Save Dough On Superbowl Sunday

Even though the economy is suffering, and many of you are in debt, there is no reason that you cannot throw a really great Super Bowl Party.

Try to focus on not overdoing it. Make just one extravagant dish and play the rest off of that. A vat of chili, if properly seasoned is able to serve twelve people for twenty dollars. Chicken wings are quite cheap and easy to make. Coils of kielbasa, priced around five bucks are a cheap and delicious snack.

Because the Super Bowl is a special occasion, opt for hot food. Ordering large trays of Chinese takeout are less expensive and time consuming than cooking your own food.

Children at Superbowl parties can be hard to keep happy. Vegetables, juice, chips, and a carvel football shaped ice cream cake priced at $22.99 will keep them at bay.

Drinks? The best choice for shoppers on a budget is beer and wine. A keg will save you about 40% according to experts. The wine doesn’t have to be fancy – a five liter boxed wine will be more than acceptable. If you encounter the troublesome guest who insists on liquor, get discount vodka, a half gallon for just fourteen dollars. Its cheap, and blends with about anything.

Even in tough times, it is neccessary to make the most of your game-viewing experience. A medium to large flatscreen is completely necessary. But if you don’t own one, rent one. Websites list 42 inch TVs for as low as $26.99 a week.

And then those irritating people who won’t watch football. A pool for small gifts like a store certificate or CD might inspire people who aren’t the least bit interested in football at all if a prize is awarded at the end of every quarter. Try to have experienced fans explain what is going on. Then, sit back, and enjoy your game.

Mallory Megan is employed by a debt collection company. Also she writes stories on business, finance, consumer spending and collection agencies.

Rising Foreclosures This Year

Recent research by RealtyTrac Year-End 2009 Foreclosure Market Report reveals that 3,957,643 foreclosure filings were reported on 2,824,674 U.S. properties in 2009. This includes scheduled foreclosure auctions, default notices and bank repossessions.

All told, that is a twenty one percent increase in properties from numbers in the information collected in 2008, and a one hundred and twenty percent increase in total properties from 2007. The report additionally showed us that one in forty five housing units, 2.21 percent, had at least one foreclosure filing during 2009, up from 2008′s 1.48 percent and 2007′s 1.03 percent.

In the month of just December, foreclosure filings measured out to 349,519 properties in December. This marks a fourteen percent jump from the last month of November and a fifteen percent increase from 2008. However, even though there was an increase in December, foreclosure activity in the fourth quarter of 2008 has decreased by seven percent.

Of all of the states in America, Nevada took the nation’s highest state foreclosure rate; more than ten percent of housing units received at least one foreclosure filing in 2009. This is Nevada’s third consecutive year at the top of the foreclosure list. Nevada’s foreclosure activity in the month of December increased twenty seven percent from the previous month, however it still was down by twenty two percent from December of 08.

Arizona claimed the nation’s second highest state foreclosure rate in 2009 with more than six percent of properties receiving at least one foreclosure filing during 2009, and Florida claimed the nation’s third highest foreclosure rate at 5.93 percent of its properties getting at least one foreclosure during the filing year.

This raises concerns in the debt collection industry. Recent trends have noted that consumers are pumping up their credit debt and low balling their assets to receive lower payment plans. The fact that they are maxing out their credit cards to receive lower payment plans does not look promising.

Mallory McGuinness is employed by a debt collection company. She also writes articles on business, finance, the credit industry and collection agencies. This article, Rising Foreclosures This Year is released under a creative commons attribution licence.

Collection Agency Gets Healthy

A debt collection company based in California initiated a ploy to educate and motivate employees to live healthier lifestyles in early January. There are twenty eight employees at the company; more than half are participating in the program..

Everyone that is participating in the program have made a goal to lose ten percent of their total body weight by the end of June. Every Monday morning weigh-ins are scheduled and employees have an opportunity to win two cash prizes for losing five percent of their body weight by the end of March, and then another five percent by the end of June.

The company’s executive alleged that he had been considering founding the program for quite some time. He declares it perfect for the stereotypical office setting that is fraught with unhealthy eating, and employees taking breaks to get fast food. He made note of the fact that attempting to make employees lose weight was more cost efficient than actually getting health insurance for his workers.

