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Freedom Debt Relief Review 2023
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Freedom Debt Relief Review 2023
By NerdWallet Follow NerdWallet on social media to stay informed about updates
Dec 20, 2022
Editor: Kathy Hinson Lead Assigning Editor Personal finances, credit scoring financial management and debt Kathy Hinson leads the core personal finance team at NerdWallet. Prior to joining NerdWallet, she worked for 18 years at The Oregonian in Portland in roles including copy desk chief and team editor and designer. Previous experience included copy editing and news for many Southern California newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications in the University of Iowa.
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Freedom Debt Relief, a service provider for debt settlement that negotiates with creditors to lower the amount of unsecured debt you owe.
is one of several debt relief options consumers have. You’ll want to consider whether you’re eligible for other debt relief options and then compare charges. Also, consider whether Chapter 7 bankruptcy might wipe off more of your debtfaster.
The following article:
What is Freedom Debt Relief? Freedom Debt Relief Works
How do you qualify?
Freedom offers assistance to customers with debts from medical bills, credit cards, personal loans, private student loans and various other forms of unsecure debt. Generally, you have to be in possession of a minimum total debt amount of $7500 to be eligible, however some states have laws setting higher minimums.
Like other debt relief companies, Freedom cannot help clients with debt that involves collateral, like a mortgage or car loan. It also cannot address the debt arising that is a result of Federal student loans.
A typical new client has around $23,000 of unsecured debt across eight to nine credit accounts when they enroll with Freedom as per Sean Fox, the company’s co-president. The amount of unsecured debt can range as high as $100,000 or more, with some clients with more than 20 credit accounts, Fox adds.
The process of debt settlement
You can go online or contact them for an analysis of your debts as well as your eligibility for the program with an Freedom representative. You’ll then have a program briefing that explains the program for settlement and you’ll be provided with the agreement as well as disclosures that you need to accept. Then, you’ll be given an onboarding phone call.
After you’ve enrolled your debts in this plan, you are no longer paying for the accounts you have enrolled. Instead, you open an account that is specifically designed to hold payments for creditors. You’ll be the owner and manager of the account and deposit monthly installments into it. Freedom will work with you to decide the amount that should be deposited each month into the account. The amount is determined by your capacity to pay and the total amount of outstanding debt that you have enrolled, according to the company.
If you do not pay to a creditor, it becomes delinquent on the account. There will be late fees as well as interest charges as well as your score is likely to decline. Delinquent accounts stay on your credit report up to seven years.
When money is accruing in the dedicated account, Freedom begins negotiating with individual creditors on your behalf to get them to accept lesser than the amount you have to pay. The idea is that , after many months of not paying and a creditor is motivated to take the lesser amount rather than losing nothing.
If a creditor accepts the lower amount as a payoff, you must pay the creditor in either a lump sum or in installments, from your dedicated account. You also then pay a fee to Freedom Debt Relief for its service.
Cost
By legislation, Freedom cannot charge upfront fees. Instead, it collects an amount every time it has reached a settlement with a creditor, and you have approved the settlement and made at least one payment to it.
The fees range between 15% and 25%. It’s dependent on the amount of the debt that is enrolled. It may vary depending on the state’s regulations. A customer who pays off a credit card with a balance at $3,000, for example, would pay between $750 and $1,250 to Freedom for the service.
There’s also a one-time cost of $9.95 to create the special-purpose account, and a monthly fee of $9.95 for account maintenance, Fox says. Those fees are levied by the hosting company that hosts the account rather than by Freedom.
Time frame
Freedom says most customers receive their first settlement within three months, but it could take longer depending on how much you can save each month, the number of accounts enrolled in the program, as well as the amount due on each account. Freedom states that customers who are committed to timely monthly payments to their dedicated accounts pay off all indebtedness within two to four years typically.
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Freedom Debt Relief at a glance
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What do you need to learn regarding Freedom Debt Relief
Reliable to complaints of customers
Freedom is rated A+ score at the . The company has received over 350 complaints from customers in the last three years, and has received reports of problems with its service and issues with billing and collection. Notably, the business has a 100% resolution rate to complaints from customers through the BBB.
Lawsuit
In 2017, the company was brought before the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, in which the firm was accused of charging people who did not pay their debts in the manner it was promised, made them settle their own debts, and misled customers about the fees.
In July 2019, Freedom settled the CFPB suit by accepting to make a payment of $20m in compensation to the affected consumers as well as an additional $5 million civil penalty [0] Consumer Financial Protection Bureau . . Accessed on November 12, 2020.
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The risks of the process of debt settlement
The risks and drawbacks associated with debt settlement are:
It can affect your credit score
Since you’re required to stop paying your outstanding debts to enter into a debt settlement program these accounts will be marked delinquent on your credit reports. Your credit score will be severely affected which could impact future applications for credit or even work. Delinquent accounts are those that have been in the bank over a period of seven years or more, are also considered delinquent, as are loans that charge off accounts.
The odds of success aren’t always certain.
Certain creditors might offer to sell the debt you owe to a third-party collection agency or the buyer of debt. Freedom claims it works with the third party and may coach some clients to resolve their debts directly with creditors. However, the results may differ.
Fees and interest accumulate
During the time you’re enrolled in the debt settlement program there will be additional late fees and interest on your debt. If you don’t remain with the program enough to finish it or should Freedom is unable to reach an agreement, you’ll be stuck with the higher balance.
You may still hear from debt collectors
Because you stop paying your accounts and you stop paying your bills, you could face aggressive collection attempts or even legal action from creditors. Freedom says it encourages customers to inform creditors that they’re working with the settlement company and to send communications to Freedom through their own online dashboard.
Forgiven debt may be taxed
Since the IRS considers forgiven debt as income that is tax deductible, it’s possible you’ll owe taxes on the debt you didn’t have to pay off after you’ve settled. Certain creditors will mail the Cancellation of Debt form . A possible exception is if you are insolvent (have more debt than assets) when you pay off debts to your creditors.
Speaking with an attorney or tax professional to get further advice is highly recommended.
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Freedom Debt Relief vs. other options
Before settling on a debt settlement option, understand other options, which include debt payoff and other options:
Debt management plan
This is a possible alternative for someone with a steady income to repay credit card debts within the three-five years. The credit counseling agency to combine your debts into one payment per month with a lower rate of interest. But you won’t have access to credit cards or be able to utilize your credit cards during the payoff period.
Consolidation of debt
This option lets you transfer multiple debts into one new debt, usually via a balance transfer credit card or . The new loan should have lower interest rates than the previous debts, potentially helping you get rid of your debt quicker. However, it usually requires excellent to excellent credit scores for approval or good conditions.
Bankruptcy
The bankruptcy process can help you pay off your debt with protection from a federal court. will typically erase most non-secured debts within between three and six months. However, not everyone qualifies. If you’re in default on debt, declaring bankruptcy can stop the calls from collectors and lawsuits filed against you. Your credit will suffer a blow, just as with debt settlement, but research shows credit scores can rebound within a year.
DIY debt settlement
You can pick up the telephone, call your creditors and discuss the matter with them on your own. Similar to the use of a debt settlement firm it’s not guaranteed to succeed however it can save you time and money.
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