How Car Loan Charges Work and How to Avoid Seizure – Bankrate.com | Car Plazas
If you have a car loan that you have defaulted on, the lender may eventually decide to withdraw the loan, meaning the lender assumes you will not repay the debt. Written off on a loan doesn’t mean you’re off the hook for repayment. And it doesn’t change the original terms of your loan.
In many cases, the lender can simply send the debt to a collection agency, which will track the repayment with you. Understand what your responsibilities are in such situations and what steps to take before and after de-registration.
What is a car loan charge-off
A derecognition is a process by which companies have an account, e.g. a car loan, from their asset column to a liability for accounting purposes. Lenders often take this step after trying unsuccessfully to collect a debt for an extended period of time. For record-keeping purposes, the lender declares the debt uncollectible. Car loans usually have to be debited after 120 days of non-payment.
When companies or lenders write off a debt, they can write it off for tax purposes. However, you still owe the money and nothing about the terms of the loan changes when a lender takes this step. You remain fully responsible for paying off the debt.
How does a car loan debit work?
When a lender deems an auto loan debt uncollectible, they can initiate the chargeback process, which includes a variety of steps with implications that affect you.
- The debt is shifted from the asset to the liability. Step one of a car loan charge is simply an accounting classification. The lender moves the loan out of its asset column and officially categorizes it as a liability. From that point on, the loan is no longer considered income for the lender.
- Notification of Late Payment. Depending on the state you live in, the lender may be required to provide you with a notice of default and an opportunity to repay the outstanding debt. Not every state requires this.
- An external collection agency can take over the collection. When a loan is debited from the original lender, it is often transferred to a third party, e.g. B. a debt collection agency, which takes over the pursuit of debt repayment. Debt collection efforts may even involve suing you for repayment. If you are judged, part of your wages can be garnished as repayment.
- The write-off is reported to credit agencies. Once a debt is written off by a lender, your credit score suffers as well. This is because the charge is reported to all credit bureaus as a snide remark and typically stays on your report for up to seven years. You can see your credit score drop by as much as 100 points and have trouble getting a car loan in the future.
- return of the vehicle. With secured car loans, where the debt is secured by the vehicle itself, the car can ultimately be repossessed as part of the charge-off process.
You may be able to drive a dumped car
A car loan is usually secured by the vehicle purchased with the loan. If you don’t make payments, the lender can take the vehicle back and sell it to get the outstanding money back.
But even if a car loan is charged by a lender, you may still be able to keep driving the car — at least for a while. Depending on where you live, a lender may be required to issue a notice of default and give you an opportunity to bring the loan up to date before repossessing it. In such cases, you can avoid repossession by paying off the debt or making satisfactory payment arrangements. However, not all states have this requirement.
If you used unsecured credit to purchase the vehicle, the credit is not covered by the car and cannot be recovered from the lender. In such cases, the lender would have to go to court and obtain a judgment against you in order to gain access to your property.
What to do if your car loan has been charged?
Once your car loan has been charged, there are several steps you can take. If the account hasn’t already been turned over to a collection agency, you can contact the lender directly and ask if you can pay a lump sum to fully pay off the debt. You could also try to negotiate loan terms that are more manageable for you.
You can also check your state’s statute of limitations on collection efforts to see how long the lender or a collection agency can try to collect from you. Depending on where you live, the limitation period is three to ten years from the date of default.
Keep in mind that the charge will remain on your credit report for seven years and affect your ability to get more auto loans. Loan write-offs also affect future interest rates you are offered, so it may be best to try to pay off the debt outright.
The final result
When a car loan goes through, you are still responsible for paying off the debt. Once a lender has taken a car loan, it often means you have to deal with an outside collection agency — and worse, your car could be impounded or you could be sued for repayment. Written accounts also hurt your credit report.
If you are behind on car loan payments, contact the lender or even the collection agency to negotiate manageable repayment terms. If you’re being sued for recovery, you should probably contact an attorney.