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Federal Trade Commission's stringent rules for debt settlement companies

The debt free making system has helped hundreds people stuck in never ending and ever deepening debts. The debt settlement companies are trying to help the customers but are facing immense problem. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is trying to fight against abusive telemarketing by the settlement companies, who negotiate with the creditors to settle debts for less than the actual amount. Debt settlement companies should be barred from receiving any fee until they have provided clients with documentation of a particular debt that has been re-negotiated, settled, reduced or otherwise altered.

Improved disclosures are must for all debt settlement companies before they render any type of help to the customers. FTC ensures that customers do not pay for false promises rather than real results. Customers are thoroughly confused about the differences between debt settlement, debt counseling and debt consolidation. Instead of putting a ban on the fees, strong consumer protection is more important. Generally speaking, debt settlement companies get bad reputation because people would like to master it as a non-profitable organization. When things are measured, it has been noticed that most of the settlement companies lead the customers to file up bankruptcy.

The association of settlement companies (TASC) removes a viable option for consumers who are suffering from unsecured debts. There is however a debate on the fact that settlement companies should be paid more incentives as a motivation to perform well. The proposed fee structure should allow customers to be satisfied, in case if they are not, a change of providers is always allowed. All they want is relief from financial stress and collection calls. They are happy to free themselves out from the abusive harassment calls and daring threats! More needs to be done to educate consumers on various options that they have to resolve their debt and the differences among those choices. They also must be assured that they will get what they pay for.

Editorial Team

Lyle Solomon
Written by
Lyle Solomon
Principal Attorney, Oak View Law Group
Read more from Lyle

Lyle Solomon is the Principal Attorney at Oak View Law Group with 30 years of legal experience. Licensed by the State Bar of California, he focuses on consumer finance, debt settlement, and payday loan resolution. He has helped over 6,000 clients become debt-free and is the author of Think Different! Save More!

Loretta Kilday
Reviewed by
Loretta Kilday
Attorney and Editorial Reviewer, OVLG
Read more from Loretta

Loretta Kilday is an Illinois-licensed attorney with 41+ years of experience in bankruptcy (Chapters 7, 11, and 13), debt settlement, debt collections, and consumer finance. At Oak View Law Group, she provides independent attorney review of published content on debt relief and bankruptcy for legal accuracy.