I think, would be to pay off your credit cards, highest interest rated card first.  Hope that helps!
303026
Consumer credit counselors are not non profit. The action will be looked at on future credit reports by lenders as a chapter 13 bankruptcy. You are trying to reorganize your debt. Try debt snowball. take the smallest balance bill and pay as much as you can until it is gone. then take that payment and add to your next smallest and so on. Other than that go and file the chapter 13 and you will be given an amount to pay for the next 5 years or so then you will have the same thing accomplished
415067
These programs do nothing to help your credit, it is actually the oppostie, regardless of what they try to tell you. What happens is this: You sign a contract for them to get your debtors to lower interest rates, then they decide on a lump sum you pay the credit "counseling" company, a part of which is a fee they take for this "sevice", then they divvy up that payment amoung all your creditors. You do NOT have only one creditor now! Then as long as it takes you to pay off these debts, which can be a long time, you continue to show late, non-payment, on all these accounts. They do not pay them off one by one slowly allowing you to demonstrate you are  paying them. they sit there as bad debts the entire time without much to show for all the hard work you are going to to pay off your debt. After, while it shows them as paid off, it also shows how long it took you and how long these creditors went without the money you owned them. This helps your credit very little. OH yeah one more thing, when you sign the contract you are agreeing to NOT apply for releaf under the bankrupsy law!! YOu sign away your right to do this untill these current debts are paid off!! If you fail to make your payments you also now have one more creditor that of the consumer credit counseling company you signed the contract with!! Do you know for sure what your income will be next year or the year after that or the year after that, etc?? Do you know for sure a tragic accedent or illness will not strike your familly? Do you know for certian you will continue to have your current health plan and for sure what your share of the medical bills will be? Listen if you don't know even one of these things FOR SURE then credit counseling is not for you. If you do know for sure then by all means go ahead and sign up. \n\nI highly reccomend you get online and begin looking this information up. Get information directly from a one of those so called non profit organizations and spend $100.00 at the most, often you can do this for free to speak with a bankrupsy attorney. Become fully informed, look at your situaltion, your future possible situations and then make a fuly informed decision which will be in YOUR and your families best interest. There is a lot of room in the small print section of the contact you sign with these "counseling" agencies. Where do you think they get their money from? You and others like you who sign up for services.
1187360
As a former financial counselor, I can let you know of what to look for in a debt management company prior to enrolling. I also am enrolled in debt management, so I know what helps. Make sure you find a company with the following:\n\n1) A company who is genuinely trying to help consumers. A company who is looking for the consumer's best interests will not only counsel you, but they may take you through a budget, analyze your situation, provide free financial material, etc. In other words they don't just try to enroll you. You should never feel pressured.\n2) A company who is non-profit, certified, and has a good track record with the BBB. A company who is non-profit may ask for a donation but it is purely voluntary. All your payments should go to your creditors. Also there are regulation agencies in place to weed out the "shady" companies, so you should make sure they are certified and a responsible member of the BBB.\n3) A company that answers all your questions. You probably have lots of questions, but a counselor who is knowledgable AND certified will be able to walk you through step by step, and explain thoroughly every step of the process. \n\nIf you are interested in the company I worked for, it is http://www.incharge.org . They have a great relationship with the Defense Department as soldiers that are in financial trouble are often referred to them. If you are interested in the company I have an account with, it is http://www.careonecredit.org/ . Both of these companies are registered with the BBB and have outstanding reputations. \n\nThere are plenty out there though, so you should find the one that best suits your needs. I hope that you get to where you want to be and don't ever give up! Patience will heal your credit. There is no quick answer. Good Luck!
918640
Get in contact with the debt management charity the 'Consumer Credit Counselling Service.'  \n\nExplain your situation.  Thry maybe able to assist you with your creditors.  \n\nDON'T go to a debt management company which charges.  \n\nGood luck.
59808
First, I'd take the girlfriend to small claims court to get her to pay her fair share of the debts. \n\nSecond, find your nearest office of Consumer Credit Counseling Services.  They can help you with a debt management plan, including lowering your interest rates on many types of unsecured debt, such as credit cards.  (They cannot help with automobile leases, or home loans.)  For unsecured debt, they will consolidate it into one monthly payment and you pay them directly.  An advantage of using them is that the creditor calls STOP. \n\nOne word of caution: when you find a credit counselor, find one that is "nonprofit", which is different from "not for profit".  Some places have names that sound like Consumer Credit Counseling Services, but they charge big fees, and sometimes they can get you into more trouble than you're already in because they are NOT legit.  Before you pay anyone anything, check them out with your local BBB first.\n\nBankruptcy will not make everything go away - with the new laws that took effect October 1, 2005, you have a bigger percentage of debts you must pay - plus it stays on your credit for 10 years.  I'd avoid it if at all possible.  Bankruptcy CAN make it harder for you to get jobs, apartments or a home loan.
925051
You have several reasonable options:\n\n1. Go to your bank/credit union/financial institution, and ask if they would be willing to loan you the full amount necessary to consolidate all of your debts into one account.\n\n2. Find a low interest credit card, with a low to no interest introductory rate, and consolidate all of your loans on the one card.\n\nIf your credit rating is not so good, and neither of the two above options can work for you right now, it'd probably be best to continue paying your separate loans in a timely manner, until your rating improves and you have more leverage to get the best loan to ask your creditors to reduce the interest rates tied to your current obligations.\n\nDon't be enticed by these 'debt consolidation' companies.  There are also some great articles on Debt Consolidation Pros/Cons.  Here's an article from bankrate.com: http://www.bankrate.com/yho/news/debt/debtmanageguide/consol-dangers1.asp\n\nI strongly suggest that you visit bankrate.com.  Great useful financial info.
877779
Bankruptcy should be a last resort. \n\nI would reccommend saving some money and eventually settling each debt one at a time. \n\nCredit Counseling cannot help with charge offs because it is rare for them to reduce or freeze interest. \n\nSettlement is probably best. \n\nHere is a good site that has free settlement letters you can fill in and print: http://www.expert-credit-advice.com/
1173074
call them all and set up payment plans\n\nor talk with a credit counseling/debt consolidation company\n\nbest of luck
311525
If you don't know ask an attorney. They will ask who sent it you to. There is a lot of missing info here. Are you being sued? Did you file for bankruptcy? Has a family member passed that owned a debt? In these kind of matters, stick with the advise of a professional to protect yourself, and not someone you've never met on yahoo.
258061
There's several Non-Profit debt consolidation groups out there that will do this, but it completely kills your ability to obtain any new credit until the consolidation is totally paid off.  I've been credit card free for almost 8 years now and it feels great to never see a bill in my mailbox.\n\nDo your part to end pointless economic wars on yourself by financial institutions by becoming a balanced-budget person.
284022
I don't think that companies that are considering bankruptcy are posting this info on the web. I believe bankruptcy court might be your best bet but hey thats just a guess.