- Knowing how to prioritize debt can make the difference between keeping and losing valued property.
- In many cases, a consumer can stop debt collection harassment using a simple letter.
- Consumers have significant protections from garnishment and attachment of the home.
- A consumer who is being sued by a creditor may be judgment proof because of these protections. It is important for consumers to know when they are judgment proof.
- Consumers can get a copy of their credit report, including their “credit score,” and correct errors and eliminate outdated information. A consumer with credit problems can take steps to build 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.
- There are many ways to help a consumer avoid or fight a utility termination.
- Consumers who are stuck with student loans as a result of fraud by a trade school or for other reasons may be able to get those loans discharged.
- Knowing the signs of a predatory home mortgage loan can help a consumer avoid placing her home at risk. Consumers victimized by predatory loans may have legal remedies to get out of the loan.
- Low income consumers are vulnerable to high cost lending practices - payday loans, rent- to-own (really an expensive loan), pawnshops and auto title pawn, and tax refund loans. There are legal remedies available to challenge them.
- Consumers have significant rights when creditors seek to repossess their property, particularly cars. Automobile fraud can be raised as a defense to repossession
Produced by
Massachusetts Law Reform Institute
Created
2002
