Advanta Bank is not willing for debt settlement - what to do?

Holy crap. I am so mad. A credit card collector called me at work today. This is for a business card. Can they do that?

I just found out this is for one of my personal cards too

Well, I just got off the phone with Advanta. I am 152 days past due on a balance of $8,493. She offered me a couple of options. First, she offered to forgive $990 of the balance, which would bring it down to $7,503, then I would pay $201.64 every month for 4 years (48 Months) 9.99% interest. The problem with this is that I can???t afford $201.64 a month and also it ends up being about $9,679.72 total payments. This makes me worse off than I am now. The second thing they offered me is a settlement of maybe 50%, but that I would have to make a $378 payment first before she could submit it to her VP for approval. The problem is that 50% is still 4,246.50 that would be due is 6 weeks I believe. Well, that probably isn???t going to happen, so I told her that I couldn???t do either of those. The end result is that by 3pm EST today it is going to an outside collections agency, also known as Phillips & Cohen. Well, I figure it is worth taking the chance. I pulled some more info out of the gal that suggests that it won???t be charged off until 210 days past due and that it may come back in house and possible go to legal by that time. I think I am going to play this out. I???ll just deal with P&C and probably not talk to them that much and wait and see if it goes back to Advanta. I forgot to mention that I offered to settle for about $1,000 and she said there is no way they will take something that low. I guess we will see. It is a bit of a gamble, but really I have no other option. I may pursue the NFCC for debt counseling and see if that works. I told the gal over the phone that I have almost $100,000 debt and that I am getting hit up for money from everyone so that she understands that I am not just trying to screw them. Problem is that I think Advanta is the only one that is currently hitting my credit. However, my credit is down in the 500s now, so that should help.

Hello TeamTrav,
I am in EXACTLY the same boat you are with Advanta. At least you have the $1000, I have nothing saved for settlement with out low payments spread out. My lovely P & C guy left me a message saying that if I don't call him by 5 today then they will turn it back to Advanta for possible legal action. I am currently getting my info together to talk to a BK attorney. I have about $35000 in CC debt and am not able to make my payments either. What else can you do?

Well, yesterday I received my first phone call for payment. I explained that I had been talking to people to get my interest rate down. She said, Rachel at Advanta that if it had been an option she would have offered it out. I was given the option of putting it on another credit card, giving a payment and she would give me $100 off each month. I explained that I could not pay now, maybe next week. I said I expected to receive several calls and would be just as polite to them as her. I am now on a suspended call list and am not expecting anymore calls till next week. So, the cycle begins. I found another website about pissed Advanta people and they are contacting the Government about the lone shark approach advanta has taken. Also, some people are as high as 40% now. Still want to hear input.

Well, yesterday I received my first phone call for payment. I explained that I had been talking to people to get my interest rate down. She said, Rachel at Advanta that if it had been an option she would have offered it out. I was given the option of putting it on another credit card, giving a payment and she would give me $100 off each month. I explained that I could not pay now, maybe next week. I said I expected to receive several calls and would be just as polite to them as her. I am now on a suspended call list and am not expecting anymore calls till next week. So, the cycle begins. I found another website about pissed Advanta people and they are contacting the Government about the lone shark approach advanta has taken. Also, some people are as high as 40% now. Still want to hear input.

Well, yesterday I received my first phone call for payment. I explained that I had been talking to people to get my interest rate down. She said, Rachel at Advanta that if it had been an option she would have offered it out. I was given the option of putting it on another credit card, giving a payment and she would give me $100 off each month. I explained that I could not pay now, maybe next week. I said I expected to receive several calls and would be just as polite to them as her. I am now on a suspended call list and am not expecting anymore calls till next week. So, the cycle begins. I found another website about pissed Advanta people and they are contacting the Government about the lone shark approach advanta has taken. Also, some people are as high as 40% now. Still want to hear input.

You Basically just have to quit paying and stuff your money away until they are willing to negotiate

I'm hearing that Advanta is probably going to be filing bankruptcy very soon.

It's no wonder, with 40% interest rates, who the heck can pay their bills? I do feel a little bad, though. They were there for me when I first started my business and helped me a lot when I was doing well. And I did get a good settlement from them. I wouldn't be surprised if the entire credit card industry went down the crapper at this point.

