Help! -- My credit debt is nearly $50,000, my mortgage is upside down by 25% and my fiancee walked out the door a month ago. I can't make my bills. I'm trying to sort out which route to go with the credit cards. A service like CCCS? Or some other route like Credit Elimination? Please help me understand this. Thanks
posted by antipode12 on Dec 6, 2009 - 26 answers

What is the best way for me to try to get a debt consolidation loan? [more inside]
posted by drjimmy11 on Dec 3, 2009 - 6 answers

StudentLoanFilter: Should I use my student loan money to pay off my last credit card? long-ish explanation of my situation inside. [more inside]
posted by ThaBombShelterSmith on Oct 27, 2009 - 9 answers

How do I get my life on track with high debt and a chronic medical condition? [more inside]
posted by thegreatcokeolympics on Sep 19, 2009 - 9 answers

Credit Card debt for teh first time in my life, I'm lost as to what my options are. [more inside]
posted by bluehermit on Aug 4, 2009 - 20 answers

Will my credit ever recover? I was trying to do better.. got a job, paid on time.. But I got rejected for a credit line increase today. Mind you, my current limit is already only $300! [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jul 13, 2009 - 10 answers

How can I get an emergency loan to pay the rent? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jun 25, 2009 - 21 answers

Seeking techniques for aiding/supporting/educating a financially irresponsible spouse who talks the talk but won't walk the walk. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jun 3, 2009 - 27 answers

DebtFilter: I've been paying a credit counseling company (law firm, actually) $60 a month for the past three years to make my minimum payments to the credit card companies I owe. They lowered my annual interest rate to an average of 10% and threaten that if I cancel their service, my interest rates will reset. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on May 19, 2009 - 11 answers

Should we apply for this store credit card or just pay the cash that we have? [more inside]
posted by ForeverDcember on Mar 6, 2009 - 12 answers

What happens if I default on unsecured debt? [more inside]
posted by hardbop on Feb 10, 2009 - 9 answers

KEYFINANCIAL.US a real debt collection agency? [more inside]
posted by defmute on Feb 4, 2009 - 7 answers

I was born in the US, lived in Canada for ten years, and moved back to the States last year. While I was in Canada, I built up a solid credit rating- I had two credit cards, an unsecured line of credit with low interest (7%) and overdraft protection on my checking account up to $3,500. At one point when I was underemployed I built up some credit card debt, but I payed it off. Last year, when I moved back to the US for grad school, I got into a bad pattern of leaning on my credit cards and low-interest line of credit to pay for moving and start up expenses. This June, the world financial collapse coincided with one of my own- I was employed super part time, was making around $750 a month and was struggling to pay rent and buy $20 worth of groceries a week. I just couldn't pay my debt, and I paid very minimally, then not at all. I know I probably should have called the bank and tried to work something out, but what can I say- I panicked and froze. Currently, my total debt load is $14,000 on the line of credit, $3,700 on the overdraft and $1,400 on my Visa. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jan 13, 2009 - 6 answers

Is there an easy and preferably free way of finding out if I owe anyone money (and how much)? [more inside]
posted by simplethings on Jan 6, 2009 - 4 answers

Someone near to me has recently recognised, and begun to address, a serious problem with debt. The debt is not a result of extravagant spending; it seems to stem from persistently bad decisions about consumer credit, and a habit of repaying loans with other loans. So... once the debt has been consolidated and the credit cards have been destroyed, what measures can this person take to ensure they never, ever get into debt again? Is it possible to voluntarily ban oneself from being offered credit? The person is in Australia.
posted by anonymous on Dec 30, 2008 - 9 answers

No debt. Dropping credit score. What can we do to keep our credit score up? [more inside]
posted by nomad73 on Dec 18, 2008 - 25 answers

$10,000 available to borrow from a pension plan, and $10,000 in credit card debt. [more inside]
posted by An Infinity Of Monkeys on Dec 15, 2008 - 15 answers

Given the current economy, would doing a "charge-off" on my credit cards be a reasonable option, and how would I go about doing it for my biggest benefit? [more inside]
posted by arniec on Nov 16, 2008 - 13 answers

My Mom’s wages are being garnished by a collection agency. Can we still settle the debt? How much do we offer and where do we get the money? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 29, 2008 - 4 answers

How will a line of credit that my parents cosigned affect my ability to enter into a debt repayment plan through credit counseling? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 20, 2008 - 5 answers

Should use my mutual funds to pay off my credit card debt? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Sep 10, 2008 - 10 answers

HUGE economic pressures combined with ruthless credit card companies: about to be bankrupt AGAIN what should I DO? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Sep 4, 2008 - 14 answers

I have: fair credit ( reported between 650 - 720 ). a student loan and an auto finance loan of no more than $30,000 in combination. ~$9000 in credit card debt spread between 2 cards. What is a good way to pay off my high interest credit cards? I am looking at options like small loans, debt consolidation, possibly even balance transfer to a new card (although I hear that hurts your credit score?). Any good sites that can help me budget or somehow help me get out of paying like $150+ in finance charges every month?
posted by judge.mentok.the.mindtaker on Jul 27, 2008 - 16 answers

