Here is what Mann bracken can do to you. I signed up with a debt consolidation company (Credit America, something like that). When they didn't make any payments to my creditors, but continued to take my money, my accounts were sent to Wolpoff and Abramson. I was threatened by them, harrassed by them, they even harrassed my parents. How they found them, I have no clue. After being harrassed too many times, I finally agreed to a payment plan with them. I paid them for about 6 months, on time, every month. One day in the mail, I got a notice of arbitration. Not knowing why, I called them and was told that it was an accident that I got it, but once the case is arbitration, they can't take it out (this is a total lie!!!). After being threatened again by W&A, I agreed to sign a stay of execution,(basically I had to put in writing that I paid them by a certain day every month, something I already did anyways). I paid W&A for 18 months. Then Mann Bracken bought them, and the process started all over again. I was getting harrassed again, I was told that the payments weren't getting made (which was another lie because I was doing EFT payments) and I had to pay the balance in full. If I had the money to pay the balance in full, I wouldn't have been in this mess. After 2 months of going back and forth, they offered me a settlement. So, I took money out of my IRA and paid them 70% of the balance. No one said anything to me about what happens to the money that I didn't pay, they were just saying thank you for paying and closing the accounts. The fact that I didn't pay the balance in full I have been told by Mann Bracken will be on my credit report for 7 years. Trust me, it doesn't end when you pay off the balance. Then last night, I got a 1099-C form in the mail saying that I had to add the balance of what I didn't pay to my total income from last year!! I am not even sure this is legal!! Does anybody know??? Mann Bracken will come after to you any way they can, legal or not..be careful before you agree to ANYTHING with them!! I would hate for someone to go thru what I thought I was done with!!