Credit Card Judgment – What Does It Mean?
Credit card judgments acknowledge that a debt is outstanding and spells out the way in which the debt may be recovered. This often takes place when a credit card cardholder has missed monthly paments and has not made an effort to work with the credit card provider to bring the account current.
To keep the situation from getting out of hand, it is best to contact the credit card provider and try to work out an arrangement for payments. It is often the case that credit card providers are willing to work with you. By doing this, it may be possible to come to an agreement with regard to monthly payments or a lump sum payment to bring the account up-to-date.
If you do not make arrangements with the credit card provider, your debt may wind up with a collection agency. At this point, you are no longer able to negotiate with the credit card provider. Collection agencies, as a rule, don’t like to go to court to collect a debt because it costs them time and money for what to them normally amounts to a very small amount. Collection agencies normally purchase debt for cents on the dollar. Therefore, they will normally be willing to make arrangements with you for a lump sum payment or monthly payments.
If your debt does come before a judge for a credit card judgment, you have the right to appear before the judge and plead your case. If the debt is not yours or if the seizing of the assets would mean serious difficulties for you, the judge may take this into consideration. However, this is viewed on a case-by-case basis.
Additionally, not all assets may be seized and a judge may determine exactly which assets may be taken. A judge may also order that money be taken from your bank account to pay the debt , may set a ruling to garnish your wages (depending upon state law), or may even order the filing of a lien upon your real property, if you own any.
As you can imagine, a credit card judgment will adversely affect your credit score. This judgment will likely mean that you will be denied for most credit products for which you apply and, if not, you will be offered exorbitant annual percentage rates (APRs) and monthly and annual fees. Also, this credit card judgment can remain on your credit report for up to seven years.
As if this wasn’t enough, this credit card judgment can also affect your chances of future employment or advancement in your current job. Also, searching for reasonable rates on home and car insurance may be affected.
Once the credit card judgment has been issued, do your best to pay the credit card debt off as quicikly as you can. Keep in mind that you can contact the credit reporting agencies after the debt has been paid in full to request that the debt be removed altogether or, at the very least, be revised to a “paid” status.
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