With the advent of the current recession, many people have found themselves swamped in debts that they can no longer pay off under the terms originally agreed. Whether this is due to losing a job, a decrease in pay, or added expenses, this situation can be very troubling. What many people fail to realize is that a debtor can negotiate with the lender to receive reduced payments, a removal of fees, a more acceptable payment schedule and other terms that can make repaying the debt more manageable.

In the absence of criminal liability for debt and debtor prisons, the lenders realize that their options are limited. If a debtor refuses to pay a debt, the lender only has a few courses open to them. Reporting the default to a credit bureau hurts the borrowers credit ranking, but does not necessarily result in repayment. A lender may also resort to seeking a remedy in court, but this process is time consuming and expensive and only makes sense for large loans. Further, a court remedy may not necessarily result in repayment.

Because they know their options are extremely limited and not always effective, many lenders have begun to renegotiate loan terms because they realize there is a greater chance of receiving payment that way. Their goal is to recoup as much of the outstanding loans without increasing their costs. Lenders know that court and collection fees increase their costs so they prefer to avoid it.

Negotiating reduced payments and loan terms is in the interest of both parties; both the lender and the borrower. As much as lenders would prefer to have the loan paid as originally agreed, most realize that renegotiating is better than having the loan completely default. To this end, many companies and banks have established customer service departments to handle hardship situations. They are the ones who have the power to renegotiate loan terms so the lender is repaid.

The renegotiation process is fairly simple. Contact the company that made the loan you need to renegotiate. When you reach the person that is empowered to negotiate new loan terms clearly explain your situation in detail and have a plan for repaying your loan. This shows the lender that you are making a good-faith effort towards repaying the debt you owe and will go a long way towards obtaining better terms. Even though this can be a stressful process it is important to remember not to become aggressive; you have reached the person who can actually help you so treat them with respect.

While the process of renegotiating a loan may take some time and the lender may require documentation and other evidence to substantiate claims of hardship, the final result can be very rewarding. Further, if the debtor is truly incapable of paying back the loan under the original terms, there is absolutely nothing to lose. The worst the lender can do is refuse to renegotiate the terms, meaning that the result would be the same as it would be if the borrower had not made the effort at all.

Wendy Polisi is the founder of Credit Repair College and Finance the Dream. Finance the Dream is the nations leading provider of Lease Option Homes,offering homes throughout the United States. For more information on fast credit repair please visit her at Credit Repair College.