How Much Will Chase Settle For?

Why a precise percentage would be misleading

A public payment-assistance route does not establish that Chase will forgive principal. A settlement requires an account-specific agreement.

A useful outcome study would identify the exact creditor and product, dates, account status, starting and settlement balances, fees, failed or unfinished cases, and how the sample was selected. Reports showing only successful settlements can leave out the people who paid fees or accrued charges without resolving every account.

New-credit marketing and payment relief solve different problems; compare the actual repayment cost before moving debt.

Sources: Chase: Lending and card payment assistance resources; Chase: Disaster assistance

A worked example—not a predicted offer

Assume an itemized current balance of $8,000 and a written offer of $4,800. Those invented amounts make the creditor payment 60% of the current balance. They do not say what this creditor accepts.

If the agreement allows six equal payments, each is $800. A $300 monthly amount that feels comfortable would not meet that schedule. The deadline and payment source can make the offer unworkable even when the headline reduction looks attractive.

Compare the same numbers

Use the same balance date for each option. A percentage of original debt, enrolled debt and today's balance are different calculations. If interest or fees accumulated during negotiations, include them when assessing the economic result.

A customer sees a loan promotion beside assistance information. Applying for new credit is not necessary merely to ask what relief exists on the current card.

Separately list any third-party fee and when it becomes payable. For example, an assumed $1,000 service fee would raise $4,800 of creditor payments to $5,800 before other costs. That is arithmetic, not a fee recommendation or a claim that the fee is lawful in your circumstances.

Sources: FTC: How to get out of debt

The amount is only one term

For business cards, establish personal liability from the agreement instead of assuming consumer-card rules apply.

Ask what constitutes completed performance, how an installment default affects the original balance, whether interest or fees continue, and what will be reported. If a lawsuit exists, the agreement must also address the case and any judgment.

Canceled debt may be taxable, but bankruptcy, insolvency and other exclusions can apply. The difference between assets and liabilities for tax purposes requires its own calculation; do not assume unemployment alone creates an exclusion. Keep the agreement and tax forms for a qualified preparer.

Sources: CFPB: Negotiating a collection settlement; IRS: Canceled debt and exclusions, Publication 4681; CFPB: Responding to a debt lawsuit

Questions worth asking

1. What balance and date was the advertised percentage calculated from?
2. How many comparable unsuccessful cases are absent from a claimed average?
3. For business cards, establish personal liability from the agreement instead of assuming consumer-card rules apply.

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