Hello Folks,
My name is Eugene Goldberg and I’m the CEO of StudentLoansEscape.com.
I myself came into the debt settlement industry about three years ago when, after graduating from college, I found myself with debts totalling $120,000.
My student loans alone added up to the sum of $104,000! They were from three different financial institutions charging variable interest rates of 6.49% to 12.95%. I therefore owed roughly $16,000 to credit card companies with variable APRs of around a huge 22.95%.
Upon graduation in the Spring of 2005, I was awarded my Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Economics. So, at that time I had thoughts of simply finding a well-paid job on Wall Street and mistakenly believed that paying off my loans would be child’s play.
Fortunately, I still stayed with my folks and didn't have to contribute towards rent or other obligations - but I did still have to deal with my unsecured debt.
In the fall of 2004, I landed a position in the field of finance with a leading Fortune 500 firm. Since it was an entry-level job, I was barely making $35,000 a year and merely assisting financial planners provide their clients with financial security strategies.
Within a short period I was able to successfully begin making monthly payments to my creditors. Bearing in mind my lack of expertise and the fact that I was a fresh out of college, the salary I brought home was obviously not sufficient to make any substantial payments to the creditors with a view to reducing the principal on my loans and credit cards. The minimum monthly payments were barely covering the interest and so I was only able to decrease the principal by roughly $17,000 over a three-year period. In other words, the extremely high interest rates charged by these financial institutions had placed me in a very precarious financial situation.
Following the financial crash at the end of 2008, and like many, I found myself unemployed. Viewing CNN’s Money section and watching the unemployment rate climb rapidly became a common daily event. More and more people were starting to find themselves jobless and faster than anyone could’ve predicted. For the next year and half I was like many Americans in a desperate search for a suitable position. In the end I had defaulted on my student loans and wasn’t able to make any payments to the credit card companies. The collection agencies were bombarding me with phone calls day and night. At times many of them were very threatening and abusive; they even contacted my relatives and began abusively threatening them as well. At one point I reached to the point of no return and I began looking for other alternatives, such as joining the military. I even considered looking for jobs overseas.
As time passed, unfortunately my efforts weren’t producing any results and I had no choice but to face the circumstances and begin negotiations with the creditors. I began doing my own research. I was desperate and in the hope of finding any alternative that could help resolve my desperate situation, I spent numerous hours in libraries and online searching for a way out.
With regards to my student loans, despite countless efforts to find a solution, I kept coming back to the self same spot. I learned that student loans couldn’t be settled, unlike credit cards. Student loans are extremely difficult to dispute under bankruptcy and will likely follow you around until totally paid back. Unless of course a borrower becomes completely disabled and there is ABSOLUTELY no hope of recovery or of obtaining a job in order to begin making the lousy minimum monthly payments. Other options would be to prove "UNDUE HARDSHIP”, which would only become possible if you're living below the poverty level dictated by the State. Consequently, I realized that the judge would want proof that the level of education a person receives is never enough to secure a suitable job that provides over and above the minimum poverty standard. In all reality, if you have graduated from a two or four year university course with a degree, it is unrealistic to be able prove any sort of ability to earn above the minimum State index.
Filing for a deferment and requesting patience was no longer an option. Over the course of my extensive research I had learned that by simply ignoring the situation I wasn't in a better position nor did it make my loans disappear. Eventually, I was ready to consider any potential option that could eventually help me, once and for all, to get rid of my debt. Since the onslaught of the global financial crisis, consumer loans default rates in this country began to dramatically rise. More and more frustrated Americans began finding themselves helpless victims in the cruel world of credit. Even people with a perfect credit history, some highly-skilled professionals, and many fresh college graduates, began defaulting on their loans, mortgages, personal loans, credit cards and other forms of debt. Not because they were irresponsible and could not be trusted, but simply due to a lack of available work in the country. Thus, the number of consumer bankruptcies being filed in the country also sky-rocketed. Fear had touched many- including the major banks. Many financial institutions began to realize that it would be financially more beneficial to allow reduced settlement offers on defaulted loans and credit cards by following the sensible philosophy of “a little of something is better than nothing at all!”
After two years of endless negotiations with lenders, I’ve developed effective techniques arising from talking with creditors on my own behalf. By researching and educating myself about the billion dollar industry of student loans, credit cards and other unsecured loans, I was able to settle almost 75% of my student loans and 100% of credit card debt.
Over three years ago I decided to use my knowledge and expertise to help Americans, just like myself, to get out of debt and bring back financial control over their lives. My professional advice is free. Hence, I’m not like many desperate debt settlement agencies. I will not stalk you on the telephone nor try to offer you my services.
Folks, don’t wait for the global economy to recover, when lenders will once again begin to dictate. My team and I can help you evaluate your personal situation and hopefully together we will come up with a solution that will last a lifetime.
Furthermore, creditors are always looking to avoid the ineffective and costly efforts of outside collection companies. I’ve learned this from my own personal experience. We work to develop relationships with creditors throughout the country and we always maintain a very professional and co-operative rapport in order to reach the most favorable settlement offer available to you. We work directly and 100% for you!