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Can Anybody Do Anything About Private Student Loans? I just came back from Chicago, where about six hundred bankruptcy lawyers studied and talked for three days–half the time about student loans. I especially hoped to learn something about the “private” student loans. What I learned was not much help. Private student loans are bad, compared […]The post Can Anybody Do Anything About Private Student Loans? by Robert Weed appeared first on Robert Weed.
Once you have received an accepted offer on a Delavan home, what do you do next? Hopefully, you have hired an experienced Delavan real estate professional and Delavan real estate attorney to assist you through the stressful contract-to-closing period. A skillful real estate professional will help you through the minor details and hiccups that may occur during the process. Your Delavan real estate attorney will make sure all legal documents, correspondence, and closing criteria are lawfully met. Below is a breakdown of what to expect during the contract-to-closing period.
1. Choose a Delavan real estate attorney. As the home buyer, it is your choice to select a Delavan real estate attorney, sometimes referred to as a “closing attorney”. Your Delavan real estate attorney will review all contracts, prepare settlement statements, order a title search, order title insurance, and ensure lender funds are available for closing.
2. Order a survey. Your financial institution may require a survey of the real estate property. As the buyer, you are normally required to pay for the survey. There are two ways to save money on a survey. One, there may already be a recent survey on record. Two, if there is an older survey, you may only need to ask for an updated survey from the surveyor.
3. Order an appraisal. Lenders usually require the real estate property to be appraised. A financial institution normally will not commit to a loan until an appraisal is completed. A lender obviously is not going to provide you with a $100,000 loan on a home that appraises for $19,000. As the buyer, you are often required to pay for the appraisal.
4. Obtain a Loan Commitment Letter. Once your real estate property is appraised, and all other required criteria are met, you will be issued a Loan Commitment Letter from your lender. A Loan Commitment Letter usually states that you will receive a loan from the lender in the amount necessary to purchase the real estate property, so long as certain conditions are met. The criteria normally includes: an appraisal, a survey, any requested repairs, any necessary inspections, no changes to your current credit standing.
5. Order inspections. Some financial institutions require inspections. Some do not. If your lender does not require any inspections, then ordering any inspection is completely voluntary on your part. That being said, it is highly recommended to have a general home inspection conducted by a licensed home inspector, whether it is required or not. You may also wish or be required to have other inspections conducted, such as a termite inspection, well and water quality inspection, septic inspections, radon inspections, chimney inspections, lead-based paint inspections, etc.
6. Acquire a Certificate of Occupancy. If you are purchasing a brand new home, most likely from a builder, you will need to provide a Certificate of Occupancy at closing. The builder will obtain the certificate. The certificate certifies that the home has met all building codes.
7. Confirm a closing date. Your sales contact normally lists an approximate closing date. After loan approval and all necessary inspections and repairs are completed, a definitive closing date and time is set.
8. Purchase home owner’s insurance. All lenders require that buyers purchase home owner’s insurance. This type of insurance protects the lender from loss if the home is damaged or destroyed during fire, natural disasters, etc. Some lenders only require you purchase home owner’s insurance in the amount equal to your loan. Even better, is to purchase coverage equal to the replacement cost of your property. You normally have to pay for the entire first year in advance. After that, you can typically set up monthly payments. Sometimes, you can roll your home owner’s insurance cost into your mortgage payment. Ask your lender.
9. Review HUD-1 Settlement Statement. Your Delavan real estate attorney completes a HUD-1 Settlement Statement during the contract-to-closing period. You can request to review the statement at least 24 hours before closing to ensure there are no issues.
10. Final walk-through. Normally, all buyers perform a final walk-through 24 hours before closing. During the final walk-through, you will make sure the seller is out of the home, all furniture or appliances requested are on-site, and that no additional damage has been done to the home.
There are always some additional steps you can take in-between the aforementioned steps listed, such as booking movers or obtaining a home warranty. Your Delavan real estate attorney and real estate professional will assist you along the way with the many details involved in the closing process.
Your next step is attending the real estate closing. You should bring to closing: a photo ID, a copy of your home owner’s insurance, any other requested closing documents (such as inspections, survey, copy of contract), and cashier’s checks to pay your closing fees. Your real estate professional will walk you through the details. Once at closing, you will sign papers and receive the keys to your new home! Congratulations!
