Debt Settlement Program Questions and Answers

When will Certified Debt Settlement, LLC start settling my debts?

Immediately upon receiving your initial payment, our attorneys will contact your creditors and their bill collectors to tell them that we are handling your accounts. As part of our service, we will ask them to validate the debt and examine the information provided for billing errors and miscalculations. As you make monthly payments into your settlement account, we will settle your debts one at a time as the funds become available in your debt settlement account.

Debt settlement, like dental work, isn’t something most do-it-yourselfers find rewarding. Some jobs simply require specialized training and experience to do well. Our attorneys work exclusively negotiating debt settlements every day and have done so for years. They know the laws, and they know how and when to negotiate with your creditors to settle a debt for the least possible amount.

The focus of Certified Debt, LLC is on helping consumers negotiate win-win settlements with their creditors and become debt free much more quickly than is possible with other debt relief options.

Our negotiators can help settle credit card debt, store card debt, unsecured personal loans and lines of credit, collection accounts, autos in repossession, medical bills that are past due, utility bills, and rent defaults. We can even help you negotiate a settlement if you have judgments for non-tax matters on your credit report.

Certified Debt, LLC uses attorneys who specialize in debt settlement to negotiate on your behalf. With knowledge of credit laws, lawful collection practices, and settlements that creditors have accepted in the past, our attorney-debt negotiators can help you get your debts settled for less. Call or fill out our secure online form to receive a free debt analysis from a certified debt settlement representative.

The goal of our debt settlement program is for you to become debt free without resorting to bankruptcy. For this reason, part of the agreement that our clients sign stipulates that they will not open and use new lines of credit while they are participating in our debt settlement programs. In order for your creditors to be willing to negotiate a hardship settlement, you must close the accounts that we are settling. We recommend that a client keep one low-interest rate credit card for emergency use only.

Our goal for you is a day when you can be completely debt free. You can’t borrow your way to being debt free. At Certified Debt, LLC, we are exceedingly proud of the success rate of our debt elimination programs. Nearly 90% of those who invest the time and effort to work with us to settle their debts complete the multi-year program in full.

Yes. You must be 18 years of age, have at least $7500 in qualifying debts, and have experienced a hardship. The birth of a child, the loss of commission income, extra expenses for school or the care of a parent are all possible hardships that your creditors can consider in working out a debt settlement with you.

With years of experience representing the borrower, our attorneys know the right questions to ask to determine if you can demonstrate a hardship to your creditors. Even if you are unsure, we invite you to call for a consultation with a debt settlement specialist. It’s free. It only takes a few minutes.

“Our attorney negotiators know the questions to ask and how to build the case for special consideration from creditors in negotiating a settlement,” says Certified Debt, LLC owner. Negotiating a debt settlement is a smart alternative to bankruptcy. Call today!

For a short time, you will. However, one benefit of working with Certified Debt, LLC is that you can direct creditors to the law office for questions on the debts we are negotiating. We will help you send written notice to all of your creditors so that they know we are working on your behalf to reach a debt settlement. Most creditors comply. Some are quicker than others.

If you are getting telephone calls from a creditor who you have asked to contact us, please keep a log and direct them to our office. Be polite, but do not discuss the debt.

If a creditor continues to contact you despite the instruction to deal with us, we may be able to sue them. “From time to time, we have to remind an over-aggressive collector that we know the laws that govern the collection of debts and the remedies open to a borrower who has not been treated properly,” says Mr. Epper, owner of Certified Debt, LLC.

In the short run, it will likely lower your FICO score, particularly if you have been making the minimum payments on a mountain of credit card debt. However, in the end, completing a debt settlement program is a positive. As you pay your settlement amounts, your creditors will report your debts as paid off or settled to the credit bureaus. That’s good for your score and certainly being debt free does not hurt when applying for future credit.

We understand that you might have a circumstance arise that would cause you to miss a payment. We don’t penalize you or charge you extra fees. Simply call the law firm and we will help you get back on track for the following month. Our goal is not to collect late fees. We want to help you accumulate the funds and negotiate workable debt settlements as quickly as possible so that you emerge with all of your qualifying debts settled and can rebuild your credit.

The overwhelming majority of creditors settle debts when they are dealing with people who have a financial hardship. They would rather have something paid on a debt than force a bankruptcy and risk receiving nothing. Working with a skilled attorney debt negotiator ensures that creditors will hear all of the reasons they should accept a debt settlement from a persuasive and experienced advocate.

When you enroll in a debt settlement program via Certified Debt, LLC, you may choose which of your debts are included. Your debt counselor will help you decide how to handle each of your financial obligations based upon the nature of your hardship and your current financial situation.

Secured debts have collateral that a creditor can take if the debt is not paid. Mortgages and auto loans are common forms of secured debt because if they are not paid the lender has the option to foreclose or repossess the auto. Unsecured debts are those for which there is no collateral. Common forms of unsecured debt include credit card debt, medical bills, store credit cards, and signature loans.

The fee for working with Certified Debt, LLC depends upon the amount of debt you have. Please call our office and one of our debt counselors can give you a price quote.

Yes. Our certified debt negotiators can help you get on the path to being debt free no matter how far behind you are on your bills. Being a slave to debt is a miserable way to live. Our attorney negotiators have helped hundreds of borrowers escape the credit card trap and emerge debt free without filing for bankruptcy. Imagine how good it will feel to be debt free! Call for a confidential consultation. If you prefer, fill in your information and one of our certified debt negotiators will call you at the time you specify.

It depends on how much debt you have and how much you can afford to pay each month to settle it. Some of our clients complete a program in six months; for others, it takes several years. The best way to determine how soon you can be debt free is to call our office. Ask for a free debt analysis. It takes only a few minutes, and costs nothing.

Debt consolidation only takes the bills that you owe and combines them into a single obligation with a slightly lower interest rate. A consolidation loan typically takes unsecured debt and secures it with an asset such as your home. It does not reduce the amount you owe, and it still can take decades to get out of debt if you consolidate. Debt settlement is a means of helping you explain your situation to your creditors and negotiate a lower amount for satisfaction of the debt. Our debt settlement programs also have the mechanisms in place to help you save the money to fund your settlement account. When you consolidate, you still pay your full debt and the fees to get a consolidation loan. When you settle, the debt is gone.

A bankruptcy will remain on your credit report for ten years. You can be denied employment, security clearances, licenses, and an apartment or auto loan because of a bankruptcy. Since bankruptcy laws were tightened in 2005, it is harder to qualify for Chapter 7. Debt settlement is an attractive alternative to bankruptcy. You will have a convenient method to save the funds necessary to pay off your debts in the near future and restore your credit more quickly by using a debt settlement program.