Before a Vehicle Repossession
If you anticipate a repossession occurring, evaluate the items left in your vehicle. Although personal property can be retrieved after repossession, items could go missing or be damaged in the process of repossession.
Take steps to protect your possessions:
-Remove all important car purchase and finance documents from the vehicle
-Remove all personal items – car seats, laptops, medications, handbags, etc.
-Note the mileage on the vehicle
-Photograph or Video the condition of your vehicle — interior and exterior.
During the Auto Repossession
-Take note of events during the repossession.
-Videotape/photograph the vehicle and events at the scene.
-Date and time
-Repo Company Name
-Witness names
-Police Officer names & badge #
After the Auto Repossession
The lender is required to provide notices to the borrower after the repossession and sale of the vehicle. These notices are called:
Notice of Intent to Sell Property
The first notice confirms the vehicle was repossessed and informs the borrower of the amount owed and terms to retrieve the vehicle. It will state the vehicle’s location for retrieval of personal property. If the borrower can not meet the terms, the lender will sell the vehicle at an auction or private sale.
Deficiency Notice
Once the vehicle is sold, a second letter is sent to the borrower. It confirms the selling price of the vehicle and calculates any remaining balance owed to satisfy the loan, including charges for storage and the repossession fee.
If the vehicle sold for more than the amount owed to satisfy the loan, the notice will detail the surplus balance.
Collection of Deficient Auto Loan Balance
The lender may attempt to collect the deficient balance from the borrower or assign the collection to an agency or collection law firm. If the debt is not collected, the lender may choose to file a lawsuit against the borrower.
If you have been sued, do not ignore it.
A default judgment could be entered against you. 
Judgments are dangerous. The lender attempt collection of the judgment through bank attachment, seizure of property, or in many states, wage garnishment.
Seek Legal Help from a Qualified Consumer Lawyer
Flitter Milz is a nationally recognized consumer protection law firm experienced in auto repossession law and the pursuit of cases against banks, credit unions, or financial institutions that violated the borrower’s consumer rights. For a no cost consultation, Contact Us. We will ask that you gather a copy of your complete signed loan agreement, along with correspondence from the lender sent AFTER the repossession, for the legal review.
You might need to consider getting someone to cosign an auto loan if you are unable to qualify for the credit. Frequently, poor credit or lack of credit history, lack of income, or being able to make a down payment are reasons that a lender would require the borrower to get a cosigner. But co-signing holds a lot of responsibility…even if you’re doing it for a family member or close friend.
The co-signer’s good name and credit history provide additional assurance to the lender that the terms of the loan agreement will be honored with payments being made in full and on time.
Both the co-signer and primary borrower hold equal responsibility for the signed auto loan. When payments are late or missed, the lender has the right to repossess the vehicle. Credit reports for both the borrower and co-signer will list a negative payment history and the repossession.
The lender may contact the co-signer, and/or the primary borrower, after a vehicle has been repossessed. The bank, credit union or financial institution will look to the co-signer to bring the account current or satisfy the loan in full. Credit scores may drop as a result and impact existing credit, or make it difficult to obtain new credit for both the borrower and co-signer.
Scenarios involving mixed credit files are all too common today. A mixed credit file, or mis-merged file, can happen when your credit information is commingled with someone else’s on your credit report. For years, the credit bureaus have been told their methods of matching consumer data is fundamentally flawed, but the often-devastating errors keep happening.
Federal court in Philadelphia rules TransUnion must go to trial
Errors on your credit reports can derail your finances, and sometimes prevent you from obtaining the credit you may need. By checking your credit reports regularly with the three main bureaus — Transunion, Experian and Equifax — you can make sure negative entries and inaccurate listings don’t stand in your way of getting the car loan, mortgage, job or apartment you deserve. Take these steps to work towards your financial freedom.
Credit reports show the history of credit accounts and illustrate whether a consumer is a good credit risk. Consumers must review their reports for accuracy and take steps to correct inaccurate information. Common credit reporting problems are:
Maybe you aren’t completely sold on solar panels, and simply want more information about switching to solar power. Beware. At this point of the presentation, the salesperson may casually suggest that you submit an application, just to see whether or not you qualify for solar panels. You’ll be offered an iPad or tablet to sign, and be told not to worry because you’ll receive copies of all documents by email.
Placing your signature or initials on an iPad, tablet, or phone may seem easy. However, your electronic signature or initials may be copied and affixed to a contract or other forms that you did not intend.
Solar companies rely on financing to make solar panels available to consumers. Credit reports are accessed to evaluate a potential customer’s creditworthiness. The consumer must provide written permission for the solar company to obtain these reports.
Solar panels will be free.
Many times, the solar panel company may not want to sell you the panels. If you, the buyer, purchases the panels, you would receive the tax credit, not the solar company. If the solar company leases you panels and only promises to sell you the solar power, the solar sales company may receive the tax credit, not you, the homeowner.
