Debt Settlement And Your Credit

Summary: A relatively new approach to debt resolution, debt settlement or debt negotiation is the process of negotiating with creditors to lower the amount that you owe, typically by as much as 50 to 60 percent. A settlement offer is only attractive to a creditor when a consumer is behind on their payments. The reason why this is the case is that statistically a past due debtor is far more likely to either 1) file bankruptcy; 2) never pay the creditor at all; or 3) cost so much money ...

A relatively new approach to debt resolution, debt settlement or debt negotiation is the process of negotiating with creditors to lower the amount that you owe, typically by as much as 50 to 60 percent. A settlement offer is only attractive to a creditor when a consumer is behind on their payments. The reason why this is the case is that statistically a past due debtor is far more likely to either 1) file bankruptcy; 2) never pay the creditor at all; or 3) cost so much money in any collection efforts that a settlement offer is more profitable for the creditor. The financial incentive of debt settlement is clear: you are able to cut your balance in half and presumably eliminate interest altogether. The main downside is that since you have to be past due in order for a settlement to be reached your credit will most likely suffer.