Nik asked:


What is the benefit of using debt consolidation for credit card debt? I am trying to decide to either call the credit card companies myself and negotiate for a lower payoff/settlement amount, or to use a debt consolidation company? If I negotiate with the credit cards directly, will that be considered a charge off? I would want to settle myself if I can to avoid paying all the months of high interest. But if I use debt consolidation, then they will charge me a fee every month for so many years? What is their purpose? What would be the best route to go financially?

Joseph

blueunicornapopka asked:


Most of my debt consists of medical bill leftovers (the amount after insurance) that has gone to collection. I have not seen anything that deals with those types of bad credit. They say medical is not supposed to affect your credit but it does.

Ronald

Edward Scissor hands asked:


What is a good debt consolidation company that will negotiate what you owe by negotiating with the creditor, and then you owe less than before to each creditor, but you owe them for one big new loan , to them for paying your debts?
So they are getting your debts down by negotiating and then give you a consolidation loan to cover the amount owed to them now?

Sylvia

honhill asked:


Due to a family tragedy, my husband and I are currently in $26,000 of credit card debt. All of the payments are current and the cards are paid on time with the accounts still open (we are not still charging, though). We are looking to seriously pay this down before the interest eats us alive. My husband wants to take out a bank loan and pay the cards off that way, but I am wondering about the debt consolidation programs you hear about (I know some of those are scams and some are real). Any advice or experience?

Lucille

rain20four7 asked:


I have all sorts of debt. 3 closed checking accounts and one closed savings account, a closed credit card account, and four bounced checks. Does anyone know of a solid debt consolidation firm that can help me? Most won’t handle overdrawn bank accounts, and I can’t find one for the life of me. The total debt is somewhere around $7,000. The sad thing is that I am a college student who got in trouble with gambling, and now I’m trying to come clean. Please advise! Thanks in advance!

Anita

Jenn asked:


My husband and I are trying to straighten out our finances because we have a lot of debt (credit cards mostly) and we want to buy a house. Everyone tells us that getting a a debt consolidation loan will help because we can combine all of our debts into one monthly payment, but we kept getting turned down or offered a low amount because we have too much credit being used. What’s the point of a debt consolidation loan if your too much in debt?

Carla

Avery S asked:


I had some medical bills from 4/10/01 that I didnt not pay in full. I was harassed for awhile by collections and then left alone. This debt was never reported on my credit record and has never showed up. Today on 2/14/2007 (6 years later) I receive a letter from a collections agency telling me to pay up or be reported to the credit agency. I am afraid to call because I heard making contact with them could cause the statutes of limitation to start up again. My question is, If I ignore them, can they really report this to the credit bureaus since the debt was from 6 years ago? Is this just a scare tactic at this point- keep in mind I havent heard from them in 5 years until now all of the sudden.
I live in Texas btw

Randy