Financial difficulty can happen. Marital breakdown, economic downturn / job loss, health issues are all realty.
If I can give one piece of advice it’s this – in the face of financial difficulty the worst thing that a person can do is to go dark on their creditors.
In my experience, being 100% upfront and honest with creditors is by far the best 1st step in face of a cash crunch. CALL YOUR CREDITORS. EXPLAIN YOUR SITUATION. ASK FOR A TEMPORARY REPRIEVE. BE PROACTIVE WITH LOOKING AT A SOLUTION EARLY.
Trust me – most creditors DO NOT want to foreclose on homes, send you to collections or push you over the brink of financial ruin. Many will actually work to help you get back on your feet if you let them know early on that you are in a crunch. I have seen some of our lenders make amazing concessions for customers who hit a stumbling block financially when they have gotten in touch BEFORE they fall behind.
It’s when a person stops making minimum payments, avoids calls from creditors and just gives up on their situation / assumes they are up the creek or are too embarrassed to admit that they may not be able to meet obligations.
This looks to creditors that the person has abandoned the debt and is now looking to stick it to them.
Unfortunately, many times people call us at Dominion Lending Centres when they are already months behind and been served with collections / seizure notices and credit is ruined. At that time, they are too far gone and lenders/creditors are normally not able to help.
Any time a person calls to advise that they are looking for a solution to help with a cash crunch, the first question I ask is “Have you spoken to your creditors?”
Don’t be embarrassed, be proactive!! Save your credit standing, your assets and your future. Short term pain is much better than long term ruin any day.
We have seen it all at DLC and are here to help.