Choose Our Delavan Real Estate Attorney
Buying a home is a detailed process that takes time to complete. By law, only a Delavan real estate attorney can provide you with legal advice during the home closing process, not a real estate agent, loan officer, or closing agent. Sometimes, buyers are encouraged to use the seller’s attorney. This is not a good idea because the interests of the buyer and seller differ. Home buyers need an experienced real estate attorney in their corner who will look out for their interests. If you are in need of a Delavan real estate attorney, please contact Wynn at Law, LLC by phone at 262-725-0175 or by email via our website’s contact page. Wynn at Law, LLC has offices located in Lake Geneva, Salem, and Delavan, Wisconsin.
*The content and material on this web page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
Here at Shenwick & Associates, many clients seeking our help with bankruptcy and debt relief have credit issues. Although many of these issues may be related to nonpayment or late payment of bills, at least part of the blame lies with the credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion), whose negligent reporting practices in reporting have led to many consumers receiving credit reports that are riddled with errors. In addition to our bankruptcy practice, we also offer credit repair services.
Last month, New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced a settlement after a three year investigation of the credit reporting agencies that would represent a radical change in the way they do business. Provisions of the settlement include:
- Moving away from an automated credit dispute resolution process to using specially trained employees;
- Establishing a six month waiting period before reporting medical debts on a credit report (which are often caused by delayed insurance payments or other disputes);
- Removing medical debts from a credit report after the debt is paid by insurance; and
- Publicizing the availability of free yearly credit reports from each agency through this website. The agencies will also have to provide a free report to consumers who experience a change in their credit reports after initiating a dispute.
The changes will be phased in over three years, but most of them will occur over the next six to 18 months. But if you’re experiencing problems with your credit report, please contact Jim Shenwick today.
Hiring an attorney, or any professional, can be very overwhelming, but it does not have to be. This video has three topics that will give you some helpful tips when interviewing any attorney.
The post How to Hire a Great Attorney appeared first on Diane L. Drain - Phoenix Bankruptcy & Foreclosure Attorney.
Hiring an attorney, or any professional, can be overwhelming, but it does not have to be.
This video has some helpful tips for interviewing an attorney. Remember to do your research before hiring any professional (doctor, lawyer or others). The consequences of hiring the wrong professional can be disastrous.
The post Tips on How to Hire a Great Attorney appeared first on Diane L. Drain - Phoenix Bankruptcy & Foreclosure Attorney.
According to a new study, the 2005 revisions to the bankruptcy code may be keeping financially struggling Oregonians out of bankruptcy court, but it hasn’t helped them with their financial suffering. The Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act which was largely created to make bankruptcy less accessible may have obliterated access to a fresh start from the people who most deserve it.
The study found that the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act has made fling bankruptcy considerably more expensive and that cost is what has kept the people who most need to file from doing so.
Our firm has taken affirmative steps to make sure that the Oregonians who most need to file are not kept out of Bankruptcy Court. By collecting only a portion of the attorney and court fees prior to filing and setting up our clients with installment payment plans for the remainder, we have made bankruptcy filing affordable for many Oregonians who would not otherwise have been able to file. Very few of our clients in Portland, Salem and Vancouver have over a thousand dollars available to fork over to a bankruptcy attorney in order to stop the stop their creditors. Most of our friends, neighbors and family don’t have that kind of money lying around either. That’s why we take payments.
The original post is titled Oregon Bankruptcy Access , and it came from Portland Bankruptcy Attorney | Northwest Debt Relief .
I am disgusted by the number of calls we receive every week detailing a company or lawyer who takes someone’s hard earned money and fails to deliver on their promise to modify the home mortgage. This post is prompted by a phone call I just received from a young woman who contacted The American Association of Attorneys and Legal Professionals, www.aaalp.com, to help save her home. She understood she was hiring a lawyer that was part of this company (the small print on their web site states this is “not a law firm”). Evidently AAALP referred her to someone she thinks is a lawyer. She paid this “lawyer” $4,000 to help her. Supposedly the “lawyer” worked with the lender, but was unsuccessful in obtaining a modification. The “lawyer” then e-mailed her a bankruptcy petition to file with the court and told her “she was really not going through with the bankruptcy, but was just using it to postpone the trustee’s sale”. She followed directions from this “lawyer” and did not file any required documents. This resulted in the dismissal of her bankruptcy. A couple of months after the first case was dismissed this “lawyer” e-mailed her a second bankruptcy petition to file. The second case was dismissed for failure to file the required documents.
Now two months have passed; on Friday, April 24th the “lawyer” called to say the lender would not modify the loan; the trustee’s sale is scheduled for May 5th. This young woman is panicking and looking for help to file a third bankruptcy. Due to filing two prior bankruptcies she is going to have a challenge to file a third one is such a short time. As a result of this illegal advice this young woman is facing a serious up-hill battle to file and stay in a chapter 13 and save her home.
