According to recent reports, the world’s total debt passed the $348 trillion mark. Everyone is, in a way, in debt, and while the implications might not be so direct for regular citizens, one thing is clear – there are a lot of people out there who need help with managing their finances.
CuraDebt is a company that recognizes this needworlds . In this article, we’ll assess how this debt settlement service works to help the average Joe find his way out of the rabbit hole that is debt.
Settlement amounts vary by case
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- Offers a free consultation to review your debt situation
- Provides a professional negotiation team to help protect you from creditors
- Helps with credit card debt, personal loans, medical bills, tax debt, and business debt
- Provides debt settlement on a variety of debts such as tax debts, credit card debts, private student loans, and more.
- No upfront fees; you only pay when you see results
- Can have a negative impact on credit score
- No dedicated dashboard for client accounts or mobile app available
CuraDebt Overview
Modern financial troubles require modern solutions. Suppose you find yourself neck-deep in debt, and there seems to be no way out of that predicament. Instead of declaring bankruptcy which would affect your creditworthiness for ten long years, you might consider debt relief.
Debt relief refers to actions taken to reduce or refinance debt to make it easier for the borrower to repay it. These actions include interest rate lowering, principal amount reduction, loan term extension, debt consolidation, and other measures.
CuraDebt is a debt relief company that provides people with these last-resort options when settling their debts may be a task too great to accomplish on their own.
CuraDebt has been offering debt relief services to the general public since 2001.
Over the years, they have helped individuals handling credit card debt, personal loans, payday loans, lines of credit, collections and repossessions, medical debt, business debts, private student loans, IRS debt, back taxes, and any other tax debts, and Merchant Cash Advance debt, while secured debts such as mortgages and auto loans generally do not qualify.
How CuraDebt Works
The process is straightforward. It all begins with a request for a free online savings estimate. Unlike other companies, CuraDebt doesn’t perform a credit check.
With the savings estimate, you can learn about your options, even if you eventually decide not to continue with CuraDebt.
If you choose to enroll, CuraDebt assigns a debt counselor to you and a team made up of credit arbitration experts and financial advisors. The team helps to negotiate debt settlements.
Based on finances, CuraDebt negotiates with creditors on the best terms of payment. Afterward, you deposit money into a savings account. The money is used to settle your debts for less.
Additionally, the company reviews laws like the Telecommunications Consumer Protection Act, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, and other guidelines and regulations in debt settlement to find violations committed by creditors and use them as leverage for negotiations.
These negotiations could lead to cash settlements or even get you dismissals on some debts. In between 24 to 48 months, your debts should be fully settled.
Application Requirements
Eligibility for CuraDebt’s services doesn’t require much:
- You must have at least $10,000 in unsecured debt
- You must be facing genuine financial hardship
- Your debts must be unsecured
Company Reputation
CuraDebt BBB rating stands at an A+ and the company is accredited by the Better Business Bureau.
Since countless predatory companies steal financial information and data under the pretext of providing debt relief services, we recommend that you pay attention to the Federal Trade Commission’s guidelines to avoid data theft.
You should also pay attention to warnings and check open cases with the FTC. You can make background checks on companies with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
CuraDebt has no existing cases with the FTC, and it carefully protects customer information.
Fees
Interestingly, CuraDebt doesn’t charge its clients any fees up front. It is not a free-to-use service, but you only pay after a debt is successfully settled. The company is also very straightforward with its pricing.
The industry average on settled debts is between 15% and 25%, and CuraDebt charges its fees only after results are achieved, which we consider a reasonable price for the services rendered.
Tax Relief Program
When dealing with tax debts, CuraDebt collects your financial documentation to determine your status. Next, CuraDebt will collect the paperwork necessary for tax returns. This tax debt relief program involves setting up a team of debt professionals to work on settling your debts.
There is basically no debt involving tax that is not covered under the tax relief program. CuraDebt works on resolving and settling business and personal taxes, tax penalties, unpaid taxes, wage garnishments, back taxes, tax liens, trust fund penalties, and more.
