When a business is in serious financial difficulty and is unable to service its debt or pay its creditors, either the compnay or its creditors can file with a federal bankruptcy court for protection under either chapter 7 or chapter 11.

Once bankrupcy is filed, the responsibility for repaying debt is temporarily suspended. What is called an automatic stay goes into effect and creditors who are listed on the petition are prohibited from contacting the debtor while he is under bankruptcy protection.

Access criminal records for free - There really isn't a reliable free criminal record search but I did find some excellent criminal records services for a low one-time fee.

Private companies exist which gather and make available all kinds of personal information. Their databases include such things as death and marital records, arrest records, inmate information, sentencing files, sex offender records, court records, civil records, bankruptcy records, location and cell phone information, and much more.

This helps a great deal in making the decision of who should or should not be hired. Although, a typical membership usually costs a small fee, it is a very small price for safeguarding your business or family when, for instance you want to hire someone to do domestic work for you.

Here are some ways that debt collectors engage in practices prohibited by the FDCPA. when contacting you they call before 8am and after 9pm - no early or late calls allowed. They also cannot call you at work if you tell them not to.

See Loans 101 for more debt and credit articles and videos.