Dear Lafayette Bank and Trust higher-ups (a.k.a. "They"),

This letter is to inform you of my disappointment at being, yet again, declined for a personal loan to consolidate debt. I had originally applied for a loan several months ago when I was at my last place of employment. I was only working part time at that time, and therefore had an insufficient debt-to-income ratio to support a monthly loan payment. Since then I have paid off two of the five items I was seeking to consolidate, leaving only three. Having fully understood the method by which you decide my monetary competency, I was thrilled to reapply today, knowing that I, with my new and better-paying job, could completely afford my two monthly bills and whatever payment you would compute, while staying WELL under half of my take-home income every month. So, needless to say, it was very disheartening to hear that "THEY declined you because of lack of credit." Let's take a minute to think about this. Why, do you think, is my credit not high enough? Might it possibly be because of a few high-interest high-balance credit cards I'm trying to consolidate? Don't you find it a tiny bit ironic that the very things I'm trying to consolidate are what is keeping me from getting the loan? Let me get this straight. If I was able to get a loan to pay off those three items, my credit score would improve enough for me to get a loan to pay off those three items. GOT IT. I'm certainly glad I'm trusting my money to such a logical institution. Heaven forbid people who actually NEED money get it. That would just be crazy. People might actually be able to take control of their lives, financially speaking, and we all know that banks don't want that. If anything has come from this, it is that I now know that my hometown bank is the last place I can go for help.

Sincerely,
Erin McMurry