Mortgage Foreclosure
Do You Need to Move Out of Your Home? When a sheriff appears at your door to serve you with a foreclosure notice, it can be a scary event. A foreclosure complaint & summons is the legal document you receive when a foreclosure lawsuit is filed against you. This happens when your lender sues you for failure to make payments on your mortgage. Faced with this frightening legal document, your first thought is “do I need to move out of my home?” No. Even though a law enforcement officer has served you with a foreclosure complaint, it does not mean that you need to leave your home at that time. Contact a Foreclosure Attorney When a mortgage complaint is filed, what should you do next? The best thing you can do when served legal documents is to contact an attorney right away. What is frightening and difficult for you to follow is an area of law in which our attorneys have years of experience. We know the deadlines that need to be met and how to draft a written response that answers each detail of the lawsuit. We can advise you on your best course of action, whether to admit or deny the allegations in the suit, or to request more information. At Harold Shepley & Associates, our goal is to give you the best chance to save your home. We even offer a FREE consultation to help you navigate the variety of legal options available for you in the case of a mortgage foreclosure. Foreclosure Options Options to help you keep your home might include: Refinance Reinstatement Repayment plan Forbearance plan Modification Bankruptcy Options to walk away from your home can include: Short Sale Deed in Lieu Bankruptcy During your consultation with a Foreclosure Specialist at Harold Shepley & Associates, we take the time to review your financial situation and we will provide an overview of the options available and what might be best for you. We will also provide an overview of the foreclosure process and walk you through every step so that you are not alone during this time. You can learn more on our Mortgage Foreclosure Defense page. When it Comes to a Home Foreclosure – Act Quickly! Be sure to contact an attorney’s office as soon as possible. By trying to handle the lawsuit on your own or waiting too long to call an experienced attorney, you are limiting the options that are available to you. Harold Shepley & Associates Can Help Need help with a mortgage foreclosure complaint? At Harold Shepley and Associates, LLC, we experience dealing with these situations every day. We are a full service law firm that is client-oriented and will work hard to meet your personal needs in resolving debt. Call us today at 877-827-9006, or complete our easy to use contact form. We’re ready to help.
Budgeting Tips for a Great Vacation
Going on Vacation? Budgeting Tips for a Great Vacation Going on vacation this year? Vacation planning is essential both to ensure that you have a good time and to keep your vacation budget under control. Don’t spoil the great memories of your get-away by ending up with higher household debt. Here are some vacation tips to help you save money and avoid the debt trap. Start early by making small adjustments to your everyday life that can result in a big impact on your travel funds. Open a dedicated vacation account. Most savings accounts can be opened with a minimum deposit. Some places of business offers a vacation club with automatic deductions from your paycheck. If you put just have $14.00 a week set aside, you will have $750.00 by the end of a year. Start a change jar. Dropping change from your pockets into a jar adds up quickly. The power of pocket change could add several hundred dollars to your vacation fund over the course of the year. Have a garage sale. Like all of us, you probably have things you don’t need, from old books and CDs to unused electronics and more. Plan an old-fashioned garage or yard sale, or learn to sell on eBay and Amazon. Use the funds for your vacation. This trick will also clean up unused items sitting around your home. Put your tax refund to use. If your tax refund is not already targeted to pay down debt, treating it like free money to help fund your vacation is not a bad idea. Vacation Planning Take advantage of off season discounts. Plan your destination and think about selecting certain times of the year for your vacation. Try to avoid traveling around holidays. In some cases, the price could be double at these times. Search for the best deals on Hotels, Resorts, and locations. Sign up for email alerts from travel companies and airlines that share flash sales and limited-only time offers. Hotel Amenities & fees. You want to know exactly what is and is not included in your hotel stay when planning your vacation budget. Be sure to check whether your rates including refrigerator, pools, internet fees, resort fees, parking, complimentary breakfast, laundry service and taxes, which can vary depending on location. Food expenses and drinks. Food and drink costs can add up very quickly. Buy your food and drinks at a local market. Pack food that does not need refrigerated. Avoid buying food that can melt or spill in cars. At theme parks, purchase a cup that can be refilled. Consider an all-inclusive trip. This will help you keep costs down throughout the vacation, as your meals and drinks will already be paid for. You can be very creative in saving for vacation and effective in planning an affordable trip. At Harold Shepley and Associates, we wish you all the best with your vacation travels this year! Harold Shepley and Associates can Help Need help with situations of debt and bankruptcy? At Harold Shepley and Associates, LLC, we have the experience you need to deal with situations of debt relief and bankruptcy consultation. We are a full service Law Firm that is client-oriented and will work hard to meet your personal needs in resolving debt. Call us today at 877-827-9006, or complete our easy to use contact form. We’re ready to help.
