If you are running up a huge debt problem which you cannot resolve and are one step away from applying for bankruptcy, then it may be time that you consider debt settlement. If you have stopped paying your debts each month due to various reasons and are being hounded non-stop by your creditors, then debt settlement may be an option to possibly help you out of your predicament. Debt settlement is also known as debt arbitration, debt negotiation or credit settlement.

Only when you are in a dire financial situation where you are unable to pay your debts and it seems like the only way out is to apply for bankruptcy, then credit settlement may be suitable for you. It is a method for you to settle your debts by seeking an agreement with your creditors to reduce the balance of your debts. Once your creditors agree to reduce the balance, they will consider the agreed-upon amount as payment in full. To negotiate for a debt relief settlement, you can either seek professional help or you can do it yourself. To do it yourself, you may need to read up more on the whole settlement process from accumulating funds, to settling the debts, to negotiating with your creditors to successfully get them to agree to reduce the amount you need to pay in full. While doing it yourself may save you money in terms of fees paid to a debt settlement company, it may not be as easy as it seems. There may be delays when you seek to meet with your creditors to arrange for negotiations. Furthermore, some creditors also prefer to deal with professional settlement companies.

When you seek professional help, you may need to have a lump sum of money on hand or at least be able to build up enough funds over a period of time. Even if you are unable to raise the money to make a lump sum settlement offer, if you seek professional help, a third party ‘trust’ account may be set up to accumulate the funds for the settlement process. Once the sum is on hand, negotiations with each of your creditors may then start where the creditors were promised a lump sum payment if they agreed to cut a percentage of the total amount owed. However, not all types of debts can be settled through this method. Only unsecured loans and debts like medical bills and credit card debts can be settled this way. Secured loans like mortgages and car loans cannot be settled this way as your debts will be tied up with your assets.
If the negotiations with your creditors went well and are successful, it would mean that you may only need to pay a certain percentage of the full amount you owed. This is probably a better way to seek credit card debt settlement rather than apply for bankruptcy. Some creditors would prefer to negotiate for a settlement from you too as it would mean that they could recover at least some of the funds from you whereas, in the case of bankruptcy, the creditors may lose all monies owed to them.

However, there are also disadvantages in taking this method out to settle your mounting debt problems. For one thing, your credit reports may show evidence of the settlement but this can be resolved if you obtain a ‘paid in full’ letter from the creditors. Also, you may need to check the eligibility of your debts to be settled through this method.
Finally, it is advisable that you read up more about settlement or seek help with your debt before you try it yourself.

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Category: Finances
Keywords: debt settlement,debt relief settlement,credit card debt settlement