Legal Blog

Are you crushed under the heavy burden of debt? Do you believe that you’re serving your creditors instead of God? If yes, you could take the help of a Christian debt consolidation loan to come out of your debt problems. These loans are almost similar to general debt relief programs that help debtors eliminate their debts. Debt consolidation companies function on the values of integrity, sincerity and truthfulness. This provides the debtors with a sharp sense of self-belief in their services.

Prevention

The best way to avoid the requirement of a debt consolidation loan is to handle your funds in accordance to the biblical principles. There are numerous verses in the Bible that discourage debt; Romans 13:8 and Proverbs 22:7 to mention only a few. While Romans 13:8 states that nobody should owe anything to one another except love, Proverbs 22:7 affirms that the rich rules over the underprivileged and the borrower is servant to the creditor. Try every possible means to avoid getting into debt. Once you are successful in doing this, you will have worked out your debt problem even before it initiates.

Purpose

The intention of a debt consolidation loan is to help you pay off your debts so that you can save cash and make a single monthly payment. These loans are normally given at a much lower rate of interest than credit cards and other loans. The debtor makes his payments to the debt consolidation company. The amount of these payments is generally small, and due to lower interest rates the debtor can pay off the debt more quickly and affordably than he would have had he possessed the other liabilities.

Expert insight

Obtaining a loan to pay off your existing debt is a fine idea if you have received a lesson on handling your money efficiently. According to Dave Ramsey, financial expert, a debt consolidation loan will only lead a person to further debt if he doesn’t amend his spending practices. He is of the view that a person must change his or her spending habits before considering debt consolidation loans.

Advantages

Obtaining a debt consolidation loan is a wonderful way to get your finances on track. Working with somebody can help you manage your finances in a much better way. Moreover, creditors are often interested to work with you when they discover that you are working with a debt-consolidation company. You might also receive a discount on your interest rate or monthly payment. 

In 1977, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act has been implemented to protect the consumer right from illegal collection practices. The Act has been amended by the Congress several times although it has been amended recently in 2006. The FDCPA has been imposed to put an end to the illegal collection practices, abuse and deception in order to retrieve the owed amount. Therefore, it is advisable to enroll in a debt consolidation programs in order to avoid threatening collection calls. So if you are not aware of this Act then you can read here to get complete information on it.

1. The FDCPA will cover the debt collection practices of the collection industry until debt has been collected. When the debt collector tries to find information regarding you then he cannot disclose your financial fact while finding details about you from other people. The debt collectors can send an enclosed letter to the debtor so that no one is aware of the financial situation of the debtor.
2. You can take legal action against the debt collectors if you receive collection calls after 9 p.m. and before 8 a.m. You should remember that the debt collector cannot contact you at work if your employer does not entertain such calls. The debt collectors are not allowed to disclose the financial details of the debtor to his relatives and friends. If you give a written notification to the debt collectors to cease communication then he will be forced to stop correspondence.
3. The debt collector cannot use offensive language or threaten you with violence while giving a collection call. Remember that the debt collector cannot publish your name in the list of the debtors and he can’t even harass you for collecting the debt. The debt collector cannot disguise himself as government officials in order to collect the debt. You can lodge complaint against the debt collector if you find he is misrepresenting information in order to collect the debt.

Therefore, if the creditors are found to be violating the FDCP Act then you can lodge complaint against them. The official body will take stern action against them so that the debt collectors abide by the law.