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Research: Debt management without filing for bankruptcy - Credit-Land.com

Filing for a bankruptcy may seem an ideal solution for the debt problem. But bankruptcy is not that simple and definitely comes with a price. Bankruptcy stays on the record for seven full years. During this time, applying for any kind of loan will be almost next to impossible. Obtaining credit card will be a problem too, and so would be building upon a fresh credit history. Filing for bankruptcy involves a lengthy court procedure and tons of paperwork and will need the service of a lawyer. Lawyer's fees and the filing process will cost additional money, which will make the situation worse. Filing for bankruptcy might not be completely successful, and the court may order on clearing some part of the debt of not full.

There are some methods that can prove to be helpful in clearing the debts, before filing for bankruptcy. If none of these are successful, only then bankruptcy can be thought as an alternate.

Balance Transfer:

Balance transfer process involves transferring all outstanding balance onto a new credit card which offers 0% interest rate for as long as a year. Interest free period makes it possible to pay off a fixed amount of debt. balance transfer cards should not be used for anything else until the outstanding balance has been cleared off.

Secured loans:

Secured loans are an option for home or property owners. These loans have better interest rates than credit cards, and so clearing them off would be easier. The equity of homes will act as security and the interest rates and the loan amount depends on the value of the property.

Unsecured loans:

These loans are although of higher interest rates, it will be better paying off one loan amount with a fixed interest rate, than to distribute the money across various credit cards with varying interests.

Debt consolidation through Remortgaging:

Home owners can remortgage a certain amount from their equity to consolidate the debt and pay off as a single loan. These will have reduced interest rates, and make the monthly payable amount, fixed.

New credit cards:

Signing up for new credit cards with lesser interest rates and transferring the outstanding balance can also be another solution. Although there will not be much of an advantage here, lesser interest rates can certainly help. Making use of introductory offers like interest free periods, or easy payback schemes can provide some respite and help pay off debt more easily.

Disclaimer: This editorial content is not provided or commissioned by the credit card issuer(s). Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of the credit card issuer(s), and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the credit card issuer(s). Reasonable efforts are made to present accurate information, however all information is presented without warranty. Consult a card's issuing bank for the terms & conditions.
All rates and fees, and other terms and conditions of the products mentioned in this article/post are actual as of the last update date but are subject to change. See the current products' Terms & Conditions on the issuing banks' websites.