Accredited Debt Relief is a financial services company that helps individuals struggling with overwhelming debt by providing debt settlement programs. They negotiate with creditors on behalf of clients to reduce their outstanding debts, aiming to create manageable repayment plans for clients.
Accredited Debt Relief At-a-Glance
- Program amounts range from $1,000 to $100,000
- Unsecured debt is eligible; secured debt is not
- An origination fee of 1% to 6% is assessed on all programs
- You must open a savings account and pay into it while the company works on debt settlement
- You must stop paying your creditors, which could negatively affect your credit score
- The fee for the service ranges from 15% to 25% of the total debt amount
- Not available in all states
Pros and Cons of the Accredited Debt Relief Personal Loan
Compare to Others
Regarding comparisons, it is essential to remember that Accredited Debt Relief is not a loan. Rather, it is a program that helps you work with creditors to reduce the amount you owe and settle the accounts.
If you are looking for a debt consolidation loan that puts you in firm control of how you handle paying off your credit cards and other high-interest debt, there are several options to choose from.
Happy Money
Happy Money is dedicated to debt consolidation loans; this is what they do. They offer between $5,000 and $40,000 in loans with terms of 24 to 60 months. There is an origination fee of up to 5% of the loan amount. Expect a soft credit check and the ability to handle your loan online. This is not available in Nevada or Massachusetts.
Upstart
Upstart might work for you if you have a low credit score. The lender offers loans of $1,000 to $50,000 with terms of 36 to 60 months. Some states have a minimum required loan amount, so those who need a smaller amount might not want to pursue this one. Those who do should expect an origination fee and quick funding.
SoFi
Are you in deep with high-interest credit cards? SoFi offers between $5,000 and $100,000 for debt consolidation, with terms of 36 to an expansive 72 months. You won’t face any origination fees, late fees, or prepayment penalties. However, you must have a solid credit history and income to qualify. This might not work well for those struggling with a high debt-to-income ratio.
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Accredited Debt Relief Review Could Be Best For:
Accredited Debt Relief works well for those who have run into debt trouble, including those struggling with the high-interest rates of credit cards, personal loans, payday loans, medical bills, repossessions, and private student loans. Federally backed student loans are not eligible for this program.
Those with bad credit might find help by paying off their loans through Accredited Debt Relief. This also works well for those who have trouble dealing with aggressive creditors or collection agencies, as someone at the company will contact them on your behalf. Once the process starts, you don’t have to talk directly with anyone other than Accredited Debt Relief concerning the debts you have entrusted them to help you with.
Top Features of the Accredited Debt Relief Personal Loan
Accredited Debt Relief has helped hundreds of thousands of people find a way out of debt. Though it’s technically not a loan, it has elements of one. Here’s what you need to know.
Proven Services
Accredited Debt Relief has helped tens of thousands of individuals and has a good rating on the Better Business Bureau and top-notch reviews on places like TrustPilot. Though someone might wind up paying more after the up to 25% fee for the debt service, many find that no longer having to deal with creditors and settling their debts is worth the extra cash.
The company says that over $2 billion has been saved for clients and that most are free of their debt in 48 months or less.
Helpful for Unsecured Debt
The company accepts only unsecured debt. Debt secured with any collateral, from a home equity loan to a payday loan secured with a vehicle, is not eligible for this particular service. That might be because there is little negotiating power with a company with collateral for a loan; they take your property to settle the debt.
Takes Away Creditor Stress
Once you begin missing payments or dealing with other issues related to non-payment of your high-interest debts, creditors start calling, and they can be relentless, especially if they farm the contract out to a third-party debt collection agency.
Accredited Debt Relief takes care of that problem by talking to the creditors for you and establishing (in most cases) a much lower settlement agreement than something you could find on your own.
Savings Account
Accredited Debt Relief works differently than a conventional personal loan to cover high-interest credit cards or other unsecured debt. Instead of offering a loan, the company asks you to contribute to a savings account instead of paying your creditors.
The money in this savings account builds up and is later used to pay your creditors and any fees you incur. Keep in mind that this money is yours until it goes to pay creditors or fees.
Financial Counseling Available
All customers of Accredited Debt Relief get financial counseling tools free of charge. The Knowledge Hub offers various articles to help consumers understand debt, how settlement works, and so much more.
How to Get Started
Accredited Debt Relief works differently than other personal loan or debt consolidation companies.
You get started with a free phone consultation. You will discuss your debt, financial situation, and a plan to get out from under the bills and high interest rates. You will then open a savings account and add money to it every month rather than paying your creditors directly.
In the meantime, Accredited Debt Relief begins working with your creditors to negotiate a settlement. They then decide which accounts to settle first, given how much money is in your dedicated savings account. The creditor approves a settlement amount. You give your okay, the account is paid at the agreed amount, and then it is considered “resolved.”
The whole process can take many months; the programs run from 12 to 48 months.
How Does Debt Relief Affect Your Credit Score?
The honest answer is probably different from what you want to hear. Even though you are paying down your debt, your credit score will take a severe hit when you stop paying your creditors.
Even after they are paid off, you might still have a low score for a while, as the debts will be listed as “settled” and not “paid in full.” However, you can rebuild your credit through steady, careful practice in managing money.
Rating the Features
It’s important to remember that while many companies offer personal loans to help consolidate and pay off high-interest credit card debt, Accredited Debt Relief is not offering loans. Instead, they provide a competitive program that helps individuals pay off their high-interest loans through negotiations with creditors that can achieve a favorable settlement offer.
Here’s what you need to know about the various features of the programs Accredited Debt Relief offers.
Fees
You pay a fee based on the amount of debt enrolled, which could be between 15% and 25% of the total debt amount. These fees may vary widely depending on your state.
Remember that this fee is based on the amount of debt you enroll in the program, not the savings you might achieve when you pay off the debt.
An origination fee of between 1% and 6% of the debt amount will be assessed.
Rates
The APR available for this program can be relatively high, on par with high-interest credit cards. Only those with the best credit scores and income might qualify for the lower interest rates, but in that case, they would likely not need a debt consolidation loan.
The website’s fine print indicates that customers might end up paying more than their initial credit card debt thanks to fees and interest.
Variety
Customers can choose the term that makes them most comfortable paying off the debt and which debts they enroll in. You don’t have to enroll all of your credit cards or loans in the program. What matters is that you include at least $10,000 in credit card debt.
Customer Support
Financial counseling is available to customers throughout the debt relief process. In addition to having your debt consultant handle everything about your situation, you can contact general customer service from 5 AM to 9 PM Pacific Time, Monday through Friday, and 5 AM to 4 PM Pacific Time on Saturdays. You can also reach out via email.
Access
Accredited Debt Relief currently serves 32 states. The account starts online and can be managed online. Getting the account opened doesn’t rely on any particular minimum credit score, though those with a higher credit score might experience lower fees.
Frequently Asked Questions
Currently, Accredited Debt Relief serves only 32 states. However, it’s easier to determine what those states are after the initial consultation. We suggest calling the company and asking a representative if your state is eligible; if not, you can stop the process immediately and save time.
Unfortunately, no. Accredited Debt Relief works with those with $10,000 or more in unsecured debt. The average client has between $15,000 and $30,000 in debt, usually spread over at least four accounts.
To stop using the services of Accredited Debt Relief, contact the debt specialist working with your accounts and tell them you want to stop the process. You will get back any money still in your savings account, minus the fees. You will then have to start dealing with the creditors again on your own.