- My first point – never hire someone from another state to help you solve a legal problem.
- My second point – NEVER FILE A BANKRUPTCY WITHOUT THE INTENT TO FOLLOW THROUGH ON THE BANKRUPTCY.
- My third point – The $4,000 she paid to this “lawyer” would have paid an experienced Arizona bankruptcy attorney to file a solid chapter 13 case and save her house.
Please be very careful about anyone offering to help individuals facing foreclosure. They are everywhere – TV, Internet and the mail. Put “mortgage workout fraud” into Google – there are 488,000 results. According to the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law:
Lawyer-led schemes are particularly difficult to investigate, experts say. Only attorneys are allowed by law to solicit homeowners with offers of help in foreclosure cases, and investigators often cannot determine if legitimate services were provided.
Because of the time it takes to investigate and prosecute these white-collar crimes, federal officials told the Herald-Tribune that the schemes are often overlooked, and that many individuals running them in Florida continue to walk the streets.
Although Florida is home to roughly 10 percent of the nation’s foreclosure rescue complaints, the crime has largely gone unnoticed here.
First, you should be aware that, with very few exceptions, no one except an Arizona attorney can give legal advice to an Arizona citizen as to any workout on their home mortgage. Second, as of July 1, 2010, all companies that offer mortgage loan modification services to homeowners must be licensed by the Arizona Department of Financial Institutions as “mortgage brokers” or “mortgage bankers”.
Here are some links that might be of interest if you are facing foreclosure:
Do’s and Don’t for foreclosure help (Arizona Department of Financial Institutions)- Making Home Affordable (a government program) at www.makinghomeaffordable.gov
- Home Affordable Modification Program (a government program) at www.justice.gov/ust/eo/public_affairs/consumer_info/docs/HAMP_Fact_Sheet.pdf
- Arizona Mortgage Resource Center at www.AzMortgageResource.gov
- Lost or losing your home to foreclosure and need help finding a new home (applies to owners and tenants) www.CatholicCharities.org/foreclosure-assistance
- Trying to find a home for a displaced animal: www.LostOurHome.org
The post Another Loan Workout Nightmare, plus Resources for Saving Your Home: Arizona appeared first on Diane L. Drain - Phoenix Bankruptcy & Foreclosure Attorney.
Hundreds of thousands of people tryng to save their homes by a loan workout are defrauded by “mortgage modification” scams.Desperate people find themselves and their family on the street after trying to save their homes.
Yet another loan workout or modification scam. I am disgusted by the number of calls we receive every week detailing a company or lawyer who takes someone’s hard earned money and fails to deliver on their promise to modify the home mortgage.
This post is prompted by a phone call I just received from a young woman who contacted The American Association of Attorneys and Legal Professionals, www.aaalp.com, to help save her home. She understood she was hiring a lawyer that was part of this company (the small print on their web site states this is “not a law firm”).
Whenever there are desperate people you will find con artists ready to lure them with false promises, all with the goal of taking what little they have left (normally their money).
For example meet Mrs. Smith. She was contacted by a company called AAALP (does not exist now) who referred her to someone she though to be a lawyer. She paid this “lawyer” $4,000 to help her. Supposedly the “lawyer” worked with the lender, but was unsuccessful in obtaining a modification. The “lawyer” then e-mailed her a bankruptcy petition to file with the court and told her “she was really not going through with the bankruptcy, but was just using it to postpone the trustee’s sale”. She followed directions from this “lawyer” and did not file any required documents. This resulted in the dismissal of her bankruptcy. A couple of months after the first case was dismissed this “lawyer” e-mailed her a second bankruptcy petition to file. The second case was dismissed for failure to file the required documents.
Now two months have passed; on Friday, April 24th the “lawyer” called to say the lender would not modify the loan; the trustee’s sale is scheduled for May 5th. This young woman is panicking and looking for help to file a third bankruptcy. Due to filing two prior bankruptcies she is going to have a challenge to file a third one is such a short time. As a result of this illegal advice this young woman is facing a serious up-hill battle to file and stay in a chapter 13 and save her home.
- My first point – never hire someone from another state to help you solve a legal problem.
- My second point – NEVER FILE A BANKRUPTCY WITHOUT THE INTENT TO FOLLOW THROUGH ON THE BANKRUPTCY.
