BK or Hell, no other way !

Hello fellow Floridian. I can feel you on the condo losing value-we had to sell our home through a short sale and really took a loss. The job outlook here is not that great either and getting worse by the day.

I can't give you an exact answer because obviously all of us have different situations but in my situation-I stopped paying all the CC's in December 2007-I just filed BK a few weeks ago. No lawsuits or judgments since 12/07 BUT the calls and letters were just out of control. Chase was one of our main creditors-one word for them: HEARTLESS.

I wish you luck with everything.

I'm having the start of difficulties with chase. Care to share some of your experiences with them? I'd like to know what I'm up against as I'm not quite ready to file BK but they've alreadey said papers have been filed for judgment. I'm about 4-5 months behind on a $3600 Bal and could accept their original offer.

They are giving you a hard time right off the bat. They were the first creditor I called before I became delinquent on any of my accounts. I asked them if they could lower my rate or anything just until we catch up. They told me to call back after I was late! I just filed for BK last month but from Dec. 07 until last month I dealt with them calling a million times a day and sending threatening letters. They did not file a judgment or a lawsuit against me or my husband (who also has multiple Chase accounts) in all this time and we owed a lot more than $3600.

They are really moving fast with you if it has only been about 5 months and they are already threatening. I am sorry to hear that. Are they offering you to settle for lower than what you owe or just for the balance you owe?

Well no service of papers yet and nothing at the clerks office. My neighbor said Chase harrassed him the same way but nothing ever came of it. Then I read several horror stories where Chase attached a checking account in Fla without the owners knowledge until they tried to use their atm and checks started bouncing. And it was perfectly legal!

In my original post I said I could accept their offer but that was a typo. I couldn't accept their offer of 170 a month for the next 3 months then so much a month after that.

It might as well be a million dollars at this point. This whole situation is messing with me so bad, I can't even concentrate on the work I do have available to make some money. Its good to know that theres a strong possibility they're just blowing hot air. That may buy me the time I need to get on my feet.

I kinda figured it was a typo. :) I know it is so easy for me to tell you not to stress out about Chase and in the next minute tell you that there is always the possibility they could file the judgment. Worrying will not help. I know-I stress too. Have you checked your county's public record database? You can look up your info and if they filed a judgment-you will definitely find it there.

Yeah I've been obsessively checking the county clerks office website and small claims. Now I'm curious about the process they use to find your checking account. I put a post up on it earlier seeking some answers.

Talk about being under someones thumb!

I am sorry I don't have the answer for the checking account issue. I do have a few scenarios. Either:
They gave Chase the bank acct info to take out money maybe for another purpose or make a payment and they used the info that way OR They had an actual bank account with Chase and defaulted on the Chase credit card and they took the money from the Chase checking account to pay off the card balance? These are just scenarios. Those scenarios I have heard of. I don't think it is legal for them to do it any other way. I may be wrong. Maybe someone can chime in with better info on that.

Ugh! Chase! I stopped paying them last fall. Tried to work out a payment plan. They wouldn't take $1 off the debt and left in like $4-5k that they added in interest and fees since I stopped paying them. I wanted some peace so I agreed to a plan that was unrealisticly high. Paid once, couldn't pay on time the next month - all I needed was a few days. They immediately sent me to a shark CA. BTW Angel & Cabreta (Karbata?) is a real CA. And the same guy that's bugging me comes up online as having complaints against him. Do you think they all use the same fake names? This has been the straw to break the camel's back. I owe over $80k in CC's and my income has dropped to less than $2k a month due to the economy (self employed) it's BK for me. It all sucks and I'm being destroyed mentally by the stress. This is the only way I can see to feel like I'm getting back some control.

belovedami-don't let it get to you. I know we did and it did nothing for us. My husband and I just filed BK last month with almost double of what you owe. He also was self employed and we couldn't go the debt settlement route because of his loss of income. Stressed-we were beyond stressed and we both had multiple Chase accounts to deal with on top of the other creditors. They did eventually offer settlements on top of the thousands they charged in over-the-limit and late fees. A few people I know have actually settled with them with no problems and they did it on their own. I am not sure about the fake names. I had sooo many creditors calling and writing-I lost count. I wouldn't doubt it though. It does suck but it seems to get better once you know there is a light at the end of the tunnel whether it be filing for BK or settling the debt.