Arizona Consumer Law Group
Consumer Blog
Do We Have Enough Debt to File for Bankruptcy?
You may feel like there is never enough money to pay all of your bills. Dave Ramsey often cites to the statistic that nearly 80% of Americans are living pay-check-to-pay-check. When money is tight, even a small amount of debt can put a lot of stress on a family. A...
How to Settle Your Debts in 3 Steps
In this article, I am going to give you the inside scoop on how to successfully settle your debts for less than what you owe. When struggling with serious debt problems you really have three options: (1) pay them in full; (2) file bankruptcy; or (3) negotiate a...
Can a Debt Collector Put a Lien on Your Home in Arizona?
Can a debt collector put a lien on your home? Worse yet, can a debt collector foreclose on your house? *** New Arizona Court Decision *** Recently, the Arizona Court of Appeals addressed these questions in Pac. W. Bank v. Castleton, No. 1 CA-CV 17-0667 (Ariz. Ct. App....
How You Can File Your Chapter 7 Bankruptcy for $0 Down
I have helped Arizona families deal with serious debt problems for nearly two decades. During that time the biggest hurdle for most families that desperately needed debt relief was how they could afford to pay the legal fees associated with filing for bankruptcy. In...
How to Defeat Junk Debt Buyers Through Private Arbitration
Arizona Debt Collection Judgments Now Good for Ten Years
Arizona (finally) Clarifies Statute of Limitations on Credit Cards
For years Arizona law as it relates to the statute of limitations on credit cards has been murky at best. Recently the Arizona Supreme Court provided a lot of clarity when it comes to calculating when the statute of limitations starts ticking on credit card debt. But...
Debt Collection Judgments Now Good for Ten Years
The Arizona legislature just sucker punched the Arizona consumer. Arizona is an extremely friendly place for debt collectors to do business – most of whom have their operations outside of the state of Arizona. Recently, the law in Arizona as it relates to civil...
“Just Pay Your Bills” and Other Stupid Comments on My YouTube Channel
Hey everybody, John Skiba here from the Arizona Consumer Law Group. I am also founder of the Consumer Warrior Project that provides resources to people that are facing serious debt problems. You can learn more about that by going over to the website...
#1 Obstacle to Winning Your Debt Collection Lawsuit
Hey everybody, John Skiba here from the Arizona Consumer Law Group. I’m also founder of the Consumer Warrior Project where I provide information to consumers who are dealing with pretty serious debt problems as far as how you can solve those problems. In...
Top 3 Reasons Consumers Lose Their Case – And How to Avoid Them
Today I was at the court attending a garnishment hearing on behalf of a client. I got there a little bit early and was reviewing the docket posted outside the courtroom by the clerk of the court. The morning’s calendar was full of debt collection cases –...
The Problem with Mediation in Arizona Debt Collection Cases
Arizona’s justice court system has a problem when it comes to mediation in debt buyer cases brought by junk debt buyers like Portfolio Recovery Associates, CACH, Cavalry SPV, and Midland Funding. Before I jump into the mediation problem faced by Arizona...
5 Free Legal Resources for Arizona Consumers
When it comes to consumers being sued by debt collectors in Arizona the overwhelming majority of consumer represent themselves in court. In fact, studies show that less than 1% of consumers being sued by a debt collector actually hire an attorney. This makes sense...
Legal Coaching in Debt Collection Lawsuits
The bulk of debt collection lawsuits filed by junk debt buyers like Midland Funding, Cavalry SPV, Portfolio Recovery Associates, CACH (or any of the many other debt buyers) are for surprisingly little money. You might assume that the higher amount owed on the credit...
National Collegiate Student Loans May be Wiped Out
Recently the New York Times ran an article on the possibility of private student loans that are held by the National Collegiate Student Loan Trusts being wiped out due to poor documentation. While the New York Times article is shining a light on this the problems with...