- My third point – The $4,000 she paid to this “lawyer” would have paid an experienced Arizona bankruptcy attorney to file a solid chapter 13 case and save her house.
Please be very careful when anyone offers to help individuals facing foreclosure. They are everywhere – TV, Internet and the mail. Put “mortgage workout fraud” into Google – there are 488,000 results. According to the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law:
Lawyer-led schemes are particularly difficult to investigate, experts say. Only attorneys are allowed by law to solicit homeowners with offers of help in foreclosure cases, and investigators often cannot determine if legitimate services were provided.
Because of the time it takes to investigate and prosecute these white-collar crimes, federal officials told the Herald-Tribune that the schemes are often overlooked, and that many individuals running them in Florida continue to walk the streets.
Although Florida is home to roughly 10 percent of the nation’s foreclosure rescue complaints, the crime has largely gone unnoticed here.
First, you should be aware that, with very few exceptions, no one except an Arizona attorney can give legal advice to an Arizona citizen as to any workout on their home mortgage. Second, as of July 1, 2010, all companies that offer mortgage loan modification services to homeowners must be licensed by the Arizona Department of Financial Institutions as “mortgage brokers” or “mortgage bankers”.
Options in Bankruptcy, with Notes on Getting Help
Here are some links that might be of interest if you are facing foreclosure:
- Do’s and Don’t for foreclosure help (Arizona Department of Financial Institutions)
- Making Home Affordable (a government program) at www.makinghomeaffordable.gov
- Home Affordable Modification Program (a government program) fact sheet with lots of information.
- Arizona Mortgage Resource Center
- Trying to find a home for a displaced animal: Contact Lost Our Home.
The post Another Loan Workout Nightmare, plus Resources for Saving Your Home: Arizona appeared first on Diane L. Drain - Phoenix Bankruptcy & Foreclosure Attorney.
Winter is becoming a thing of the past. The snow is melted, the sun is shining, spring is here. Spring is a great time to sell your Lake Geneva real estate. A Lake Geneva home shows better without the cold and snow. You can also take sunny, updated photographs of your home without snow on the ground. Our Lake Geneva real estate lawyer is helping you obtain the best price for your home in 2015 by sharing these top home selling tips.
10 Tips for Selling Your Home in 2015 From Your Lake Geneva Real Estate Lawyer
1. Fix the small things. Fixing the little things around the house makes for a big payoff. Our Lake Geneva real estate lawyer recommend fixing: paint, squeaky doors, cabinet pulls, door handles, burnt light bulbs, leaky faucets, dirty windows, new caulking, etc.
2. Hide your pets. Firstly, do not allow photos of your home that include your pet. Not everyone loves a cuddly dog or cat. Some home buyers may have allergies to pets and immediately be driven away. Some home buyers may see your pet in photographs and feel the house may smell bad or they may consider the expense of cleaning carpets to remove pet hair. Secondly, potential buyers do not want to walk through your home and see dog food or smell kitty litter. Hide the food bowls. Remove pets from your Lake Geneva home during showings and open houses.
3. Hire a professional and motivated real estate agent. Of course you can sell your home by owner, but reaching the masses on your own is going to be much more difficult than if you hire a professional. If you want your Lake Geneva home to sell faster, you need to partner with an experienced real estate professional. Your Lake Geneva real estate professional should be “on the ball” and not “dropping the ball”. Make sure plenty of photos are taken of your home. Make sure all photos are listed on appropriate websites (realtor.com, wihomes.com, agency website, etc.) and the Multiple Listing Service. Make sure price reductions, description edits, and new photographs are updated in a timely manner. Did you list your Lake Geneva home for sale in the winter? Has your agent been out to take new photographs this spring? Home buyers in May are not finding snow covered homes appealing. Is your agent tech savvy? How many websites is your home listed on? Is your home being shared in social media? Learn what type of advertising is being done to market your home.
4. You have one shot at selling to a potential home buyer. Our Lake Geneva real estate lawyer needs you to understand that there are no second chances. The first walk-through will be the only impression the potential buyers have of your home. It’s important to make that impression count. Be sure the home seems inviting and clean from the exterior. Many home buyers judge a home from the exterior before they even set foot inside a home. Be sure the home is clean on the inside. Use plug-ins, sprays, fresh flowers, candles to make the home smell wonderful. Leave some music playing to set the tone of a cozy, welcoming home. Leave out refreshments and treats.