I have a friend who has an Advanta account - She entered a debt settlement Program - Advant says they will not settle with anyone and never will - I dont know from personal exprience if this is a true state ment -

*** I would like to know how many cases are out there where Advanta settled for 20 to 45 cents on the doller --

I have a friend who has an Advanta account - She entered a debt settlement Program - Advant says they will not settle with anyone and never will - I dont know from personal exprience if this is a true state ment -

*** I would like to know how many cases are out there where Advanta settled for 20 to 45 cents on the doller --

I got a settlement with Advanta for less than that. It is true that they don't want to settle with debt settlement companies - they only do it directly with the client. Mine was back in September, though, and if what Former Advanta Collector says above is true, that they may be filing for bankruptcy, maybe they are putting settlements on hold for awhile. Who knows. Sometimes you just have to play the game and wait it out.

As of yesterday, I believe all the collections employees within the US were laid off. All collections will be done out of India now - so I will not be able to offer any insight or help as to how things will be done now.

I went through a debt settlement company and had atleast 3 of my creditors call and say they dont work with settlement companies. within a year all 3 settled with my settlement company. Its a way to scare you that it wont be settled ever. But they will

[font=Verdana][/font][size=3][/size]I screwed up and had a credit card payment bounce. This changed my account from a zero percent interest account to one of 12 percent or more. A representative called me about a week after the payment bounced to inform me. He asked if I wanted to make a payment at that time, an electronic transfer from my bank, and I said yes. I made the minimum payment and then realized that the account was no longer a zero interest account. I called Advanta back and told them I would like to pay off the $11,000 balance. It was at that point that I learned that Advanta would not permit me to make another electronic funds transfer for four business days. In the meantime, they continue to charge me interest every day. I think it really sucks that Advanta charges you interest and will not permit you to pay off your balance for several days!

Well, I have been getting the calls to pay my bill. I am very polite and explain that I will arrange payments as soon as someone calls me that can lower my interest rate from 38%, remove any excessive charges and apply past interest rates to the true balance before they raised me up to 22% in December. I have been given grace.. I now am at 35%. If I get a payment in then they will review my account and decide if they should lower my rate....Well, I have been there before and declined. I want to work this out but am not willing to pay the interest. Also, all my calls come between 8-8:30 am...and, the most recent have been from India confirming that possibly all US collection employees are gone. So, they are trying t save monies by unemploying Americans.
Is anybody else getting any closer to getting lower rates or reaching a settlement.

Any body heard what is going on with Advanta maybe filling Bankruptcy? Is it true that they laid off their entire collections department. How will that affect us? Could be a good thing or a bad thing.

Check out this article: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/business/20090130_Advanta_reports_loss__plans_layoffs.html

Advanta reports loss, plans layoffs
By Harold Brubaker

Inquirer Staff Writer

Advanta Corp., a small-business credit card lender in Montgomery County, yesterday reported a large fourth-quarter loss, slashed its dividend 88 percent, and said it would eliminate a third of its workforce, or about 300 jobs.
Losses have mounted at Advanta, as its customers have increasingly failed to keep up with their payments because of the deteriorating nationwide economy.

Advanta said it lost $46.94 million in the fourth quarter compared with a profit of $7.39 million in the 2007 period. The company's provision for losses on loans rose to $35.49 million from $21.55 million.

Credit conditions among Advanta's small-business customers weakened sharply over the last year. The company said 9.53 percent of loans were 30 or more days late in payment, up from 4.29 percent a year earlier.

The cut in the quarterly dividend - designed to help absorb loan losses - is to 2 cents from 17.71 cents on Class A shares and to 2.5 cents from 21.25 cents on Class B shares. That will be a blow to chief executive officer Dennis Alter's income.

Before the cut, his dividend income on Advanta shares was $3 million a year, based on holdings reported by Bloomberg News. The new figure for Alter, who is a major philanthropist in the Philadelphia region, will be $346,018.

Alter expressed confidence yesterday in a conference call with investors that a smaller Advanta has a future despite the hard times and the competition it faces from goliaths such as Citigroup Inc. and Bank of America Corp.

He said Advanta was smaller and profitable in the past. "We look forward to that again," he said.

Advanta's Class A shares closed down 13 cents at 54 cents on Nasdaq. The company's more widely held Class B shares fell 19 cents to close at 70 cents.

Boo Hoo. lol.

