Dear Claudienne,

I live in St Ann and I borrowed $100,000 from the Brown’s Town branch of the National Commercial Bank (NCB).

I was getting help from my son’s father to pay back this loan but, unfortunately, bad luck reached my family as on January 6, 2022 he died in a car crash overseas. Since he died it has been financially very rough as I cannot find the $12,000 to make the monthly payment on the loan.

After I stopped making the monthly payments to the bank a collecting officer at NCB started to call me and send me e-mails. I informed the collector in an e-mail that, due to misfortune in my family, I was unable to make the $12,000 monthly payments. I asked him if the bank could reduce the monthly payback amount to $5,000, but he did not respond to my e-mail.

I have been paying the bank $5,000 when I can.

A lot of nights I go to bed without eating. I am stressed; sometimes I feel like [I want to] just disappear off the earth. I am diabetic, hypertensive, and have high cholesterol — and I can’t even afford the medications. Most of the time I have to be taking garlic on a daily basis to pull through.

I used to rear poultry but as time went by and the prices of baby chickens and the feed went up, I just stopped because my help was taken away from me and my family. I am also in arrears on the hire purchase payments I have to make on a refrigerator.

As I am owing the bank $55,000, could you please help me to find out what they can do for me?

SH

Dear SH,

Tell Claudienne has been in communication with NCB about your situation and on February 23, 2023, you sent the column the following message by WhatsApp: “Thanks very much. I got a call earlier today from NCB. The amount I should pay monthly was decreased to $2,500. I really appreciate this.”

You have also sent Tell Claudienne the message the bank sent to you regarding your NCB Fast Cash Loan Account. In the message the bank stated the following:

“We formally acknowledge the challenges facing you at this time. We confirm that the bank is willing to work with you and accept your proposal to pay at least $2,500 per month beginning February 2023, towards the captioned account until it is settled.

“Kindly make your loan payments to your savings account number XXXXXXXXX.”

We wish you all the best.

Have a problem with a store, utility, a company? Telephone 876-936-9436 or Cell # 876-484-1349 or write to: Tell Claudienne c/o Sunday Finance, Jamaica Observer, 40-421/2 Beechwood Avenue, Kingston 5; or e-mail: edwardsc@jamaicaobserver.com. Please include a contact phone number.