Mark Cappel
Mark Cappel has edited magazines, web sites, and books for IBM, IDG, and Prentice Hall for the last 25 years. He earned a degree in law in 2006, and puts his law school lessons and editing experience to work every day in creating content for Bills.com that is accurate legally, yet easy to understand. When he's not in front of a computer, Mark is an amateur actor, a swordsman, and a Gate Dept. volunteer at Burning Man.
Vehicle Lease TermsApr 12, 2010
Look to your contract to determine if the consumer who leased the vehicle is required to be the primary driver on the vehicle's insurance.
Refinance Auto LoanApr 9, 2010
Sell Vehicle 1 and retire the loan. Your credit score should receive a boost from your doing so. Buy Vehicle 2 and finance the portion you cannot afford with a
Right of Redemption ForeclosureApr 8, 2010
The right of redemption comes into play when a homeowner loses a home to foreclosure, then immediately after receives a windfall and wants to reenter the home.
Mortgage Loan ModificationApr 5, 2010
Mortgage Loan Modification | If you are unable to pay for the mortgage, then look into a modification or other foreclosure avoidance options such as...
Vehicle ExemptionApr 2, 2010
Most states exempt a portion of the value of certain items, such as a vehicle, tools of a trade, and a homestead, from creditor execution and from bankruptcy.
Sell HouseApr 1, 2010
You have several options if you either cannot afford your mortgage payments or wish to sell a house that has a market value less than the balance of the mortgag
Federal Student Loan GarnishmentMar 31, 2010
Federal Student Loan Garnishment | Default on your federal student loan can lead to wage garnishment and seizure of your tax refund. Make sure that you...
Can I Default On My Mortgage Without Any Consequences?Mar 31, 2010
Can I default on my mortgage without any consequences? | Free tips from bills.com about the consequences of defaulting on a mortgage.
Late MortgageMar 31, 2010
Homeowners who have suffered a temporary loss of income resulting in a late mortgage but can demonstrate income has returned to its previous level may be able t
Credit Card & Credit HistoryMar 29, 2010
Keep your oldest credit account open because it establishes the baseline for your credit history.
Consolidate My Payday LoansMar 22, 2010
Consolidating payday loans is more difficult than personal loans or credit cards. Step 1 is to check your state's laws to see if the lender must offer...
Mortgage ForgivenessMar 22, 2010
The Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 allows taxpayers to exclude income from the discharge of debt on their principal residence.
Divorce and Credit ReportMar 19, 2010
Divorce and Credit Report | What can I do about my ex-husband not making the mortgage payments? My divorce is wreaking havoc on my credit report, and I want...
Refinance Mortgage LoanMar 11, 2010
Refinance Mortgage Loan | A mortgage lender wants four things from a borrower: Steady income, a clean recent credit history, a strong debt-to-income ratio...
Bank of America Credit ReportMar 9, 2010
Derogatory Items on Credit Report from Bank of America | If you have derogatory items, including from Bank of America or Chase, then follow theses steps...
Homestead ExemptionMar 8, 2010
A homestead exemption in protects the debtor/homeowner's equity up to the amount of the exemption.
Will Paying Off My Auto Loan Raise My FICO Score?Mar 5, 2010
Paying off Auto Loan and FICO Score | Timely payments of a loan are crucial for your credit score. Paying off a loan will affect the amount of credit and the...
Can I Purchase Another Home If I Have Done a Deed In Lieu?Mar 5, 2010
If I do a deed in lieu of foreclosure can I get approved to purchase another home in a couple of months?
Refinance First & Second MortgageMar 5, 2010
If your first and second both have low fixed interest rates and there is not a large gap between those rates, refinancing may cost you more than you would save.
Death and Credit Card DebtMar 4, 2010
When an estate is probated, the decedent's assets are liquidated to pay off any creditors, and the remainder is distributed according the laws of the state.
804 Credit ScoreMar 4, 2010
Closing an account lowers your credit score. Here, there is no point in your closing the accounts if you are planning to apply for credit soon.
Gap Credit CardMar 2, 2010
Gap Credit Card and Credit Score | The act of opening and then closing a Gap credit card in rapid succession is not a good thing. Unless you already have...
Second Mortgage DefaultMar 1, 2010
Lenders foreclose on second mortgages only as a way of limiting losses on a defaulted loan. Learn how to avoid...