Maybe people would be able to pay their bills, if their interest rates weren't being tripled and quadrupled. The entire credit card industry is its own worst enemy.

Has anybody heard anything lateley about Advanta? Are they still having issues? Did they really lay off their collections people?

Hello Stevo,

A quick perusal of a Google search for "advanta settlement letters" brings up 2 settlement letters posted on debt settlement companies websites. But there seem to be a LOT of complaints about unfair billing practices.

Apparently it is difficult, but not impossible. Some of the creditors just want to put up a fight, and if you are persistent, they may realize that it is more worth it for them to settle and move on.

Good luck, and welcome to the forum!

chrys

Yes, the collectors were all laid off. As I understand it all of the collections, and I believe customer service, is now contracted through India. The reps you speak with will all be in India.

yes - everyone is gone... it's contracted through INDIA now. Their stock is currently at $0.49 a share. It was at $0.65 when they laid the employees off. I would anticipate that once they land in the $0.25 a share, bankruptcy is inevitible. I have no idea how that works - I assume the cards get sold to another company and they start trying to collect from you. Depending on their policies, it could be better or worse.

I have been getting calls regularly every other day at about 8am. I take the calls, am polite, refuse to pay 38% interest and the call ends. I did get calls from India after the major layoff. Still no resolution on my account. Yesterday I received a call from a Barbara Hall who sounded like she was stateside! My options were to pay 1700 now and get a 17% interest rate or pay $544 by March 21 and have a 21% interest rate. I would still be paying off the interest I have been charged at 38%, late fees, over limit fees now..blah blah blah. When I stated that I would talk to my husband about it she said I will record this as a refusal of offer. When I stated that we would not be having this issue if they had not raised my interest to 38% after I had been paying on time she said I had no right to demand anything, I signed a contract. Then she said, "Have a nice day," and promptly hung up on me. Almost bordered on rude. So, what now? Has anyone else received and almost willing to settle calls. What else is going on with the status of Advanta in general?

Read 8 pages of this saga and you really see the evil of this industry. Lots of honest people trying to make good but thwarted at every turn. Federal government needs credit card reform.... are there any movements ou there already that have some momentum.... What will be the next chapter in this saga.

Hey Former Advanta Collector
Keep your posts coming... your insight is most valuable.....

BASICALLY, YOU GUYS ARE ALL @#$%.....

NO ONE TOLD U TO RUN UP CREDIT CARD DEBTS SO HIGH!

WITHOUT THE ABILITY TO PAY WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM THE CREDIT CARD COMPANIES? THEY AREN'T A CHARITY U KNOW?

IMAGINE IF U LOANED MONEY TO A FRIEND SAY 100K AND THEY NEVER RETURNED U OR KEPT PROMISING TO RETURN U...HOW WOULD YOU FEEL?

STOP WHINING AND START SAVING AND PAYING YOUR BILLS!! @#$%!

Edited name calling. play nice or don't play at all--mobile

losers like you are a dime a dozen, go @#$% yourself.

edited nasty adjective -- mobile

I haven't gotten any phone calls from Advanta or P&C lately. I am a little worried it went to legal. Maybe it got written off. I doubt it, but one can dream. I would like to pay them something, just within reason. Anybody heard anything lately

By the way, I am close to 150 days late

Ok, so I got a letter from Advanta today actually it says:

March, 3 2009

Dear__________,

Your account is seriously delinquent. Since you have not made payment arrangements, your account has been referred to our Legal Department for immediate review and action.

If we do not hear from you within 15 days, we may be forced to commence legal action against your business and you personally. We really don't want that to happen.

Commencement of legal action will likely result in:
- additional expense of hiring your own lawyer to defend the legal action
- a judgment against you in an amount in excess of what you owe today, due to our legal costs
Judgements have serious consequences, which can include:
- liens against personal and business assets, bank accounts, and property
- difficulty in securing personal or business credit in the future
- entry in the public record, which can be accessed by credit bureaus

Again, we would much rather work with you than obtain a judgment against you.

You must act now to avoid the negative consequences of legal action against you and your business. Call us today - we may have payment plans available to you. Or, if it is more conveinient, you can also use our self-serve website - www.advanta.com to explore your payment options, make an immediate payment and avoid legal action.

The time to act is now.

Sincerely,

Lisa Fleischer, ESQ.
Litigation Counsel, Assistant Secretary for Advanta Bank Corp.




