Credit card debt settlement has costs and it comes in the form of negative marks on your credit score. If you are already missing payments, however, this is unlikely to do any additional damage in a practical sense because you aren’t going to find people that are willing to loan you money with past due accounts – at least not at a reasonable interest rate, anyway.
Credit card companies have several priorities. The first is to generate profit for the parent company and its shareholders. When it becomes evident that someone may be unable to pay his or her balance, there is a priority shift that happens that can work to your advantage.
The main concern of the bank or credit card company is to get as much of the balance back from you as possible and closing or restricting your account. This will allow them to avoid charging off the amount on their income statement, which would cause their stock to fall. Management will get lower bonuses, and consequently, dividend payments to shareholders will be reduced.
If you declare bankruptcy, it is possible that the entire credit balance will be wiped out because credit card debt is known as unsecured in most cases and that means it isn’t backed by any specific collateral, just your promise to repay and they will no longer be able to recover their investment. This would be the worst-case scenario for the credit card company.
If you have missed several payments already and your credit score has been affected, all it takes is a series of phone calls to the company explaining that you are seriously considering bankruptcy but you want to avoid that. Tell your creditor that you want to make good on as much debt as you can but you don’t know if it’s still possible.
Here’s the best credit card debt settlement tip: Negotiate with your creditor by offering to pay off 25% of your credit card debt balance over the next few months in exchange for the company freezing interest costs and closing the account. Closing the account will make the matter worst for you in as much as it will affect your credit score.
You may have to spend some time on the phone or meeting with your creditor. You need to let them know that you are on the brink of declaring bankruptcy but you want to avoid it at all costs. Tell them whatever story you need to think up to get them to believe that you are coming up with everything you possibly can and this is the best they can hope for because the alternative is likely nothing following a discharge of the debt in bankruptcy court. If you can convince them of that, you have a very good chance at reaching a credit card debt settlement agreement.
After your debts are settled, it’s time for the healing process to begin by repairing your credit. A good debt settlement company should provide you with free credit repair as part of their service.
Credit card debt settlement can increase your credit score if you are able to pay off your debt and your credit card is not closed contrary to declaring bankruptcy which will adversely affect your credit score and leave you with bad record.
Debt Free Solutions is a debt consulting company located in Long Beach, CA. We have been in business for 10 years. We assist Americans across the U.S. to eliminate excessive credit card and other unsecured debt.
We utilize various programs and strategies to aid them in dissolving their debt in the quickest, safest, and most efficient method possible. We also analyze the risk factor. We structure our programs to drastically minimize the risk that is inevitable with all debt elimination programs.
We offer our clients much more than a debt settlement company does. The vast majority of debt negotiation companies simply settle your debts on your behalf with your creditors- nothing more.
On the other hand, we provide free services to significantly help to minimize the risks that are involved in negotiating with your creditors.
First, we offer a free, no-risk 10 day trial service. During our free trial, we negotiate with your creditors on your behalf to lower your interest rates. Also, we research to see if you have any old debts that you are not legally liable to repay. If, for any reason, you are not completely satisfied, you simply walk away. No commitments. No contracts.
Next, we provide a comprehensive credit repair service to all our clients. This is a $795 service that is absolutely free!
Also, we offer free attorney consultation (a maximum of five sessions) in case one or more of your creditors makes any threats.
Last, we provide a written guarantee that our clients’ creditors will settle for an average of 50% or more for all of the debts they attempt to negotiate.
Our services are competitively priced- and include the above free services!