I recently wrote a short article on Trulia asking how real estate agents are choosing a credit repair company. I gave a few of my opinions too.
I had a few responses in my mailbox asking how we stack up to the questions that we asked others to ask of their credit restoration companies. Here are my answers:
What process do we use to help clients?
We dispute directly with the debt collector or creditor that is appearing on the credit report of our client. We rarely dispute or deal with the credit reporting agencies.
We find our process often to be:
- can faster
- provide accurate documentation
- provide proof an issue was resolved for good
Process Time Frame
We are finished in under 120 days for most clients.
Payment
We take an initial legal fee up front based on the total quoted fee and can allow payment plans.
If an item is not resolved:
If an item is not resolved to the client’s satisfaction and a client still disagrees with the outcome we can file a lawsuit against the creditor or debt collector. A client may have more options depending on the circumstances.
Data Security
The security of our client’s data is very important to us. We work hard to maintain the highest security standards that we can.
Office Security:
- All of our offices maintain high security standards:
- Digital Survellance 24 hours
- Secure outer office doors
- All individual offices are locked when not occuppied
- All filing cabinets are locked when not in use.
- Employees are not allowed to leave out customer files.
- Employees lock note folders in office nightly.
- Closed Files are locked in separate room
Digital Security:
- HIPPA and PCI compliant data and server storage
- State of the art email and computer intrusion and virus detection software
- Employees can not remove or download customer data from system
- Our software and data are backed up every 3 hours in house digital server and every 24 hours via remote 448-bit secure HIPAA compliant encryption.
Employees
Our employees are trained monthly on data security. Many of our employees and all leadership roles have been HIPAA trained certified.
Our employees are pre-screened in the employment process. We pull credit reports twice a year on all employees and do criminal backgound checks on all employees once a year. Employees are screened carefully and they can not have been involved in any financial crime no matter how small.
Shredding Service
Yes, we have several locked shredding bins located around the office with a regular outside shredding service.
Who Does the work?
All employees are W-2 wage earners employed by the company. We do not use contract processors or staff. We do not outsource work to other countries. All work is done internally by our staff. Come visit us.
Staff Training
- When an employee is hired they spend the first week obtaining a crash course in credit, credit repair, and credit related laws created by the firm.
- All employees are required to attend the Monday meeting where continuing education is a priority.
- We employ 4 outside firms to credentialize and do continuous web based training of our employees. (AllRegs for FICO, CDIA for FCRA, FDCPA Certifications for FDCPA, and Inspired Learning for data security and HIPAA compliance)
Employee Tenure
All employees have been us for at least 2 years. Over half of our employees have been with us for over 10 years.
Background Checks
Our employees are pre-screened in the employment process. We pull credit reports twice a year on all employees and do criminal backgound checks on all employees once a year. Employees can not have any convictions for financial crimes.
About the company
The Pettit Law Firm has been assisting credit clients since 2013. The credit processing team has been a unit since 2003. In 2013, Julie Pettit left the Henley & Henley PC law firm to open her own law firm. She hired the credit processing team to work for her new firm. The credit processing team has worked with the following firms since 2003:
- Ciarochi Law Firm PLLC (2003 to 2009)
- Henley & Henley PC (2009 to 2013)
- The Pettit Law Firm (2013 to Present)
Licensing
Julie Pettit is licensed to practice law in the State of Texas. See the State Bar of Texas here.
What lead our staff to get in to credit field
Chris Ebert
I got into the credit field out my own necessity. I owned a previous company that I had guaranteed a large debt. My client declared bankruptcy before I could get paid and I was on the hook for a large debt I could not repay. Having never been in this situation before, I did not know what to do. So I turned to a friend that is an attorney. He helped me resolve my creditor issues without declaring bankruptcy. My credit was restored quickly limiting my negative impact. In 2003, we began working for his law firm showing others the way out like I had been shown. I do enjoy helping others achieve their goals but the real reason I do what I do is I like to win. This job offers me plenty of opportunity to have that adrenaline rush from winning daily.
Continue Reading
Today, we’re releasing our third Snapshot of Complaints Received from Servicemembers, Veterans and their Families. The report details the data and trends from consumer complaints we’ve received from members of the military community since July 2011.
Here are just a few highlights:
- Debt collection complaints have continued to rise since our last report, and now make up 39 percent of total complaints. It is our largest category of complaints from the military community.
- Credit reporting remains a top category of concern. 72 percent of these complaints are about incorrect information on credit reports. This remains a significant issue for the military community, one that we highlighted earlier this year.
- Student loans are another concern. 49 percent of these complaints are about problems dealing with a lender or servicer. In these complaints, we continue to see long-standing trends, such as servicemembers complaining about not being provided their Servicemembers Civil Relief Act rights.
This year our report also highlights our outreach efforts that allowed us to connect with thousands of members of the military community, as well as three of our enforcement actions that recovered millions of dollars for affected consumers, primarily servicemembers, veterans, and their families. These figures represent the positive impact of the work we continue to do on behalf of those who serve.
Problems with account services
Basic account servicing stands out as a significant area of concern for servicemembers. Most consumers can call their financial institution, visit a branch, or connect online to try and get the help they need to maintain their account. Unfortunately, for military personnel and their families, the realities of military life, including deployments, frequent moves, and a high operational tempo, can sometimes make access to those services extremely challenging.
We found that servicemembers were often subject to a variety of account maintenance or penalty fees, as well as account-access restrictions, which were triggered due to aspects of their military service.
These problems raise concerns that financial institutions may not have a true understanding of the servicing needs of their military customers and may lack proper procedures and protections for them. Detailed examples of servicemember experiences can be found in Section II of the report.
Check out the snapshot to learn more.
We’re listening
As always, if you have a problem with a consumer financial product that you can’t resolve on your own; or if you know someone in that situation, please remember that you can submit a complaint online or by calling (855) 411-2372. We make your voice heard.
