morganliz Posted January 27, 2005 Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 My MIL is 78yrs old and lives only on social security ($900/mo) I recently found out that she has been paying on some of her old credit cards (some since the 70s) always the minimum balance, always late so these cards have more on them than the original balance!! I told her not to pay them that I would help her get them off her back. I have two problems. These creditors have not turned these accounts over to CAs yet, can I write a Cease and Desist letter to an OC? Also my main problem is my MIL because every time these people call they convince her to give them some money, can this interfere with my efforts to get them to call off the dogs? She is concerned that the creditors will think badly of her if she buys medicine instead of paying these old balances!! We are not concerned about her being sued b/c she doesn't work, owns no property, lives in senior subsidized housing. So, unless they want to take her to court and rip the walker from her hands (I wouldn't be suprised if they tried) there really is nothing to get. Any advice you can offer would be appreciated. Thank you all in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recovering Attorney Posted January 27, 2005 Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 If she will give you a limited power of attorney to deal with credit cards, you can then write the companies as her attorney-in-fact and lay out a hardship case ( all the things you mentioned) and suggest a negotiated payoff. If these are big card issuers and she has been paying them regualrly, they will not listen, and you will have to wait until she is 3 or 4 months behind.If she doesn't need the cards, close them. Write the companies telling them to rport as Closed by Consumer Request. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morganliz Posted January 27, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 Thanks for the advice, a settlement is not really an option as her total monthly income is 900, rent for her runs 400 and her medicines cost 400 which obviously doesn't leave much for groceries, etc. What she has been doing to pay them is just not buy some of her prescriptions. The cards we are dealing with are BP Amoco, Sears, and Parisian ( a dept store) They have already ruined her credit & she has been over her credit limit and unable to use these cards for years. At her age and financial situation we are not trying to repair her credit. We just want them to give her some peace. We negotiated with BP to close the account, however, she they kept calling her and she felt so bad that she paid them something and now they call everyday. Sears told us to take a flying leap and they call everyday. She has gotten to the point that she never answers the phone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willingtocope Posted January 27, 2005 Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 I can't put my finger on it right now, but there is a post here somewhere about a story in the Cleveland Plain Dealer (I think) where a woman was in exactly the same position with Discover. She was in court, and when the judge totaled up what she had paid over the years...something like twice the original charge...decided that Discover could go pound sand, and discharged the debt.Having been in the same position with my mother-in-law, I realize that for older folks bad credit = bad morals, it would be a tough sell...but you might try to convince her to file BK... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladyblue65 Posted January 27, 2005 Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 Get your power of attroney, You can get a copy from home depot. Take it to the court house have them notarize it there. File with the court house cost about 7-10 bucks.Write all her creditors (with the sealed power of attroney copy from the court house) to cease all communications (mail certified) (make sure you have enough copies so you do not have to keep going to the court house for more) then you are done. Have her pull her credit report or look at her most recent one and go down the list to make sure you got all of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladyblue65 Posted January 27, 2005 Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 Sorry not home depot, office max, staples, or off the web Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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