Credit Counselling Agency Knowledge Base
How Do I Start a Credit Counseling Agency? I want to start a non-profit agency in California to help people with their credit issues. Does anyone know what is involved or whether there is funding available for this? Thanks.
What is the best and legitimate credit counseling agency(ies)? A friend and I were both trying to find assistance (of any kind) in regard to reining in our finances via the assistance of a credit counseling center, but we're worried about fraud. Also, I've heard that just by consulting one of those agencies, your credit rating is immediately impacted in a negative way - is that true? It doesn't make sense...if you're trying to get help BEFORE you "screw" the credit card company by defaulting, you shouldn't be "punished".
What are the best top 3 credit counseling agencies? I have about $5500 in debt and I would like to consolidate them thru the credit counseling agencies. I am unable to get approved for a personal loan or a consolidation loan and so this is my last resort. I know that this will show up on my credit, but hey I figure that's life and I'm not going to let it get to me. So if you could help out in letting me know the best credit counseling agency to go to that would be great thanks!!!!
Any bad experiences with hiring a Credit Counseling Agency? I recently signed up for credit monitoring through my bank so I can completely pay them off my bad debt, now that I have the $$$ to do so. Even though I can do this on my own by calling each company, I felt that it would be a good idea to hire a professional who could negotiate better and get all negative items completely removed from my credit history. I contacted a credit counseling company I heard advertised over the radio, and they were pushy right away (red flag). They said they would charge me $399.00 and they are located notionally, so I won’t need to meet with them face to face. I hung up and decided I have some homework to do before I make another call. Anyone out there who have used a credit counseling agency and had a bad experience?
How will consumer credit counseling affect an application for a student loan? I want to go to college soon for a degree program. However, my credit card debt is getting the best of me, so I have been considering contacting a consumer credit counseling agency. Will student loan agencies (federal & private) not consider an application with credit counseling? How do I find out how this decision could affect my school?
Friend is in a bind, wants to know if credit counseling is a good idea? She has several credit cards, all but one in default for more than 90 days. They have all gone to collections. She also has a large amount of student loans and is current on these. No other debt - she rents and doesn't have a car. She has a job but is currently completely broke due to reasons I won't divulge (same reasons that led to her credit cards being in default), but should have money to pay bills within a month or so. So what can she do? If she calls a collection agency, can she say "look, I can pay this much a month" and then pay it and they will accept that? Obviously there is no way she can afford to pay what is past due. Is it better to go through a credit counselling agency? Don't they just do the same thing but charge for it? And what about the likelihood of getting reductions in interest rates? She doesn't really care about effects on her credit score because at this point her credit is completely messed up anyway. Thank you very much for any advice.
credit counseling agency or no?? Ok so I've read many comments saying not to use these services because they mess up your credit (mine is already a mess!!) , then some people say they have helped them to regain control of their credit. I am unsure of what to do--whats the verdict on this--I would like to hear from some people that have used the services of CCCS or some other agency, also would like to hear from people who have fixed their credit on their own. Please help--I need to get my credit in order.
how does the credit counseling work? me and my husband is buried with credit card debt about $20,000 more or less and we are behind of everything so we thinking of credit counseling but we don't know how it works and we want to buy a house in 1 year, what we should do? please advise! can you tell us who are the good credit counseling agency. thank you.
How can I buy a house with bad credit? Is there any hope for my husband and I to buy a house with bad credit? We have terrible credit because of our past. Any bills that we have accumulated since we decided to grow up has been paid, but we haven't paid any of our old bills. We went to a credit counseling agency and they said that we owe so much money that it would be best for us to just file bankruptcy. We're afraid that doing that would really keep us from owning our own home one day. I have a credit score of five hundred and something. We are tired of renting. Please help!
Are you responsible for credit cards you recieved as a minor? I need some major help!!! When I was 16 I visited to my local city college campus for lunch. While their a women approached me and ask me if I wanted a free tshirt. I said sure and she said all I needed to do was fill out a credit card application. I did and a little while later I got several credit cards in the mail so I started using them and making payments. Well I got in over my head and eventually couldnt keep up with the payments. I contacted a local credit counseling agency for help and they said they couldnt help me because I was a minor and could of not legally incurred this debt and to send copies of my birth certificate and id to the credit card companies and the credit bureaus. I did this meanwhile I was charged too many fees to count and the balances skyrocketed. Several years later this is ruining my life I dont know what to do or how to do it.
I want to know if I can rely on any credit couseling agencies or if there is a better way to relieve big debt. My parents are in debt, about $30k and obviously the min. payments are definitly not going to get them anywhere. Problem is they don't own a home or any type of secuirty for a loan, so a bank loan is out of the question. I just want to know if there is some way that I can check up on a credit counseling agency, I know some can really help, or if there is another method altogether. I am looking into a charity that is connected with the United Way and their services are free. I'd be greatful for any insightful answers!
Does anyone know of a good agency that can handle consumer credit counseling? I have contacted different places that I found on websites or saw on t.v. ads about helping with credit card debt. My problem is that my 3 cards only come to approx $3500 & these places want me to have at least $10,000 in debt. Do you know of a non-profit agency that would take a lower amount in credit card debt & help us deal with the credit card companies? Thanks for your help!
Recommendation for effective, cheap (or free) credit counseling/consolidation agency? I need help bringing my student loans under control. I have a federal loan and SEVEN (smaller) private loans. Since graduation, they have never been all current at the same time, so I don't qualify for a consolidation loan. I can't stand dealing with the agencies, since they treat me like a cockroach, but I really need to bring everything current with one or possibly two payments. Sending $100 - $200 each for the private loans (the federal one is much more) is bleeding me dry and my credit is awful!!!! Please let me know if you've been in this situation and how you got out of it (preferably without having to speak directly with those rude people who treat you badly). Thanks! Hmmm, after reading the first answer, maybe I need to clarify the question. Although character assassination is certainly an aspect of Y!A, perhaps I should rephrase to elicit helpful responses. So: If you've successfully dealt with credit (particularly student loan) problems through an agency, which agency did you use? What were their methods?
Would a personal loan to pay credit card debt be better then a debt management program? I have about 25000 of debt but can still pay montlhy payments on time and never missed a payment...if I try to get a personal loan from say lendingtree.com as opposed to a debt management program which looks better to creditors?? My beacon score is around 650-670....I am going to a credit counseling agency to see what they think....they are HUD approved and non-profit. I still have some assets stocks and bonds totaling 6000...I do get paid consistently and been trying some internet surveys to make some small money on the side to my job. What things should I look for at the credit counseling agency? Such as if they are legit or not in my situation?
Will credit counselors hurt your credit? My husband and I recently went thru a non-profit credit counseling agency to reduce our credit card interest rates (we were paying 30% default rate on three cards). After several months of paying on time, the credit card companies refused to lower our interest rates. The only way to reduce them was to go thru counseling service. The interest rates were lowered but now that we are getting straightened out thru service, will our credit score suffer?
Need Help with Credit Card Debt? I have about $20,000 in credit card debt. I just need a debt payment plan that would allow me to pay the debt off soon. I don't want to go through credit counseling agencies because they can sometimes be worse than the debt itself. Please give me tips on how to eliminate this debt soon.
How do I go about paying off debts to collection agencies? I have numerous old credit card debts that have been sold to collection agencies. (About $4,000). These are from when I graduated from college and became unemployed over six years. I kept paying some of them, but on others, the statute of limitations has run (it's four years in California). I am able to pay off this debt fairly quickly now and would like to begin repairing my credit. Once these are paid I want to make sure that this information appears on my credit report. I want to pay off all those where the statute of limitations hasn't run, but don't know where to begin. I got a credit report online, but the information is pretty vague, you can't tell when the last time I paid was on any of them. I'd like to find someone who works on this type of thing, but don't know who to turn to. It seems as though Credit Counseling agencies only work with people whose debt still lies with the credit card companies.
Online Budget, Budget Freeware, Credit Counseling, Saving Plan??? Please Help!!!? Are there any websites out there which can help me create a budget for my home and family? Perhaps something with an automated worksheet? I need some major help with this and am hoping to find something where I can just punch in the numbers and have it calculate several different options including a savings plan. Also...are there any good budget/finance programs out there that are freeware? And last but not least...has anyone ever used a credit counseling agency which helps you pay off your credit card debt? If so...what did you think? Was it easier and faster to pay your credit debt this way? Was it less expensive? Sorry for all the questions...I just really need to get myself on track and am at a total loss. Thanks so much for taking the time to read this and hopefully offer your help and advice.
