How to Deal With Creditors and Collection Agencies

Managing Debt

Finding ways to manage and deal with financial debt has become increasingly important as more and more people utilize credit to purchase items that they want or need but cannot afford to buy outright.

Credit cards, automotive loans, mortgages, and other forms of promissory notes offer people the financing they need to purchase and use these items right away by promising to repay the loan over time and with the addition of interest. It is an unfortunate reality that circumstances occur that prevent people from being able to repay their debt, and when this happens, their credit suffers.

Many people do everything they can to stay current on their credit repayments, but sometimes they cannot financially manage it. When this occurs, creditors attempt to collect the debt as best as possible but frequently turn the matter over to a collection agency.

First Step – The Charge Off

Many people choose to ignore their debt altogether, but this can create problems with their credit history. For others, it may become necessary to negotiate directly with a creditor or the collection agency that represents them in order to resolve past-due accounts and prevent further collection activity. When this occurs, it is important for the consumer to understand how the debt process works.

Many times, creditors will attempt to collect the debt for a certain period of time. If they cannot get a consumer to repay the debt, they have the choice of charging off the debt and hiring a collection agency to pursue the consumer on their behalf, or they can sell the debt outright to a collection agency. If the consumer chooses to open negotiations in an attempt to repay the debt, they must be aware of who actually owns the debt prior to making any payments.

Negotiate with the Right Party

If the creditor still owns the legal promissory note but has hired a collection agency to collect on their behalf, then it is appropriate for the consumer to approach the original creditor and request to negotiate with them directly. If the creditor has sold the debt to a collection agency, then dealing with the creditor directly is inadvisable because any payments made to the original creditor might not be applied toward satisfying the debt because they no longer own it.

It is vital for the consumer to research exactly who owns their debt and deal only with that organization directly. Otherwise, consumers can wind up paying more money than they have to and paying it to the wrong company as well.