# Has anyone used the free arrears service from The Phoenix Project?



## ajapale (2 Jul 2011)

Did anyone hear this man on MF show this am on RTE Radio1?

Phoenix Project, French Church Street, Portarlington, Co Laois, 1850-203040 is a registered charity. Their web site wont be ready for a couple of weeks.




> The Phoenix Project New Beginnings is a new registered Irish charity  set up by volunteers from business, self employed and farming sectors in  response to the effects of the current financial crisis on people  across Ireland. The charity is based in Portarlington, Co. Laois and  will provide support and professional advice to people who are about to  lose their homes, businesses or income as a result of the severe  economic downtown. It will operate a support centre where people can   call and meet with financial experts, i.e. accountants, solicitors and  other support staff who will develop a financial recovery plan in  partnership with the individual or business.
> This is a nationwide service and a non profit organisation, catering  for small businesses, self employed and the farming community as MABS  looks after the PAYE sector. They can be contacted at Lo Call 1850  203040, Ph. 057 86 36830/36831. Email phoenixproject2010@eircom.net. Or  website [broken link removed]


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## tina4 (7 Jul 2011)

I heard them hope they are helpful. Must ring them and make sure its a free service.


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## ajapale (7 Jul 2011)

They are not correct when they state that MABS only deal with the PAYE sector. I know MABS help small business owners, farmers and unemployed people.

I might be wrong, but I get the impression from the website and the interviewee on radio that they were more into councelling and sympathetic support rather the technical details of managing debt.

Having said that there is certainly a need for a service with such an approach/ethos.

aj
moderator


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## wbbs (7 Jul 2011)

Yes but MABS will only deal with the personal debt of the self employed and barely at that.   A lot of self employed people are facing difficulty with revenue and business related leasing and loans etc and are unable to get accounts done due to owing their accountants money too, there should be someone to help them like MABS.


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## Brendan Burgess (28 Sep 2012)

Someone mentioned these guys to me the other day and I had not heard of them or noticed this thread on askaboutmoney? 

[broken link removed]

How active are they? 

They seem to be linked in to New Beginning in some way but it's not clear.

I find the list of Patrons amusing: 

*Patrons*



Fr. Brian D'Arcy - Journalist
Michelle Smith de Bruin, BL - Junior Counsel
Micheal O'Muircheartaigh - Former Sports Commentator
John Lonergan - Former Governor Mountjoy Prison
Maria Byrne - Limerick City Councillor & former Lord Mayor
Jimmy Magee - International Sports Commentator
Padraig Walshe former Macra na Feirme, IFA & European Farmers Union President
Brian Whelehan - Former GAA All Star
Dr. Constantin Gurdgiev - Economist and Lecturer, Trinity College Dublin
Lesley Percy - Fundraiser and Marathon Runner
Adrian Dolan - Musical Director
Anna May McHugh - President National Ploughing Association
Labhras O' Murchu - President of Ceoltas Ceoltrai Eireann
Kevin Lawlor Fitzpatrick - Presenter Midlands Radio 103
Dr. Thomae Kakouli-Duarte - Lecturer in Biosciences Carlow I.T.
Dr.Aidan Hanson - Medical Doctor - Mountmellick ,Co. Laois


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## T McGibney (28 Sep 2012)

*Directors*



William Prior - Chairperson
Bernadette Gallagher – Secretary & Solicitor
*Monica Leech - Communications Consultant*
Laetitia Baker - Solicitor
John McGrath - Economist


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## wbbs (28 Sep 2012)

I actually attended a public meeting some time back, maybe 18 months or so, of a group which were trying to set up to help people in debt, Mr. Prior was invited to the meeting and spoke at length about their organisation.   While he made reasonable sense some of the other militant speakers at the meeting were for the birds!   I took their brochure etc and asked if they would be looking for volunteers around the country as he implied the service would become nationwide but have never heard a word from them, or about them, since.


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## Kerrigan (28 Sep 2012)

I don't know whether to laugh or cry at the list of patrons mentioned.


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## ajapale (29 Sep 2012)

Joking aside and notwithstanding the rather eclectic / eccentric group of patrons they appear to be a serious group. 

Has anyone actually used them? and what is your experience with them?

aj


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## Kerrigan (29 Sep 2012)

Hi Aj, serious or not, take a read of their FAQs section.  The following Q & A I took from their website.  The proof is in the pudding.  Is this really what distressed borrowers want to hear?

