[trumandogz]

In my time, I have had to initiate eviction procedures on tenants.

It is a very tedious and heart-wrenching process especially when there are kids involved.

The kids had no choice in the matter and got stuck with deadbeat parents who could not even cover rent.

On the other end of that, I went through a period of my life when I was out of work, my wife was pregnant and in law school and I fell behind on the mortgage payments.

I worked my way out of it by working 18 hours a day driving a cab and then working in a bar.

And I would have never considered going on vacation while behind on my house payments.

[Kartographer]

But wouldn’t it had been better if when you fell behind that you would have been tossed out into the street and had all your belongings thrown into a dumpster? Wouldn’t that have taught you a better lesson?

[Lexinom]

Look, I've been there too - had to evict someone (father's property). It wasn't easy, but the guy had plenty of time, plenty of chances. I did not see a heart desire to pay the rent. Every situation is different and must be evaluated. I will not, however, be a Shylock and demand every last ounce of flesh per the letter of the law/agreement.

It's hard for me to imagine anyone going on vacation while the mortgage is in arrears. That's a matter of honor. And that's precisely why I think the FICO system is garbage: it does not measure honor.

Case in point: Someone is trying to get out of debt. He makes sacrifices. He pays $2,000 on a $5,000 credit card balance in September - on a minimum payment of $100. In October, he sends the payment a mere two days late. Does FICO take into account the fact he made twenty months' payments the previous month? No. Yet, does his credit rating take a big hit for being two days late? Yes! Why? So others can charge him higher interest, ripping him off while rendering him no useful service in return.

Something similar happened to me a couple of years ago. The experience served as an epiphany, and I viewed it as an unprovoked attack upon my personal honor. Therefore, I am no longer a friend to finance, and once the mortgage is paid off have no intent ever to borrow money again, God willing.

FICO is a racket designed to keep the poor, poor. Bank policies of sorting transactions to maximize overdraft damage, sorting them differently from the chronological order in which they occurred to extract $200 in overdraft fees instead of $33... that's a racket. It affects only the poor (who have low balances) yet satisfied the Shylock aspect ("Every last ounce of flesh...") These people are highly-paid scum of the earth wearing suits.

[newzjunkey]

You were lucky to find sufficient work. Clearly he was not. I imagine it wasn't in a comparable economy.

When you evicted did you steal their personal possessions too or do you reserve that added indignity for trailer trash like the man in this story?