1. What is "delinquent debt"?
    For our discussion, "delinquent debt" is debt that is more than 180 days old on which payments are no longer being made, and has become a "write-off" or "charge-off" on the company's balance sheet.  This is also sometimes referred to as "non-performing" debt.


  2. What types of "delinquent debt" can I sell?
    The following types of delinquent debt can be sold.
      • bank credit cards (Visa , MasterCard, Discover, etc)
      • private label credit cards from retailers and department stores
      • consumer installment contracts (furniture, jewelry, appliances, membership clubs, and rent-to-own)
      • medical receivables (the patient pay portion or the uncollected insurance portion)
      • commercial receivables (business to business invoices)
      • student loans (colleges, universities, truck driving schools, beauty schools, business schools, computer schools)
      • deficiency balances (the balance still owed on repossessed merchandise)
      • judgments and discharged bankruptcies (must be part of a portfolio-cannot handle standalone judgments or bankruptcies)
      • utility debt (gas, electric, water, telephone)
      • bad checks (insufficient funds, closed accounts)

  3. How much delinquent  debt do I need to have before I can sell it? 
    Delinquent debt portfolios as small as  $300,000 can be sold. However, portfolios of $1 million or more are generally preferred.


  4. What is a "portfolio"? 
    For this discussion a "portfolio" is a group of delinquent or "charged-off" accounts whose total value exceeds the minimums mentioned above.  These are also sometimes referred to as "pools" of delinquent or charged-off accounts.


  5. Is there a minimum value for the individual accounts contained in the delinquent debt portfolio? 
    Yes, the minimum average account value is $500.  Larger account values are preferred.


  6. How old can the accounts in the delinquent debt portfolio be? 
    Each state has a "statute of limitations" on how long a debt can be collected.  The range is 3 to 15 years with most states being somewhere in the middle.


  7. What is the value of  my portfolio of "charged-off" accounts? 
    Every portfolio is different.  In general,   portfolios of "charged-off" accounts are bought for pennies on the dollar (some sell for fractions of a penny on the dollar).  Accounts on which payments are still being made may have a higher value.  The best way to find out what your portfolio is worth is to get a no obligation, free quote from Chestnut Hill Funding.


  8. Will you buy accounts on which collection has been attempted one or more times? 
    Yes, as long as no final settlement was reached with the account debtor, and the account debtor is still alive.


  9. Will you buy accounts that have not been "written off" yet? 
    Yes.  These accounts are typically what are called "sub-performing" accounts.  The pricing on "sub-performing " accounts is usually better than that  received for the "non-performing " accounts making up most of a  delinquent debt portfolio.


  10. What information do I need to provide to get a quote on the value of my portfolio of  delinquent accounts? 
    The following information is needed to give you a quote on  value of your delinquent debt portfolio.
    • owner of the portfolio
    • face value of the portfolio (the sum of the  balance due on all accounts in the portfolio)
    • the total number of accounts in the portfolio
    • the average balance of  the accounts in the portfolio
    • warranty on the accounts
    • date of last payment on each account
    • date the debt was "charged off" for each account
    • the state in which the debt was incurred (needed to determine if the debt is still within the statute of limitations)
    • the number of times collection was attempted on  the debt (either people within the company or by outside collection agencies)
    • type of documentation (signed contract, signed sales slip,  signed delivery receipt) showing the debt is owed by the debtor
    • is the documentation for the debt available
    • collateral (if any) and its value
    • if the debt was for merchandise has it been repossessed  and resold (if so, for how much)


  11. In what form do you want the information?
    We prefer the information as a computer disk.  Hard copy information is also acceptable.


  12. I noticed there was no information identifying the debtor in the information specified above. Don't you need that information?
    Account debtor information is not needed to provide a quote on the value of your delinquent debt portfolio.  If you decide to accept the quote and sell your portfolio, then it will be necessary to provide identifying information and documentation for each account debtor.


  13. What do you mean by "warranty on the accounts"?
    When you provide a "warranty on the accounts" you are saying that the accounts in the delinquent debt portfolio are 100 percent collectible.  What this means is the following.
    • the account debtors are alive
    • the debtor has not gone bankrupt
    • there is no fraud on the account or litigation in progress on the account
    • no settlement has taken place on the account
    • the accounts are within the statute of limitations


    If any accounts are found where any of the above conditions are not true, then those accounts are deducted from the value of the portfolio, or they can be replaced with other collectible accounts.  Delinquent debt portfolios can also be sold without "warranty" . This is also called "As Is".  In this case the buyer of the portfolio bears the risk of non-collectible accounts.


  14. If I like the results of selling my delinquent accounts, can I sell more in the future? 
    Yes.  This is called  "flow forwarding".  When both you and the buyer of the delinquent accounts are happy with the results, then an on going relationship can be created where groups of delinquent accounts are sold periodically.


If you have additional questions, or if you would like to start the process to get a quote on the value of your delinquent debt portfolio, please click here to contact us.

Call us now at 1-800-598-1178 to get started.