Repaying Family Before Filing Bankruptcy
Does Borrowing Money from Family Complicate Bankruptcy? When it comes to filing for bankruptcy, many people have first gone to family for help as their financial problems mount. If you’ve taken a family loan or otherwise received financial help by taking money from family – but your situation has only worsened – what should you do when it comes to bankruptcy? Should you make an attempt to pay your family back before filing? Bankruptcy and Family – the Short Answer There is no advantage in repaying a family member a significant amount of funds shortly before you file for bankruptcy relief. All creditors must be notified when a bankruptcy case is filed and the creditors must be treated fairly. If you decide to repay a family member shortly before you file your case, then you have chosen to treat that particular family member, who is actually a creditor, better than other similarly situated creditors. Consider the following example. Parents choose to lend $3,000.00 to their daughter hoping that it will help her take control of her debt. We will also assume that the parents did not require the daughter to post any collateral for the loan. Despite her best efforts, the daughter is unable to settle her accounts with her creditors. The daughter decides to file for bankruptcy relief. She thanks her parents for the financial help and repays the $3,000.00 with the tax refund that she received in February. Then, she files her case in March, just one month later. What the daughter does not realize is that her parents will be negatively impacted by her good intentions. Why Family Members are Affected When You File Bankruptcy In most consumer bankruptcy cases, a family member that loaned money to you is considered a general, unsecured creditor. In our example above, if any money is available for distribution during the daughter’s bankruptcy case, the parents will receive their proportional share of the money. The parents must be treated the same as the daughter’s other general unsecured creditors – typically credit card companies and medical providers, for example. The daughter’s repayment to her parents during the one-year period preceding the date when she files her case is considered a preferential transfer. The court and trustee will view the daughter as preferring to transfer money to specific creditors before filing her case rather than treating all of her creditors fairly within a bankruptcy case. The Law When it Comes to Bankruptcy and Family Loans The United States Bankruptcy Code specifically authorizes the Trustee assigned to a bankruptcy case to claw back the monies that a person pays to a family member within the one-year period prior to the date when the bankruptcy case is filed as long as the aggregate amount repaid totals $600.00 or more. Reference: Chapter 5 – Creditors, The Debtor, and the Estate, Subchapter III – The Estate. In our example here, the Trustee will likely sue the parents, acquire the $3,000.00 and distribute funds proportionally to the general, unsecured creditors. Reference: Chapter 7 – Liquidation, Subchapter II – Collection, Liquidation, and Distribution of the Estate The policy behind the Bankruptcy Code is to prevent one creditor from grabbing a chunk of the cash funds from an individual before any other creditors. This promotes a uniform, fair method to address consumer debt. Help Family Members Understand Your Bankruptcy Family members that have provided you financial assistance are the last people that you want a bankruptcy case to negatively impact. You may be thinking: How do I explain to my family member that I cannot repay the money I borrowed right now? Explain to the individual that you may repay the money that you borrowed after your bankruptcy case is closed. If you repay the money that you borrowed shortly before the case and the Trustee claws back those funds, you and your family member will lose those hard-earned funds. And, if you still want to repay the family member, it will now cost twice as much if you make the same error that the daughter made in the example above. Bankruptcy, Family, and The Bottom Line Speak with our Harrisburg, Pennsylvania bankruptcy attorneys. Call 877-827-9006 today. Remember, we want to help and the consultation is free. Make sure that you have truthful conversations with your attorney when you have a consultation and during the period when your case is being prepared. If you repaid a family member or friend, inform your attorney. Our attorneys can advise you how a preferential payment can be addressed with your circumstances. Your family may have helped you in the past, now help your family avoid a negative impact by carefully planning how you file your bankruptcy case. When it comes to repaying family before bankruptcy, contact us before taking any action. There is no reason financial stress should ruin your life. Talk to our debt relief specialists, the consultation is free Call us today at 877-827-9006 or use our easy-to-complete contact form. Our attorneys will be delighted to speak with you. Harold Shepley and Associates can Help Need help with situations of debt and bankruptcy? At Harold Shepley and Associates, LLC, we have the experience you need to deal with situations of debt relief and bankruptcy consultation. We are a full service Law Firm that is client-oriented and will work hard to meet your personal needs in resolving debt. Call us today at 877-827-9006, or complete our easy to use contact form. We’re ready to help.
What is Debt Negotiation?
Negotiating a Settlement with Your Creditors When you find yourself overwhelmed with debt, bankruptcy is not your only option. Debt negotiation can be a powerful tool to reduce and eliminate debt over time, improve your credit rating, and get your financial situation back on course. It is often possible to negotiate a settlement for less than the full balance owed. Our law firm typically negotiates settlements at 60 cents on the dollar with fees included. You pay our firm one monthly fee, a payment that grows in an escrow account for the settlement of your debts. Our goal is for your new monthly payment to be less than all the minimum payments you are currently making to your creditors. While there are many debt settlement companies to choose from, having the power of an experienced law firm on your side can make all the difference. At Harold Shepley & Associates, we have the experience to help you reduce your debt, negotiate a settlement, and avoid bankruptcy. Call us today at 877-827-9006 or use our easy-to-complete contact form. More information is available on our Debt Negotiation page. Why enter a Debt Negotiation Program To avoid filing for Bankruptcy You have received a lawsuit from one of your creditors You are falling behind on your monthly payments You able to make only the minimum payments on your credit cards To negotiate a payment lower than all your minimum payments now The most effective way to eliminate debt without filing bankruptcy Stop the harassing collection calls Debt free in approximately 3-3 1/2 years Why Choose Harold Shepley & Associates, LLC? We are a full service Debt Relief law firm. We’ve earned an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. No travel is required. We can do everything right over the phone. Our law firm can stop harassing collection calls and pursue legal action for creditors who violate the law. We provide a wide range of debt relief options, including: Debt Negotiation, Bankruptcy, Mortgage Foreclosure Defense, and Litigation Defense. In addition to debt relief, as a law firm representing clients in PA, we can defend against any legal action that has been filed against you. We include all unsecured debt in the program To find your best debt relief solution we offer a free consultation. We have a successful competition rate of over 85% There is no reason financial stress should ruin your life. Talk to our debt relief specialists, the consultation is free. Call us today at 877-827-9006 or use our easy-to-complete contact form. Our attorneys will be delighted to speak with you.