Best way to consolidate debt when you already have so much they won't give you anymore? I'm trying to better myself and pay off credit card debt. My credit is good, I just bought my first home by myself. But I wish ot get rid of my credit card debt faster... I have done all I can transferring to lower rate cards. But when you try to pull out a loan to consolidate, they say "you already have too much out", and I get declined. But that defeats the purpose! I think it's too soon to do a home equity loan, I don't have much equity in my home yet. And I really don't want to resort to a credit counseling agency that can harm your credit! Any ideas or banks, websites, etc. to check out?
I need to know if there is anyone out there having trouble w/credit card debt and collection agencies? I owe Chase credit card a lot of money. I went through one Credit counseling agency who never made my pymts on time and Chase threatened to drop me from the program. I then tried to pay the card on my own and could not. Then I joined another company who charged me over $500 per month to take care of the one credit card. Anyway Chase turned me over to one collection agency and now another. The man from the second collection agency has called me at work, on my cell, screaming at me saying I have refused to pay. I told him it would be taken care of but not at this time. He then resorted to call my sister in law who he lied to and told her we put her down as a reference. I didn't put anyone down as a reference. I still do not know how he even got her phone number. Is the legal? I have recently joined with another Credit counselingagency to take care of the debt. I told the man this but he still said I was refusing to pay and they WOULD garnish my wages. HELP!!!!!
How can I research a debt/credit restoration agency to see if they are legit? My husband and I are interested in Gren Path Debt Solutions - we like the fact that they are local to us and can provide face to face financial counseling. They are also a non-profit (although they are a .com instead of a .org??) . However, how can I find out if they are really able to help us? What if they point us in the wrong direction? How can I research the company to be sure we are safe, and not digging ourselves deeper?
credit card company.? i have maxed out credit cards and trying to call creditors to tell them i can't make payments anymore. because my income can't cover them all after after i pay all my principle expenses. is anyone have good advise? if i call creditors what is best word? i called law office and they said contacting a consumer credit counseling agency is stupid act and they are all scam. please help. because of maxed out credit card no creditor giving me low interest CC. living in CA ,28,married. please help.
for-prpfot or non-profit credit counseling agencies? I am looking into going into a debit management plan. I was looking at two companies freedom point and care one. One is for-profit and one is non-profit. does anyone have experiance with these compaines? Which do you feel would be better or safer?
Most of the Credit Counseling & Debt Management a rip-off? I have gone through the Credit Counseling route before and after a year of payments to them, found out that they were not paying all my creditors. Ended up dropping them and continuing most on my own. They had a term the CC companies used (re-up or re-new, re-age?) that I asked the CC companies for and they continued as though I was using the couseling service. I can't remember but if you go through them (credit counseling agencies) will it affect your credit and/or score? Can I still use the "re-aging" of the credit card myself so as not to hurt my credit rating? The company I used was Consumer Credit Counseling and even though I did pay off a huge chunk of debt, they still screwed me over on a few CC's that they missed paying.
Credit Counseling? Is it worth it? My husband and I are separated and I have been stuck with the credit debt which is in my name. I have paid it only by borrowing from other accounts. This will catch up to me in the end. My minimum payments run me around 600 a month. I also have a car loan that I'm paying. So are there any reputable credit counseling agencies? I would like to hear personal experiences about how they lowered your monthly payments and helped you to get out of debt. I also know many of you are Dave Ramsey fans. His method is not going to work in this case. Also, I don't want to file bankruptcy if I can help it.
I've got a credit card with a $3500 balance. The last $1700 of it has been cash advances.? 've got a credit card with a $3500 balance. The last $1700 of it has been cash advances. Good news: Just got a job. Living at home so no real expenses. I'll be making about $1200 a month. Should I close the account and make payments on the balance? Should I see if I can get a credit counseling agency to help me? how long is it going to take me to pay this off, if i pay $1200 per month on it? Any suggestions?
Should I consolidate my $10,000 credit card debts with National Credit Counseling or should I pay it myself? About nine months ago I lost my job and have been unemployed anot have not been able to pay my credit card debts. Some of my credit cards have been charged off and some are not. Just recently I was offered a job and been trying to make as much money to pay some of the credit cards. But with a full time and a part time job I cannot pay some off the credit cards that have balances of $1600. Collection angecies have threaten to take me to court and having said that I think if I consolidate my debt the counseling angency will stop them from taking me to court because I will be making payments to the agency through Credit Counseling. So what is a best option for me? I'm too deep in debt? I like to consildate by my monthly payments will be $330 each month. I'm also paying a car payment of $275 each month. That totals about 600 each month; I'm also trying to be a part time student at a University. What should I do?
In credit counseling...cards sold to collection agencies...? i am in a certified credit counseling program...and i have five cards i am paying on through them....three of the companies are accepting payments but two of the cards have been sold to a collection agency....i am unsure of what i supposed to do, because, on my account summary it is showing that the payments are going to the collection agencies, but i checked my credit yesterday and it shows that the cards have been sold to another agency, that arent even listed on my account for the credit counseling so i dont know if they are getting their money or not...my debt isnt that big...about a little over$1000 for all five cards, but i am not working and my husband is paying the cc, i just screwed up in college and i didnt pay...i regret that, and to make matters even worse i had a baby about a year ago and i live overseas now, and it is hard contacting whoever....i dont know if i should contact the collection agencies or what...my cards went into default around march 2006...what should i do
Can default on a home equity loan cause foreclosure? I was coerced into taking a home equity loan along with a mortgage refinance four years ago. The max on the loan was 15,000, of which we spent around 9,000. Since the time we did this, the monthly payments have continued to climb because of the high interest rate, and late fees. The loan has been maxed out for several months. In February we turned the account over to a credit counseling agency we are using. Today I received a summons that will account for nearly 20,000. I have never had a late mortgage payment; can I end up losing my house because of the home equity loan?
3 Questions: Debt Counseling & Credit Report? How long after my debt has been paid will the creditor remain on my credit report? Will it automatically update to being current and paid? How long will the phrase, "managed by a consumer credit agency" appear on my credit report after my debt has been paid thru a debt counseling program?
I need to consolidate my debt through one of those financial counseling places, but also want to keep my C.C.? My biggest debt problem is a credit card that has nearly a 10K balance and about 60% of that is on Cash Advances which has a 25% APR. You see the C.C company has it rigged where making the min. payment of about $250, all of the new finances charges every month gets added on to the higher cash advance balance and all of my payment goes to pay down the lower purchase rate balance of 10% so basically I can't begin to pay down the higher rate portion of the balance (in fact it gets bigger every month) until I pay down the entire purchase rate balance of about $4,000. I spoke with a credit counseling agency about a year ago and they offered me a plan of about 10% APR on the entire balance, but only if I agreed to close that C.C. Acct. I am reluctant to do to that because it is my only source of emergency funds (I have purchase checks now at a lower rate). My question is, is there a credit counseling agency out there that will give me that better payment plan and let me keep that C.C
Should I join Consumer Credit Counseling? They will charge me $468/yr to pay my bills with my money.? It sounds great, I "only" have about $9k in credit card debt and it should be payed off in 3yrs. Right now I have very little money left after paying minimum payments each month. I will have $145.00 extra each month. However, I've looked into several credit reporting agencies FAQ's and they state that this may hurt you because the CCC agency will be "negotiating" your interest rates, which means you are not paying the entire debt that you agreed to off. I have enough negative items on my credit report so I dont know if this will put my good accounts into negative if i have to close them and then CCC ageny will also note that I am under a debt mgmt program. Any advise, my only alternative would be a consolidation loan, but i doubt i would qualify?
what should i do? i had good credit about 3 months ago, score of about 780 and i paid my bills on time. then i got behind on 2 credit cards, one with a limit of 7500 and one with 5500. i still paid my other bills on time. now my score is about 550. as far as i know, the 2 cards is the only thing that is wrong. now i am back under my limit on both cards and i want my score back to what it used to be, or close anyway. my first question is how much will my score improve once my credit report reflects the cards under my credit limit again? my second question is i am barely making my minimum payments on everything so is a credit counseling agency, the ones you hear on radio and tv, the answer? a second job is impractical right now. i cannot get a consoladation loan from the bank because of my credit score. by the way, the credit counsaling firm i had in mind is creditguard.org.
