Managing debt can be difficult, but when someone falls behind in their credit card payments, it can be a nightmare. Creditors are relentless at attempting to collect debts. They will call all hours of the day and night.
Once a debt escalates to the 90 to 120 day late range, the company will often send the debt to a third party collection agency.
Typically, you can get the debt for a half to one third of its original amount, if you have the cash to settle. The older an account is, the more likely the company is not going to collect anything.
The longer an account sits in collection, the more money is owed. They will tack on interest and other miscellaneous fees that are difficult to pay.
There is no need to enter into such an agreement; you can do it for yourself. By writing a Credit Card Settlement Letter, you can easily negotiate a settlement to end the embarrassing creditor harassment.
However, there is a way to avoid this nightmare and handle past due accounts without the embarrassment. Credit collection agencies know that people don’t have the money to pay off the absorbent fees, so they offer settlements.
There’s a chance it could get lost or the creditor or debt collection company won’t properly process it. If your letter ends up in the wrong department, it could be delayed or never read and processed.
How you want the creditor to report the debt to the credit bureaus — Let them know that you want them to report the debt as “paid in full” in your credit history if there’s a settlement.
Luckily, there are many debt relief options. Debt settlement is one of the most advertised and for good reason. It’s often used for credit card debts and allows borrowers with unmanageable debt to pay off one or more debts for less than the full amount. The creditor then forgives the remaining debt. This may sound too good to be true, but it’s not. How well it works for you will depend on your financial situation and whether you choose to hire a debt settlement company to help you or do the debt settlement process yourself. This article will explain how to handle debt settlement on your own and how to write the best debt settlement letter possible.
If the collection agency or creditor rejects your offer, don’t lose hope. This is especially true if you’re negotiating with an original creditor, like your credit card company. They may have a policy of not settling their debts. In that case, you can try to settle the debt later when the debt gets sold to a third-party debt collection agency.
The first step in a debt settlement negotiation with a bank, credit card company, or collection agency is to confirm the debt belongs to you. Some debts pass through multiple collection agencies once they leave the original creditor. During that time, mix-ups can occur or debts can become so old they are past the statute of limitations and legally uncollectible .
To increase your chances of getting a creditor to accept your debt, you need to be at least 90 days behind on your payments with that creditor. And during the negotiation process, you’ll need to continue not making any payments. This will hurt your credit score and the extra fees and interest may increase your overall debt. But it’s easier to convince a creditor that you can’t fully pay off your debt when you haven’t made any payments for several months. Remember, a creditor is willing to settle a debt for less than what you owe because they fear your financial situation is so uncertain that they won’t recover any money from you in the near future.
Now it’s time to reach out to your creditor. You can do this by telephone or by letter. Either way, you’ll need to have some cash saved up beforehand. Most debts get settled after the borrower makes a one-time lump-sum payment of the outstanding debt. In other cases, you’ll need to pay two or three large payments over a short period of time instead. Creditors rarely agree to let borrowers use a payment plan with monthly payments to settle their debts.
2714 Retain relevant documents. 2714 Decide whether (and when) to make offer. 2714 Evaluate the reasons for settling. 2714 Assess motivating factors to settle. 2714 Confirm client's ability to settle. 2714 List all covered parties. 2714 List all legal issues to be settled.
Original creditor and collection agent's company name. Date the letter was written. Your name. Your account number. Outstanding balance owed on the account (optional) Amount agreed to as settlement.
Dear Sir/Madam, I am currently having a loan account bearing the number __________ in your bank at ______ branch. The loan account shows the principal outstanding for Rs. __________ and interest overdue for Rs.
Dear Sir/Madam, I have been an employee at your company/organization from (Date) to (Date) and now I had to resign because I am going to settle abroad with my family next month. I have had a great experience at your company/organization and I got to learn a lot from this experience.
Your debt settlement proposal letter must be formal and clearly state your intentions, as well as what you expect from your creditors. You should also include all the key information your creditor will need to locate your account on their system, which includes: Your full name used on the account. Your full address.
The creditor and/or debt collectors name. The date the letter was drafted. Your name. Your account number.
Dear Sir / Madam, This is to bring your kind notice that I ____________, have given resignation to my job on ________ and I have also cleared all the advances which I have taken during my tenure. So I am requesting you to please issue my full and final settlement amount.
One of the most important components of your debt settlement letter is a single number: the amount you decide to offer. You’ll base that number on your assessment of two considerations. Affordability. Never offer more than you can afford to pay.
You’ll use this paragraph to present the details of your settlement offer. This will include the dollar amount you’re proposing to pay.
This must be included so the creditor will know exactly which debt you’re proposing to settle. The account number you’ll include on the reference line should be the one provided directly by the creditor. Account numbers listed on credit reports are sometimes scrambled, which makes them invalid.
Your Signature. Your letter will require your signature because you’ll be offering the creditor a contract, which is settlement of the debt. If you fail to sign your letter, the creditor may interpret that as an indication you’re not completely serious.
If you decide to try to settle your debts, you’ll start the process by writing a debt settlement letter. You’ll use the letter to propose settling the debt for a reduced amount.
First Paragraph. Your opening paragraph should quickly state the purpose of your letter, which is a proposal to settle the account for less than the full amount. In the next sentence, you’ll explain why you can’t pay the full amount.
If you fail to sign your letter, the creditor may interpret that as an indication you’re not completely serious.
When you’re working to settle a debt on your own, you want to do everything in writing. This is especially true if you’re making formal debt settlement agreements. Creditors and collectors will try to get you to agree to things over the phone. Don’t fall for it! Ask them to send you their proposal in writing. Avoid saying anything that acknowledges that you’re obligated to repay the debt. You can use these debt settlement letter templates to negotiate everything in writing.
They have five days to do so under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).
This template letter makes a counteroffer when an original creditor offers you an initial settlement amount. The goal is to offer a lower amount and negotiate for a removal of the negative information from your credit history.
Never admit that you owe the debt or that you’re supposed to pay it. This can reset the statute of limitations on collecting the debt in some states!
When a person is having difficulty paying a debt because of unavoidable circumstances, they may write a debt settlement letter to request terms by which they can pay off the debt. This is the way to settle a debt such as credit card debt that is unsecured by property.
Before writing the letter, the borrower should find out who is in charge of their account if it is a credit card company and address the letter to him or her. If the lender is an individual, the letter can be addressed to that person.
The lender needs to know why the borrower can’t afford to pay, what his or her current financial status is and how much money they are offering as a settlement.
A request to get a response within a specified amount of time. Below is a sample letter to settle debt. It should be a formal business letter, and the borrower should keep a copy of all correspondence with the lender.
Give the correct financial information including details of the size of the debt, how much income they have and any disability or unemployment they get. Be courteous and polite. The borrower has a better chance of getting what he or she wants if they remain professional. It’s recommended to add some personal touches.
When the letter has been mailed by certified mail with return request to the responsible person, the sender should hear back within a specified amount of time. If this doesn’t happen, they can follow up with a call.
In many cases, especially with old debt, the lender is happy to receive a percentage of what is owed rather than receive nothing and possibly going to court or taking other expensive legal steps to get the money.