Empoyers Who Request Credit Reports!!!

[Euskadi1946]

I've been an unemployed RN since June, 2003 and have been doing agency work which is very sporadic here in Salt Lake City. I have been to so many job interviews that I have lost count and always I get the same response from the employers. I have excellect qualifications but we hired another candidate who was more qualified. I went to an interview workshop and the lecturer told me that I was doing all the right things on an interview. I recently found out that here in Utah, many employers do credit checks on prospective employees. An attorney friend told me that pulling a credit report is included in the background check and if you sign a release form authorizing a background check, chances are, they will pull a credit report too. He also told me that employers can deny you employment if your credit is less than perfect and since my credit is less than perfect, I'm beginning to wonder if that is why I have been unable to find a job. I think this is absolutely appalling and underhanded of prospective employers. How do you pay your bills if you are not working??? I also understand that very few states allow this practice and unfortunately, I live in a state that does. Would love to hear some comments about this nasty little practice!!!!!!!!

[hogan4736, BSN, RN]

now I've skimmed the thread...

one thought...

my wife just bought an individual insurance policy from Cigna (large HMO in the southwest)...She's 38, and pays 150/month...

At 25, you can buy the same policy for 110/month...

That seems quite affordable, even at CNA wages (9-12/hour in Phx)...

just a thought...

I have a nurse friend that filed for bankruptcy because of a 200,000 medical bill for her son...she was only paying 115/month for this bill (yes a lifetime of payments, but, it seems fair...)

yet she continues to party 2-3 nights a week, and order lunch out every day (8-10 dollars per day)...

just wanted to throw that out...too many file bankruptcy as a convienient tool (to escape one's often hastily acquired debts, but not always) offered by our government...

sean

[LilRedRN1973]

I can tell you that WAS NOT the case in my situation. I was working two jobs at the time to make enough money to send out all these payments. Unfortunately, I live in a fairly expensive place to live (at least from what I'm used to) and I was unable to move due to finances (yes, it was a catch-22). My rent (and I lived in one of the most inexpensive places in town...a low income place) was $600 a month. I owed $500 a month to the hospitals, ambulance services, etc. and then I had my other living expenses. I did NOT go out and "party" or buy my lunch everyday...if at all. I lived very frugally and even ended up moving in with my grandfather to help make ends meet.

And as far as the insurance goes, I was not able to afford even the least expensive at that time, hence the medical bills. Believe me, I thought long and hard about filing bankruptcy and hated to do it. I didn't want to be "one of those" people who filed bankruptcy. So I eased my conscience a bit by NOT putting my credit cards onto my bankruptcy, which I could have easily done. My attorney even advised to go ahead and put any little debt I had onto my bankruptcy. I felt like that was wrong and decided to honor the debts I had previous to the medical ones. If the collection agencies and the hospitals had all been patient, I would have continued paying them as well. This was not a convenient tool for me, as it has prevented me from getting employment and has had other repercussions as well. I did not use the bankruptcy as a way to get out responsibility. I did it so that I could continue to have a checking account and pay my rent without my funds being seized by some collection agency. Trust me, bankruptcy is NOT an easy solution and it's something that follows you around for a long time. We almost didn't get approved for the apartment we live in after we got married because of my credit. Thank God my husband had good credit!

I guess the question is, where you notified for the original court hearing and judgement? If not, and there's no proof that you were served in the court record, then the judgement could be invalid.

This point is moot because it's been almost 3 years since I've filed bankruptcy and I've put it behind me. Unless you have been through a lot of crap with credit bureaus, collection agencies, etc. you have no idea how hard it is to fight these things. Yes, it was my mistake to not carry insurance and have this debt in the first place. But I don't think I should have been punished in the way I was since I was making payments in good faith.

[hogan4736, BSN, RN]

Tough story Melanie...

One lesson to be learned, that you hinted at...Do what you can to buy insurance before this lanslide happens...I think you'll agree...There is state aid out there...No easy answers...

I have always bought COBRA insurance while in transition between jobs, albeit unaffordable and overpriced...

Positive thoughts sent your way Melanie!

sean

[LilRedRN1973]

I would have loved to have an option like COBRA, but being a waitress, that opportunity wasn't there for me. Restaurant work stinks in that they rarely ever cover their employees or make affordable health coverage an option.

You mentioned state aid...I phoned a LOT of goverment offices trying to find help. I was told that unless I was a single mother (which I wasn't and didn't intend on becoming one anytime soon), there was no help for me. Nice, huh? And I wonder why so many young women have baby after baby.......

But like I said before...yes, I learned the hard way to never go without insurance. Up until recently, I was on a plan for students through Fortis. It's called their Student Select and it's only $65 a month for a 30 year old. It doesn't cover diddly squat as far as office visits and rx is concerned, but it would cover an unfortunate event such as a hospital visit.

[hogan4736, BSN, RN]

Is 110 dollars/month really that unaffordable???

Maybe I'm ignorant and lucky (I've always had insurance from my employers)

I guess my experience has shown me (not speaking of you, Melanie :)), that many forgo insurance, and say "I'm young and healthy, what can happen?"

sean

[LilRedRN1973]

Is 110 dollars/month really that unaffordable???