In an attempt to get employees to live healthier, the agency hosts sporadic lunches and “education track meetings” once a week. The meetings are crafted to help workers target and plan for their weight loss goal. So far the program has been successful. The collection company has collectively lost 72 pounds to date. That’s the size of a small child.

The program tries to establish a better all around worker. It logically follows that a less stressed worker will be more efficient and motivated. Even though a very relaxed debt collector might not seem like they would be the most efficient worker, it all seems like a good idea. As the government tries to sort out the health care system, perhaps it is time that more companies like this take this route. If employees cannot get health insurance, health initiatives and goals at work could be the next best solution.

Mallory Megan is employed by a debt collection company. She also writes stories on business, finance, consumer spending and collection agencies. Also published at Collection Agency Gets Healthy.

Bankruptcy: What Is Automatic Stay And How Does It Protect You From Creditors

The moment that a petition for bankruptcy is filed, U.S. Bankruptcy Code imposes something called an automatic stay. The automatic stay will generally prevent the enforcement, commencement, or appeal of actions and judgments against a debtor from the creditors they owe money to who are trying to collect these debts incurred prior to the bankruptcy petition. The automatic stay also protects property of the bankruptcy estate itself from collection actions and proceedings.

If a creditor violates the automatic stay their actions are voided out. Any violation of the stay might cause the violating party to have damages assessed to them. But, like every complicated law, there are exceptions. A creditor might be allowed to take their collateral if they obtain permission from the court first. They’ll get this by filing a motion for relief from the automatic stay.

After a petition is filed, the court will grant the motion or provide security to the creditor, which ensures that the value of their collateral won’t decrease during the stay. Without the protection of the automatic stay creditors could hypothetically race to the courthouse in order to improve their positions against a debtor. If this happened, and let’s say that a debtor’s business was facing just a temporary crunch, it might not survive a “run” by creditors when their business could otherwise be salvaged. A run may also result in waste and it might be unfair to similar creditors that are owed money too.

There are three kinds of avoidance actions, and all of these attempt to limit the risk of the legal system encouraging the downfall of a financially unstable debtor who hasn’t declared bankruptcy yet. The bankruptcy system will typically reward creditors who continue extending financing to debtors and will discourage creditors from ramping up their debt collection efforts.

Despite the seemingly simple nature of these rules, a couple of exceptions exist in the context of each category of avoidance action.

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Phony Debt Consolidation Schemes To Be On The Lookout For Part Two

In part one in these series of articles I wrote about potentially shady debt consolidation schemes that you should be on the lookout for. Read on to find out more:….

In the meantime, your creditors are not being paid. Unfortunately, while you are accumulating that payment, you are not paying your bills and you may be delving further and further into debt.Instead of taking this gamble check out a nonprofit credit counseling firm that may charge you only twenty dollars, if anything. Instead of billing the debtor, these counselors will typically get what is called a fair share percentage payment from your creditors after you have been paid.

Finally, and most important, do NOT put trust in the debt settlement counselor who assures you that “We will handle everything. You should stop communicating with your creditors.” Despite the fact that the idea of not speaking to creditors and ignoring their mail sounds like a real load off of your back, ultimately, it is your debt and your credit score at hand. Never send in a change of address form directing all creditor mail to a debt settlement company.

It is key to remember that the creditor is the one with whom you signed your contractual agreement. When all of your statements are being sent to the debt settlement company, you relinquish that control. You do not know how much in late fees and interest are being tacked on. You also will not know if your debt has been transferred into collections.

A few final words of wisdom. If you believe that you need debt settlement, try debt management first. Call up your creditors and request suspended payment, reduced interest or any other payment terms that may suit your financial situation in a more favorable light. Even though it might seem like a long shot, or a pain, it is always very important if you are about to miss a payment to call your creditor and say “Listen, I can’t make this month’s payment. I’d like to work something out with you.

Rapid Recovery Solution is a commercial debt collection agency. You can get a unique content version of this article from the Uber Article Directory.

Two Top Prosecutors Go After Debt Collection Agencies

In recent news it was revealed that top legal prosecutors in Louisiana and Washington made announcements of actions they had taken against accounts receivable management firms and their owners and managers.