Your Neighbors Are Doing It!
Flitter Milz is a nationally recognized consumer protection law firm that evaluates solar panel sales matters for potential violation of the consumer protection laws involving fraud, such as forged contracts, identity theft and credit reporting privacy violations. 
The jury verdict will compensate a group of 19 plaintiffs whose consumer protection rights were violated by repeated misrepresentations throughout FantaSea Resort’s routine, deceptive sales practices. The jury agreed that FantaSea’s tactics left consumers with timeshare purchases they couldn’t use as described, with payments and rising maintenance fees they couldn’t escape.
In trial, FantaSea Resorts admitted to making knowingly false statements to lure potential buyers into binding timeshare sales agreements through a sales process that violated the New Jersey Real Estate Timeshare Act (RETA). According to court documents, FantaSea intentionally withheld important sales documents from the buyers until after they had completed the transaction, contrary to what they are legally required to do.
What’s more, FantaSea’s timeshare sales were rigged so that timeshare owners would routinely pay more for a vacation stay than non-owners, according to court documents. In one case, over the length of the plaintiff’s 10-year mortgage, she would pay more than 
Flitter Milz, PC, with offices in PA, NJ, and NY, is a nationally recognized leader in consumer protection law, with over 30 years’ experience in the field. The firm represents victims of finance fraud, illegal vehicle repossessions, unfair debt collection practices, credit report errors, civil rights abuses, and other consumer protection matters in individual and class action cases. Pictured: Cary Flitter (center), Andy Milz (left), Jody López-Jacobs (right).
All it takes is someone with the same or similar name, birthdate, address, or other matching identifying information to have a stranger’s record inaccurately mixed with yours. Their DUI, their theft conviction, or their sex offence can then show up on YOUR report. It’s no surprise then that bad background checks for employment, rent, or security clearance can ruin someone’s livelihood and reputation in an instant.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recently published an advisory warning that 
More than 90% of prospective employers, landlords, insurance companies and banks use background check data as part of their application process. These companies must have a legally permissible purpose to obtain a copy of a consumer’s background report when evaluating the consumer for credit, insurance, housing, or employment decisions. The consumer is entitled to a copy of the background check report used to evaluate his or her application.
Background reports include information such as, employment history, credit information and legal problems. In some cases, social media accounts may show up. The more data listed in a background check could mean a greater possibility for error. As a result, the consumer could be denied a job, housing, insurance or credit. Just one error on a background report can cause significant harm. Procedures for maintaining and dispensing accurate information are critical. Background reports must ensure proper identification of the applicant, plus accurate data related to the applicant. Disclaimers by background reporting companies do not cure permissible violations. Instead, they could violate a person’s privacy, which is strictly prohibited under the FCRA.
When a background check is required, the prospective employer or landlord must obtain written permission from the applicant to request a report. A Disclosure Notice and Authorization form must be filled out and signed by the applicant, then submitted to the background check company. Most authorization forms require the applicant’s full name, date of birth, social security number, current zip code, phone number and email address. Screening for some types of employment may require additional information, such as motor vehicle reports, employment verifications or international criminal checks.
Credit reports must be kept accurate.
The website, annualcreditreport.com, is the quickest way to access reports. By writing to the three main credit bureaus – Transunion, Experian and Equifax — to 
After reviewing your credit report for accuracy, if there are errors listed you may need to write to the lender, creditor, collection agency or other type of data furnisher to request updated information on your account. Obtaining verification of your account status from these companies can provide useful evidence when your dispute is investigated by the credit bureau and evaluated for accuracy.
Although the credit bureaus accept disputes online and by phone, consumers must be cautious. These methods of disputing could present problems.
Dispute letters should be sent to the credit bureaus by Certified Mail, Return Receipt. Be sure to keep a copy of the dispute letter and all supporting documents enclosed with your letter, along with all mailing receipts from the post office.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act 
Consumer credit is when credit is advanced to a consumer for the purchase of personal or household goods or services. The system for extension of credit allows consumers to borrow money, or incur debt, and to defer repayment of that money over time.
Having 
Consumers may explore options to finance the purchase by contacting banks, credit unions and financial institutions. The terms for borrowing money may vary from one lender to another. After submission of a credit application, lenders take steps to evaluate the borrower’s creditworthiness. Typically, a credit application triggers a 
Borrowers must be prepared for the lender to approve or 
A credit reference is one of the methods lenders and service providers use to determine a borrower’s creditworthiness. Credit references can include your bank, previous landlords, employers, or companies whose bills you’ve paid regularly. Depending on the type of application, it is best to submit the best reference for the situation. Typically, this person or company would improve the borrower’s chances for approval for the type of loan that is sought. 