Hmmm...well, I can tell you at present time, that is what we pay for my stepchildren's insurance and yes, it's been hard here and there to pay it. We are a family of four living on $25,000 a year and living in an area where a cheap 3 bedroom apartment will run you around $1000. We do not have new cars (in fact, my vehicle is an '85 Subaru that is rusted to the core...teehee) and we don't go out, see movies, eat at restaurants, etc. Unfortunately, my stepkids' mother only pays $200 a month child support for the two children, making it that much more difficult to get by.

And back when I was young and waitressing, $110 was a LOT of money for me. That would have paid my gas and electric bill for the month. I had to weigh the pros and cons of not having insurance. I have never been sick, never broken anything, and have rarely ever been to see a doctor. So I decided (mistakenly, I know now) to forgo having insurance due to my financial situation. After the expensive bankruptcy lesson, I ended up getting insurance and putting it on a credit card if I couldn't make the payment that month. Our insurance now is a nice chunk of change each month. Mine is $84 and the children's is $112 (and that includes their dental, I think). My dental insurance alone costs me $50 a month on top of my medical, but is very necessary due to the massive amount of work I have to have done in my mouth (approx. $11,000). So yes, I do agree that sometimes young people think they are invincible and decide they don't need medical insurance. I know now that no matter how healthy you are, medical insurance is something everyone should try to have, no matter what the cost. You never know what is waiting around the corner!:)

[hogan4736, BSN, RN]

good advice Melanie...

Hindsight is always 20/20...

Never go without insurance people...Not even for a day, a week, or a month...SH!T happens to everyone at the wrong time!!

Your credit card comment is interesting...

an unrelated observation...I made 3.35/hour at 18 years old (1985)...I was sent a credit card application, 500 limit, as a freshman in college. I got the card, stayed up to date on payments, and my credit score is 803 now...

My question...Why do people need check cashing places...A little foresight should eliminate their need, then they could make their insurance premium payment (with a credit card) instead of going without electricity...

[Sheri257]

Originally posted by RNnTraining1973

This point is moot because it's been almost 3 years since I've filed bankruptcy and I've put it behind me. Unless you have been through a lot of crap with credit bureaus, collection agencies, etc. you have no idea how hard it is to fight these things.

Actually, the point is not moot. If you're going to say that you were a victim of a collection agency, let's also talk about the remedies that are available in these situations.

I have been through a bunch of crap with collection agencies, both on the receiving and the collection side, which is why I know a lot about the above mentioned court process.

You accused me of throwing you into a broad mix of irresponsible people, yet you refuse to answer simple questions about the court procedure, which had to have happened in your case.

I'm going to venture a guess here and say you were probably served with papers, but may not have shown up in court (which is quite common BTW.) But when people do show up in court, there are a number of options which are available. Options which I have done personally.

1) You can fight the judgement 2) You can appeal 3) If the appeal doesn't work, you can also go to the chief judge and appeal the case that way 4) You can also, with the judge's help, negotiate settlements, often for 50 cents or less on the dollar. 5) You can also negotiate a payment plan with the court, and amend that as needed with the court's approval. (i.e. when you are short on cash and need to lower the installment payments.)

I have seen people do all of these things, in court, many, many times while I was waiting for my own cases to come up on the docket. I've also participated in private conferences with judges where these things were worked out.

However, if you DON'T deal with it (and a lot of people don't) and the appeal process has expired, then yes, your wages are going to be garnished, your bank accounts are going to seized, and you may be forced into bankruptcy.

How do I know this? Because I had a wrongful judgement (involving a collection agency, BTW) and I went to court to fight it. I had a really lousy, stupid judge on the first hearing, and I had to fight like hell to set it straight. The judicial process is not always fair, but that's why there's an appellate process.

You can do a lot of this without paying an attorney BTW. I mostly represented myself in court, and only used an attorney for the most difficult appellate stuff with the chief judge. It was a pain, and cost me $1,000, but it was much better than the inevitable wage garnishments, bank account seizures, liens on my property, etc.

After going through three judges, and going back to court a half a dozen times, I was finally able to get the judgement overturned, and the collection agency was forced to pay my attorney fees and court costs. Persistance does pay off. Was it fair that I had to deal with this in the first place? No. But there were avenues to set it straight, and I did.

Now this was a case where I did not, in fact, owe the money, and was able to prove that in court. In your case, you admit that you did owe some money, yet you don't mention taking advantage of any of the above mentioned remedies.

I'm not trying to be too harsh here, but once again, it comes down to personal responsibility. There are things you can do, even if you don't have insurance. And if people don't do them, the situation always gets much, much worse with higher costs in the long run, like judgements, bankruptcies and employers checking credit reports.

[Mr_D]

Originally posted by lizz

. . . You accused me of throwing you into a broad mix of irresponsible people, yet you refuse to answer simple questions about the court procedure, which had to have happened in your case. . . .