Louisiana’s attorney general James Caldwell announced on Friday that his office had gotten a hold of injunctions against two collection agencies and their owners. On the same day, Rob McKenna, Washington’s Attorney General said that his office had settled charges with a collection company that had promised to stay on the straightened arrow. In a press release, Caldwell’s office said that in late December they had obtained an injunction against Bush and Kennedy, Inc, a Baton Rouge based collection agency. The order he won placed restrictions on the business, banning them from operating further, and specifically, ordered that two of the firm’s principals, Quay W. Pattott Jr, and William S. Fesguson were banned from conducting business together.

Late last week, a judge slammed Ferguson and Parrott with added injunctions as per the request of Caldwell’s office. Ferguson is banned from using unfair and deceptive practices and acts at his current place of business, Franklin, Grant and Associates Incorporated, a collection company based out of Metairie Louisiana. Parrott is completely restricted against conducting any new business at his new place of work, Metairie based Halsey and Associates, LLC.

McKenna’s Washington office said that Topco Financial Services Inc, a Washington based collection agency agreed not to threaten, harass or curse out consumers as part of a settlement. The collection company must pay around $38,000 in legal fees and penalties. An additional $82,000 in fees and penalties were suspended pending that the company agrees with the settlement terms.

In accordance with their agreement, Topco is prohibited from harassing, intimidating, threatening and embarrassing debtors, including using profanity. They are restricted from implying that failure to pay a delinquent bill will result in suspension, a revocation, or impairment of the debtor’s driver’s license. They are banned from threatening debtors with impairment of their credit rating. However, the company is allowed to legally report debts to credit reporting agencies.

Mallory Megan is employed by a debt collection company. She also composes articles on business and finance, consumer spending and collection agencies. Don’t reprint this exact article. Instead, reprint a free unique content version of this same article.

Be Nice To Your Lawyer! Pt. 3

In addition, when you consider the risk factors for suicide, like depression, anxiety, stress, divorce, alcohol and substance abuse, attorneys go through many of these at rates that are higher than the general population on a consistent basis. Why do attorneys seem more likely to deal with emotional problems than anyone else? From an anecdotal perspective, lawyers are more likely to suffer from perfectionism and competitiveness. While these traits might drive these people to do their best to excel in life, they also have a down side. An unachievable high coupled with a temperament that is less likely to seek help is a recipe for disaster.

It is known that perfectionism has the capacity to cause levels of the stress hormone cortisol to rise. Chronically high levels of cortisol play a factor in a variety of health problems including depression. When a mistake is made, which is inevitable, perfectionism blows up the sense of failure.

Add the nature of the work itself to the “type a” personality traits of those who are drawn to the job, and you can easily see why attorneys may be so stressed. The legal system in and of itself is conflict driven by nature; the other side is always out to prove you wrong. Time constraints, deadlines, and scrutiny from opposing counsel, clients, and the courts are without doubt huge sources of stress for lawyers.

A number of suicides by attorneys in the past year have drawn new attention to these problems. Last April, Mark Levy, head of a large law firm died from a suicide at his law office in Washington D.C. In Connecticut, attorney James Ripper spent his lifelong career focusing on residential and commercial real estate transactions. When the market hit a slump, his practice dwindled. In November, he hanged himself in his home. In January, Houston attorney John Mason Mings committed suicide, shooting himself.

In May, the American Bar Association began to sponsor a continuing legal education program on attorneys and suicide titled “What Lawyers Need to Know About Suicide During a Recession: Prevention, Identity and Law Firm Responsibility.” However, regardless of how awful the economy may be, statistics point to the fact that those involved in the legal profession may be high risk. Remember that even if they might be the purveyors of your bad news, lawyers are people too. So on April 13, National Be Nice To Lawyers Day, and every other day, show a little kindness to your friendly neighborhood lawyer.

Mallory Megan is employed by a debt collection company. She also composes articles on business, finance, the credit industry and collection agencies. Grab a totally unique version of this article from the Uber Article Directory

Irish “Bill Collection Agency” Uses Unusual Tactics To Retrieve Debt

And you thought your collection agency was bad. It has been revealed in recent news that an Irish gangland boss has found a new calling- debt collection. This criminal progidy has been associated with twelve deaths; a threat even more looming than a collections letter.

Most of the time, legit creditors who aren’t gang members will hire out third party collection agencies to retrieve debts. Bill collectors work on commission, where they receive a percentage of the amount of money that they collect. Oftentimes collection agencies will purchase debt from the creditors so that they can collect the entire sum of money owed.