Should I say something? A couple of weeks ago my grandma gave my younger cousin her credit card number to buy a plane ticket out to California to see the family. Then she started noticing purchases on her credit card that my cousin had made without telling her. She bought a bunch of stuff from the mall, some acne cream from the T.V. and a plane ticket to visit her fiance in North Carolina where he's stationed before he goes to Iraq. My grandma asked me what I thought she should do since I work for a Credit Counseling agency and I gave my opinion, but I'm also wondering if I should say something to my cousin. My grandma is kind of a push over so I don't know that she'll confront my cousin. Should I say something or just stay out of it? The worst thing is that I know if my cousin had just asked my grandma would have bought her that stuff anyway. It's the fact that she lied and went behind her back. My grandma already knows that it was my cousin, I should have made that clear. She can't get anything removed from her card unless she presses charges but she won't do that. She just doesn't want to say anything to my cousin because my cousin is the type of person that avoids confrontation. If my grandma said something she would just get defensive and get on the next plane out of town and decide she hates us all. But she needs to be called out! How can you steal from your grandma, how low is that!!
Creditor taking furniture, etc. from your home? I had a man from a debt management (credit counseling agency) tell me that if a credit card company took you to court and got a judgement, then they could take things out of your home if you bought them with the credit card such as furniture, appliances, etc. Was he just telling me this to try and get me to sign up with his company or is this true, can a CC company really do this? I have a CC debt, but no household furniture was bought on it. No, this was not the collection agency that told me this. it was a man from a credit counseling agency. I was talking with them to try and see if I could get help with the debt.
In Debt $100K.? I am 28 and make about 55000 a year. Between credit cards and car payments have about 100k in debt. Thinking about credit counseling agency or BR. I dont know what do cause i know that BR sticks with you for a while and CCA affect credit score. I make all the payments but it leaves me with no disposible income and really is affecting my stress levels. Any advice??
I could really use some good advice? We are in a real pinch and need some advice. I have 2 credit cards in a credit counseling agency but over the 4 years we have been with them we have accumulated more debt. I know it is our fault for doing that but please do not criticize. We now have about 46000 in debts and my husbands job recently ended through no fault of his own. He is getting unemployment but that is not what he was bringing home and I am still full time employed. What would you suggest for us to get out of this?
Is any one out there a part of the Ameridebt lawsuit? I used Ameridebt a while back as a credit counseling agency. I was making payments on time, but was still getting harassed by creditors. It turns out that they never got their money. I did not know this at the time because I just quit paying them after a couple of months. Well, about two years ago, I received this postcard in the mail saying that there was this big lawsuit against the president of the company, Andris Pukke. I was just wondering if there was anybody else who might know anything else about the lawsuit because the website they give you to find out information is kind of vague. I sent a change of address and told them I changed my name but I don't even know if the debticated settlement administrator even got my letter. Is there a website so you can get in touch with the debticated settlement administrator?
Debt-related question? Hi, I am currently in over 35 grand of debt, and need to choose between bankruptcy and consolidation/counseling. I'm starting a job that might make me barely enough for full consolidation of all the cards. How bad does an I9 charge-off hurt one's credit later in life? Will the credit card company declare the debt uncollectible in 6 months like they keep threatening, or will they keep trying to go after me? What are good credit counseling agencies that should make it affordable for me? Did you have similar problems, and what worked for you?
Christian businesses . . .? I've seen an increase in businesses that have crosses or fish on their signs. What, exactly, is this intended to do? Is it to encourage Christians to do business there? These aren't places like Christian bookstores and such. That makes sense. They're like laundromats, credit counseling agencies, etc. Businesses that have nothing to do with religion. As a non-Christian, I'm immediately turned off by things like that. Is that the intention? Do the owners wish to avoid doing business with non-Christians? If that's the case, it's certainly working with me. Could someone explain this to me, please? I honestly don't get it. But I get a bad vibe from it. "Actually it's to let people know that they operate their business upon Christian principles. It may give you a bad vibe but I like the idea of doing business with someone who feels that it''s a sin to lie or cheat." I'm all fine and good with people who wish to express pride in their Christian principles, but . . . I would never assume that just because they have a cross or fish on their sign means they are honest. I've made that mistake with some Christians before, and I'm never making it again. Besides . . . isn't pride a sin, anyway?
Anyone know of a source to obtain a 50-80k unsecured loan? Excellent credit. Currently at 100 LTV on home so no equity there. Just want to consolidate CC bills into 1 payment at a reasonable interest rate for a 4-6 year term. I am not interested in credit counseling agencies. Just looking for a loan to pay back in the above mentioned time frame.
Anyone know of a source to obtain a 50-80k unsecured loan? Excellent credit. Currently at 100 LTV on home so no equity there. Just want to consolidate CC bills into 1 payment at a reasonable interest rate for a 4-6 year term. I am not interested in credit counseling agencies. Just looking for a loan to pay back in the above mentioned time frame.
Anyone know of a source to obtain a 50-80k unsecured loan? Excellent credit. Currently at 100 LTV on home so no equity there. Just want to consolidate CC bills into 1 payment at a reasonable interest rate for a 4-6 year term. I am not interested in credit counseling agencies. Just looking for a loan to pay back in the above mentioned time frame.
Getting out of debt!? I am about $4,200 in debt on 4 cards all of which the interest rates are in the double digits between 16-28%. THIS SUCKS. the minimum payments are sky high and I'm feelin it. I've been seriously thinking about going to a debt counseling agency particularly Consumer Credit Counseling Service but have heard mixed reviews. I've been reading that I can handle this myself by paying off the highest interest card first, but does that mean abandoning the payments on the rest of the cards till I've finished paying off the highest interest card? That seems like it would hurt my FICO score which is fair right now, almost at 600. Would taking out a loan from my credit union be smater? thanks and help! Correction my credit is at about 650
Credit counseling services require something I dont have:? It seems every credit counseling service needs current credit cards statements inorder to help someone. I don't ahve current credit card statements because they are several years overdue and belong to collection agencies now whcih I don't even recieve statements from. Is there a servce that can help me despite this fact? Or am I SOL?
Credit Card Collection advice? Here is the quick background. I was in credit counseling and lost my job. I then couldn't make the payments and had to leave counseling. I had a tempoary job and got a bit caught up I have a full time job again and am working on paying things off. I completely forgot about one card, got a call yesterday from a collection agency They said that i should have recieved a collection notice in the mail I said i didn't get it which was true but it was in my mailbox when i got home from work. the amount is around 5500 they offered me a settlement for 3900 but i can't do that They said that the account would go to chargeoff status and affect my credit score, and that they could file judgement against me. My boyfriend is a mortgage consultant, both him and his boss said they have never seen a credit card judgement. I'm reading all this stuff about judgements and it scares me. My boyfriend said that i should just let the collection sit there and that it probably won't do anything. I'm in MD. Should I get a lawyer to contact the collection agency and step up a payment plan or should i do it myself. I have some friends who are lawyers and might help me if i need them.
Credit Card Collection advice? Here is the quick background. I was in credit counseling and lost my job. I then couldn't make the payments and had to leave counseling. I had a tempoary job and got a bit caught up I have a full time job again and am working on paying things off. I completely forgot about one card, got a call yesterday from a collection agency They said that i should have recieved a collection notice in the mail I said i didn't get it which was true but it was in my mailbox when i got home from work. the amount is around 5500 they offered me a settlement for 3900 but i can't do that They said that the account would go to chargeoff status and affect my credit score, and that they could file judgement against me. My boyfriend is a mortgage consultant, both him and his boss said they have never seen a credit card judgement. I'm reading all this stuff about judgements and it scares me. My boyfriend said that i should just let the collection sit there and that it probably won't do anything. I'm in MD.
What will happen if I neglect my car and credit card payments? I'm going to credit counseling because i'm an irresponsible zilch. I just wanted to know what will happen if I neglect my payments. As far as collection agency calling me, what else could be possibly and legally could happen to me? i don't own any property, the only property that i have is the car and 2 credit cards.
