Why would a creditor be willing to settle a debt with me?

I am often asked why a creditor would settle old debt for pennies on the dollar. The answer is simple really, millions of dollars of debt every year go uncollected and probably would never be collected. Something is better than nothing. Often the debt has already been written off and is owned now by a collection agency. They probably bought the debt for pennies, so if they get 25 cents they may be happy. That would be a big profit to them. If they make your an offer, you don't have to take it. You can negotiate with them. See if they would take less. I have been in the debt negotiation business for nearly 9 years. It only seems like they have the power. If you know how to play the game with them you can save yourself thousands. They may threaten you and say that your credit will be ruined. This is not the case. Once you settle the debt with them it will not be reported negatively anymore. Be sure to get documentation form them that the debt has been satisfied. If you notice that your credit bureau has not been updated you will have your documentation to fall back on. If you send it in to the credit repositories they have to change the notation from unpaid to a paid collection. A paid collection mark on your credit is ok. It is actually a positive mark in your credit.


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