What does it mean when the calls stop?

[tay666]

We are past due about 60 days on several credit cards.
Have been getting the annoying calls regularly for weeks now.
Usually we just hang up on them as soon as we pick up the phone and find no one there (because there is always a delay before they start to say anything)

Well, the past three days have been pretty peacefull.
Usually right at 8 the calls start. And we get several in the morning.
Then more spread out throughout the day.
Hardly any calls lately.

Does this mean they are transferring them from in-house collections to a collection agency, or something like that?

[BKOnce]

Probably they confused & changed tactics now.

[SinkingFast]

Generally, your acct will stay in regular Customer Servicing for 2-3 months after you quit making payments. Then the CC transfers your acct to "In House" collections. They'll call you for several months before the CC sends your acct to an outside collections firm.

Since you're just 60 days late, possibly your accts are being moved to Internal Collections. If that's the case, shortly the calls will start back up, only worse than before.

BoA was our worst. They'd call a dozen times before lunch. Saturdays and Sundays included. Then the phone went quiet from them. The didn't send any of our accts to outside collections. But later, when we pulled our Credit Reports to start clean up, we learned they'd been pulling our Credit regularly for months. They were checking to see if we were paying anyone and how much other Creditors might be getting.

[treehugger1]

Iwas finally 60 days late (didn't pay last month at end of 30 day billing cycle) and BoA called. I asked them for a reduced plan and they ignored me. They called recently with a proposed five-year plan. I told them I "might" be able to do this starting in May (no promises, as I have potential garnishments coming my way). THey seemed okay with this and I'm looking for the written proposal I can review. I'm sure this was inhouse collections. I was close to 90 days when citibank called. I got my payment reduced from $250 month to $100/month with 0% interest. It took Citi about 90 days, but still inhouse. I didn't pay any of my three Capone cards last month, so I'm curious as to how long they will take. I would be a bit careful about local creditors, as they can move quite fast. I got burned by one, but now have a short-term agreement with them. If you think you are filing 7, why wait? If you are probably filing a 13, then there are a lot of things to consider. If you know you are filing 13, make sure you pay your secured creditors if possible, and buy yourself as much time to get your act together. The heck with the rest. Pay yourself first (rent/mortgage, food, transportation, medical, etc). I'm so veyr thankful for this site. If I had not found this forum, I think I would have let my legal counsel set up the BK process. As it turns out, this forum has provided a wealth of info that has allowed me plenty of time to sort out my decisions.

[SinkingFast]

I would be a bit careful about local creditors, as they can move quite fast. I got burned by one, but now have a short-term agreement with them.

This is pretty much what we were told when we retained our attny.

In what to expect of the 341 Meeting, the paralegal did a quick scan of our Creditors list and said we wouldn't see anyone at our 341. All of our Creditors were BIG banks. Citi, Chase, BoA, etc.

The paralegal said the only Creditors that give them fits are the local guys. And then she rattled off a whole list of names of people that pester with their Clients.

Do be careful about your Local Creditors. Since they're smaller, your debt is bigger piece of their bottom line than with a Citi or Chase type Creditor.

[tay666]

Guess we are lucky then.
No one is really local.
The most persistent of the big ones seems to be 5th 3rd bank.
Followed cloesely by JCPenny's. (which is the only store CC with any balance at all, and is the one that is the most past due)
The rest of the cards are BOA, an ATT MC, and a CC from my wife's old credit union AFSCME (which is only 30 days late right now)

[jal1129]

My biggest pain was a local creditor. They sent me a letter about understanding tough times and to just give them a call and they would work with me. I called them when I was one week late to work out a payment arrangement, explaining my DH had been in an accident and not working, and she started screaming at me if they did'nt have payment in 1 week they would sue me and garnish my wages! (I am an independant contractor so they can't garnish my wages, although I did'nt tell her that). They would send 2-3 letters a week asking why would'nt I just call in so they could work with me, everytime I would call in and ask why they keep sending me these letters saying they would work with me when they obviously won't. She said they were automated (still don't understand why they kept sending them?...)

We ended up filing 2 months after her deadline for sueing us and it never happened. I am wondering if they will show up or object. I took out the loan for about $1500 for dental work about 6 1/2 months before we filed, but by 1 day it will fall within the 6 month look back. The check went straight to the dentist, I never saw it. I made 3 months worth of payments before stopping.

I am glad if they look on pacer they will clearly see our paperwork states DH is on medical leave!