My own bank won't help me. How do I consolidate?
Date: Fri, 01/16/2009 - 16:18
I have about $20,000.00 worth of unsecured credit card debt (across 3 CCs and one Line of Credit). I have no trouble making minimum payments, but at the same time, I am not really able to pay enough extra to get out of debt and I see 65% of my payments vanishing into interest. It feels like I'm just throwing away money, month after month.
My first idea was to get a large, low interest loan to consolidate, but after some researching and several applications, I was unsuccessful. The main reason for being turned down was that I have too many accounts that are too close to their limits.
I managed to get a the accounts paid down a bit, but then two of them decided to lower my maximums to just a small margin above the recently lowered balances... so even though I was working hard to solve the problem mentioned above, it seems my banks and credit card companies are determined to cripple me.
My next plan was to pay off the credit cards one at a time (high interest cards first) and that is what I am currently working on... but at the same time, I think I really need to get another credit card, loan or line of credit to consolidate a bit.
Here is my situation in more detail:
The Line of Credit with my bank is still nearly maxed out around $3,500.00.
The credit card mentioned above is closed, but I still owe $3,500.00 on it.
I also have a credit card with my bank that is nearly maxed out around $5,000.00.
Finally, I have one open credit card outside my bank... this is my only backup plan in case of an emergency at the moment, since my other accounts have been reduced. The card, of course, is the one with the highest interest rate by far, and yesterday I received a notice that it's about to get worse. They are raising the interest to 22.99%. My choice is either to close the card and pay it off at the lower rate or to accept the new interest rate. I don't want to close this card because really, it is my last bit of emergency money.
So, that's where I stand right now.
My question is where do I go for help?
Is there anywhere that I can get a low interest loan, line of credit or credit card that won't charge me an arm and a leg on balance transfers?
I was googling for a professional service that could help me. Has anyone tried debtsolutions. com ?
Again, thank you in advance for your replies. I appreciate any suggestions you may come up with.
I could be wrong by I believe they're a lead generation company.
I could be wrong by I believe they're a lead generation company. Similar to lendingtree.com, your info's sold to prospective companies.
I read somewhere that over 1 million dollars of our income go towards interest over our lifetime. The first step you do is to get out of debt as fast as you can - check out your options available, look into a dmp Program and debt settlement.
I don't think I need a DMP. My revolving credit is great, I have
I don't think I need a DMP. My revolving credit is great, I have never missed a payment (and I am not at risk of doing so, yet). Can you tell me more about debt settlement or point me in the right direction? I have not heard much about that.
Also, if anyone can recommend a good place to get a low interest loan, credit card or line of credit I would appreciate that.
Lots of fair good companies out there. You'll find lots of good
Lots of fair good companies out there. You'll find lots of good threads and information on this forum on what debt settlement is, pros & cons, etc, etc.
To clarify - is the 4th card maxed out, or near empty? If you o
To clarify - is the 4th card maxed out, or near empty? If you owe 20K, then its around 8000, right?
i went through debt settlement and would gladly assist you more
i went through debt settlement and would gladly assist you more with this if your interested. but outside of that if you want a loan, i would suggest a finance company but the interest rates are higher than the bank but probably lower than your cards. They are usually around 12-14% intrest and are willing to give just about anyone money.
Unsecured personal loans will run you around 20-24% interest wit
Unsecured personal loans will run you around 20-24% interest with co's like HFC and Citifinancial. The best debt settlement co I have found is freestar financial. Good luck.
i know my father has one through american general and its like 2
i know my father has one through american general and its like 28% but i dont agree with the guest above about citifinancial i had a personal loan through them about 2 years ago and the % was 14% i hit it hard and paid them off as fast as i could though. It helped me out when the bank would not even when you need to pay a little more sometimes you do just need it to get by. but be cautious who you go through though some can be so high. I recieved one of those checks in the mail loans once and i considered cashing it but read the fine print the interest was like 40%!!!!!! i couldnt believe it! so be very careful