Well, I guess that answers why the phone calls ended. lol I guess this is it. Anybody have any suggestions? I still don't really have anything to pay. I hope they are willing to work with me now.

You might see what the website has to say. If there's nothing there you can handle, it wouldn't hurt to call and talk to them. I might be going out on a limb here, but I think the great settlement offer I got from them had something to do with my circumstances. Through my ten months of non-payment I had to deal with alot of their in-house collectors (and some were nasty!) and also P&C, but the people I talked to at the end were really very nice. I don't know how their alleged bankruptcy changes their policies and procedures, though, either.

Advantahelps.com hasn't worked for me in a while. It is just the typical site and won't show me my options.

I have enough people going after money from me, that I would think they would be willing to take whatever they can get. Did you get a letter like this, before they made the final offer?

I never got one this strongly worded. I got a lot of them that threatened sending me to the litigation dept., etc, for MONTHS, but nothing that sounded quite like yours. My summons came after about 300 days, or 10 months, of non-payment, and it was sort of unexpected because I had NOT gotten a letter like yours above. That same week, the settlement offer came three different ways: by regular mail, by priority mail, and by email. It had to be made in two payments, three weeks apart. They would not budge on that. I was lucky to have a family member to borrow it from.

Just to clear the air, not ALL of the Customer Service Reps & Collectors in the US are gone. MOST are, but not all. But chances are, you will be talking to someone in India. Just had to clear that up.

Quote:

As an American living in these tough economic times, the last thing you should be doing is wishing AMERICAN people out of a job, whether the banks are partly responsible for this recession or not. You have to realize it is not the employees who created the problems you have with banks. While people have valid complaints, the people who are still working are just glad to still have a job. So to call your fellow American working-class people maggots is unacceptable and disrespectful. People have families and do what they have to do to provide. Your anger is aimed at the wrong people. Put yourself in their position. Are you going to quit your job because you may not agree with what the company is doing? NO! You are going to keep your mouth shut and do your job to bring home a paycheck because YOU are the provider. I highly doubt there is one person in this world that agrees with every policy, procedure and tactic of their employer. Just remember, these are actual PEOPLE with families, who are also struggling, not just some robots. So before you go calling your peers maggots for having a job, take a look at yourself for stooping to that level.

Does anybody have the direct contact information of the Advanta Legal Department? I would like a fax number if possible or phone number.

TeamTrav:

I do not know of any direct line to the legal department. I am pretty sure though that anything you tried to send directly to them would just be routed to whatever team is working your account right now. Please be aware that the wording in your letter says MAY -- that is a big word. That still means that this is just a threat. They MAY legal it or they MAY not. I do not recall what state you said you reside in but even if the account is sent to legal, there is only so much they can do even then. The balance has to be a certain amount for a wage garnishment, bank garn or property lien. Some states don't permit property liens. The bottom line is anyone can get a judgment against anyone else - that doesn't mean they can do much to enforce it... unless they are the IRS I suppose. If you can't pay it, you can't pay it and all the eloquently worded letters attempting to scare you or make you feel like a loser isn't going to change that. Check into your state laws and find out what can really happen if they do legal the account. Additionally - if you have EVER done any payment on their website or over the phone with them - get your money out of that account the minute you actually have been legaled. I'm not sure if they can use the information off of check mailed in for payment but I do know that bank garnishments are done with information given by pay by phones and/or online payments.

I'm sorry you are in this situation. I hated working there more than any job I've ever had in my entire life. I was constantly getting scolded for not pushing people hard enough or for being too nice. I would set out the call dates for people I really felt bad for and believed so we wouldn't bug them every 2 days just to hear the same thing and got in trouble for that too. They truly have the worst policies as far as treating customers goes and I've worked for more than one company as a collector. It's just asinine to me that they are legaling anyone at this time in the world anyway. People are losing their homes and living in their cars. The unemployment rate is like 10% isn't it? Do they seriously think that all these people not paying are just hiding stashes of cash somewhere? Advanta isn't a typical card. IT's a business card. People's entire hopes and dreams were built into a business that is obviously failing - it isn't like the cardholders went out and charged up $5000 worth of Victoria's Secret and Chili's dinners for their friends and just stopped paying within the first 3 months (what you usually see from the college crowd in consumer cards). I dunno - I just think there is a big difference in the way you should treat a customer in the process of having all their dreams crushed as their business tanks and the teenage twit who just doesn't give a crap.
Guess that is why I don't work there anymore :)