Need advice on debt!!!!!!!!!? I went through a divorce last month, and I am now 12,000 dollars in debt. I could only get 50 dollars a month from my ex which isn't much. I have 4 major bills and the highest bill is 5900 dollars, because it is a military credit card and I am not in the army anymore they are saying to my credit counseling service that they will be taking all my taxes. My ex husband sold all my furniture and I have nothing left, with a 300 dollar car that won't make it through the winter. I have a 1 year old son and have no home of my own and have been sleeping on my moms couch for over a year now. I can't even pay 30% for low income housing because I don't make that much money. I am with two different credit management programs. one suppose to be settling 3 of my debts and my military starz card is with a different credit agency called fisc, and they are saying that my starz card will just take taxes, the other credit service doesn't seem to be doing much because i keep getting interest on these card. I am getting extremely frustrated because I pay $391 a month just on these bills which would be a whole months rent for me!! I know if I can get all this down to $150 per month I could be able to afford an apartment. I go see a lawyer next week to see what I could do about a chapter 13 bankruptcy because I can't do this anymore. Anyone have any advice what I supposed to do now?
will a debt counseling affect my credit report? I am going through a debt couseling service to consolidate my high interest credit cards, will this hurt my credit score?? Through this agency I can only have 1 open credit account -- which is fine, I am SICK of credit debt, but what about buying a vehicle?? WOuld I be able to get financing??
Should I file for Bankruptcy? I have about $9,000 in cc debts. They were back in 2000. They are still coming after me. I am currently wokring but helping my husband pay the home bills *all under his name* since i have horrible credit. But is 9,000 worth filing? What are my options? I have paid some agency and went thru credit counseling but i don't have 400 a month to pay out of pocket. Can anyone help me? I have a baby daughter as well. I want a fresh start since I am now married. Any help would do.
Can you recommend a Non Profit Debt Consolidation agency??? I just posted about co-signing for my husband who has horrible credit(25,000).. but got to thinking. We pay all of our bills on time NOW and he doesn't miss payments. The debt he has is old debt(charge offs). I just printed off a report for him on www.freecreditreport.com so I can figure it all out. Anyways, I want to find debt counseling or a debt consolidation agency that can help him clear it up. What site can you recommend? Thanks!
Debt Settlement? I've been in a credit counselling service for one year now and I am saving money on the side. I've been recently offered a settelment on a sizeable debt I have. It's 60% what I owe the company but it's through a collection agency. I know that by taking the settlement, the balance will go on my income at tax time, but I figure that the taxes I'll pay on it will be a lot less than what I would pay if I continue with the payment plan I have been using. Are there any negatives to taking such a settlement? Can I ask that they consider that I paid it in full on my credit report? If I can manage the three payments, why shouldn't I take the offer? Sorry, I meant 60% OFF what I owe!!
Debt Consolidation and Debt Counseling? I have some bills that need payed off and I have one credit card. My question is if I go or contact a Credit counselor or Debt help business(Careone credit,debt relief agency) will they freeze my credit card account or put it on hold? My debt situation is not bad, but I've heard that if you seek help through a business that specializes in credit card debt or collections, they will freeze all of your credit cards. I am slowly building up my credit and I would hate to have them take my card away. Is this true? Any one that has or has had this problem or knows the facts please let me know some options.....Thanks!!!!
Best way to pay off my debts.....? this is my situation.Im 27 and I've accumulaterd about $15,000 (this includes late fees & finance charges) on 5 different cards,all credit cards. I could never afford to pay anything because of my low paying job. Now I am getting paid more, so I can put aside a few hundred dollars a month to start paying them off but since there with different agencies i feel this might be difficult. All these debts are now with collection agencies, its been exactly 2 years since I made my last payments on the credit cards, so they've been with the CA for about 1 year and a half. What is the best way for me to work this out? should i go to credit counseling and have them try to reduce my debt and be able to make one payment each month? should I try to contact the collection agencies and work with them? or perhaps contacting the credit card companies themselves and see if i can settle that way? Thanks for in advance.
Anyone ever hire a lawyer to help pay old debts? I am looking for advice on how to pay some old debts. I had a period of unemployment and fell way behind in paying bills. Some of the credit card accounts went into collections. They have been sold to so many different collection agencies that I can't track them down. Every time I have tried to call them to find out where the account is, I am given a lot of different numbers to call and the debt collectors I have spoken to are less than helpful in giving me an answer as to where the account actually is. The other part of this is I have been enrolled in a credit counseling service and I'm not sure if it is helping me. A couple of the accounts that went to collections are still showing delinquent on my credit report even though payments have been going to the credit card companies that the debt originated with. I don't know who can help me find my debts or get the money back that I have payed to the credit card company, but I'm considering hiring a lawyer. Anyone in a similar situation? Thanks for the advice, just a few more details... It's not that i can't pay the old debts, I can't find them! The debts have been bought and sold so many times that they are lost. The money I am paying through the credit counseling services doesn't seem to be going to the right place either. I am trying to take a proactive approach and trying to find the right kind of professional to help me find my old debts so I can make sure the money I am paying is going to the right people.
Need advice on what to do? I need to clean up my score-here's my awful history; 1 bankruptcy (2001) 1 auto reposession (2000) 3 cc's that have been sent to collection agencies (after bankruptcy) totaling about $1600.00 And some smaller bills (about $500) After bankruptcy--I was doing fine---my mom began having bad financial difficulties (she lost more than half her monthly retirement income)and I tried to help her, consequently my bills began to go unpaid, she is now back on her feet and now I don't know what to do with my situation. I don't have any other bills besides rent and insurance and daily expenses. I checked my FICO and it is at 550---where do I begin? Do I call the collection agencies or do I call the original card companies. Should I seek advice from the consumer credit counseling? There are so many things in the future that I know I will need credit (son's braces, car , etc)and I'm desperate to fix this!!
I want to consolidate my credit cards debt and get rid of high interst rates. What is the best way to do this? I have 4 credit cards with approx. $25,000.00 worth of debt on them. I would like to get ahold of a non-profit debt counseling service in order to get rid of the high interest rates and pay them off alot sooner instead of only paying the interest and the over the limit fees. I have not used these cards for the past 5-6 years and the accounts are closed except for me making payments on them. I am not even touching the actual principal that I owe, although, I have probably paid enough on these cards to have actually paid off the actual principal. How is the best way to do this and what are some reputalbe non-profit agencies that will help achieve this? I have also heard that some credit cards will take a settlement on some accounts. Is this a good idea and how much of the amount owed do they usually want? I realize that this may hurt my credit rating but to be honest with you it isn't worth squat now, so what is the difference? Does the debt consolidation hurt your credit as well?
Texas crime victims compensation? Sadly last year on my wifes 21st birthday she was raped. She filled out the proper forms for crime victims compensation. Following the next few weeks she enrolled in counseling but there was already to much emotional damage. An ambulance was called on her by her counselor because she was in fear my wife would try and hurt herself. The last and final straw was the attempt, and thankfully the failure, to end her own life. End result she was placed in a psychiatric ward at a near by hospital for nearly a week. All of this with no insurance. My question comes to this. Nearly a year later she found that her credit score plumited and collection agencies are now calling to collect for the money the Crime Victims Compensations should or at least partially covered. Apparently they didnt. What do i do now? Wil her credit score be permanently screwed or can it be fixed? Please help.
