Debt help may often be sought by individuals who have run into deep debts in the form of unpaid or overused credit card bills, defaulted on mortgage or auto loan payments or due to a loss of income. It would thus be important to find reliable debt help and support. Looking for a debt settlement program that might help in times of crisis would be crucial. There are quite a number of debt relief companies which can provide help but it would be prudent to be very alert as there are many companies that may not be trustworthy. In order to find a company that might be quite an expert in handling financial debt management advice help might be sought from friends and relatives who might have had a similar experience. Another good source could be the web where experiences may be shared with other people who have faced a similar crisis. A choice of a debt settlement program may be made after thorough and extensive research on the web. It would be advisable to consider debt settlement in case the debt might be over $10K. A consumer can expect that 60 % of the dues might be settled with the debt relief company's intervention. Organizations such as National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) or the Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies (AICCCA) maintain a certain standard that almost all debt companies ought to follow. A debt help company would ideally have to be a member of AICCA or NFCC. It would be prudent to conduct enquiries as to how many consumers the company has catered to and its background. Usually, approximately $50 might be charged for their services but the charges might be lowered incase of payment problems by the consumer. Some companies might charge the client as a percentage on the outstanding and thus might lead to a hefty fee. The best companies for debt relief would be the ones that give honest advice and understand the actual financial situation of the client. These debt settlement companies might help settle the dues within a period of 2-3 years time.

Debt services may be defined as a term that refers to some type of service entity that would assist consumers with managing their current debt load. The goal of debt services would be to retire debt and allow individuals to enjoy a greater degree of financial stability by increasing their overall net worth. In other words, the main aim of debt management services would usually be to ensure that people under the burden of heavy debts, who might be finding it difficult to repay the ever mounting debts, due to reasons such as insufficient domain expertise or defects in their credit management, get a well planned and easy repayment schedule. The credit or debt counselors working in debt management services companies, who have recognized certifications, may help to decide effective plans and strategies to clear the debts. The two vital steps involved in the debt management services provided by debt management companies are credit counseling and getting a debt management program. Credit counseling may be the first step taken by the debt services company. A debt program would be suggested or formulated after a credit counseling session.

Debt programs, short for debt management programs, when sanctioned would have to follow the guidelines and rules laid down during the credit counseling sessions. The Equated Monthly Installments (EMI's) might be reduced to lessen the monthly payment obligations or burdens for those finding it difficult to repay huge debts. This process might be helpful in accessing a new line of credit, which can also be called a debt consolidation of loan, to the debtors. Debt management by these services providers might help reduce burden on people by forgiving the late fee charges and other fees. Government backed programs too might be available that can help deal with debt, even personal debt and mortgages. Every year, the government sets aside billions of dollars to provide aid to people in debt, but many are unaware that government aid is available for them. The applications for these grants are available in most government offices, as well as on the internet. President Obama's government debt relief program has provided a much needed shot in the arm for the struggling US economy, with millions out of jobs, reeling under crippling debt with little scope of repayment.