. . . I'm going to venture a guess here and say that you were probably properly served with papers, but may not have shown up in court . . .

. . . However, if you DON'T deal with it (and a lot of people don't) and the appeal process has expired, then yes, your wages are going to be garnished, your bank accounts are going to seized, and you may be forced into bankruptcy. . . .

. . . I'm not trying to be too harsh here, but once again, it comes down to personal responsibility. . .

The moral superiority ego is coming out full force now.

RNnTraining doesn't owe anyone here a detailed explanation of her court case. And she's been incredibly open about her situation -- and the fact that she's not answering YOUR questions does not lead me to believe she should be classified as "irresponsible".

Based on her life and circumstances, and using her own smarts and resources, she's come to the conclusion that it is a moot point to persue another round of legal action. Who are you judge her as irresponsible and second guess her decision? Maybe, just possibly, the world is complex enough that one solution doesn't fit all?? Ya know, she may have surveyed all her options and decided it the best use of her time to take care of her kids. Even that assumption is simplistic. I object to relating to her as incompetent or irresponsible just because she doesn't satisfy your criteria.

Believe it or not, there are very smart and diligent people who get entrapped in this forsaken credit system. Afterall, it has consistently ranked in the top tier of consumer complaints to the Federal Trade Commission for many years. I don't know the stat for this, but I doubt that most of the people who truly are dishonest/irresponsible are contacting the FTC.

Speaking of responsibility -- where does yours begin when it comes to the collateral damage (harm done to basically good people) caused by this credit system?

If you were to rank your roles/identities in terms of importance from 1 - 100, what would they be? You have identified yourself as a nurse, a business-owner, a former deadbeat. You are a daughter, maybe a sister, a spouse, maybe a mother, a friend. You are a wage earner, taxpayer. Maybe dancer, dog-lover, heavy-metal drummer, Christian, etc etc.

How far down on the list would "citizen of the United States" appear? 50? 75? Would it appear at all? How much time do you give a month to civic responsibility?

One huge contributor to your success are the thousands of people before you who passionately fought this credit system in the courts, the state legislatures and Congress. They recogized inequality when they saw it and didn't rationalize it as a "necessary evil". Their victories gave you a voice that the credit agencies had to listen too and gave you a place to stand in court. Had the role of "citizen" not been high on their list, your recently-discovered mantra of personal responsiblity and persistance may not have worked out so well.

From your experiences and knowledge of this system, you have a wonderful gift to give. You can simultaneously represent the interests of business owners AND the rights of individuals.

Why do you waste your gift on being petty, judgemental and sanctimonious? Your life experiences provide no excuse to relate to others hurtfully.

IMHO -- RNnTraining is due a thoughtful retraction.

Mr_D

[hogan4736, BSN, RN]

Originally posted by Mr_D

...Believe it or not, there are very smart and diligent people who get entrapped in this forsaken credit system. Afterall, it has consistently ranked in the top tier of consumer complaints to the Federal Trade Commission for many years. I don't know the stat for this, but I doubt that most of the people who truly are dishonest/irresponsible are contacting the FTC...

Mr_D

Entrapped seems to be a broad, strong word...Are you saying these same smart, dilligent people are "victims" of dishonest creditors...

There is always a bottom line...If you amass a bill of 50,000 and the credit company wants a 350/month payment, but you can only pay 225/month, are you the victim???

These are the likely culprits behind much of the complaining...

I am 36, and have had good credit half my life...Never has ANY creditor harassed or even CALLED me!

I am not categorizing Melanie, justr responding to your "victim" mentality in your post...

Yes there are likely victims, but I'll wager most of those "trapped" in the system are causing your aforementioned "collateral damage" TO our credit system...

Personal responsibility for ALL purchases and services extended to one on credit has to be accounted for by said person, PERIOD. If you bought it, YOU buy it, and I'll wager Melanie belives that to be 100% true.

sean

:eek:

[Sheri257]

You're really missing the point here Mr D. And your selective editing of my post is a bit out of context.

The bottom line is this: A bank can't seize funds without a valid judgement. A valid judgement can't happen without due process.

This includes a hearing before a judge, and PROOF that the above mentioned party was notified of the hearing so they could defend themselves. Not to mention a 30 day wait period, so that the judgement can be appealed if the party feels the court decision was made in error.

If ANY of these procedures are not followed, then the judgement is invalid, and you can still go back into court and have the judgement removed. I've seen it happen.

People come here all the time, and make all kinds of claims about their situation. Then they get upset or gloss over certain facts that don't always jive with their claims.

If I appear insensitive because certain things don't make sense to me, well, I am truly sorry. I am interested in the truth, more than anything else, and I personally have had much experience with the above mentioned process.

There is, in fact, a lot you can do about it. I retract nothing.

[RNIAM, BSN, RN]

"PROOF that the above mentioned party was notified of the hearing so they could defend themselves."

Every reasonable attempt should be made to make the party aware of the procedings. When reasonable attempts have been made and those attepmts have been unsuccessful then proceedings may begin. Judgements can and do happen all the time withoout the knowlege of the party who is being sought.