Why don`t people research leaders and only accept the given thought of the mass media? Austin, Texas... Politex's for BUSH FAMILY SKELETONS ...www.bushwatch.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bush Watch... abortion... archives... autobiography... books... brasin's beat... bush league... blacks... blurbs... california... cartoons... charter schools... cocaine... comedy... culture... de lay... education... environment... executions... exploitation... family... foreign policy... free speech... funeralgate... gays... guns... health... insider trading... iowa... jews... justice... latinos... lotterygate... media... millions... pat... personality... press kit... quizgate... rankings... religion... schedule... songs... talk... taxes... tobacco... triangulation... welfare... end... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BUSH FAMILY MACHINATIONS, 1918-2000 1918 Prescott Bush Sr., leads a raid on a Indian tomb to secure Geronimo's skull for Skull & Bones. 1937 Prescott Bush's investment firm sets up deal for the Luftwaffe so it can obtain tetraethyl lead. 1942 Three firms with which Prescott Bush is associated are seized under the Trading with the Enemy Act. 1953 George Bush and the Liedtke brothers form Zapata Petroleum. Zapata's subsidiary, Zapata Offshore, later becomes known for its close ties to the CIA. 1954 The Bush family buys out the Liedtke brothers. 1955 George Bush sets up a Mexican drilling operation, Permago, with a frontman to obscure his ownership. The frontman later is convicted of defrauding the Mexican government of $58 million. 1959 Manuel Noriega recruited as an agent by the US Defense Intelligence Agency. 1960 Some investigators believe George Bush spent part of this year and the next in Miami on behalf of the CIA, organizing rightwing exiles for an invasion of Cuba. Is said to have worked with later Iran-Contra figure Felix Rodriguez. 1961 According to the Realist, CIA official Fletcher Prouty delivers three Navy ships to agents in Guatemala to be used in the Bay of Pigs invasion. Prouty claims he delivered the ships to a CIA agent named George Bush. Agent Bush named the ships the Barbara, Houston and Zapata. Bay of Pigs invasion fails. Right-wingers blame Kennedy for failure to provide air cover. CIA loses 15 men, another 1100 are imprisoned. George Bush invites Rep. TL. Ashley -- a fellow Skull & Boner -- down to Texas for a party in order to meet "an attractive girl." Bush writes that "she may be accompanied by an Austrian ski instructor but I think we can probably flush him at the local dance hall." Bush notes that he's had to unlist his phone because "Jane Morgan keeps calling me all the time." [From a letter in the Ashley archives uncovered by Spy magazine.] Zapata annual report boasts that the company has paid no taxes since it was founded. 1963 John F. Kennedy is assassinated. Internal FBI memo reports that on November 22 "reputable businessman" George H. W. Bush reported hearsay that a certain Young Republican "has been talking of killing the president when he comes to Houston." The Young Republican was nowhere near Dallas on that date. According to a 1988 story in The Nation, a memo from J. Edgar Hoover states that "Mr. George Bush of the CIA" had been briefed on November 23rd, 1963 about the reaction of anti-Castro Cuban exiles in Miami to the assassination of President Kennedy. George says it ain't him, admits he was in Texas but can't remember where. 1964 George Bush runs as a Goldwater Republican for Congress. Campaigns against the Civil Rights Act. 1966 Bush, runs as a moderate Republican, gets elected to Congress. Robert Mosbacher chairs Oil Men for Bush. Apache leader Ned Anderson meets with the Skull & Bones lawyer and George Bush's brother Jonathan who attempt to return the skull Prescott Bush had looted in 1933. Anderson refuses the skull because he says it isn't Geronimo's. 1968 George W. Bush joins Skull & Bones at Yale 1970 Bush loses Senate race to Lloyd Bentsen, despite $112,000 in contributions from a White House slush fund. Jim Baker is campaign chair. Bush later claims to have reported correctly all but $6000 in cash --which he denies he got. A 1992 story in the New York Times says the $6000 was listed in records of Nixon's "townhouse operation" which was designed in part to make GOP congressional candidates vulnerable to blackmail. 1971 Bush is named UN Ambassador by Nixon. Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs finds enough evidence of Noriega's involvement in drug dealing to indict him, but US Attorney's office in Miami considers grabbing Noriega in Panama for trial here to be impractical. State Department also urges BNDD to back off. 1972 Bill Liedtke gathers $700,000 in anonymous contributions for the Nixon campaign, delivering the money in cash, checks and securities to the Committee to Re-Elect the President (the infamous CREEP) one day before such contributions become illegal. Bill says he did it as a favor to George. 1973 Bush is named GOP national chair. Brings into the party the Heritage Groups Council, an organization with a number of Nazi sympathizers. Bush, according to Lowell Weicker, inquires as to whether records of the "townhouse operation" should be burned. Robert Mosbacher wins an offshore drilling concession from Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Watergate tapes indicate concern by Nixon and aide HR Haldeman that the investigation into Watergate might expose the "Bay of Pigs thing." Nixon also speaks of the "Texans" and the "Cubans." and mentions "Mosbacher." In another tape, Nixon decides following his re-election to get signed resignations from his whole government so he can centralize his power. Says Nixon to John Erlichman: "Eliminate everyone, except George Bush. Bush will do anything for our cause." 1974 Bush is named special envoy to China. 1975 DEA report notes Noreiga's involvement in drug trade. George W. Bush graduates from Harvard Business School 1976 Jerry Ford names George Bush CIA director, his fourth political patronage job in a little over five years. Bush later claims this is the first time he ever worked for the CIA. At his confirmation hearings, Bush says, "I think we should tread very carefully on governments that are constitutionally elected." Bush holds first known meeting with Noriega. Noriega starts receiving $110,000 a year from the CIA. Noriega found to be working for Cubans as well, but keeps his CIA gig. Bush sets up Team B within the CIA, a group of neo-conservative outsiders and generals who proceed to double the agency's estimate of Soviet military spending. Senate committee headed by Frank Church proposes revealing size of the country's black budget -- intelligence spending that, in contradiction to the Constitution, is kept secret even from the Hill. According to journalist Tim Weiner, Bush argues that the revelation would be a disaster and would compromise the agency beyond repair. By a one vote margin the matter is referred to the Senate. It never reaches the floor. Chilean dissident Orlando Letelier is assassinated by Chilean secret police agents. CIA fails to inform FBI of pending plot and of assassins' arrival in US. CIA claims the hit was the work of left-wingers in search of a martyr. Bush writes internal CIA memo asking to see cable on Jack Ruby visiting Santos Trafficante in jail. In 1992, Bush will deny any interest in the JFK assassination while CIA head. Bush claims nuclear war is winnable. 1977 Philippine dictator Marcos buys back Robert Mosbacher's oil concession. Mosbacher claims he was swindled. Philippine officials say they never saw any expenditures by Mosbacher on the project. 1978 Bush, Mosbacher and Jim Baker become partners in an oil deal. From a Washington Post article by Bob Woodward and Walter Pincus: "According to those involved in Bush's first political action committee, there were several occasions in 1978-79, when Bush was living in Houston and traveling the country in his first run for the presidency, that he set aside periods of up to 24 hours and told aides that he had to fly to Washington for a secret meeting of former CIA directors. Bush told his aides that he could not divulge his whereabouts, and that he would not be available." Former CIA chief Stansfield Turner denies such meetings took place. George W. Bush declares his candidacy for the Midland Congressional district. He wins the Republican primary and loses in the general election. George W. Bush begins operations of his oil firm, Arbusto Energy. With the help of Jonathan Bush, he assembles several dozen investors in a limited partnership including Dorothy Bush, Lewis Lehrman, William Draper, and James Bath, a Houston aircraft broker 1980 Bush becomes Reagan's vice presidential candidate. Runs as a rightwinger again. Mosbacher becomes chief fundraiser for Bush's presidential campaign. Forms a millionaire's club of 250 contributors, each of whom cough up $100,000. William Casey forms a working group to prepare for possible Carter October political surprise. In early October, an Iranian official meets with three top Reagan campaign aides. All three deny memory of the meeting in subsequent proceedings. On October 21, Reagan hints he has a secret plan to release the hostages. This is right around the alleged date of a Paris meeting at which the so-called "October Surprise" was settled. Some allege that at this meeting it was agreed to end the arms embargo against Iran if Iran would release its hostages after the election. While Bush's presence at this meeting has been denied by the House committee investigating the October Surprise, Bush's whereabouts at this critical time remain in doubt. The White House, in fact, has leaked conflicting stories. Rep. Dan Quayle goes on a Florida golfing vacation with seven other men and Paula Parkinson -- an insurance lobbyist who later posed nude for Playboy. Parkinson describes Quayle as a husband on the make, but says she turned him down because she was already having an affair with another congressman. Marilyn Quayle says, "anybody who knows Dan Quayle knows he would rather play golf than have sex." The Reagan-Bush campaign receives stolen copies of Carter's briefing books. Bush's campaign manager, James Baker, forces the dismissal of Bush aide Jennifer Fitzgerald, described in a 1982 Time story as having "much to say about where Bush goes, what he does and whom he sees." Bush continues to pay Fitzgerald out of his own pocket. 