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Citizens Debt Relief

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7.0

Overall Score

LAST UPDATED: March 20th, 2024

Citizens Debt Relief is a debt relief company based in New York City that seeks to help everyday U.S. citizens manage, settle, or resolve their credit card debt. It does this through first providing a free consultation and helping you determine the best course of action to get your debt resolved. 

The company knows that debt management can be incredibly overwhelming, and it takes a unique and personalized approach to each debt settlement case, which includes one-on-one credit counseling with certified specialists.

Regardless of your budget, Citizens Debt Relief states that it can help you create a plan to resolve and eliminate your debt that works for you. 

Citizens Debt Relief has a number of accreditations, which is reassuring for customers seeking debt relief. The company is a member of the American Fair Credit Council, certified through the International Association of Professional Debt Arbitrators (IAPDA), and an authorized partner of Consumer Affairs.

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The Good

  • Credit Counseling
  • Debt Consolidation
  • Home Equity and Financing
  • Debt Resolution
  • Bankruptcy Option
  • Available Across the Country

Credit Counseling

Citizens Debt Relief offers credit counseling services, during which a qualified credit counselor reviews your financial circumstances and works with your creditors to lower your interest rates if possible and helps you create a financial plan so that moving forward, you are able to start paying back your debt.

Some benefits of using Citizens Debt Relief’s credit counseling services are that you make only one monthly payment, you may potentially achieve lower interest rates, and you won’t receive any collection calls from creditors, debt collectors, or collection agencies since Citizens Debt Relief will be handling your case.

However, as is the case with most debt relief programs, there are some drawbacks to signing up for credit counseling. With Citizens Debt Relief, these include the closing of your credit accounts, the fact that your principal debt will not necessarily be reduced, and the fact that lenders will likely view you as a credit risk due to your debts.

Debt Consolidation

Citizens Debt Relief offers a debt consolidation option where you can take out one loan and use it to pay off multiple debts, then you work on paying back the singular loan at a sometimes lower interest rate than your previous debts had.

This option also includes one simple monthly payment, and the company offers flexible terms, though we’re not exactly sure what this entails. 

While you’ll need good credit history and a good debt-to-income ratio to qualify for this debt consolidation option, consolidating your debt doesn’t have a negative impact on your credit, which is an appealing way to start getting out of debt.

The company states that with this option, however, results are varied rather than guaranteed to be successful.

Home Equity and Refinancing

By working with Citizens Debt Relief and a mortgage lender, you can relieve some of your credit card debt by taking out a second mortgage on your home, if you have one.

If you choose to go this route, you use the money from the mortgage loan to pay back your creditors and then just work toward paying off your mortgage at what is often a lower interest rate than your credit card companies were charging. 

The drawbacks of this option are mainly that you take on additional mortgage debt on top of what you already owed, and that you may be at increased risk of foreclosure. 

Debt Resolution

Debt resolution involves you working with Citizens Debt Relief to make monthly payments into an account and then the company will work on your behalf with your creditors to get them to accept less money than the debt that you owe. Then, Citizens Debt Relief will use the money that you have been paying into the account to pay off your debt(s) until your debt is resolved.

Using the debt resolution process is appealing because often, the time to resolve your debt is faster than other methods of debt relief.

However, this method will still likely negatively affect your credit score, and will lead to the closure of your existing credit card accounts. In the long run, however, resolving your debt will allow you to start building a positive credit score again.

Bankruptcy Option

Of course, declaring bankruptcy can be a scary experience. However, since it is a debt relief option, Citizens Debt Relief may recommend that you meet with a bankruptcy attorney if other debt relief options are unavailable to you.

Usually, if you declare bankruptcy, your debts are forgiven and your creditor(s) can no longer collect debt from you. However, this option does bring about a long-term negative impact to your credit score, so it should be carefully considered with a licensed attorney, which Citizens Debt Relief does not provide.

Available Across the Country

While Citizens Debt Relief is based in New York, it offers its debt relief services to U.S. citizens across the country.

