A DIY approach to debt settlement can backfire if you don't understand the legal, financial and tax risks involved.

To settle medical debt, you'll typically go through a debt settlement company or an attorney who will negotiate with your ...

Rising credit card balances and stubbornly high interest rates are putting more borrowers in difficult positions right now. And, the economic landscape certainly isn't helping either, considering that ...

Throughout 2025, Goodwin tracked nine enforcement actions concerning debt collection, a significant drop from the 16 actions tracked in 2024. Of those actions, six were handled by the Federal Trade ...

If you have trouble paying unsecured debt, a debt relief company may be able to negotiate a smaller settlement.

Although Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) priorities and mandates are undergoing shifts with the new Trump administration, the CFPB pledged in 2024 to continue its efforts to eliminate ...

Debt settlement may reduce your debt, but expect an impact to your credit score Erika Rasure is globally-recognized as a leading consumer economics subject matter expert, researcher, and educator. She ...

・Settling federal student loans for less than you owe is rare and usually happens only after default. ・Private student loan settlements are more common but can severely damage your credit and carry ...

It isn't always easy to pay off what's owed to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), especially as interest and penalties begin to accumulate on your tax debt. The IRS penalties on unpaid tax debt can ...

Credit One Bank has agreed to pay just over $10 million to settle a civil consumer protection lawsuit alleging the company or its vendors made repeated, intrusive and harassing debt collection calls, ...

That concern isn't unfounded, either. Creditors and debt buyers have many tools at their disposal to collect what you owe, and given today's uncertain economy, they are becoming increasingly ...