Q. What makes a creditor secured?
A. Secured creditors possess specific legal rights to take back ownership
of an asset should the debtor default on the corresponding security agreement. In plain english this means when you get a secured loan you promise if you do not pay what you owe the creditor can take a physical thing of value from you to help repay the original debt.
Q. How do they obtain these rights?
A. Most times the debtor grants them in consideration for the creditor
giving them a loan to purchase the asset.
Q. Can you give some examples?
A. The mortgage holder on a house, a leinholder on a car, a commercial
loan secured by the inventory and receivables of a business.
Q. Is there a way for a creditor to obtain secured rights without
the debtor's permission?
A. Yes, there are Mechanic's leins for creditors who have done work to
a vehicle or property and governmental tax leins. Also, the courts can
grant any creditor an attachment pending a trial or an execution after
a judgement has been awarded. When recorded properly at the registry of
deeds these vest secured rights in the creditor which may give the creditor
even more rights than a mortgage holder.
Q. How can they get more rights?
A. Mortgages usually secure only a single asset, an attachment or execution
can encumber every property owned by a debtor recorded at the registry
of deeds where the attachment or execution is recorded. The creditor may
gain even more rights by recording at more than one registry. Fortunately
for the debtor, attachments and executions usually end up in a low priority
position.
Q. What does priority position mean?
A. I like to describe priorities as a line. Imagine when you sell your
house the buyer puts a pile of cash on the closing attorney's desk. Then
everyone who wants any of it lines up in a specific order called "priority".
Q. How would this work in a normal setting?
A. First in line comes the city or town for municipal taxes. Next steps
up the first mortgage holder followed by the second mortgage holder, if
any.
Q. My home equity loan is really a second mortgage, right?
A. Yes, most of the time that will be the case.
Q. What about my equity in the house?
A. The homeowner stands at the end of the line. Any money left when it's your turn
goes to you.
Q. How does this change with attachments, executions and tax leins?
A. As these things happen the secured creditors basically just get in the
line.
Q. Does it matter how much they are owed?
A. Not for priority, it's first come first served.
Q. What if there won't be any money left for me? Q. What if more creditors join the line after there is already no
equity? Q. Does the rest of the debt go away? Q. Where do the unsecured creditors stand in this line. |
Q. Can creditors stop me from selling my house if they will not be paid in full at the closing?
A. In theory yes. Your new buyer needs clean title to the property. If a secured creditor does not want to release their position for a partital payment they can hold up the sale. For cases where a secured creditor will get zero they can get even more stubborn. This situation even comes up frequently in cases with only one mortgage where the home sells for less than the outstanding mortgage. In cases like these you may want a professional mortgage negotiator to set up a short sale or a deed in lieu of foreclosure.
Q. How do unsecured creditors get paid?
A. Either by you paying them volunarily or by court order. Remember, unsecured
creditors may also gain secured rights through the courts.
Q. What about the threats from the collection agencies?
A. They are exactly that, threats. Only a lawyer can back them up. If you
would like to enter into a payment plan sometimes these agencies can be
helpful. If you can not enter into a plan their only choice is to go away
or pass the case on to an attorney for the creditor.
Q. Can they still call me?
A. So long as it doesn't become harassment they may call occasionally to
check on your status. One of the bonuses of your hiring an attorney or debt settlement company is
that you just tell the agency once to call your representative instead and you'll
never get a call from them again, it will be your lawyer's or debt negotiator's job to field
their calls.
Q. What are some examples of unsecured debt?
A. Most credit cards, debts to stores and money owed for services.
Q. Can some credit card debt be secured?
A. If the card was secured by a savings account then the debt is secured
up to the amount of the savings. Sears card holders should make special
note that Sears will consider major purchases such as appliances and computers
secured transactions under the terms of their credit agreement. I have
seen them go as far as claiming old tires and car batteries as secured.
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A Guide to Borrowing Money with Bad Credit - Including informational articles on obtaining a home mortgage, auto loan, credit card or unsecured personal loan.Credit Repair and Credit Rebuilding -Credit repair and credit rebuilding article. Topics include how to repair your credit and warnings about credit repair scams. Links to other credit repair sites and professional credit repair services plus my own Free Guide to Help Repair and Rebuild your Credit Report. For more credit help try 14 Do's and Don'ts To Raise A Score Fast or the Credit Score FAQ.
Who to pay when you can't pay everyone - An article addressing cash allocation for debtors.
How to Get money when you need money - Examines WHEN you really NEED money and how to get money even with bad credit for an emegency or financial crisis.
Stop Home Foreclosure Help - Articles to better understand the foreclsoure process and how to avoid a foreclosure including an interactive tool to analyze your own situation and point you in the right direction to keep your home, a list of various ways to halt a foreclosure, a list of 10 mistakes to avoid when facing foreclosure and foreclosure myths.
Personal Home Budget Analysis - An interactive tool to learn where your money REALLY goes. Input your income and expenses, the program will automatically determine if you have accounted for all you have spent. When you have discovered all your expenses you will be know the details of any overspending. Use this information to help plan and keep a monthly budget or change spending to avoid further debt or bankruptcy.
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