Carribian Bound asked:
I am planning a move to the Dominican Republic from the US. I have unsecured debt (school loans and credit cards) which I want to repay, but the average income in the Dominican Republic is much lower and I know I would not be able to make minimum payments. Can the debt be converted or possibly bought out by a bank there or something like that?
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I am planning a move to the Dominican Republic from the US. I have unsecured debt (school loans and credit cards) which I want to repay, but the average income in the Dominican Republic is much lower and I know I would not be able to make minimum payments. Can the debt be converted or possibly bought out by a bank there or something like that?
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Tags: Debt Loans, Planning A Move, School Loans
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Just take out a loan in the Dominican Republic, then use that money to pay off the loans in the US.
This sort of thing is called debt consolidation, people use it all the time to pay off high interest loans from credit cards with low interest loans like mortgages.
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Given that you are leaving the country I would contact the lenders and explain the situation and make a proposal of what you can afford to pay. When you have a firm idea of what you can pay in your new home make the payments you can afford. The lenders won’t be able todo much about it anyway and it is the responsible thing to do.
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If you really wanted to pay of the debt, you would work at a job in a country that would allow you to pay off the debt instead of becoming a beach bum in the Caribbean.
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Do NOT borrow more money to pay off the loan. The only way you will get a lower payment is if you converted your unsecured debt (credit card, medical, etc) into secured debt (auto loan, mortgage, etc). That is rarely the best route to go.
Your best option is to negotiate with your creditors. There are several options here.
1) If you are concerned about your credit score getting hurt you may consider Credit Counseling (CCCS – also known as Debt Management). This will hurt your credit but not as badly as others. The problem is that you will most likely have to contract a non-profit to help you here and they typically are finded by the creditors themselves (ie conflict of interest).
2) Chapter 7 Bankruptcy – You will want to consult an attorney before considering this.
3) Debt Settlement. You can either hire someone to help you here or do it yourself. You typically need to have more than $7,500 in debt for this option to be effective. Essentially here you stop paying your creditors and instead put a smaller amount each month into a settlement account. As the account grows you are able to settle your creditors at an amount 40-60% less than your original balance. This however will hurt your credit significantly while your doing it.
4) Just not pay. You could always just not pay. Your creditors can get judgements against you, levy your bank account etc. This isn’t the most moral or ethical route but the reality is your creditors couldn’t touch you in the Dominican Republic.
Good luck!