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The Bad

  • Pricing Not Listed
  • Negative Impact to Credit Score
  • Minimum Debt Requirement Unknown

Pricing Not Listed

We can’t find any pricing information listed by Citizens Debt Relief, so we don’t know how much the company’s services will cost. Usually, debt relief companies do not make money until they help you start resolving your debts, but otherwise, we can’t say what the setup fees or interest rates would be to enlist the help of Citizens Debt Relief.

Negative Impact to Credit Score

As is fairly common when resolving debt, you will likely experience a decrease to your credit score as a result of using Citizens Debt Relief’s services. The company states this in a disclaimer on its website, and is transparent about the reality of a decreased credit score as a result of using debt relief programs.

Minimum Debt Requirement Unknown

We don’t know the minimum debt requirement to use Citizens Debt Relief’s services. Thus, we can’t compare it to that of other companies’ minimum debt requirements to know who might be the best customers of Citizens Debt Relief.

You will have to schedule a free consultation with the company to find out if you are eligible for its help in resolving your credit card debt.

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The Bottom Line

We don’t yet have enough Citizens Debt Relief reviews to feel confident recommending it to you, but we do feel that its third-party recognitions and personalized approach to debt resolution make it worth your time to schedule a consultation and learn more about whether its debt management program could be right for you.
 
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Star Rating

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5.0

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32 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

88%

4 grade

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3 grade

0%

2 grade

0%

1 grade

13%

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Review Source

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EileenL Methuen, MA

Mike and Brandon were very professional and helped me understand the process of Debt Relief. They walked me through the steps and what I can expect. I was so nervous but they put me at ease and it was easier than I imagined. It took a lot to ask for help, and I am so happy I made the call. Thank you Brandon and Mike. I truly appreciate you!

1 week ago

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Shadow Kingsley Bel Air, MD

Jason and Mike were a BIG help. They both took the time to explain everything in detail and when I had a question, they paused to allow me to ask and then they answered immediately. I was not placed on hold to rsearch. They both know their jobs well and it was appreciated. I am a client and looking forward to some relief. Thank you

2 months ago

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Elizabeth Spaulding LaFayette, NY

Sean and Micheal were straight forward, very professional and put me at ease. I could understand everything the went over.

1 month ago

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Christine Buado Buffalo, NY

I’m so glad for this agent name Dylan he’s a Pro! He help me along the way even though i contact him by text,because i’m still at work that time,when i’m browsing through my phone i saw the comercial on tiktok or something for this program then after that i tried to enrolled cause i have lots of debts to pay and i’m looking for a better solution then right here right now i’m still amazed for my self that i did try and here i am going to free myself of debts. And i want to thank to Mr. Dylan you’re amazing i appreciate you and your Company Citizens Debt Relief Thank you so much!

5 months ago

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Cesar MoJica San Bernardino, CA

Janay H has been lots of help and answered all my question and was very patient with me no one I would rather talk to than her she’s the best I would recommend her to anyone

3 months ago

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Ramona Ramos Philadelphia, PA

I was worried the process would take hours but it took less than half an hour total . He was friendly and knowledgeable I signed up and was relieved that I did it . I recommend them .

3 months ago

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Seyi Adegbesan

Great customer service and timely response

1 week ago

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Carol Schnecksville, PA

Matthew L is very knowledgeable and caring , He reach out is very helpful when he contacted me and he had great advice. Michael also had a very welcoming conversation with me and made sure I knew how to contact everyone. A very welcoming team. Thank you Happy Thanksgiving to everyone

4 months ago

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Kriste DeLay Daleville, AL

Justin was a great help explaining things and taking me through the process, was very knowledgeable, I was very impressed with him thank you very much 😊

3 months ago

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Bennetti 1 On 1 Oakland, CA

I liked the prompt response and assistance which resulted in my problem being resolved.

1 month ago

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BigMac1985 Virginia Beach, VA

Helped get my wife and I out of credit card debt. The staff was very helpful and informative. Glad I found them!

2 months ago

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Johanna Highland Falls, NY

David and Michael were so nice and helpful to me. I thank God every day for bringing them across my path to help me relieve my debt.

3 months ago

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Chris Walker Temple Hills, MD

Straight to the point no trying to get you to do anything other than what you want to do and he explained in detail how this works and what account you would to get relief from and what account you might want to keep. Great advice and work Thanks Matthew L

10 months ago

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Ron Phill Ellison Farmington, MI

Mr. Connor C was phenomenal! He really did a great job helping me understand what I was getting myself into. This is compared to another individual from another company who was very impatient, and made me feel pressured. Again thank you Connor!