TeamTrav:

I do not know of any direct line to the legal department. I am pretty sure though that anything you tried to send directly to them would just be routed to whatever team is working your account right now. Please be aware that the wording in your letter says MAY -- that is a big word. That still means that this is just a threat. They MAY legal it or they MAY not. I do not recall what state you said you reside in but even if the account is sent to legal, there is only so much they can do even then. The balance has to be a certain amount for a wage garnishment, bank garn or property lien. Some states don't permit property liens. The bottom line is anyone can get a judgment against anyone else - that doesn't mean they can do much to enforce it... unless they are the IRS I suppose. If you can't pay it, you can't pay it and all the eloquently worded letters attempting to scare you or make you feel like a loser isn't going to change that. Check into your state laws and find out what can really happen if they do legal the account. Additionally - if you have EVER done any payment on their website or over the phone with them - get your money out of that account the minute you actually have been legaled. I'm not sure if they can use the information off of check mailed in for payment but I do know that bank garnishments are done with information given by pay by phones and/or online payments.

I'm sorry you are in this situation. I hated working there more than any job I've ever had in my entire life. I was constantly getting scolded for not pushing people hard enough or for being too nice. I would set out the call dates for people I really felt bad for and believed so we wouldn't bug them every 2 days just to hear the same thing and got in trouble for that too. They truly have the worst policies as far as treating customers goes and I've worked for more than one company as a collector. It's just asinine to me that they are legaling anyone at this time in the world anyway. People are losing their homes and living in their cars. The unemployment rate is like 10% isn't it? Do they seriously think that all these people not paying are just hiding stashes of cash somewhere? Advanta isn't a typical card. IT's a business card. People's entire hopes and dreams were built into a business that is obviously failing - it isn't like the cardholders went out and charged up $5000 worth of Victoria's Secret and Chili's dinners for their friends and just stopped paying within the first 3 months (what you usually see from the college crowd in consumer cards). I dunno - I just think there is a big difference in the way you should treat a customer in the process of having all their dreams crushed as their business tanks and the teenage twit who just doesn't give a crap.
Guess that is why I don't work there anymore :)

Thanks again. Do you mind sending me a private message on here. I have a couple of questions for you.

Well I mailed my payment to Advanta on March 1st, 2009 and they called me on March 16th to inform me that my payment was late. I told them I had already sent a check blah blah blah and went ahead and pd the minimum via their website just in case my payment got lost in the USPS black hole or something. Please note that I have never been late on a payment with them before! The guy I spoke with from Advanta was American and he said that my late fee would be refunded on next months statement which is good but from what I have been reading over the past few days I am willing to bet that on the same statement as the late fee refund I will find that my interest rate has jumped to some ungodly amount! But here is the kicker . . . guess what check just happened to clear my bank account yesterday! You guessed it! My Advanta payment! Hmmm, I think I may agree with some other Advanta cardholders on the notion that they may be "sitting" on payments until they are past due so they have a reason to jack up the interest rate! The guy I spoke with on the 16th even told me that other people had been saying this same thing happened to them (pymt mailed plenty early and they don't seem to get it until 2 weeks later). I hope this company fails big time. They are a bunch of crooks! Now I've got to figure out a way to pay off my $4500 balance so that I won't get stuck with a 30+ interest rate!

Hello everyone, i read all nine pages and i have been in the same situation. here is a run down of my account and what i've been through and hope it helps..

I got this card roughly a year to year and half ago. i always made payments on time and payments were always way way over the min. required. I was approved and had gotten up to a 19k limit. At that time the world was going down hill, i used the card to strive my online business and i had customer bounce several checks that caused my payments to go late or bounce entirely. At one point i made a 6k payment and then charged about 6k, only to find out the payment bounced because a customer filed a charge back and bounced his check and put my account in a downward spin into the negative. at this point...


My account went 60-70 days past due, i get phone call all the time but i dont take them. One day i take a call from a Ken Insight or something along that name.. He is super nice and offers to work w/ me.. i made a 600 payment on this 26k balance and he tells me he will knock off 200 in fee's and drop my apr down to 21.9 from 30something.. it was a start and never have i been in any situation like this. I had a 740+ credit score even as up to Dec. 08.. His payment was pulled out of an older account and it didnt go through. i waited and waited and then called and found out he messed the accounts up. I was charged 100 in NSF fee's from that bank and then of course the payment wasnt good on their end. Finally he got me 100 credit on advanta card but never the 200 he said and the payment was made.