Should I sign up for a credit card right now? If so, from where? [more inside]
posted by fogster on Mar 14, 2008 - 32 answers

How can I reduce my debt? Does anyone have experience with debt reduction companies? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Mar 8, 2008 - 10 answers

Creditors are starting to harass me again for old debt that I don't believe I'm responsible for. [more inside]
posted by mezzanayne on Feb 29, 2008 - 9 answers

Paying US back-taxes: should I go for an installment plan or pay it all now, and pay off the credit card companies instead? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Feb 26, 2008 - 8 answers

Debt/collection agency help: I want to pay off my $1600 debt. What is the best way to go about doing this? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Feb 15, 2008 - 4 answers

Background: I am in a serious relationship. The woman I am dating currently has what I would consider significant financial problems. What are her best options? [more inside]
posted by lutzla23 on Feb 4, 2008 - 22 answers

I have managed to run my once-great credit into the ground. What now? How screwed am I, and for how long? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jan 30, 2008 - 10 answers

Is a company required to make a good faith effort to collect on a debt before reporting it as charged off? Do I have any recourse for my credit report? [more inside]
posted by 0xFCAF on Jan 7, 2008 - 4 answers

So do we just stop paying our credit cards? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Dec 20, 2007 - 36 answers

How long will it actually take me to pay off this debt!?! [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Nov 19, 2007 - 17 answers

What is the best option as far as credit counseling/debt management/loan options? [more inside]
posted by miltoncat on Nov 6, 2007 - 8 answers

Succumbing to Extortion Filter: How should I pay back a debt I don't really owe, to a collection agency that's been hounding me for years, to make sure it doesn't appear on my record? More inside. [more inside]
posted by prophetsearcher on Oct 1, 2007 - 9 answers

How do I best pay off a small debt to a collection agency? [more inside]
posted by rhizome on Sep 21, 2007 - 15 answers

I am using extra student loan money at 6.8% (mostly unsubsidized) interest rate to pay off my credit cards (about 25K) worth. What should I do when I get a bunch of other cash? Pay off loans or invest? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Sep 12, 2007 - 12 answers

I spent the first several months of this year ill to the point of being unable to work—which, being an independent contractor, meant that I was not billing, which meant that eventually I had no money coming in after a couple of months and ran up a lot of credit card debt as a result—which payments I have not been able to make for the last 2-3 months. How badly will this affect my life, credit-wise? [more inside]
posted by violetk on Jun 19, 2007 - 9 answers

Repaying Stafford college loans that disappeared from my credit report (due to age), but still collect all tax refunds - what kind of hit might I expect on my credit, reactivating the account by a full-payoff? More importantly, what kind of deal can I propose to avoid all the interest? Anyone have experience with this? [more inside]
posted by ValveAnnex on May 17, 2007 - 4 answers

An old debt has found it's way back to me. Should I pay it? If not, is there an optimal strategy for not paying it? [more inside]
posted by poppo on Mar 26, 2007 - 32 answers

HELOC or 2nd mortgage (fixed interest) to consolidate credit card debt in order to improve FICO score? [more inside]
posted by zzztimbo on Mar 15, 2007 - 5 answers

I'd welcome hearing of Mefites who have had experiences with the Prosper website as a borrower. (Or, if no one can help me on that, recommendations for Chicago or national credit unions accessible to most anyone.) [more inside]
posted by WCityMike on Mar 7, 2007 - 6 answers

Does consolidating your credit card debt wreck your credit history or kill your credit score (FICO)? [more inside]
posted by miltoncat on Feb 22, 2007 - 25 answers

Cheap Money Filter: I've got a moderate amount of credit card debt right now ($15k), at reasonable but not great rates (13-18%). I'll be making more money in the upcoming year, and the debt load is manageable, but I want to explore trading these loans with an unsecured line-of-credit type loan or some other loan. Advice? Suggestions on where to get a good rate (i.e. got any good junk mail lately)? [more inside]
posted by zpousman on Jan 10, 2007 - 15 answers

Why would I need $80,000 in credit? [more inside]
posted by backseatpilot on Jan 6, 2007 - 27 answers

How can a young attorney who is clueless about personal finance conquer the credit card debt dragon??? [more inside]
posted by workinprogress on Dec 7, 2006 - 18 answers

I've got around $8000 in credit card debts, my minimum payments are costing me as much as my rent, and the interest rates are so high that I'm not gaining any ground. Help! [more inside]
posted by squidlarkin on Oct 18, 2006 - 30 answers

Like most Americans, my wife and I are struggling with debts. I thought of a great way to eliminate them, but my wife does not agree. What do you think? [more inside]
posted by Monkey0nCrack on Oct 3, 2006 - 42 answers

Suppose you have a terminal illness, and only have a few months to live. What's to keep you from running up huge credit card bills. Can the creditors make the next of kin pay up?
posted by jpoulos on Jul 17, 2006 - 31 answers

SketchyDebtCollectionsFilter: Someone calling and demanding payment on a credit card that was paid off and cancelled in 2002. Fraud? Error? What can be done? [more inside]
posted by moss on Jul 6, 2006 - 16 answers