Cash Out Auto RefinanceFeb 23, 2010
Can you help me find a lender that will do a cash out refinance for an auto loan or refinance on a car loan?
Mortgage Charge-OffFeb 19, 2010
Mortgage charge-off |A mortgage is a written pledge of property used as security for the repayment of a loan. The property you purchase is the collateral for...
First Time Home Buyer QualificationsFeb 17, 2010
In general, you can claim the credit if you are a first-time homebuyer or a long-time resident of the same main home.
FICO ScoreFeb 12, 2010
Fico Score | Keep in mind that there is more than one credit score. In fact, there is more than one FICO score. Fair Isaac offers different versions of its...
One Reverse Mortgage reviewFeb 10, 2010
One Reverse Mortgage, based in San Diego, CA, offers private and government-insured reverse mortgages.
Fair Credit Reporting Act LawsuitFeb 9, 2010
Fair Credit Reporting Act Lawsuit | If your old mortgage is still being reported as delinquent, even after a foreclosure, then you need to learn about your...
Home Equity Loan ForeclosureFeb 9, 2010
Should the bank foreclose and the property is sold for a price less than the balance of the loan, it is likely that you will be liable for the deficiency balanc
Debt TaxFeb 2, 2010
Debt Tax | Some people assume a decedent's debt is forgiven or possibly written off by creditors. The law does not work that way, with the exception of...
Delinquent AccountFeb 2, 2010
The exact date of last payment on your delinquent account can be inferred from the date of first delinquency. You can learn the date of first delinquency by rev
Cancer InsuranceJan 29, 2010
Assistance for Cancer Treatment | A few hospitals and other non-profit medical facilities receive funds from the federal government so they can offer free or...
Credit Cards HistoryJan 29, 2010
Credit Cards History | If you close the wrong account, your credit cards history may have an enormous impact on your credit score. Keep your oldest credit...
Piggyback CreditJan 28, 2010
It is in your best interest to stop piggybacking on a damaged credit card account. Ask the card holder to contact the creditor and remove you as an authorized u
HAMP Loan ModificationJan 27, 2010
HAMP loan modification program is available to residents of their homes whose first mortgage is no more than 125 percent of the property's current market value.
Information Credit ReportJan 26, 2010
Lost Information on Credit Report | here is no penalty in the Fair Credit Reporting Act for CRAs if they remove positive credit history from a credit report.
Mortgage CollectionsJan 26, 2010
Mortgage Collections | If your are in default on your second mortgage, it is possible that the lender will sell the loan to a collection agency. Make sure...
Adding a Mortgage to Your Credit ReportJan 26, 2010
The how-to and importance of adding your mortgage payment history to your credit report.
Straw BuyerJan 25, 2010
Both spouses have liability for debt incurred by one spouse during the marriage. However, in practice, it is rare for creditors to pursue both spouses in commun
Student Loan & Credit ReportJan 25, 2010
The best way for a person to wash a delinquent student loan from their credit report is to become current on payments.
Should I Close My Credit Card AccountsJan 22, 2010
I have a few credit cards that do not have a balance and they are charging me an annual fee of $50, should I close my account?
Late Mortgage PaymentsJan 22, 2010
My husband is always late with the mortgage payments, will this affect my credit?
Open Accounts on Credit ReportJan 22, 2010
Should I close my open accounts or will that hurt my Credit Score and Credit Rating?
Equitable Reverse Mortgage ReviewJan 22, 2010
A free online review of Equitable Reverse Mortgage.
Illinois Property Tax AssistanceJan 22, 2010
Is there any assistance available for delinquent property taxes in Winnebago county, Illinois? Visit the Illinois property tax appeal board web page.
HELOC ForeclosureJan 21, 2010
Foreclosure on HELOC | If you are current on your first mortgage and become delinquent on your HELOC, the second mortgage lender has the legal right to...
Lease TerminationJan 19, 2010
Lease termination will likely have a strong negative mark on your credit profile, especially because you currently have a 756.
Credit Card HistoryJan 18, 2010
You may wish to consider opening a new credit card with Chase or some other bank that offer rewards and keep the plain vanilla Chase account open and used occas
Reverse Mortgage Living TrustJan 18, 2010
Because your husband died and the title of the property was transferred to you in the trust, you took the title subject to the reverse mortgage. The mortgage mu