The mortgage company will send you an ACT 91 Notice informing you of the past due amount required to cure the alleged default. If you pay this amount they have to start accepting payments. The notice will inform you of your right to credit counseling along with a list of approved credit counseling services in your area.

You should also send the mortgage company a letter called a Qualified Written Request. Please feel free to contact my office and we can share a sample letter with you and explain what this actually means to you.

First, you must take action to defend it. The last thing you want to do is ignore it. If you do nothing, this would allow the mortgage company to file a judgment and schedule a sheriff sale. In a lawsuit, the mortgage company must be able to supply certain facts to show that they even have a right to sue you in foreclosure.

They must prove that they are the current mortgage company and that they are in possession of a valid promissory note. They also must be able to provide an accurate loan history. They cannot always do this. We know how to challenge the mortgage company on these issues. You are not always on the losing end of these actions. What you really need, if you are facing a foreclosure lawsuit, is to gather as much information as possible, so you can make choices about how to defend yourself. I invite you to call my office and discuss it with me in detail.

Yes, in 1977 the U.S. Congress enacted the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) to protect consumers just like you from abuse and harassment by collection agencies. This law provides exact guidelines as to how collection agencies must conduct themselves which, amongst many other things, means you should be treated with dignity and respect.

Attorney Forbes takes great pride in enforcing these laws on behalf of clients and as a Philadelphia debt collection harassment lawyer, is able to aggressively apply the FDCPA to protect consumer's rights.

The first step is to call me for a free consultation on your case and a review of what the collectors have been doing. Meanwhile, make detailed notes of any conversations you've had with bill collectors. Save all voice mails and phone messages!

This is vital to your case. It is illegal in our state to record calls without the person's permission but you can retain your messages. Finally, save copies of all letters and notices you have received from these agencies. This is the type of information I need to proceed with legal actions to stop the harassment.

Items that credit collectors are not allowed to do include, but are not limited to:

• Calling third parties such as friends, family and neighbors in order to collect a debt
• Constantly calling you or calling you before or after acceptable times of the morning or night
• Calling your place of work after they have been told not to
• Using profane, obscene, insulting, loud or threatening language towards you
• Threatening lawsuits, wage garnishment or arrest for not having paid a debt
• Calling your cell phone without permission
• Make false statements of threats in order to get you to pay
• Continuing to call you after they have been informed you are represented by a lawyer

This would not be my recommendation to a client for many reasons. Collection companies frequently have incorrect information on the debt that is owed and may try to add charges to the amount that are not correct. They may attempt to collect on debts that are beyond the statute of limitations or that have already been resolved.

At times, paying a debt does not make it all go away. Collectors buy old debts, even ones that should no longer be paid or that are not owed, and then use various methods to try to get you to pay once again. These "zombie debts" keep coming back when they should have died long ago. When we talk, I can go over how these debts can be put to rest once and for all.