10 months ago

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Teddy P Queens, NY

I have been working with the company almost a year. They started to settle my accounts 6 months later. My first settlement was less than what I owed. The customer service is fantastic as well. I have spoken to several people Allen, Ivan, Will and Amanda. They are always informative and very patient. After speaking with them I know they are looking out for me and helping with my finances.

1 year ago

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John acerra

This company really came to the rescue. My hours got cut from work because of Covid and I had a lot of debt from credit cards since the rent didn’t change! I found Citizens online and I spoke Conor who was very blunt about my situation breaking down the numbers. I needed to hear what he had to say so I could take action. Now 6 months in 2 of my accounts are settled and I’ve saved about $2,500 in monthly payments!

2 years ago Edited January 31, 2022

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Andrew A Carrillo Red Oak, TX

Representative was very respectful and courteous. In addition, knowledgeable of the subject matter.

2 months ago

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Mitch steiman Phoenix, AZ

Ari P was amazing throughout the process. He is extremely knowledgeable and and provided first class service. I would recommend Ari and the company.

6 months ago

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Jonsey James Houston, TX

My consultant Jesse explained the program to me very thoroughly and answered all my questions while being patient with me. I would recommend him to help you out here

7 months ago

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Olga Smirnova Leander, TX

We are just started working together with Citizen Debit relief. But customers service was great and all representatives was awesome and kind. Thank you for your job.

8 months ago

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Joseph Harper Chicago, IL

Excellent customer service. They have been very patient with me working to make sure I can get out of my debt would recommend there program to anyone that has financial problems

9 months ago

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Ryan F

Mike with the consulting team was really amazing. He really went above and beyond to make sure all my concerns were properly addressed.

6 months ago

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nina afonso

I love the way they help me pay my bills

2 months ago

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Tabatha Thompson-Scarborough Sherwood, AR

Jessie was very kind, and answered all of my questions. He made the entire process easy.

5 months ago

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Seymour Wright Riverview, FL

They deleted my google post from two days ago. So I’m posting everywhere! Don’t do it! It sounds amazing and if you wait 3 years after ur credit score drops drastically with a promise it will be corrected. I canceled after 3 months because $500 had been deposited and $20 of payments have been sent ( Good faith payment) once I canceled and wanted my money back I received $2.92 back out of the $556 deposit a screenshot is posted for proof. $500 that could have gone to put me ahead on my monthly payment. Rip OFF!!! No guarantee only trust us your score will go back up. If it sounds to good to be true! Then it is!

1 year ago

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Jannette Ortiz Southbridge, MA

Good costumer services, thank you for helping me.

3 months ago

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Ashley Patterson Murrieta, CA

Absolute scammers!!! I wouldn’t even give them one star! They deduct money from my account twice a month and I can not even get a phone call back to discuss where my money is going! DO NOT WORK WITH THIS COMPANY!! Ruined my credit and they lied from the beginning saying my debt will be paid off in two years only to find out the didn’t even make one payment to anyone for over a year, now unfortunately my debt won’t be paid off until another 4 years!!!

1 year ago

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Tyler Stafford Chicago, IL

Quick and easy service, handled everything as promised.

4 months ago

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Lu'Qwan Carter Buffalo, NY

Janay was great! Very informative and helpful

5 months ago

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Diana Coombs Lebanon, TN

They took out their fees first which was not what I was told. I also have tried calling the man that set this up with me but to no avail and have left messages and still no call back. So they have over a $1,000 of my money gone already and they haven't even made any deals with my creditors. I am still being hounded by all my creditors.

2 years ago

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Rosie Ewing Houston, TX

I was looking for a debt relief company to help me when I narrowed it down to two companies. One of which was Citizens Debt Relief. I filled out the demographic page on the web site, but I never heard anything back from the company. The rating online with the BBB and other similar sites rated them highly but I didn't get a chance to take advantage of their services.

1 year ago

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Mike New York, NY

Great Company to work with. Customer service is very kind

2 years ago