The Credit Report Credit Card Debt Settlement Effect
When you settle credit card debt with a consolidation agency or directly with your card provider, several things happen. You pay a lump sum to the lenders that is less than the total sum of your debt, which is probably financed by a third party lender. The net result is that you will have a new debt, and your old debt will be reported to the major credit agencies as settled, which is a different status from ‘paid as agreed,’ late, or defaulted accounts. There will be an impact to your credit score that you need to anticipate when you choose this route.
It is important to understand the effects of each component of this transaction. First, the settlement of your debt will reduce your credit score, but much less than bankruptcy. Secondly, if the account you settle is a loan or other fixed debt, the account will close, which will also reduce your credit score very slightly. If you settle the debt of a credit card, then your account may stay open, though this is subject to your card agency’s decision.
Because most settlement programs include a consolidation loan, there will be two events that affect your score. First, the agency making the consolidation loan will require a credit check to assess the breadth of your debts and your history of payments in order to understand how to structure your consolidation loan. This inquiry will mean a small hit to your credit score, as would happen with any application for a major financial service. Secondly, you will have a new loan account opened to cover your consolidation payments. Having a new account will be helpful insofar as you will have an extra account on your report, but when it is brand new it will reduce the average age of your credit accounts until the loan has aged a bit.
Overall, your credit score will take a hit from settlement, but this hit is definitely preferable to alternatives like bankruptcy and default. Because you will be completing your obligations on terms agreed to by your lender rather than abandoning your agreement or forcing your lender to accept a bankruptcy claim, you can salvage much more of your creditworthiness by using settlement than you would have otherwise. This can be a very important factor in deciding if credit card debt settlement is right for you, as keeping your credit can be an essential part of maintaining your financial health.
By: Hector Milla
Tags: Bankruptcy, Breadth, Card Provider, Consolidation Loan, Credit Accounts, Credit Card Debt, Credit Card Debt Settlement, Credit Check, Credit Consolidation, Credit Debt, Credit Report, Credit Score, Debt Consolidation, Debts, Lenders, Loan Account, Lump Sum, Report Credit Card, Settlement Programs, Third Party