What Happens When Someone Acquires Your Debt

Whether you have a longtime outstanding debt or a relatively more recent one, it is not uncommon to find that your debt may be acquired by an entirely new creditor. This can take place for a number of reasons, but the changes that occur when it does happen may not be as drastic as you think. Let’s talk about what happens when someone acquires your debt.First of all, do you wonder why one company would buy a debt from another? In general, it boils down to a couple of pretty good reasons. One is that the original creditor does not feel that the debt is collectible or is likely to be collected. This often happens automatically after a certain period of time has elapsed, but may also have to do with many other factors. This leads to another reason debts are sold, which is that many times, the original creditor does not specialize in collecting debt. This combines with the first reason to make it even more unlikely that the creditor’s efforts will pay off in the form of a complete repayment by the debtor.In this situation, the original creditor may very well decide to cut their losses by selling the debt to another business entity. Nearly all of the time, the company that is buying the debt will be one that specializes in doing just that: buying old debts and collecting on them. The original creditor usually does not want to invest any more time, money, and effort in an activity (debt collection) with which they do not specialize in.What financial sense does it make for the original creditor? Well, they do not get paid the original amount of the debt, and in fact, they often don’t get anywhere near that amount. However, they do recover at least some money, and now they don’t have to worry about the debt any longer. The debt buyer who is the new creditor gets to buy a debt, often for pennies on the dollar, and now can attempt to collect and make a profit out of the deal.On your end, the process will not be much different than usual. You will be contacted and notified, often by mail, to be informed that your debt has been sold to a new creditor. That way, you know why you are being contacted by this unfamiliar new company. Often, you will be given a new opportunity to settle at a lower price than that of your original debt. Since the new creditor acquired your debt at just a percentage of the actual amount, they can afford to cut you a deal where everyone wins, so to speak.Really, it is just business as usual when your debt is acquired. Generally, your original debt and the circumstances of it are unchanged; you simply have a new company to work with on the repayment of that debt. As such, you may see that the collection efforts change in consistency or type now that your debt is held by someone who focuses mostly on debt collection.If you are serious about paying off past debts and improving your credit in the short and long-term, working with a new creditor is the best route to take. You may be surprised at the options that they can give you if you are willing to make settlements toward the goal of removing the debt for once and for all. While you may have a different business name and address at the upper left hand corner of the collection letters you receive, the result is the same and the debt still should be paid.