I made a second payment of 758ish the next month again to stay out of 90 days and try to remain faithful. Same deal, i went back down to 21.9 and it was just to stall the true fate. I got a call this month and i only speak with Ken. This month the lady yelled at me and bitched me out... told me i shouldnt have borrowed money i couldnt pay and i told her i could pay if she was to make a hardship plan and offer me 2-400 a month for a while. she said to pay 3300 or 7700 or 12,000 or it was going to be sent off to legal and they will sue me and take everything. I laughed and told her i just made 1550 in payments only to get 1567 in fee's and charges. It made no point and i cant afford a 1130 payment and partials are pointless..

I called Ken back and asked him about her and told him what happened, he off the record recommend that i wait till march 26th and see what ''options'' showed up on his screen. He said each account has a set of options per month and depends on your situation. I dont want to get sued, i dont want them coming after what little i might have left, but i cant afford 12k. If i had 12k, i wouldnt be in this situation!!! So i am now taking that walk with you guys. Its comforting to see a few of you way over 70-80 day mark and i hope its just a bluff about being sued, but i cant afford to do anything but wait it out.

Any comments or questions let me know. I will not take any calls and i ll call Ken back directly or i dont deal with Advanta.

I called back and spoke to the guy who has been a blessing to talk to. He told me personally he would roll the dice, take it to the 91+ mark and see what 'options' they have available for me. Today is the 26th, i called him first thing this morning and he said they had two 'new' options. I can take a forgiveness loan at 9.9% and 553.99 payments for 60 months. We owe roughly $25,500 and the other options was to settle at .70 to the dollar or 70% of the balance. So going from $25.5 or so to 18k. Payment being $1843 down and 5 payments of $3318.

What I don't get is, we have a hard time paying 600-1200 payments who thinks we can just pop up w/ $3318 for 5 months? At that point, it would just look like all we wanted was to settle and almost look shady on our behalf. I just want to pay back what we can afford and stop the % rates, harassment calls and letters.

Advanta is a bunch of loan sharks. They have rate jacked hundreds of small business owners interest rates with NO Opt Out notice received which is a blatant violation of federal law. Most all of these customers had excellent credit records, high FICO scores, and never missed a payment. They have jacked rates to as high as 44%. They have also gave in to small claims court lawsuits for these practices in a few states. If you haven't missed a payment before they jacked your rate, I would sue them in small claims court for causing your situation due to their predatory loan sharking practices.

:oops:

I realized I would not be able to make the payment 29.99 percent interest is nuts. Who can afford this, my business is gone thanks to the economy, I can not get any assistance from anyone, they are all from india, they are given american names, they must think we are stupid. I called asked them to lower the interest rate so I can continue to make the payments and get bill paid off they refer me to national credit counseling , who will not help with small business cards. so they leave you no option but not to pay. I want to know does anyone know if this bank took bail out money? how do we find that out. they said they charge 40 percent interest. The mob would charge less!!!!!!!!!!! They offer you no help at all. It appears you have to fall behind in your payment. This company is difficult to deal with, I have yet to speak to an american.

I'm approaching 90 days late on my Advanta bus card. Same for all my cards. The phone rings all day long and I let everything go to voice mail. Advanta "senior account manager (Jeffery)" leaves a polite message about once per week. He clearly does not sound from anywhere but New York. His message yesterday intimated that if I don't call back and discuss their "available options" it won't bode well with their legal department.

My situation is dire. Business is way off, my house is upside-down, I owe nearly 200k to cc's, I'm late on my mortgage, owe income taxes, etc. I met with a BK attorney who said my case would cost around $2500 to process. I can't even afford to go bankrupt!

So if Advanta or anyone else wants to sue me I honestly don't have anything to take. Maybe a judgement against furture income, I don't know....

I am sure my account is well over 210 days past due now. I have been playing this out for a long time and I still haven't seen an offer I can afford.

I think Advanta may have charged off my account, because my credit report made reference to it, but I have gotten phone calls from NCB trying to collect the debt before it goes to a private investigator to investigate my assets and liabilities.

Anybody work with NCB before or heard of them? What are my best options at this point?