| Scottish Trust Deeds - A Debt Solution For Scottish Residents |
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| Written by David Baddeley |
| Saturday, 04 September 2010 14:24 |
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Ask anyone you know if they have heard of a Scottish Trust Deed and I guarantee you most of they haven't. Most people think Trust Deeds or a 'Deed of Trust' is to do with the property market, which it is to some degree, but the definition of a Scottish Trust Deed is actually a form of debt help for Scottish residents. Debt has become an increasing problem not only in Scotland, but in the rest of the United Kingdom and in fact the rest of the world. Thanks to the banks, the world economy is in a global meltdown. Whilst the greedy high flyers at the top are sitting back and laughing while the government pumps more money into yet another bailout, people are losing their homes and it's inevitably the taxpayer who picks up the bill. Yes, debt is here to stay, at least for the next couple of decades I imagine and I'm sure our grand children will have to take some of the burden. Anyway, back to the topic...
Ask anyone you know if they have heard of a Scottish Trust Deed and I guarantee you most of they haven't. Most people think Trust Deeds or a 'Deed of Trust' is to do with the property market, which it is to some degree, but the definition of a Scottish Trust Deed is actually a form of debt help for Scottish residents. Debt has become an increasing problem not only in Scotland, but in the rest of the United Kingdom and in fact the rest of the world. Thanks to the banks, the world economy is in a global meltdown. Whilst the greedy high flyers at the top are sitting back and laughing while the government pumps more money into yet another bailout, people are losing their homes and it's inevitably the taxpayer who picks up the bill. Yes, debt is here to stay, at least for the next couple of decades I imagine and I'm sure our grand children will have to take some of the burden. Anyway, back to the topic... So, tell me, what is a Scottish Trust Deed exactly? A Scottish Trust Deed is basically a formal arrangement between you and your creditors to repay what you can afford towards your debts over a set period of 36 months. You pay one lower, set amount for this period and then any remaining debt left at the end is legally written off by your creditors. If you were to take out a similar arrangement in England you would find it would come under an IVA (Individual Voluntary Arrangement) but a Trust Deed has more favourable criteria. IVA's are not set at 200 per month... Fact If you were to take out an IVA you would find yourself repaying the debt over a longer period of time, 60 months in fact. You also must be able to afford a monthly repayment of at east 200 and owe over 15,000 to 2 or more creditors. There has been a lot of misleading information in the press or from unscrupulous companies that IVA repayments are set at 200 each month, but to be honest, it also depends on other factors, such as the total amount you owe and if you have equity in a property. The most important factor is you must be able to repay 25% of the total amount you owe. The minimum period for a Trust Deed is 36 months (3 years), 2 years less than an IVA and you must owe no less than 10,000 a difference of 5,000 in comparison. On top of this you must be able to repay only 10% of the debt and afford 150 per month, a staggering difference. So if you are a Scottish resident who owes over 10,000, can afford 150 per month and is struggling with your debts your in luck, there is a solution! The Trust Deed solution does suite everyone... Trust Deeds do not suite everyone, it all depends on your circumstances whether or not it is right for you. They are designed for people who genuinely finding it a struggle to make their repayments each month and cannot find any other solution, i.e. borrowing from friends and family. They would be ideally suited to someone who has recently lost their job and are struggling to get back into employment, had taken a salary cut or someone who has just bitten off more than they can chew with credit cards and loans. Trust Deeds can be extremely beneficial to homeowners facing bankruptcy as they can prevent your house being repossessed by the banks. Trust Deeds have an additional bonus... the interest and charges are frozen! Meaning your debt level will not increase like it probably is now and the majority of your monthly repayments go towards the banks profits and only a minute percentage of your debt is actually paid off each month. There are downsides though. Your credit rating will be affected during the 3 year period whilst you are in the Trust Deed program and wont recover until long after, but if you are in a serious position with your finances the likely hood of you wanting to obtain further credit after the period is slim as most people would want to steer clear of debt for good! So, on that basis you will probably not require the use of your credit rating. Your reputation will also be damaged, although this is not important to everyone. I think relieving the stress of being in debt actually outweighs this by miles! DISCLAIMER: This article is provided as information only and is not to be taken as financial advice. For more information on how to write off debt in Scotland with a Trust Deed visit our website. Use our Trust Deed calculator to see if you qualify. Get on the road to debt freedom! |