Information on debt settlement and credit score - The Bills.com Blog

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Information on debt settlement and credit score

Question: I am researching use of debt settlement to become debt free. If my understanding of the process is correct and my plans to budget a certain amount each month are successful, then I could possibly be debt free in 7 months. My question is this: If I can repay within the seven-month time frame, would my credit rating be affected negatively by a lot, or would theshorter payback time period minimize it?

Answer: Thank you for your question. You should be aware that debt settlement is mainly for people who are in a genuine financial hardship, and who can barely keep up with their monthly payments. In fact, many of them are already behind on their payments.

If you want to apply with one of Bills.com's pre-screened Debt Settlement providers, then please follow this free link:
Apply for a Debt Settlement Quote

Once you enroll into a settlement program, you will start to save money into a special purpose holding account. The settlement company will then use your savings to

pay each creditor off, one at a time. It is important to keep in mind, that during the life of your debt settlement program, you are NOT paying your creditors. This means that a debt settlement solution of online debt consolidation will negatively impact your credit rating. Your credit rating will not be good, at a minimum, for the term of your debt settlement program. Settlement programs take anywhere from 24 to 36 months. The amount of time a program takes really depends on how much you are able to save each month and your individual mix of creditors.

You state that according to your budget you will be able to finish the program in about 7 months. Keep in mind that, in a settlement

program, all of your accounts will invariably end up being charged off by the creditor. Therefore, the initial impact on your credit is going to be the same regardless of whether you take 7 months or 36 months to finish your program. The advantage that you will have is that you will have a longer time to recover from the initial hit on your credit, when compared with someone who is going to be in a program for 24-36 months. For more information on debt help options please read our debt help page .

I hope the information provided helps you Find. Learn. Save.

Best,
Bill
www.bills.com

Also, make sure to get a free financial health check-up with Bills IQ!

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Bill has answered all sorts of questions and has been able to provide those in need of financial guidance with helpful and valuable advice and information on their specific financial area of interest. If you need specific guidance on any of the above mentioned financial areas, feel free to Ask Bill your financial questions and get better informed. Also, make sure to get a free financial health check-up with Bills IQ!

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