5. Remove personal belongings from view. Potential home buyers need to visualize your home as their future home. To help them do this, remove all personal and personalized items from view before showings and open houses. Personal items include: family photographs, purses, wallets, personalized towels and other items, knick knacks, keepsakes, etc. Remember, less equals more. The less “stuff” around your home the better. Staging your home with just the basics will showcase your home in its best light to potential home buyers.
6. Brighten the interior. Most home buyers are not dreaming of living in a cave. Brighten up your home. Make your Lake Geneva home bright, sunny, and cheerful. Our Lake Geneva real estate lawyer suggests that you: remove dark curtains, wash your windows, clean your mirrors, clean and dust light fixtures, replace burnt light bulbs, increase wattage of light bulbs, clean and open the blinds, and repaint using lighter colors.
7. Reduce clutter in small spaces. Space is something every home buyer is looking for. Make smaller spaces seem larger by removing clutter and organizing, especially in storage spaces. A few good examples of small spaces to clean and empty are: cupboards, closets, laundry rooms, and kitchen counters.
8. Spend the most time remodeling and cleaning the kitchen. If you are short on time and reinvestment money, the kitchen is your number one priority. Be sure the kitchen is light, bright, clean, and clear of clutter. It is not unusual for a kitchen to sell a home. Its good news to know that kitchen remodeling produces the best return on investment when selling a home. If your kitchen is dated, and you have the funds, update it. Replace countertops, cupboards, cabinet hardware, paint, backsplash tile, appliances, and light fixtures. Rearrange to give the impression of a large area, ample counter space, and plenty of storage. The kitchen should always be bright and clean.
9. Don’t turn away potential home buyers. You need to be available to show your home any time to anyone. Your house should always be ready to show to home buyers. Being unavailable is a costly mistake that will leave your home on the market much longer.
10. Price it right. Have your Lake Geneva real estate agent prepare a Comparative Market Analysis on your home. Learn what price other homes have sold for in your area. An experienced agent can help set the perfect price for attracting bids from home buyers.
Need Help? Contact Our Lake Geneva Real Estate Lawyer
If you are selling Lake Geneva real estate, contact our Lake Geneva real estate lawyer for assistance. Wynn at Law, LLC helps Southeastern Wisconsin home sellers and real estate agents in a variety of ways, including: reviewing listing agreements with Lake Geneva real estate agents, reviewing offers to purchase and drafting counteroffers, working to satisfy the contingencies of an offer, drafting deeds, reviewing contracts with Lake Geneva real estate agents, evaluating financing options, reviewing title commitments, writing title objection letters, helping buyers determine how to title property, reviewing closing documents, and representing buyers and sellers at real estate closings. Contact our Lake Geneva real estate lawyer by phone at 262-725-0175 or via our website’s contact page.
*The content and material on this web page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
It’s happening across the country. It could happen to you. Innocent Walworth County residents are receiving phone calls from someone trying to collect on a debt or loan, but the loan doesn’t exist or the amount owed is incorrect. Sometimes the voice on the other end threatens to send you to jail for failure to pay. This frightening scenario is being experienced by Walworth County consumers more and more. It’s called fraudulent collections or fake collections, and sometimes referred to as “phantom debt collection”.
Fraudulent collections are making headlines once again. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has filed a lawsuit against more than a dozen debt collectors, payment processors, and related entities for failure to stop fraudulent collection tactics. The complaint accuses many debt collectors located in Georgia and New York of harassing consumers about “phantom” debts. Consumers were harassed, threatened, and deceived in order to collect on debt that was not even owed.
How Can A Walworth County Resident Recognize a Fake Debt Collector?
In today’s day and age, we are all always on alert for scam artists, online and offline. As consumers victimized in the aforementioned lawsuit paid millions of dollars on debts that were fake, the fraudulent debt collectors do a really good job of convincing people. How else could they fool so many people?
It can be very difficult for Walworth County residents to tell the difference between a legitimate debt collector and a fake debt collector. Fake debt collectors sometimes have your personal information, such as a bank account number, loan number, phone number, or address. They may lead you to believe that someone else has taken a loan out in your name. The fake debt collector may convince you that you owe more money due to fees and interest. Below are some tips to help Walworth County residents recognize a fraudulent debt collector:
1. The debt collector is seeking payment on a debt or loan that you do not recognize.
2. The debt collector refuses to provide you with a mailing address or phone number.
3. The debt collector asks you for personal or financial information. Remember, never provide anyone with your personal financial information unless you know they are a legitimate agency.
4. The debt collector tries to scare you into paying by threatening to have you arrested or reported to police. They may claim their employees are law enforcement officers.
