The debt relief process starts with a debt analysis and savings estimate where a debt specialist will review your situation and help you find a realistic repayment plan that fits within your budget. The analysis can take up to 20 minutes and can be done over the phone. Since no two situations are the same, your personal debt relief analysis will show you clearly what Pledge Financial could do for you and how much you could save. We'll also be able to provide you with the full details of the plan so you know how it works, the costs, and how it fully benefits you. If you prefer, you can start online on the Pledge Financial site. Just provide some basic information about yourself and we'll tell you what you owe and how the plan can help you.

The debt analysis and savings estimate is free, confidential, and requires absolutely no commitment. You'll just need to provide some basic information about yourself and assist us with creating a spending plan that you can live with. And best of all, if you decide to go with a Pledge Financial plan there are no upfront costs or monthly fees for our services. We only charge a fee after your debt is resolved.

Your debt analysis may have a nominal impact on your credit score. As part of the saving estimate and review process, we’ll retrieve your accounts and their balances from a credit reporting company. This process is considered a hard pull and may affect your credit score by a few points. Retrieving your information expedites the estimate process and it also allows us to provide you with a more accurate quote. For more information, please visit MyFico.com at http://www.myfico.com/crediteducation/questions/inquiry-credit-score.aspx.

Debt settlement is an innovative debt relief option for people who need relief from a serious amount of high interest credit card debt (typically $15,000 to $125,000 or more). Through debt settlement, debt specialists negotiate with your creditors on your behalf to pay less than what you owe – with the goal of "settling" your credit card debt to what you can afford to repay. Debt settlement has short term relief with a reduced monthly payment, long term relief allowing you to payback less than what you owe, and time savings getting you out of debt in approximately 48 months. Pros One low monthly program payment – significantly less than your current minimum Typically resolves debt faster than you can on your own -48 months By settling debt, you can save a substantial amount of money While negative to credit, not as severe or long-lasting as bankruptcy Cons Program primarily benefits those with high-balance credit cards Success relies on making timely and consistent monthly payments Creditors could increase collection efforts Negative impact on credit due to default on credit agreements

The first settlement is typically finalized in month 3 to 4 of a client's program (this varies greatly) and depends on your monthly program payment and the delinquency of creditors you have enrolled in the program as well as the amount of debt enrolled. In some instances, it may take more than 4 months before the first settlement is reached.

The amount of time you are in the program is based on the amount of debt enrolled, the amount you have agreed to deposit into your dedicated account each month, and the consistency of those monthly payments. It takes our average graduated client approximately 24-48 months to complete his or her plan.

Yes, at any point during your Pledge Financial program, you can add funds to your account. Some clients choose to put additional funds into their dedicated account after receiving a tax refund, bonus, or additional income. You can submit a request to add funds to your dedicated account online under the Customer Service tab of your Client Portal or contact us at customerservice@pledgefin.com

Every time there is a resolution on one of your debts, we will notify you with the terms of the settlement. Once you complete your program, and your last debt has been settled in full, we will send you a final graduation packet, which includes documentation regarding your settlements and helpful information on moving forward with your new debt-free life!

You can add or remove an account from your program by emailing customerservice@Pledgefin.com or you can go to your Client Portal Website and submit a request under the Customer Service Tab. We will require a statement dated within the last 60 days in order to add an account to the program. We do not recommend keeping any accounts outside of the program. Doing so could impact the ability to negotiate with the accounts in the program. Also, any creditors you keep outside of the program are likely to still close your account and/or lower your limit to the current balance. You are in a program that requires you to stop using credit in order for you to be successful.

Creditor calls are to be expected. You are not obligated to speak to your creditors. There are many reasons we do not recommend speaking to creditors. Once they know they can contact you they will continue to contact you; they might not want to speak to a 3rd party if they can contact you directly. Also, keep in mind that creditors may use scare tactics such as telling you that they do not work with debt settlement companies. They may tell you they are willing to work with you to convince you to make a payment. Speaking with creditors will interfere with the negotiation process. Some clients have gone as far as changing their phone number and you can also make sure your phone number is unlisted and unpublished.