1981 Reagan-Bush inaugurated. Hostages released moments before. Shortly thereafter, arms shipments to Iran resume from Israel and America. In July, an Argentinean plane chartered by Israel crashes in Soviet territory. It is found to have made three deliveries of American military supplies to Iran. In a 1991 story in Esquire, Craig Unger quotes Alexander Haig as saying "I have a sneaking suspicion that someone in the White House winked." Says Unger: "This secret and illegal sale of military equipment continued for years afterwards." James Baker named Reagan's chief of staff. SEC filings for Zapata Oil for 1960-66 are found to have been "inadvertently destroyed." Reagan authorizes CIA assistance to Contras. 1982 CIA director William Casey begins Operation Black Eagle to expand US role in Central America. Urges use of "selected Latin American and European governments, organizations and individuals" in the project. Inslaw, a computer software company, signs a $10 million contract to install a case-tracking program in 94 US Attorney's offices. Four months later, after obtaining a copy of Inslaw's proprietary version of the program, the government cancels the contract and begins an aggressive campaign to force the company into bankruptcy. Later sources claim that the program was installed by the CIA and sold to various foreign intelligence agencies. After $3 million is poured into Arbusto with little oil and no profits, just tax shelter George W. Bush changes the company name to Bush Exploration Oil Co. Subsequently he is kept afloat by an investment from Philip Uzielli, a Princeton friend of James Baker III. For the sum of $1 million, Uzielli bought 10% of the company at a time in 1982 when the entire enterprise was valued at less than $400,000. Subsequently, to save the company George W. Bush merges with Spectrum 7, a small oil firm owned by William DeWitt and Mercer Reynolds. DeWitt had graduated from Yale a few years earlier than Bush and was the son of the former owner of the Cincinnati Reds. Bush becomes president of Spectrum 7. He also gets 14% of the Spectrum's stock. Meanwhile, 50 original investors in Arbusto get paid off at about 20 cents on the dollar. 1983 Noriega meets again with George Bush. Bush presents an autographed photo to a WWII Ukrainian leader under the Nazis, whose regime killed 100,000 Jews. KAL 007 crashes under circumstances that remain suspicious to this day. Bush promotes Jennifer Fitzgerald from appointments secretary to executive assistant. Seven staffers resign in protest. Fitzgerald tells the New York Post: "Everyone keeps painting me as this old ogre. I really don't worry about it. All these bizarre things just simply aren't true." Neil Bush forms his first oil company. He puts in $100, his partners contribute $160,000 and Neil is named president of the firm, JNB Exploration. Jeb Bush's business partner, Alberto Duque, goes bankrupt, is eventually convicted of fraud and is sentenced to 15 years in prison. 1984 Jeb Bush lobbies the Department of Health & Human Services on behalf of Cuban--American businessman Miguel Recarey, Jr., whose medical firm later collapses. Recarey, who was close to mobster Santos Trafficante, later disappears with at least $12 million in federal funds. George Bush takes part in meetings to plan increased "third country" aid to the Contras.. CIA mines Nicaraguan harbors. 1985 Jennifer Fitzgerald is sent to work on Capitol Hill after stories arise linking her romantically with George Bush. Stuart Spencer's public relation firm starts receiving over $350,000 from Panama to improve Noriega's image. CIA starts using BCCI as a conduit. George Bush thanks Oliver North for "dedication and tireless work with the hostage thing, with Central America." Bush will later deny knowing about the Contra effort until late 1986. Neil Bush joins the board of Silverado S&L, serves until 1988. Silverado loans his partners in JNB $132 million which they never repay. Silverado will eventually collapse at a taxpayer cost of $1 billion. 408 TOW anti-tank missiles are shipped from Israel to Iran. A day later, US hostage Benjamin Weir is released. 1986 VP Bush goes to Honduras to promote support for the Contras. Takes along baseball players Nolan Ryan and Gary Carter. Contra figure Felix Rodriguez meets with Donald Gregg, Bush's national security advisor, to complain about Iran-Contra operatives skimming funds from the Contras. Bush may have made several secret visits to Damascus between 1986-88 according to a 1992 report in Time, which said two senior GOP senators were pressing for a probe. The allegation is that Bush went to negotiate the release of hostages in Lebanon but in fact stonewalled Syria, "playing for campaign timing. Republicans want to get to the bottom of intelligence-community suspicions that the US somehow blew a chance to free Terry Anderson and his fellow captives." Iranian arms runner Manucher Ghorbanifar proposes "diversion" of profits from Iran arms sales to Contras. George W. Bush and partners receive more than $2 million of Harken Energy stock in exchange for a failing oil well operation, which had lost $400,000 in the prior six months. After Bush joined Harken, the largest stock position and a seat on its board were acquired by Harvard Management Company. The Harken board gave Bush $600,000 worth of the company's publicly traded stock, plus a seat on the board plus a consultancy that paid him up to $120,000 a year. When Harken runs short of cash it hooks up with investment banker Jackson Stephens of Little Rock, Arkansas, who arranges a $25 million stock purchase by Union Bank of Switzerland. Sheik Abdullah Bakhsh, who joins the board as a part of the deal, is connected to the infamous BCCI. 1987 Bush's former chief of staff, Daniel Murphy, flies to Panama with South Korean influence peddler Tongsun Park on a private plane owned by arms dealer Sargis Soghnalian to meet with Noriega. Murphy later tells a Senate subcommittee that he informed Noriega that he need not resign before the 1988 election despite the Reagan administration public pressure to the contrary. Bill Casey dies. Lee Atwater accuses Robert Dole of spreading stories about Bush and Jennifer Fitzgerald. An agreement is worked out, as reported by Sidney Blumenthal in the Washington Post: "The Dole people didn't spread any rumors and promised not to do it again. And the Bush people haven't spread rumors about the Dole people spreading rumors and won't do it again." Harken Energy project gets rescued by aid from the BCCI-connected Union Bank of Switzerland in a deal brokered by Jackson Stephens, later to show up as a key supporter of Bill Clinton. 1988 Dan Quayle is named VP candidate. Stuart Spencer is assigned to improve Dan Quayle's image, the same job he handled for Noriega and Nixon. Quayle embarrasses campaign by such statements as "[The Holocaust] was an obscene period in our nation's history," adding that "I didn't live in this century." Prisoner who claimed he sold marijuana to Quayle is put into solitary confinement by the head of federal prisons, aborting a planned news conference shortly before the election. Silverado S&L goes under after receiving 126 cease & desist orders in past four years from the Topeka office of the Office of Thrift Supervision. These orders found conflict of interests, insider abuse and other violations. Dwight Chapin, ex-Nixon dirty trickster, gets job in Bush campaign. Rudi Slavoff becomes head of Bulgarians for Bush. In 1983, Slavoff organized an event honoring Austin App, promoter of the theory that the Holocaust was a hoax. Slavoff joins other GOP ethnic leaders in the Coalition of American Nationalities co-chaired by Edward Derwinski. Among them is a former member of an Hungarian pro-Nazi party. After press revelations, eight of the leaders accused of anti-semitism resign from the campaign. Bush says: "Nobody's giving in... These people left of their own account." GOP flier warns that "all the murderers, rapists and drug pushers and child molesters in Massachusetts vote for Michael Dukakis." Bush establishes Team 100, which will eventually grow to 249 individuals who contribute nearly $25 million in soft money to help the GOP cause. The contributions also apparently help the contributors, various of whom get ambassadorial appointments, legislative favors, and intervention on regulatory and criminal matters. Bush denies knowledge of Noriega's involvement in drug dealing. The Willie Horton ad is aired. Credit for similar tactics is given to campaign guru Lee Atwater, whose PR firm had represented drug-connected Bahamian prime minister Oscar Pinding and the Philippines' Marcos. Atwater himself had represented UNITA, the CIA-backed Africa rebel group. Fred Malek, ex-Nixon aide, resigns from the Bush campaign after it's revealed that he compiled a list of Jews in the Labor Dept. as part of a Nixon investigation of a "Jewish cabal." A few days before the supposedly surprise arrest of five BCCI officials, some of the world's most powerful drug dealers quietly withdraw millions of dollars from the bank. Some government investigators believe the dealers were tipped off by sources within the Bush administration. Although Felix Rodriguez, former leading cop under Batista, claims he left the CIA in 1976, Rolling Stone reports that he is still going to CIA headquarters monthly to receive assignments and get his bulletproof Cadillac serviced. Bankruptcy judge George Bason Jr. concludes that the government stole Inslaw's software through "trickery, fraud and deceit." Stock market drops 43 points on false rumor that Washington Post was about the publish the Bush-Fitzgerald story. 