Credit Card Settlement: An Unusual Approach To Reduce Your Debts

Jun 29
08:04

2011

Devora Witts

Devora Witts

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Most lenders would not help you once you ask them to give you a break. Unfortunately, defaulting on your credit accounts is often the only effective way to make your lenders listen to you and settle for less.

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Most lenders would not believe that you are not able to afford the scheduled payments until you default on a loan or a credit card. Unfortunately,Credit Card Settlement: An Unusual Approach To Reduce Your Debts Articles most of consumer appeals to banks and credit card companies to give them a break by temporarily lowering their interest rates, reducing monthly payments, or changing other significant terms of loan or credit card agreement remain unsatisfied. The logic of your lender is very simple: if you keep on making your payments why change anything. Moreover, many banks take unfair advantage of honest consumers experiencing temporary difficulties by charging them late fees, hoping to collect them in the future. This all sounds like a vicious circle for people having trouble with making their monthly payments on loans and credit cards.Defaulting On Credit Accounts Has Some Significant BenefitsMost consumers try making the payments they could not any longer afford until the point where they are completely strapped of cash. Since very few of them see their balances go down, as minimum payments mostly cover the interest charges without making a significant dent in the principal amount, most of their money attributed towards making payments just seems to be wasted. Therefore, a question arises whether there is a point of continuing making payments on credit cards if there is no improvement to be seen in the nearest future. While seizing payments on your credit cards would damage your credit, it would also save you plenty of money. You would actually save twice: first, when not spending your hard-earned money on monthly payments, and second, when negotiating a debt settlement deal.Lenders Have Little Bargaining Power In Loan RecoveryLenders that service unsecured loans and lines of credit usually start panicking when you default, as they have very little instruments to recover their losses, as there is no collateral they may repossess. Therefore, lenders are more willing to start negotiations once the situation is elevated to the default level. First, they start threatening consumers with collection activities; however, once they see that the threats do not have any effect, they have an option to try to collect through the means of expensive and lengthy lawsuits or to settle the debt for less. This is where a struggling borrower may use the situation to his or her advantage, as lenders fear bankruptcy protection.Debt Settlement May Be ChallengingIf you proceed with the above scenario, you should be prepared to face several challenges. First, you should withstand the pressure of collectors that would surely try to make you pay. Second, you should use your best skills to negotiate a settlement deal that is most beneficial to you. Last, once both, you and your lender agree upon the debt settlement, you should make all possible efforts to keep your part of the deal, as otherwise it may become invalid.Professional debt settlement agencies are able to take all this hassle out of your way. Once you hire a debt settlement company to represent you, they would be able to conduct all negotiations for you and utilize their knowledge and skills to work out a settlement with best possible terms.