The Irish gang members seemed to have gotten inspiration from this practice, but the similarities end there. The boss of the disreputable Irish gang has created his own collection agency, purchasing debt and using his notoriety to bully his way into gathering the money owed. The unlucky debtors are drug users who are unable to repay dealers.

Reputable collection agencies will usually start with a gentle “reminder letter.” If the debtor is antagonistic or evasive, the letters will become more serious. Telephone calls will be used as well as a reminder to those who owe money to pay up. If these ploys fail, the company has the right to report a debt to credit bureaus, or file a lawsuit.

Conversely, the Irish gangland “collection company” will use its authority as a group of cold-blooded murderers and criminals to bully debtors into paying back drug money. Fortunately, the head of this operation has been arrested, and the Justice Minister of Ireland has sworn to do everything in his power to ensure that the accused will be brought to justice.

So next time you get a phone call from a bill collection agency, try to keep things in perspective. And if you are ever in Ireland, it is probably unwise to take out a loan with a ruthless gang.

Mallory Megan is employed by a debt collection company. Also she writes stories on business, finance, consumer spending and collection agencies. Visit the Uber Article Directory to get a totally unique version of this article for reprint.

Collection Agencies Are Being Cut Back By Medical Providers With Credit Cards

It was revealed in recent news that in Michigan at some doctor’s offices, patients will need to present and utilize their credit cards before getting any medical care. A fairly new internet based medical payment program permits medical providers to secure a credit card before medical help is provided.

Touting the fact that it is a way of making sure medical providers get paid while keeping administrative costs down, the company has been around since 2008. It works like this: upon arriving at their doctors office, patients are told by their medical care provider what the maximum amount a particular procedure will most likely cost. The patient slides their credit card, gets the procedure done, and strolls out of the office with a receipt and a detailed slip of services provided.

At this point the provider will charge the patient’s insurance company. The insurance company will inform the provider how much of the work is covered; the balance remaining is charged on the card. If a deductible has not been met, then the entire price of the procedure is charged.

As health care costs increase, more and more pressure has been placed on medical patients to pay their bills in the form of co pays, out of pocket expenses, and higher deductibles. With this increasing stress, delinquent and unpaid bills have become huge issues for medical providers.

Patient’s health care payments top the charts now to cover three hundred billion dollars a year, and that number is supposed to grow up to twice that number by 2015. From this number, fifty to sixty billion dollars of current health care debts go without being paid. The program has been shown to reduce late accounts by up to eighty percent.

But some financial experts remain skeptical. The issue of patients who don’t pay off their balance each month hasn’t yet been resolved, and this is not factoring in the problem of a patient not having a credit card.

Mallory Megan works for a debt collection agency. She also composes stories on business and finance, consumer spending and collection agencies. Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service

Changes In The Collections Industry

The collections industry has grown insanely in the last couple of years. The reason for this is that collections and recoveries are for the most part outsourced business functions. It would not be possible for a creditor to handle retrieving debt from all of their accounts, so the creditors call the collections agencies.

But there seems to be a beginning of a paradigm shift taking place with the collections industry. The industry has grown and grown through the recession and seems mammoth. Rather than to get more service providers, creditors are beginning to reduce their number of agencies that they will work with, requiring that the companies they originally hired to take on more accounts. The effects of this could change the way that the collections industry operates in a large way.

As the poorest workers are removed from these collection networks, certain debt collection companies are going to lose their most desirable clients. Creditors will also have less reason to work with companies that have a reputation for not following protocol. The financial effects of this will cause these companies to suffer, and company value will also fall with some owners forced to sell their companies as a result.

As this happens, the best performers will see more potential job growth, less competition, greater leverage on contract terms, better revenues, and improved profitability.

Within the debt buying market, the same type of shift is also taking place. Instead of calling on more debt buyers, some credit issuers are lowering the number of companies they approach for sales.

Smaller, less capable debt buyers will see fewer opportunities to purchase from these issuers. Here again, concentration within the primary debt sales market will increase. Recovery executives within credit businesses will be making the same kind of choice more and more, choosing concentration within their vendor networks over diversification.

Mallory Megan works for a debt collection company. She also writes stories on business and finance, consumer spending and collection agencies.