Credit History Repair: What If It’s Beyond Repair?
How do you know if you can still do credit history repair?
The story is usually the same. People get credit cards when they’re young. They max them out. They borrow on one to pay the other. They get more cards until they can’t anymore. Finally the minimum payments overwhelm their income and they’re stuck.
Even if you’ve passed that point, you still have options. The major credit history repair options are bankruptcy, debt settlement, debt consolidation, credit counseling or simply changing your spending habits.
The first concern many people have is how any particular option will affect your credit. The bigger issue is a overwhelming amount of debt. Massive debt ruins your credit AND your cash flow. Keeping negative marks off your credit doesn’t do much for you if you’re drowning in debt.
Bankruptcy is a best for people who don’t have many assets. That way when you have to liquidate your assets, there won’t be much there and most of it will be exempt anyway. That option hurts your credit the most but if you’re drowning in debt, that might be your best option. Consult with an attorney for that.
A great option for people who have too much debt but a steady income is debt settlement. Instead of making your monthly payments, you save that money and offer your creditors lump sum settlements in the range of 20-40% of the total. Be sure to know the laws in your state and get everything in writing. If you have too many assets, your creditors might attempt to sue you or garnish your wages.
Debt consolidation is where you pay off all your loans with one big loan. Usually the only place to get a loan that big when you have too much debt is from your home equity. The danger is that people often spend on their paid off accounts again and end up with twice as much debt. Then their home is in jeopardy because now they have twice the payments to keep up with.
Credit counseling is a complete waste in my opinion. They take a monthly fee from you and negotiate a lower interest rate for you. Then the credit card companies pay them for keeping you making your payments so there’s usually a conflict of interest. You can negotiate your own rates and avoid the mark that would go on your credit with a third party intervention.
A final option is to manage your spending better. Pay down your highest interest accounts first and negotiate for better rates. If you need to transfer balances to lower rate credit cards, do it. Make one account give you better terms than the other. Once you pay off one, use that payment to accelerate payments on the next until you’re happy with your level of debt.
No matter how bleak your situation might seem, you always have options. Figure out what your long term goals are and choose the options that get you there.
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