1989 Bush inaugurated. Aides tell the press that the new administration would rather "stay one step behind than be one step ahead." Bush authorizes CIA support to Noriega's opposition, giving Noriega an excuse to annul Panama's elections. Bush claims executive privilege to avoid testifying in the Oliver North trial, thus becoming first president to use this power to keep his acts as vice president under wraps. Dan Quayle declares changes in Soviet Union "just a public relations extravaganza." Bush brother Prescott flies to Shanghai after the Tiananmen Square massacre to close a deal for an $18 million resort there, despite his brother's ban on high-level Chinese contacts. Prescott says, "We aren't a bunch of carrion birds coming in to pick the carcass. But there are big opportunities in China, and America can't afford to be shut out." Prescott Bush also visits Japan, searching for consulting contracts just ten days before his brother arrives on a presidential tour. The Japanese firm that paid Prescott a quarter-million dollar consulting fee comes under investigation for exchange law violations and links to the Japanese mob. C. Boyden Gray, the president's top ethics official, corrects his 1985 and 1986 financial disclosure forms. He forgot to include $98,000 in income. George Bush signs the S&L bailout bill promising that "these problems will never happen again." The Chicago Tribune reports: "After 14 fishing outings, the President has failed to catch a single fish." At White House behest, the DEA lures drug dealer to Lafayette Park to make arrest in front of presidential home for the benefit of Bush's upcoming drug speech. At first, drug dealer is dubious, asks DEA agent, "Where the fuck is the White House?" Defense secretary nominee John Tower runs into confirmation troubles when it is revealed that he has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in consulting fees from defense contractors. Runs into more trouble with revelations of womanizing and drinking. His nomination is rejected. The sale of three communications satellites to China is announced. Prescott Bush is a $250,000 consultant in the deal. GOP memo is leaked implying that House Speaker Tom Foley is a homosexual. President Bush signs a top-secret directive ordering closer ties with Iraq, which opens the way for $1 billion in new aid just a little more than a year before Bush goes to war against that country. The agricultural credit allows Saddam Hussein to use his hard currency for a massive military buildup. A second judge concurs that the government stole Inslaw's software. The Statistical Abstract of the United States, published by the US government, reports that the GNP of East Germany during the 1980s was greater than that of West Germany. The figures come from the CIA. Bahrain officials suddenly break off offshore drilling negotiations with Amoco and decide to deal with Harken Energy, George Bush Jr.'s firm. Harken has had a series of failed ventures and no cash, so the Bass brothers are brought in to finance Harken's efforts at a cost of $50 million. Neil Bush bails out of JNB Exploration, the firm where he became president with a $100 ante, leaving his partners to worry about its debt. Days earlier he forms Apex Energy with a personal investment of $3000. The rest of the money -- $2.7 million -- comes from an SBA program designed to help "high risk start-up companies." Like JNB, it proves to be just that. Apex will later go belly-up with no assets. Two months after his father's inauguration, George W. Bush announces that he and a syndicate of investors have purchased the Texas Rangers. The investors are Edward "Rusty" Rose, Richard Rainwater, Bill DeWitt, Roland Betts (a former Yale frat brother) and Tom Bernstein (Bett's partner in a film investment concern). While Bush appears to lead the group, Rainwater makes clear that Rose is to control how the business is run. Bush's stake in the $86 million deal is 2%, financed with a $500,000 loan from a Midland Bank of which he had been a director and $106,000 from other sources. Rainwater and Rose put up 14.2 million, Betts and Bernstein invested about $6 million and the balance comes from smaller investors and loans. Bush will eventually sell his share for $15 million. 1990 Federal regulators give Bush son Neil the mildest possible penalty in the $1 billion failure of the Silverado S&L. The deal is so good that Bush drops his appeal. Among other things, Neil, as a Silverado director, voted to approve over $100 million in loans to his business partners. January: Bahrain awards exclusive offshore drilling rights to Harken Oil. This is a surprise as Harken is in very shaky financial condition, has never drilled outside of Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma and had never drilled undersea at all. The Bass brothers are brought in by Harken for sufficient equity to proceed with the effort. Harken's stock price increases from $4.50 to $5.50. George W. Bush sells two-thirds of his Harken Energy stock at the top of the market for $850,000, a 200% profit, but makes no report to the SEC until March 1991. Bush Jr. says later the SEC misplaced the report. An SEC representative responds: "nobody ever found the 'lost' filing." One week after Bush's sale, Harken reports an earnings plunge. Harken stock falls more than 60%. Bush uses most of the proceeds to pay off the bank loan he had taken a year earlier to finance his portion of the Texas Rangers deal. August: Saddam Hussein invades Kuwait. Harken's stock price drops substantially. Two months after Bush sells his stock, Harken posts losses for the 2nd quarter of well over $20 million and is shares fall another 24 %, by year end Harken is trading at $1.25. Bush has insisted that he did not know about the firm's mounting losses and that his stock sell-off was approved by Harken's general counsel. George W. Bush is asked by Carlyle Group to serve on the board of directors of Caterair, one of the nation's largest airline catering services which it had acquired in 1989. The offer is arranged by Fred Malek, long time Bush associate who is then an advisor to Carlyle. October: Arlington, Texas Mayor Richard Greene signs a contract that guarantees $135 million toward the new Texas Ranger Stadium's estimate price of $190 million. The Rangers put up no cash but finance their share through a ticket surcharge. From the team's operating revenues, the city will earn a maximum of $5 million annually in rent, no matter how much the Rangers reap from ticket sales and television (a sum that will rise to $100 million a year). Another provision permitts the franchise to buy the stadium after the accumulated rental payments reached a mere $ 60 million. The property acquired so cheaply by the Rangers includes not just a fancy new stadium with a seating capacity of 49,000 but an additional 270 acres of newly valuable land. Legislation is passed and signed that authorizes the Arlington Sports Facilities Development Authority with power to issue bonds and exercise eminent domain over any obstinate landowners. Never before had a Texas municipal authority been given the license to seize the property of a private citizen for the benefit of other private citizens. A recalcitrant Arlington family refuses to sell a 13 acre parcel near the stadium site for half its appraised value. The jury awards more than $4 million to the family. Fred Malek returns to power with ambassador status to head up planning for the economic summit. S&L industry is losing money at the rate of $3 million a minute. Bailout chief estimates total cost at $325-500 billion. Some 200 young soccer players have their games canceled for security reasons because Bush wants to go fishing on the Potomac nearby. Says one seven-year-old player: "We had a tough soccer game and he's just going fishing. He could play somewhere else." Bush son Jeb gets the federal government to pay off the $4 million he owed to a failed Florida thrift. Bush brother Jonathan's east coast brokerage fined in two states for violating laws and Jonathan is barred from public trading in Massachusetts. Bush's attorney general, Richard Thornberg, is warned about BCCI but does nothing. Federal court of appeals throws out the Inslaw case on the grounds that it did not belong in bankruptcy court. Bush says, "The economy is headed in the right direction." 1991 Former top aide to White House Chief of Staff John Sununu goes to work for a prominent figure in the BCCI scandal less than a month after leaving the Bush administration. Edward Rogers Jr. signs a $600,000 contract to give legal advice to Sheik Kamal Adham, an ex-Saudi intelligence officer who is being investigated for his role in BCCI's takeover of First American Bancshares. The Miami acting US Attorney is allegedly rebuffed by the Justice Department in his efforts to indict BCCI and some of its principal officers on tax fraud charges. Justice Department later denies this occurred. Danny Casolaro, a reporter investigating the Inslaw story, is found dead in a motel room bathtub, the day after he met a key source. The death was ruled a suicide. Perhaps he is despondent over the loss of his briefcase, which is missing from the room. George Bush spends three nights in a Houston hotel so he can claim Texas residency. Texas has no income tax. Neil Bush bails out of Apex Energy after collecting $320,000 in salary plus expenses. Bill Daniels, cable-TV magnate who has been lobbying against regulation of the cable industry, offers Neil a job. According to a representative, he "thought Neil deserved a second chance." 