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Debt Settlement And Your Credit Score

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In extreme financial situations, many creditors are willing to accept a debt settlement, as an alternative to bankruptcy. A debt settlement is when creditors agree to discount the total amount that you must pay them in order to pay and close out the account- and at times, creditors will reduce the amount owed as much as 60 percent.

Creditors consider debt settlements a good financial option when you have been behind on your payments consistently. It has been proven that individuals who consistently pay their debts late will eventually either file for bankruptcy (and the creditors get nothing), just stop paying the creditor, or end up costing the creditor so much money in collection efforts that they are better off financially to accept a settlement, even if it is 60 percent less than the total amount owed.

It is not hard to see why you, the consumer, would want to obtain a debt settlement if you are having difficulties keeping up with your payments. Who wouldn’t want to cut the amount owed in half (or more) and probably eliminate the interest on the balance completely?! The disadvantage of debt settlements is that in order to get the creditors to agree to them; you have to be in past due status which will cause negative implications to your credit score and report.

Debt Settlement impacts consumers with different credit grades differently. If you’re a consumer who has always had good credit ratings, and you suddenly find yourself with high balances that you are unable to keep up with (maybe you lost your job or the spending just got out of control), using debt settlement to repair the damage is going to hit your credit rating hard. Keep in mind however, that if you’ve had high balances for quite some time, the amount you owe is having a negative effect on your credit as well!

If you have had average credit, a debt settlement will effect your credit in the short term, but it’s easier for average credit rating individuals to restore their credit back to average than it is for good credit consumers to bounce back from a debt settlement or otherwise negative hit to their credit. In some cases, people with average credit scores make their payments on time, but other factors (the amount of debt or length of time you’ve had the debt for example) cause your rating to remain in the вЂ

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Author: Debbie Dragon | Total views: 116
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Destroy Debt offers tools and advice advice to help you reduce debt.




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