During Debt Review, you cannot access new loans or credit cards. While this helps break the borrowing cycle, it can restrict your financial flexibility. This is a big ask for most people. And understandably so, stepping away from the dependency on credit is a big hurdle.
You May End Up with More Debt Than You Started
That negotiation is often not a streamlined process and can take quite some time. Stopping payment on a debt means you could face late fees and accruing interest.
Hidden risks of consumer credit counseling
Impact on credit: Enrollment in a debt management plan may be noted on your credit report, negatively impacting your score and borrowing ability. Upfront and monthly fees: Even nonprofit agencies may charge fees that add to your financial burden.
When your DMP ends, you can close the accounts you've paid off, or start making full payments again. Your score should recover over time if you continue to meet all repayments. Records of your debts will take six years to drop off your report, but lenders may pay less attention to them as they age.
Debt counselling will very likely improve your credit score because it will show that you have consistently made your payments on time during the process.
This is a hard figure to track since the credit counseling industry does not publicly report their success rate. But industry insiders report success rates of 20% to 25%. (See this article: Does Credit Counseling Work?) Debt Settlement.
Perhaps the most common debts that cannot be discharged under any circumstances are child support, back taxes, and alimony. Here are some of the most common categories of non-dischargeable debt: Debts that you left off your bankruptcy petition, unless the creditor had knowledge of your filing. Many types of taxes.
Your counsellor will look at everything you owe and will negotiate with your creditors for a more affordable repayment rate and even better repayment terms. In turn, your debts may take longer to pay off, but your monthly instalments will be far more manageable.
If you've got a debt relief order (DRO) or have had one in the past, it will affect your credit rating. This could mean you find it more difficult to get credit in the future.
Although you can obtain credit, it is important to know that it will be significantly more difficult to access due to the impact a DMP has on your credit file. This may mean that the options available are high interest options, that could leave you in a challenging position once more.
If you do it right, debt consolidation might slightly decrease your score temporarily. The drop will come from a hard inquiry that appears on your credit reports every time you apply for credit. But, according to Experian, the decrease is normally less than 5 points and your score should rebound within a few months.
When it comes to credit card debt relief, it's important to dispel a common misconception: There are no government-sponsored programs specifically designed to eliminate credit card debt. So, you should be wary of any offers claiming to represent such government initiatives, as they may be misleading or fraudulent.
How long does debt review stay on your name? 'Debt review' stays on your name until you complete the debt review process, get your clearance certificate and are declared debt-free. This usually takes between 36-60 months, but it can be even faster. After the process, the debt review status is permanently removed.
The bottom line. The journey from debt settlement to homeownership is typically a matter of years rather than months. While the exact timeline can vary based on numerous factors, most individuals should expect to wait at least 2-3 years, with 4-7 years being more common for conventional loans.
Consolidating your debt can help you save money in the long run. Getting out of debt is usually a much harder thing to do than getting into debt, especially if you end up with a large balance and a high interest rate which makes it feel like it'll take over a decade to pay off.
A great signal that a counseling agency is on the level is COA (Council on Accreditation) approval. The COA conducts regular audits and ensures that the service an agency offers is truly a nonprofit benefit to the community.
They may earn bonuses for making sales, but their salary is constant. If they work off of commission, they make the majority of their money by selling financial services. Their job is to not only provide counseling but also sell their clients on these additional services.