How we make money
How we make money
We are paid one way: a fee you agree to in writing, charged only after we settle a debt and you make a payment on that settlement. Here is how it works, and who else gets paid.
Questions about the fee? Call 866-659-7966
How the fee works
Four points about our fee.
The federal rule for debt relief sets most of this. We would work this way anyway, because a fee you can see is a fee you can judge.
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Before you sign
You see the fee in writing.
Fees are taken only as your signed enrollment agreement allows.
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While you save
We charge you nothing.
Your deposits build up in an account in your name, not ours.
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The risk
Some debts may never settle.
We earn no fee on a debt that does not settle.
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After a settlement
We earn the fee for that debt.
Only after you approve the offer and a payment is made under it.
Where our money comes from
What we earn from (and what we don’t)
We are paid
- A percentage of your enrolled debt, set individually, and charged only after a settlement is reached
- Only on debts that settle, after you approve each offer
- Only as your signed enrollment agreement allows
- At one percentage across every debt you enroll
We don’t
- Charge any fee before a debt is settled and a payment is made
- Make or sell loans, so we earn nothing from interest
- Sell what you type into this website to other companies
- Hold your savings. An independent account provider does
Who picks up
Edit Furth, CEO
- No bots: a real person picks up the phone.
- A small, expert team, working since 2008.
- Clients abroad with a US SSN or ITIN are welcome.
What does the fee look like in dollars?
Here is $25,000 of debt across 4 accounts, with an illustrative fee of 20%. The fee on each account is the same share of that account's enrolled balance, as the federal rule (eCFR, opens in a new tab) requires. It can be charged only after that account settles and you make a payment on the settlement.
| Account | Enrolled balance | Illustrative fee | Earliest it can be charged |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal loan | $3,750 | $750 | After it settles (month 10, illustrative) |
| Medical bill | $5,000 | $1,000 | After it settles (month 15, illustrative) |
| Card B | $6,750 | $1,350 | After it settles (month 21, illustrative) |
| Card A | $9,500 | $1,900 | After it settles (month 26, illustrative) |
| All accounts | $25,000 | $5,000 | Only if every account settles |
Illustrative only: your fee percentage is set individually and stated in your written agreement.
Who else gets paid?
Your creditors get the settled amount, paid from your account, only after you approve each offer.
The company that runs your dedicated account is independent of us, as the rule requires. The CFPB notes (CFPB, opens in a new tab) that you may be charged fees for using an account like this. Ask for every fee in writing before you agree, ours and the account provider’s.
Do we sell your information?
Not from this website. What you type into this website goes to us alone. We do not sell it or pass it to other debt relief companies or lead buyers.
If you tick the consent box on our estimate form, it names Clear Financial Company only. If you live in a state where we do not enroll clients, you are never treated as a sales lead.
Why do we publish all this?
Because after the settlements themselves, the fee is the biggest cost of debt settlement. The CFPB warns (CFPB, opens in a new tab) that these fees are often expensive, so you should see ours before you share a phone number.
The rules we follow, and every disclosure, are on licensing and disclosures.
Sources
Where the facts on this page come from. Each link opens the original in a new tab.
- 01 eCFR 16 CFR 310.4: Abusive telemarketing acts or practices (the advance-fee ban) (opens in a new tab)
- 02 FTC Debt Relief Services and the Telemarketing Sales Rule: A Guide for Business (opens in a new tab)
- 03 CFPB What is a debt relief program and how do I know if I should use one? (opens in a new tab)
Next step
See the fee before you decide.
Check your state and see an illustrative estimate with the fee on its own line, or call 866-659-7966. Nothing is signed until you say yes.
Four short steps
Your estimate first. Contact details last.
- 1How much you owea close guess is fine
- 2What kinds of debtpick all that apply
- 3Which state you live inchecked before anything else
- 4Your estimate, then a real person if you want one