A court order which acknowledges that a credit card cardholder owes a debt and explains the way the debt may be recovered is called a credit card judgment. Typically a credit card judgment is issued when a credit card cardholder fails to make required minimum monthly payments and has not attempted to work with the credit card provider to come to an agreement for bringing the account current.
To keep the situation from getting out of hand, it is best to contact the credit card provider and try to work out an arrangement for payments. It is often the case that credit card providers are willing to work with you. By doing this, it may be possible to come to an agreement with regard to monthly payments or a lump sum payment to bring the account up-to-date.
If a credit card provider feels it will get nowhere with you regarding your credit card debt, it may sell your debt to a collection agency. If so, you will then have to negotiate with the collection agency as the credit card provider has removed itself from the equation. Most collection agencies do not want to file a law suit against you as it is time-consuming and costly. They would much rather work with you to settle the debt, either through a lump sum payment or by arranging monthly payments.
If your debt does come before a judge for a credit card judgment, you have the right to appear before the judge and plead your case. If the debt is not yours or if the seizing of the assets would mean serious difficulties for you, the judge may take this into consideration. However, this is viewed on a case-by-case basis.
Additionally, not all assets may be seized and a judge may determine exactly which assets may be taken. A judge may also order that money be taken from your bank account to pay the debt , may set a ruling to garnish your wages (depending upon state law), or may even order the filing of a lien upon your real property, if you own any.
It goes without saying that a credit card judgment will create havoc with your credit score. You will most likely be denied for most credit products and, if you are approved for any credit products, exorbitant annual percentage rates (APRs) and annual and monthly fees will be associated with those which are offered to you. Additionally, your credit report can carry this credit card judgment for up to seven years.
As if this wasn’t enough, this credit card judgment can also affect your chances of future employment or advancement in your current job. Also, searching for reasonable rates on home and car insurance may be affected.
It is best to pay the credit card debt off as quickly as possible once the judgment has been issued. Once you have paid this debt off, you should try to contact the credit reporting agencies to attempt to have the debt removed in its entirety or to request this entry be revised to a “paid” status, at the very least.
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