Civil Judgments to Be Removed from All Credit Reports
Starting July 1, 2017 the three major credit reporting agencies – Equifax, Experian, and Transunion – will no longer report public records like judgments and tax liens unless it contains the consumer’s name, address, and either Social Security number...
New Course – How to Represent Yourself at a Debt Collection Trial
Consumers from across the country have requested that I put together an information on course on the procedures and strategies to representing yourself in a debt collection trial. In light of this I am excited to announce the launching of a new course entitled...
NEW Debt Settlement Course for Do-It-Yourselfers
When it comes to finding a real solution to debt problems the amount of information on the internet and elsewhere can be really overwhelming. In my law practice I meet dozens of families each week who are struggling with debt collection, lawsuits, wage garnishment and...
Have You Been Sued By Salander Enterprises?
Salander Enterprises files a large number of debt collection lawsuits in Arizona. Salander Enterprises is a junk debt buyer that purchases old charged of debt – often medical debt – and then files lawsuits on in an attempt to collect the debt. Most...
What Happens to Car & Home Loans in Bankruptcy?
The driving force behind most personal bankruptcy cases is unsecured debt like credit cards, medical bills, personal loans, etc. Some express concern as to what will happen to their secured loans such as their mortgage or loan on their car in a bankruptcy case. The...
Arizona Statute of Limitations on Credit Card Debt – New Decision Deals Blow to Consumers
The Arizona Court of Appeals recently dealt a blow to consumers when it issued a new decision on the statute of limitations as it applies to credit card debt. The statute of limitations is the time period a credit card company has to file a collection lawsuit after a...
How to Eliminate IRS Tax Debt in Arizona
When it comes to IRS tax debt none of the typical debt collection rules apply. The IRS has power to take your money and lien your home without even filing a lawsuit. This is much different than the standard unsecured debt (i.e. credit cards, medical, etc.). Normally,...
How to Avoid Repossession in Arizona
Delinquent car loans are becoming a big problem in Arizona. There are several reasons why, however a big problem I see in my bankruptcy practice are subprime car loans that charge very high interest rates on used cars. The subprime car loan problems were recently...
Bankruptcy When You Are on Disability
The Social Security Administration states that there are currently nearly 9 million people receiving social security disability benefits with the average monthly being a little over $1,200 per month. I meet weekly with clients who are living on disability benefits,...
Repo Man Pays Off Elderly Couple’s Car
Having worked with families struggling with debt problems for over 14 years I have had more than a few interactions with repo men (and women). And more often than not, these interaction’s don’t end well. It was just a few months ago I wrote about a repo...
Black Friday and Bankruptcy
It is hard to believe that the holidays are upon us once again. And love it or hate it Black Friday and become a holiday tradition for many people where they stake out their claim for the great deals of the holiday season. While it can be easy to get caught up in the...
Does My Spouse Have to File Bankruptcy With Me in Arizona?
A common question I get from married couples who are facing debt problems is whether both need to file for bankruptcy or if it is permissible for one spouse to file the bankruptcy. Many couples would like to try and save one spouse’s credit score or it may be...
Midland Funding Ordered to Pay Consumer After Two Year Court Battle
Two years ago Midland Funding sued a consumer here in Arizona and began what ended up being a two year court battle through both the Justice Court System and an appeal to the Maricopa County Superior Court. The end result was the court entering judgment in favor of...
The Ultimate Arizona Bankruptcy Guide – pt. 7 – The Path to a Chapter 7 Discharge
In most chapter 7 bankruptcy cases the activity in the case is front loaded. What I mean by that is prior to filing the bankruptcy case there is a lot of activity around pulling all of the necessary information and documentation together to prepare the bankruptcy...
Will I Qualify for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy?
Periodically the United States Trustee’s Office updates the income limits used to determine whether or not you qualify for a chapter 7 bankruptcy filing. Overwhelmingly people that file for bankruptcy file under chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code. Chapter 7 has...
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John Skiba, Esq.
We offer a free consultation to discuss your debt problem and help you put together a game plan to eliminate your debt once and for all. Give us a call at (480) 420-4028