Moreover, the company does not clearly publish flat tax-relief pricing on its main public pages, so fees may vary depending on the case.
We found that while the company doesn’t offer its services to every state in the United States when it comes to tax debts, availability can vary by state, and in some states consumers may be referred elsewhere for assistance. You get access to federal tax experts if you owe the IRS.
Please note that CuraDebt cannot handle loans or debts that are tied to physical items. CuraDebt works on unsecured debts, so its services will not be helpful with debt situations such as auto loans or mortgages. For clarity, we’ll go through the types of major debt situations that CuraDebt typically handles.
Medical Debt
Without health insurance, medical bills can pile up to a sickening height, but they can be resolved. The company reviews your medical expenses, bundling them with other unsecured debts. Then it can help you pay the debts for a lesser amount than originally owed.
Credit Card Debt
If you owe on cards and cannot pay back, CuraDebt may be able to help you offset them. This debt settlement applies to credit with traditional issuers like Mastercard, Visa, as well as private credit card issuers or even store credit.
Personal Loans and Payday Loans
Individuals with personal loans from third-party lenders or payday loans from banks or their financial institutions facing difficulties in settling their loans are also eligible for CuraDebt’s services.
Private Student Loans
Unfortunately, the company doesn’t settle debt situations involving federal loans. However, it does take on cases involving loans from private funds. CuraDebt can help you negotiate favorable settlement terms for private student loans.
That said, private student loan relief appears to be handled on a limited-case basis rather than as a blanket offering.
Tax Debt Settlement Methods
The following tax solutions are available when CuraDebt handles your debts:
- Currently non-collectible: CuraDebt proves you are under extreme economic hardship, thereby stopping the IRS from making further collections since you cannot pay the back taxes
- Installment agreements: Tax debts are paid in installments
- Penalty abatements: Penalties are absolved, and payments are made on an installment agreement
- Offer in Compromise: The IRS lets you pay off your debts in a single lesser amount
Tax liens and levies can also be addressed in qualifying cases.
Company Accreditation
CuraDebt is a member of recognized bodies in the debt industry such as the American Association for Debt Resolution and the International Association of Professional Debt Arbitrators.
Savings
The eventual payments on debts are usually much lower than the actual amount owed.
The company's clients usually save meaningful amounts on enrolled debts after fees, although exact results vary from case to case.
How CuraDebt Compares to Other Debt Settlement Services
$10,000
No upfront fees
$7,500
15% to 25% of total debt
$7,500
15% to 25% of total debt
Customer Service & User Satisfaction
The company's customer service can be reached via phone, fax, email, and live chat. The phone lines are available Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST on the official site, and you could also visit in person if you live close to their offices situated in Hollywood, Florida.
There is no active customer support on Sundays. The company offers no mobile app, and unlike other providers, the web platform doesn’t have a dedicated client dashboard.
Customer reviews on the services rendered by CuraDebt are mainly positive. The company holds a strong 4.9/5 star rating on Trustpilot, which points to strong customer satisfaction.
The general consensus from users is that CuraDebt is quite easy to use, has a very helpful customer service, and is one of the best debt relief firms.
The complaints, on the other hand, are centered on the lack of an app or the layout of the company’s website. The complaints are very few and are mostly based on personal usage preferences.
Our Verdict
Fair Warning: Debt settlement can harm your credit score. This is because credit companies will stop receiving regular payments from you should you opt for this debt relief option. We recommend that it should be a last-resort option when you have exhausted all of your other options, such as debt consolidation or debt management.
We’ve observed that, while some of CuraDebt’s terms of usage may be similar to other debt relief providers, there is more to it than meets the eye. For one thing, CuraDebt has a unique way of approaching debts, especially because it also handles tax debt and business debt in addition to standard unsecured consumer debt. Besides, CuraDebt is very affordable.
Most clients enrolling the service have their debts cleared as promised. There are seldom any negative testimonials to taint CuraDebt’s good standing. That’s why it would be worth your while to consider them in managing your debt situation.