NCLC Guide to Surviving Debt

NCLC Guide to Surviving Debt
448 pages. ISBN 1-931697-68. $20.

In bookstores nationwide or call (617) 542-9595.

"The best book available for consumers in financial trouble, written by the resource center with the greatest expertise about how consumers can respond to debt collection, foreclosure, evictions and utility shutoffs." -- Stephen Brobeck, Executive Director, Consumer Federation of America

"A gold mine on topics like how to handle collectors, which debts to pay first, and how collection lawsuits work." -- U.S. News & World Report

"Outstanding manual ... seldom is such useful, authoritative information available for so small a price!" -- Booklist, the Magazine of the American Library Assn.

More Praise for Surviving Debt

Surviving Debt explains the rights of consumer borrowers with advice that levels the playing field. This new edition contains strategies on:

• Dealing with debt collectors
• Saving your home or car
• Which debts to pay first and common mistakes consumers make that can actually get them into even more trouble
• Managing credit card debt
• Stopping eviction, lockouts and utility shut-offs
• When you should and should not worry about your credit rating
• When to refinance
• Student loan consolidation options
• How to find effective credit counseling agencies
• Alternatives to filing bankruptcy and more
• And includes a detailed index, and list of helpful websites

This handbook draws on the expertise of 16 present and former NCLC attorneys specializing in different areas of consumer law. Two of these attorneys, Deanne Loonin and John Rao were the principal authors of this edition.

You Have Many Important Consumer Rights

If you are having debt problems, you may feel overwhelmed and powerless. During periods of financial hardship, you may not have the resources to pay pressing debts, to meet family needs, and to get necessary legal help. You may feel helpless to fight debt collectors pressing you for payment or threatening to seize your home, car, or other possessions.

In writing this book, we hope to help you even the playing field, and to make the best choices possible despite difficult financial circumstances. We will explain which debts you can ignore for a period of time while you get back on your feet. When you cannot ignore a particular debt without serious consequences, such as foreclosure or repossession, this book sets out helpful options to deal with these problems, both in the short term and the long run.

This book also explains your rights as a consumer. You are not powerless. Many federal and state laws are designed to provide help to people facing financial problems. These include protection against abusive debt collectors, relief from unfair business practices, limits on wage garnishments and seizures of property, and the right to eliminate many obligations in bankruptcy. In most cases, however, you need to know about your rights in order to exercise them. This book attempts both to explain these rights and tell you when and how to utilize them.

Sixteen Rules About Choosing Which Debts to Pay First

How This Book is Organized

Obtaining Professional Assistance

Note to Counselors Using This Book

Note to Lawyers Using This Book

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