Attorney Margaret Reiter was a consumer investigator with the Los Angeles County Consumer Affairs Department for four years and worked for 20 years as a consumer prosecutor with the California Attorney General's Consumer Law Section. She has investigated or prosecuted businesses engaged in consumer fraud including foreclosure "consultants," mortgage lenders, debt settlement companies, vocational schools, living trust mill/annuity sellers, prepaid phone card companies, and tax refund anticipation loan providers. She has drafted consumer protection legislation, advocated for stronger consumer protection before regulatory agencies, trained other prosecutors and investigators, and prepared consumer alerts and spoken to the public on Truth-in-Lending, telephone slamming and cramming, truth in phone billing, bankruptcy, and vocational schools, among other consumer topics.
Articles By Margaret Reiter
A secured debt is one for which a specific item of property—called a security interest or collateral—guarantees payment of the debt.
If your vehicle is repossessed, you might still owe the lender money on the contract, called a "deficiency" or "deficiency balance." Learn how to deal with a deficiency after a car repossession.
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Because pawn shops charge high rates and fees, they're not a good way to get money.
If a creditor sues you and gets a judgment, it has a whole host of collection methods available to get its money from you, including wage attachments, property levies, assignment orders, and more
