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If you’re receiving countless calls from a debt collector, it’s easy to understand why your first instinct may be to ignore them and hold off on dealing with the debt. Although you might want to consider turning your phone on silent or blocking their number, this is often not your best option. With that in mind, this article is for you if you’re searching for an alternative to ignoring debt collectors and creditors. Continue reading to learn more about the financial and legal effects of ignoring collection calls and what you can do instead. After you’ve finished this article, contact… Read More

An estimated 41% of Americans have some form of unpaid medical debt. Further, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) reported there was $88 billion in medical debt on the credit records of consumers. However, a recent study from Stanford University suggests that it might be much worse (at least $140 billion). With that in mind, millions of U.S. citizens face medical collections activities and negative information on their credit reports due to an inability to pay medical bills. At Ziegler Diamond Law, our debt relief lawyers understand the devastating financial impact a medical bill could have on your credit score,… Read More

If you are considering filing for bankruptcy and are receiving disability benefits, no doubt one of your biggest questions is whether or not your disability payments will be protected. Normally, you will be able to keep them. They will be protected from the bankruptcy trustee, but all are not treated the same. There are basically three types of disability benefits: Social Security Veterans Private The Three Categories In a Chapter 7 dissolution bankruptcy, assets that are not exempt may be sold by the bankruptcy trustee for the sake of creditors. In a Chapter 13 reorganization bankruptcy, the trustee cannot sell… Read More

Debt collection laws don’t usually get a whole lot of buzz, but as I’m sure you’ve seen on social media and through your local news outlets there’s a new debt collection law called Regulation F that went into effect on November 30th, 2021 that’s really caused a buzz. Now yes it’s true, Regulation F did expand some ways that debt collectors can communicate with you, but it’s important to remember two things: Collectors always have to abide by consumer protection laws. Regulation F also expanded some consumer protections. So bad news first! Let’s review the ways that Regulation F broadened… Read More

Are you being sued by TD Auto Finance? Are you afraid you will be soon? Keep reading. A Little Background TD Auto Finance is an indirect auto financing company that finances cars through car dealerships. They are actually a subsidiary of TD Bank, which is one of the 10 biggest banks in the United States.  TD Bank has branches throughout Florida, various other states and Canada. TD Auto Finance and TD Bank are members of TD Bank Group. TD Bank Group is quite a big outfit with over $900 billion in assets. They have more than 83,000 employees worldwide. The… Read More

The Florida foreclosure moratorium ended a year ago, and now the federal foreclosure moratorium has not been extended further. This has left many wondering what exactly is the Florida foreclosure process? You may have special circumstances that will help you if you are facing foreclosure, and your Florida debt collection defense attorney can help answer your questions. This article, however, addresses the Florida foreclosure process, so those facing foreclosure have an idea what to expect and can get the help they need. The Legal Basis for Foreclosure If you can’t pay your mortgage, a lender can’t just come in and… Read More

You may have something on the horizon where you need a good credit score. Perhaps you intend to buy a house in the near future and don’t want to pay high interest rates due to shaky credit. We always tell people to track your credit score regularly and we’ve spoken before about how to improve your credit score. Building a good credit score is something you do over a course of years for really good credit that lasts. But can you do anything to impact your credit score in a month or two? You betcha. The trick is to do… Read More

It’s enough to increase your heart rate and make you break out in a sweat. The debt collector is calling! Debt collectors have tricks up their sleeves, so you are right to be concerned when debt collectors call. If you owe a lot of money, it very well may be worth your while to hire a debt collection defense attorney who knows the ins and outs. But if you are planning to speak with a debt collector yourself, you need to be prepared. Consider the following advice. Keep calm Debt collectors like to keep you off balance, and often they… Read More

We all know that medical debt drives many people into bankruptcy. It’s the largest category of debt in the United States. Even if patients recover, the weight of medical bills can ruin their lives. Well, it’s even worse than we or the government or anybody else thought. A study from JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) just published in July tells us that collection agencies held $140 billion in unpaid medical bills in 2020. (The study covers January 2009 to June 2020.) A previous study done in 2016 indicated the amount was almost half that — $81 billion. It gets… Read More

If you are having trouble making ends meet, the last thing you want is for your creditor to garnish your wages. A wage garnishment, also known as a wage attachment, is an order the court sends to your employer telling them to withhold money from your paycheck and sent it to the creditor. As you can imagine, this will not endear you to your employer. However, they can’t fire you for it unless you have more than one garnishment. However, under Florida law, your employer can deduct the amount from your paycheck that it cost them to obey a wage… Read More