- Paying the most important debts first can make the difference between keeping and losing your property.
- In many cases, you can stop debt collectors from harassing you by using a simple letter.
- You have some important rights that protect some of your income and your home.
- You can get a copy of your credit report, and your “credit score.” You can correct errors and delete old information. You can also work on building their credit.
- Every state has a basic consumer protection law against unfair or deceptive acts or practices in trade or commerce. In Massachusetts, this is M.G.L. c. 93A.
- If you are stuck with student loans because of fraud by a trade school or other reasons, you may be able to get those loans discharged.
- Know the signs of a predatory home mortgage loan it can keep you from losing your home. If you were victimized by predatory loans you may have legal ways to get out of the loans.
- If you have a low income and you may have ended up with a high cost loan - payday loans, rent- to-own (really an expensive loan), pawnshops and auto title pawn, and tax refund loans. You may be able to challenge the lender.
- You have important rights when a creditor seeks to repossess your property, particularly your cars. Automobile fraud can be a defense to repossession.
Produced by
Massachusetts Law Reform Institute
Last updated
March 2013
