As society continues coping with the COVID-19 pandemic, there has emerged a substantial need for quality debt relief solutions. A recent survey showed 34% of respondents feel worse off financially because of the pandemic.
The good news is there is help out there for people who feel suffocated by debt. From student loans to car buying, the compounded daily interest on unsecured debt is making people cringe.
Freedom Debt Relief has the largest network of negotiators in the debt relief industry. The company also takes a human approach to helping clients resolve unsecured debt. In fact, its culture stresses getting people out of debt as quickly as possible. Where did this company culture come from?
The Freedom Debt Relief story will shed some light on this question.
Origins
In 2002 the global economy was coping with the dotcom bubble and its resulting recession. Meanwhile, Andrew Housser and Brad Stroh, both Stanford Business School graduates, noticed something. There were no easy ways for people to attempt to negotiate the terms of unsecured debt. Such practice happens all the time in the financial world. However, regular consumers could gain little ground with major financial institutions.
As business school graduates from one of the most prestigious schools in the world, Housser and Stroh felt they could be a consumer-friendly face in a cutthroat world of financial gains and losses. It was from these foundations they started Freedom Debt Relief.
The Mission
Just as it was when they first started Freedom Debt Relief, their mission is still consumer focused. Company culture offers customer care on a personal level. After all, a person’s spending habits can be quite personal, which is why everything revolves around consumer empowerment. The firm goes beyond customer service and offer guidance for increasing your wealth after you get out of debt. Wealth equals freedom.
Stewards of Consumer-Focused Debt Relief
Led by Housser and Stroh, employees at Freedom Debt Relief continue to be thought leaders in the debt relief industry. Freedom Debt Relief is an original founding member of the American Fair Credit Council (AFCC), which promotes adherence to industry best practices.
Freedom Debt Relief is and remains a lobbyist for people who use credit cards. In 2010 the Freedom Debt Relief team led an effort to establish federal laws regulating debt collector actions and behavior. Now mandated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) debt collectors cannot employ psychologically abusive tactics to settle debts.
There are also rules about how fees are collected that dissuade those who feel they want to take advantage of people needing debt relief. The point is, if debtors have all the information they need, settlement is more likely to succeed.
Information Is Power
When you need to negotiate with one of your creditors about one of your past-due accounts, you need information. This information isn’t limited to details about the past due account. For example, there might be laws or special rules that apply.
The goal at Freedom Debt Relief is to give you everything you need to help you get out of debt. If you have everything needed to reach a settlement before going into the negotiations, you have a better chance at success.
Conclusion
Freedom Debt Relief has now been around long enough to see the results of its lobbying efforts for people that owe an unsecured debt. Bill collectors have lessened their motivations to be abusive in light of federal penalties. Since the FTC strengthened enforcement efforts, those who are near default on their unsecured debt have legitimate options.