Q. I hear there are lots of deals being done by banks with debtors, is this true?

A. If by deals you mean write downs of debt, we are not aware of any.


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## wbbs (29 Sep 2012)

Maybe that is the truth, no point giving people false hope.


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## Kerrigan (29 Sep 2012)

That is true Wbbs but is there really any need for another charitable organisation having been set up to inform people of what they already know?  Walk into any MABS office and I am sure they will tell you this information for free.


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## Brendan Burgess (29 Sep 2012)

I think that there are various information services available to people e.g.  FLAC, Askaboutmoney etc.

These guys seem to be different in that they will give you advice on your mortgage and will help you in your dealings with your bank.

MABS is good, but a specialist mortgage service would be useful.

New Beginning comes from a pure legal point of view - How do we stop this house getting repossessed through some legal loophole? 

So a free mortgage counselling service would be a good idea.


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## Kerrigan (29 Sep 2012)

Hi Brendan, with full respect to NB can we say with hand on heart that they have been successful in their mission?


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## Brendan Burgess (29 Sep 2012)

Kerrigan said:


> Hi Brendan, with full respect to NB can we say with hand on heart that they have been successful in their mission?



I don't agree with their mission, but, they have had some very good successes.

They recognized that the new property act ( formal name?) had a flaw in it which has put a stop on attempts to repossess a lot of people. 

They appear to have negotiated write offs for people - whether they deserved them or not is another matter. 

If I was facing repossession and I felt I did not deserve it, I would be straight into them.

Brendan


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## Bronte (1 Oct 2012)

Brendan Burgess said:


> They recognized that the new property act ( formal name?) had a flaw in it which has put a stop on attempts to repossess a lot of people.


 
Not sure what you are referring to but stopping repossessions is not always a good thing. 

You've said they've had a few good successes, other than the very odd, Laura nurse story what others have their been?


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## Bronte (1 Oct 2012)

ajapale said:


> They are not correct when they state that MABS only deal with the PAYE sector. I know MABS help small business owners, farmers and unemployed people.


 
I thought Mabs would not deal with business debt, be it trading, farming or people owning investment property. Many of the Paye workers on AAM who have gone to Mabs with inverstment property problems have not been able to be helped by Mabs.

In fact yesterday if I heard correctly Joan Burton mentioned many times how she's opened a new Mabs office in Connemara, that would help people who had been saddled with a lot of debt, what was striking was that she didn't seem to realise Mabs is only useful to those who have a mortgage and personal debt, not investment properties.  Someone else who heard her might clarify.


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## wbbs (1 Oct 2012)

MABS in general do not help business people, only personal debt, there can be some crossovers but not in any great amount.  There is also CAVA, which is not the same as MABS but will give business people an appointment with an accountant for advice, this is free and voluntary and much the same as FLAC clinics, won't deal with anything for you just advice.   People with investment properties are considered a business from MABS point so they don't in general deal with them either.  The MABS service was not increased in any great measure to take account of the situation this country is in even though there is a huge need for it to be expanded and have more specialist units to deal with investment debt and small sole traders.   I don't know what the answer is really at this stage!


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## Kerrigan (1 Oct 2012)

Bronte said:


> Not sure what you are referring to but stopping repossessions is not always a good thing.



Mass repossession equals UK in the early 90's.  It is generally taking five years from date of default to reach repossession stage with the main stream lenders.  This does not include sub-prime.  There are a lot of vested interests out there who will prevent repossessions at all costs due to fear of a further housing crash.  Do you honestly believe people are being allowed stay in their homes out of common good and an understanding of their situation?


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## Kerrigan (1 Oct 2012)

Brendan, could you elaborate further on this new property act please?


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## ClubMan (15 Apr 2014)

ajapale said:


> Joking aside and notwithstanding the rather eclectic / eccentric group of patrons they appear to be a serious group.
> 
> Has anyone actually used them? and what is your experience with them?
> 
> aj


Sorry for bumping an old thread but I accompanied somebody to a meeting with them in Portlaoise the other day and - without going into all of the details - the advice/guidance in this specific case was, in my opinion, pretty sound. The context was a BoI mortgage which has been deemed unsustainable by them but where this decision can (I think) reasonably be appealed/challenged.

They seemed busy when we were there and I saw a few pretty upset/stressed looking punters coming and going.... 

The CRO registered name is a bit confusing - Phoenix Project Ireland New Beginnings. They are nothing to do with the "other" New Beginnings.


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