As of 2009, bankruptcy filings that were new increased by over thirty five percent in just one year. Although it may seem like a dismal sign, a good way to look at it is that all of these people are on their own paths to rebuilding their credit scores and ultimately, financial freedom. We have all seen commercials with “people just like me and you” telling us to go to whichever website and look at our credit score. We know that if the number is high, it’s a good thing. It it is low, it could mean trouble finding a loan, getting a job, or a new place to stay. But just what is a credit score?

Your credit score is summed up in one (hopefully!!!) three digit number that is based on a statistical analysis of your personal credit file. The purpose of a credit score is to give you a major headache, and for the banks to assess your ability to take on debt and repay a credit obligation. That’s why credit card companies and banks will review your score to figure out how much credit they want to offer you and at what interest rate.

So how is your score determined? The Fair Issac Corporation, or as you may know them, FICO, was the first organization to create a scoring system in 1958. The report recently underwent a makeover (FICO 08) but it’s not used by all agencies. In this new, improved FICO 08 version, minor credit delinquencies are not counted against you when you for the most part do a good job repaying your debts.

A credit score asks five questions. What is your payment history like? How much money do you currently owe? Just how long have you had credit? How many times have there been credit inquiries made on your report? And what type of credit do you have? So let’s say, for the sake of example, that you screwed up. Just how long will negative marks have an impact on your credit score? Well, that depends on the type of information. Plain old negative information can stay on your credit report for up to seven years. In the case of bankruptcy filing it can stay up to ten years. Here’s where we get into the creepy big brother aspect of credit reports. Every individual has a personal credit file, and what this means is that the impact from person to person will affect each differently.

If you are worried about your financial situation, would like to know more or are considering bankruptcy, it is in your best interest to seek out the advice of a financial planner. One that works for a fee is preferable, because they will have your best interest at heart and not their commission. Good luck in your financial journey!

Rapid Recovery Solution is a medical collection agency.

10 Tips to help you recover money:

PREPARE: Reviewing the paperwork prior to calling is important. If you know the history of the account, the promises kept/broken and payment history you sound better on the phone. Have all records in front of you, ready for reference.

ATTITUDE: Adopt a professional attitude. You have a contract or you delivered goods now money is owed to you and you have a right to expect payment promptly. Never ever let it become personal. Don’t yell or raise your voice; and NEVER swear. Don’t threaten physical harm; legal action is your recourse.

CONTACT: Make sure you’re talking to the right person. Don’t let the individual brush you off with “You’ll have to talk to the bookkeeper.” Identify the person who will pay the bill. If you cant get through after several calls, tell the secretary that you know your calls are being screened. Indicate the purpose of your call and if necessary give deadlines.

CONTROL: Always control the conversation. Keep it focused on the debt and on the repayment schedule. Do not let the debtor sidetrack you with personal history, excuses, etc. Remember, the objective of your call is to collect money, or get a commitment to pay not to become friends with the debtor or win arguments.

FLEXIBLE: Be ready to adjust to the situation. Think about the kind of customer you’re dealing with and adapt to meet the circumstances. Be prepared to accept a reasonable payment schedule, and a willingness to deal with a customers circumstances.

NOTES: Try to Keep detailed, accurate notes of every single contact with the debtor. Always probe for additional information on the debtor. Notes of these contacts will help you in later phone calls, and may be invaluable if litigation is needed. Great notes will also help in credit decisions in the future or in cases where skip tracing may be needed.

PRODUCTIVE: Keep contact brief and to the point. This is a business call, not a social one. View your efforts on a ratio of time expended to results achieved. Long conversations probably mean the customer is stalling you, or trapping you in the buddy syndrome.

PRECISE: Never leave a call open ended, such as “Well talk next week,” or “Ill send what I can.” Every single call should result in a commitment to some kind of payment, You need a specific amount, by a specific date, even the check number the customer is using to pay the promise.

TIME: The longer an account is outstanding, the less likely it is that it will be paid. If payment is not arranged or a payment plan is not established within 90 days, place the claim with a collection agency or start legal proceedings.

PLACEMENT: Try to choose an agency that does not have to pay to get your information. Just type in “Collection Agency” to any search engine and pick a firm that ranks organically.

Mallory McGuinness is employed by a collections agency that works with a debt collection lawyer. She also does pieces on business, finance, consumer spending and collections agencies.

There is no doubt that text messaging has become a major medium for exchanging information. Easy, painless, no speaking on the phone. No wonder that according to the latest statistics that have been taken there were almost 750 billion text messages sent in the U.S. in 2009, almost double the number from one year before. Actually, technology and research firm executive Jacob D. Almeida recently predicted that money transfers will be the top mobile application by as early as 2012.

Debt collectors have stayed out of this field for now; The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act was a landmark legislation that went into effect in the late 1970s and has strictly outlined how debt collectors can call and when. Seeing as this act is even older than a stereotypical “Saved by the Bell Cell phone” from the 90s, it might be due time to adjust the law. But analysts are saying that any change in this area would have to come from consumers seeking change, not collectors.

Under the FDCPA, communications with consumers require a notice that the text is in fact from a debt collector, which leads to issues with the 160 character maximum length of money transferring messages. Another hurdle is determining who will pay the message. There is no current way for a collection agency to know if a consumer has a plan that includes unlimited text messages; the kicker being that if a contact is paid for by the debtor, it is illegal.

Another potential hurdle for debt collection agencies is determining the ownership of the device itself. The debtor might be utilizing a company owned wireless device for example. Said company might be monitoring the usage of the device, which would lead to third party disclosure issues if there were communications based in text that discuss a debt.

Sadly, Congress has to vote on health care, the budget, cap and trade and many other issues first before it can get down and tackle this text message issue. So time will tell.

Mallory is employed by a debt collection agency. She also writes articles on consumer spending, the credit industry and debt collection.