No Ability To Make Payments Now
Sample Letter to Creditors: Unable to Pay Loan to Bank Due to No Ability to Make Payments
This is a sample template letter to your creditors explaining that you can no longer make payments at this time. Even though you have no ability to make payments now, before using it, make sure you know how to communicate effectively with your creditors.
Caution: This sample letter doesn’t work for every situation. It’s also important when communicating with creditors to use the term “alleged debt.” Here’s why. Please read this note before using this sample letter.
[Today’s Date]
[Creditor Name]
[1 Downtown Street]
[City, Province Postal Code]
WITHOUT PREJUDICE
ATTENTION: CREDIT DEPARTMENT
RE: ACCOUNT # 1234 567 890 SMITH, JOHN
Dear [Creditor]:
I am writing to inform you that my current income from [CPP, OAS, Disability Pension, Government Assistance, etc] is not enough for me to be able to make any payments towards my alleged debt at this time.
I respectfully request that you contact me by letter only going forward; please do not contact me by telephone. I will respond to any letters you send to me in a timely manner.
If at anytime I am in a position to resume payments on the alleged debt, I will contact you immediately to make appropriate arrangements.
I thank you for your patience and understanding during this difficult time.
This communication is provided solely for the purposes of notifying you to communicate in writing only and does not constitute an acknowledgement of the alleged debt described above.
Sincerely,
[your name]
[complete mailing address]
[phone number]
[account number]
FAQ’S
What happens if I just make my minimum payment?
If you only make your minimum payment on a credit card, overdraft, or line of credit, it can literally take decades – sometimes even more than 50 years – to repay the debt. This is because minimum payments aren’t designed to repay the debt. They keep you in debt and allow the lender to make a lot of money. If you find yourself in a situation in which you can rarely or never pay more than your minimum payments, contact us and speak with a credit cousellor. They’ll help you create an optimized, realistic budget, explore all your options (including debt relief options), and then create a plan to get you out of debt within a reasonable period of time.
What you can do when you can't make a loan payment?
If you are struggling to make a loan payment, there are a couple of things that you can do:
- Reach out to the lender and see if something can be done to help you through the difficulties you are currently going through. We have a resource on how to communicate with creditors effectively. This may be of some help to you.
- Speak with one of our credit counsellors. They can help you create an optimized, realistic budget, explore all your options (including debt relief options), and then create a plan to get you out of debt within a reasonable period of time.
Can I change the repayment rate?
An other way to get a much better interest rate and pay off unsecured debts quickly is to go onto a Debt Management Program. It will drop all interest rates to zero or at least significantly reduce them. However, there are some drawbacks to this debt relief program as it’s designed to help people who are really struggling. You can check out the pros and cons of this program here.
When does loan repayment begin?
What happens if you can't pay your bank loan?
While this all sounds very scary, it can usually be avoided by speaking with one of our credit counsellors. They can go over your situation with you and help you put together a plan to deal with your debt and creditors in a way that will work for everyone. This may involve entering a debt relief program of some sort and having a professional negotiate with your creditors on your behalf, or you may be able to do this yourself once you’re armed with the right information and know how to proceed. You can speak with one of our credit counsellors for free and get their input on your options and the ways you can move forward.
Some Other Options
If you’re still scrolling, it seems the sample letter above didn’t fully meet your needs. To help, we’ve provided three additional options in the hope that one of them will be more useful. Below are two alternative sample letter templates that might better fit your situation.
Reduced Payment
Forgiveness of Debt
One Last Option
If the previous options weren’t quite right, here’s another approach to explore what assistance may be available to you. This is a straightforward, nine-question self-assessment that presents all your potential options at the end. It assumes you have an income, but if you don’t currently have one and expect to in the future, this tool can offer insights into options that might become available down the road.
Find Out What Options May Be Available to You
by Answering 9 Simple Questions
Just answer these easy, multiple-choice questions to get a look at your potential options. Within a few minutes, you'll be looking at summarized options and results that apply specifically to your situation.
Discover Your Options
A Visual Overview of Possible Options
Here are some options that may be available to you based on the information you have provided about your financial situation. The most likely options are in green, less likely in yellow, and least likely in red. This is only intended to provide you with a general idea of the options that may be available to you. A credit counsellor will need to go over your information in much more detail to make a more precise determination.0
Option
Do a Deeper Dive to Uncover More Options
It looks as though your situation requires more in-depth analysis from a trained credit counsellor. They can help you optimize your budget, explore options, and create a plan to get back on track.
0
Option
Self-Managed Solution
After thoroughly exploring your options with a credit counsellor, they can help you put together a plan to get out of debt in a reasonable amount of time. You can then implement this plan on your own.
0
Option
Debt Consolidation Loan
Based on the information you've provided, it appears as though this could be a possibility if your credit score is strong enough.
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Option
Debt Management Program
It appears as though this may be an option for you. A Debt Management Program eliminates or drastically reduces interest and consolidates all payments into one.
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Option
Consumer Proposal
This may be an option for you to consider. It's a legal process that consolidates all payments into one. Talk to a credit counsellor about this and see if it makes sense for your situation.
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Option
Bankruptcy
Based on the information you've entered, it appears as though bankruptcy may be an option to resolve your financial challenges. You should speak with a credit counsellor about this and make sure you've exhausted all other options first.
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Option
Orderly Payment of Debts
Based on what you've entered, it looks as though an Orderly Payment of Debts (OPD) program may be an option for you. To find out if this would make sense for your situation, you should speak with a credit counsellor.
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Option
Voluntary Deposit
Based on the information you've provided, it looks as though a voluntary deposit program may be an option to address your debt situation.
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Bonus Option
Online Workshops
Learn how to improve your financial situation, create a budget, make your dollars stretch further, and get out of debt with one of our many helpful online workshops we call webinars.
More Specifics on How We Can Help You
Get Help Today
Give us a call to speak with one of our credit counsellors at 1-888-527-8999, or if you'd like us to contact you instead, please fill out the form below.Do you have questions?
Get debt help now
If you're struggling and are wondering how to move forward, give us a call. We're happy to answer your questions and help with any financial advice you need. It's possible that all you need at the present time is the right information or a plan for how to move forward once your situation improves. Give us a call if you have any questions. Speaking with us is always free, confidential and non-judgmental.
Lower Payment Letter
Here are instructions and a sample letter to ask your creditors to accept reduced payments.
Debt Forgiveness
When repaying your debt won’t be possible, this sample letter can help you communicate that.
Credit Counselling
Are you curious about what credit counselling is or how it works? Here’s what you need to know.
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