1992 New York Times reports that three of Bush's top fundraisers are being sued in connection with bank failures and another pleaded guilty to mail fraud in connection with an S&L. These men include the GOP national finance chair, vice chair and two co-chairs of the President's Dinner, which raised $9 million for Republican causes. Former US Attorney General Elliot Richardson, representing the owners of Inslaw, tells Mother Jones, "I don't know any case where the government has stonewalled like this." First of Harken Energy's wells off Bahrain comes up dry. George W. Bush takes a leave of absence from the firm to work in his father's campaign, saying "I don't want to involve this company in any kind of allegations of conflicts or whatever may arise." Village Voice reports that President Bush has taken at least 76 partisan flights during his term, at a cost to the taxpayers of over $6 million. Nixon's Jew hunter Fred Malek is back as Bush's campaign manager. Campaign sells photo opportunities with the president at a fundraiser for $92,000 each. Washington, DC, loses $52,000 in taxes because Bush claims to be a Texas resident. Donald H. Alexander contributes $100,000 to Team 100; shortly thereafter he's named ambassador to the Netherlands. Bush says: "I will do what I have to do to be reelected." 1993 With the new Ranger stadium being readied to open the following spring, George W. Bush announces that he would be running for governor. He is says his campaign theme will be self-reliance and personal responsibility rather than dependence on government. 1994 George W. Bush is elected Governor of Texas, defeating Ann Richards 53 to 46 %. 1999 George W. Bush executes his 99th prisoner. George W. Bush celebrates the Martin Luther King holiday by staying inside the Governor's Mansion with the windows closed so he wouldn't hear the thousands of Martin Luther King celebrants listening to speeches right outside his window on the Texas capitol grounds [across the street]. Bush claims to be reading four serious books while campaigning for president. Total pages of the four books: 1,762 * "When I was coming up, it was a dangerous world and you knew exactly who they were. It was us versus them and it was clear who them was. Today we are not so sure who the they are, but we know they're there." -- Texas Gov. George W. Bush, presidential candidate. * "Food on the family." -- George W. Bush listing one of the priorities of his future administration. * "This is Preservation month. I appreciate preservation. This is what you do when you run for president. You've got to preserve." -- George W. Bush to several hundred children at an elementary school in Nashua that was celebrating what it called Perseverance Month (not Preservation Month). * "Is your children learning?" -- George W. Bush on education. * "Some people have too much freedom." -- George W. Bush * "The Grecians." -- George W. Bush on Greek people. * "What I'm against is quotas. I'm against hard quotas, quotas that basically delineate based upon whatever. However they delineate, quotas, I think, vulcanize society." -- George W. Bush, meaning to say "balkanize," not "vulcanize" -- we think -- and something about quotas (Austin American-Statesman 3/23/99). * "Sitting down and reading a 500-page book on public policy or philosophy or something." -- George W. Bush when asked to name something he isn't good at (Talk magazine, September 1999). * "Please! Don't kill me." -- George W. Bush to Larry King, mocking what Karla Faye Tucker said when asked "What would you say to Governor Bush?" prior to her execution by lethal injection (as reported by Talk magazine, September 1999). * "Tell them I have learned from mistakes I may or may not have made." -- George W. Bush 2000 "Jeb's the smart one" -- George Bush Sr. to dinner partner Former President George Bush tries to block Gen. Manuel Noriega's release from a US prison because he fears the Panamanian strongman wants to kill him. Noriega attorney Frank Rubino says the assertion was made by Assistant US Attorney Pat Sullivan, who represented the government at a parole hearing for Noriega. Copyright 2000 The Progressive Review Also,'Sam Smith's Great American Political Repair Manual' is published by WW Norton. 2000 (continued) Al Gore gets more popular votes than George W. Bush in the November presidential elections, but a winner is unable to be declared because the outcome depends upon a state of Florida recount that must made, according to Florida law, since the eventual winner will have a majority of less than 1% of the vote. Many of the counties do not do a recount, but simply re-report their first results. Other counties decide to accept late overseas ballots, contrary to Florida law. Bush enlists James Baker to oversee his post-campaign Florida campaign. Although Jeb, as Florida governor, recuses himself from official state participation in the recount, phone records later made public lead observers to question that statement. The Florida Supreme Court directs that the entire state must physically recount all of the votes, but the U.S. Supreme Court overrules, declaring George W. Bush the victor in order to protect our tradition of the smooth transition of power. The vote was 5-4. Although the court ruled that the decision could never be used as precedent in any future legal case, it was determined that allowing the State of Florida to recount its votes, even though it is legally required to do so, would not be in the best interest of George W. Bush's presidential aspirations. On the basis of the Supreme Court's decision, Bush was declared the victor in Florida, thus winning the majority of electoral votes and thus being elected the nation's 43rd president. 2001 Bush is sworn in as president and Dick Cheney, Sec. of Defense under Poppy, is sworn in as vice-president. Numerous key members of the Regan-Bush and Bush-Quayle administrations, including those who left under a Contra cloud, are brought back into the new administration. With Bush as front man and Cheney as the brains behind the throne, Bush begins to consolidate power with fast-track plans to weaken government regulations of corporations, begin drilling on previously out of bounds environmentally fragile sites, place greater world trade powers in the White House, establish formal governmental funding of religions, allow greater civil rights discrimination in the name of freedom, shift more of the nation's wealth away from the middle class and into the hands of the wealthy through changes in the tax laws, further establish military dominance in the world and in space through missile defense, and weaken international compacts protecting the environment and controlling small arms. 79 year old Andrew Marshall, a colleague of Herman "Dr. Strangelove" Kahn at the Rand think tank in the 50's appointed head of the Pentagon's Office of Net Assessment and major speechwriter of Bush's Missle Defense System speeches. Taking a cue from the Bush Administration, Japan deals with Iran to provide oil field studies, indicating that the Clinton Sanctions Act will no longer be enforced against Iran. 2000-2001 Updates by Politex
Dirty Trick From a Debt Collector...? This is more of a story than a question. I am about to declare bankruptcy (have tried debt counseling to no avail). But here is the story. I signed up for a debt settlement place. I had the collectors calling my house in the beginning. This one collection agency kept calling me at work & at home. I finally changed my number. Prior to this all mail was coming to me personally because I was the primary user on the credit card and my spouse was only an auth user. I know my spouse is not responsible for the debt only being an authorized user from talking to a lawyer. This debt collection agency got mad I changed my phone number so started to call my in laws house. They even changed my address to my inlaws address and started to send all of my mail to them. Then when they were still not getting any response they then added my spouses name to the mailings. This account when with the org debtor was only in my name and all mailings just came to me. This shows just shows hot spineless they are. I never hid from them. I was being harassed and NO I did not put my inlaws information anywhere on the applications because they were only in my name with my phone number and my address. They pulled their phone number and address off of the internet since we live in the same town. And instead of being so nasty towards me, you dont know the circumstances that led to me having to make this overwhelming decision. They are not willing to make payment arrangements, have been charging nearly 40% interest and more. So please dont lecture me. I was sharing a valid story for those who are being harassed by debt collectors as well. I have seen a lawyer and will be filing bankruptcy next week. I have no choice. I have loss of income and lots of student loans etc. I also had an agency sue me although I WAS working with them and paying WAY more than a monthly payment would have been till I lost my job. Now I just can't keep up on one income. I was just trying to share a story. I also did file complaints with the BBB, Attorney General, and FTC too. I hate when people try to make you feel like scum for having hard times when they dont' know what you have been through. They are not allowed due to the Fair Debt Collection Practice to send any of your mail to anyone other than yourself. Also, they are only allowed to call a relative ONCE and if that person says I dont know dont call here again, they are not allowed to call them again. They harassed my in laws & sent many letters to their house. This was UNLAWFUL according to the Federal Debt Collection act there. I am not spineless for declaring bankruptcy. I can not pay them off. I have tried every avenue from debt settlement. In fact I called two different credit counseling places last spring and BOTH of them told me to declare bankruptcy but I wouldnt do it due to this stigma I had about it all too and how others make you feel about doing it. Now after trying this settlement business, I now know that the credit counseling place was right. Plus there was nothing frivolous on the cards- no trips, no toys, no fancy clothes- it was living..food, elec bills, etc. Only if you lose a job do you understand
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