5. The debt collector refuses to provide you with information about your debt. You can ask for detailed information about the debt in writing before you pay.
6. The debt collector does not accept various forms of payment.
What Should Walworth County Residents Do If They Recognize a Fraudulent Debt Collector?
If you believe that you are speaking with a fraudulent debt collector, do not provide them with any personal information. Below are a few strategies in regards to dealing with fraudulent debt collectors.
1. Do not engage in any type of conversation with someone trying to collect on a debt that does not exist. Just hang up. Beginning a conversation about how you do not owe the debt only works in the scam artist’s favor.
2. As stated earlier in this post, ask for debt verification. If you feel the debt owed may be legitimate, insist the debt collector place the debt information in writing before you pay. You have the right to ask for written verification under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. A legitimate debt collector knows they must comply and will do so without argument.
3. Contact your creditor. It is imperative you let your creditor know a fraudulent debt collection attempt has happened so it can be investigated and the creditor can warn other debtors.
4. Be practical. Many times the fraudulent debt collector will tell you they are taking you to court if you fail to pay today. Firstly, you must be served with a notice of the lawsuit or summons to appear. If you haven’t received one, you are not going to court. Ask the debt collector for the case number and name of the court where the lawsuit is filed. Ask for a return phone number so you can call and verify the lawsuit with the courthouse, then call them back. If you are dealing with a fraudulent debt collector, they will not provide you with a return phone number or a court case number. If they make one up, you will know when you call the courthouse or try to call them back.
If the debt collector claims to be with a law enforcement agency, ask for their badge number, name of agency, and location of agency. (Tip: Your first red flag is knowing law enforcement officials are not debt collectors.) Tell the debt collector you will be calling the law enforcement agency to verify their identity before you speak with them and, if their story doesn’t check out, you will be calling the police on them.
5. Takes notes. Takes notes regarding the phone call so you can file a complaint later, if the debt collector turns out to be fraudulent. Note the phone number that called you. Send your complaint to the Federal Trade Commission, Wisconsin Attorney General, Better Business Bureau, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and Federal Communications Commission.
6. If the debt collector calls a second time, and you have already proven that they are a fraudulent debt collector, tell the fraudulent debt collector you are recording the conversation or have taken notes on the phone call. Let them know you have already submitted a report to the federal agencies.
How Can Walworth County Residents Protect Themselves From Phantom Debt Collectors?
1. Never provide your personal information to anyone in person, on the phone, or online unless you made the initial contact and you know they are a legitimate agency. Doing so can lead to your identity being stolen.
2. Shred or burn everything. Never place papers with sensitive information in the garbage. This includes credit card statements, receipts, bank statements, medical bills, etc.
3. Look around before you enter your PIN at ATMs, department stores, grocery stores, and gas stations.
4. Never provide personal or financial information to anyone in response to an email.
5. Carefully monitor your credit card statements and bank statements.
6. Check your credit report annually.
7. Only provide your social security number when absolutely necessary.
8. Call creditors to verify amounts owed and to learn why a statement hasn’t arrived on time.
9. Immediately report lost or stolen credit cards or checks.
10. Only shop on websites that offer a secure payment page and clearly state their privacy policy.
Tips for Legitimate Walworth County Debt Collection
Debt collection scams don’t just hurt Walworth County consumers, they hurt the legitimate debt collection industry as well. If you work in debt collection, you must always act professionally. Here are a few tips for Walworth County debt collectors:
1. Never call a debtor at their place of employment if you know it is not allowed by the employer or the consumer.
2. Never call a debtor before 8:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m. or at inconvenient timeframes.
3. Always remain calm, courteous, and professional. With so many scams out there, it is almost as if a burden of proof falls on the debt collector to prove their identify as well as debt verification.
4. Know consumer rights and respond to written and legal requests in a timely and professional manner. Debt collectors must remember it is the right of the consumer to ask for written debt verification.
5. Do not threaten to take any course of action unless you intend to actually seek that particular course of action.
Contact Our Walworth County Debt Collection Lawyer
If you require legal representation to defend or collect a debt, contact our Walworth County debt collection lawyer. We represent Walworth County residents and Walworth County businesses in debt collection, debt defense, and debt repair. Wynn at Law, LLC has offices located in Salem, Lake Geneva, and Delavan, Wisconsin. You can reach our Walworth County debt collection lawyer at 262-725-0175 or via our website’s contact page.
*The content and material on this web page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
Updated daily, this blog will keep you informed on the latest bankruptcy news! 
Learn more about how Bankruptcy works and what you need to know.