Posts Tagged ‘collection services’

Would you be mortified if a man in a tuxedo and a top hat followed you into a restaurant and silently joined your lunch date? How about a trio of men with more to love dressed like superheroes asking your neighbors for donations to assist you in your financial situation?

In Madrid, make sure your bills are paid or you might be visited by one of these colorful characters. The recession has slammed Spain. Official figures show that the unemployment rate has sky rocketed, reaching 19.3 percent. That\’s one of the highest rates in Europe. Around four million people are not working. That\’s the same number of jobless people as France and Italy put together. One business is flourishing however, that business is debt collection.

Spanish law is very lax when it comes down to debt payment. They allow 95 days to settle bills unlike the 30 day limit in other areas of Europe. This, coupled with the fact that Spanish courts give the matter low priority put collection agencies in high demand.

One company, El Cobrador del Frac – which translates as \”The Debt Collector in Top Hat and Tails\” – has more than 250 collectors, and an equal number of investigators and secretaries.Their goal is to work out some deal and retrieve money, not to run after people without the means to pay.

For the company, the new and most popular business is coming from constructive trade which is suffering from a huge slowdown. Homeowners owe money to contractors, contractors owe money to construction companies, construction companies owe equipment makers, and so forth and so on.

Last year, the agency was contacted by a wedding company who had a couple who did not pay the $83,000 bill for their extravagant wedding. The agency got their hands on a wedding guest list and began calling up guests one by one on the phone and asking them if they had the chicken or the lobster, and then asked them where to send the bill. Eventually the shamed couple paid up.

These ideas are quirky, (I guess that is one way to describe it) but they will not be this effective in times to come. In this time of economic crisis, too many people have debts and they honestly can\’t pay. And to these people, it doesn\’t matter how much you humiliate them.

Mallory Megan works for a debt collection agency. She also composes articlesabout finance and business, consumer spending and debt collection. Grab a totally unique version of this article from the Uber Article Directory

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With all types of debts, accounts, and interest rates all hitting you at once, your financial situation can very well seem intimidating. But if you follow this program you will find that there is an effective and safe way to manage your money.

The easy calculation requires the interest rates for each debt account only. Assuming that all debt accounts have the same tax liability. If not, you can determine your interest rate after taxes for this calculation.

Your first step is to order your debts; highest interest rate to lowest. You\’ll probably find credit cards at the top of the list. Retail credit cards offered by stores usually have the highest interest rates, so you might find this type of credit card on the top. Make sure that the rates did not fluctuate from the promotional rates that you originally signed up for. Card issuers can change your interest rates at any time. They are supposed to give warning, but you may not receive this warning.

Your home equity loans and your mortgage might be the next debts on the list. It\’s imperative that you capture every debt for which you make a monthly payment. Student loans might be the last on the list.

Next, pay the minimum to all debts every month. You will pay the minimum monthly payment for all of the debts, except for the one account listed at the top of the list.The next thing you want to do is send all extra available cash to the debt with the highest interest. All unused income after paying expenses should be dedicated towards the debt account with the highest interest rate.

Repeat these steps every month. You will protect your finances by making sure every creditor receives the minimum payment, but you will hone in on your debt that has the highest interest. Once a debt account has been eliminated, remove it from the list and re-order if interest rates have changed.

Mallory Megan works for a debt collection company. You can get a unique content version of this article from the Uber Article Directory.

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