Whenever you take a loan, whether it’s in the form of a mortgage, car loan, credit card, or otherwise, you become a debtor, and the loan provider becomes a creditor. The relationship between you and your creditors is generally a perfectly amiable, professional one if you’re able to meet your monthly payment requirements. If you find yourself in a position of being unable to meet those monthly payments, that relationship may start to change to something less amiable, and in some cases, less professional. With the protection of Behm Law Group, Ltd. attorneys, you can put a stop to creditor debt collections and find debt relief in Jackson, MN by filing for bankruptcy.
Anyone who has been in the position of being unable to repay their debts may know something about just how ugly creditor debt collection practices can get. Filing for bankruptcy can quickly resolve any issues you may be facing from your creditors’ collections attempts as well as provide a long-term solution for debt relief. Whether you file for Chapter 13 bankruptcy and have your debts reorganized into a repayment plan that is suited to your financial circumstances, or for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and have your non-exempt assets liquidated in exchange for a discharge of your debts, you receive the benefits of an automatic stay.
The moment you file for any type of bankruptcy, the court automatically places a stay on your creditors’ ability to collect debt. This stay, with the additional protection of a bankruptcy attorney, should put a stop to any creditor debt collection attempts, legal or illegal.
Legal Creditor Actions
Before you file for bankruptcy and receive automatic stay protection, creditors are allowed to collect debt according to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). This means they can directly attempt collections and negotiations with you for the first six months you are delinquent. After that time period, your creditors can bring in a third-party collection agency. These collectors can communicate with you directly unless you have attorney representation, in which case that agency must work with your lawyer. If your original creditor sells your debt, the buyer of the debt must also abide by the FDCPA laws.
Illegal Creditor Harassment
The moment your creditors or collection agents attempt to collect outside of the laws the FDCPA outlines, they enter harassment territory. Illegal harassment actions include anything from calling you repeatedly at inconvenient times or places, calling you when they should be calling your lawyer, contacting your family members, threatening you, misleading you about their identity, threatening you with jail time and much more. Learn more about illegal debt collection here.
Illegal and legal debt collections alike are halted with an automatic stay that goes into effect the moment you file for bankruptcy. For more information about bankruptcy and debt relief in Jackson, MN, contact Behm Law Group, Ltd. at (507) 387-7200 today.
