Integrity Debt Relief Group is also known as Court Mediation Services (CMS)

 

Integrity Debt Relief Group claims to be the “safest and most effective debt relief process available today.” It uses contract law to eliminate all debt, not negotiate it to a smaller amount. This is not really a strictly settlement process, but I will include it as a part of our Reviews series, for comparison purposes.

Court Mediation Services actually assumes your debt and they take over your overdue accounts , using a “novation” strategy. According to the company, they provide “Out of Court Mediations and debt settlement/relief.”

CMS handles ANY unsecured debt, like credit cards, store cards and medical bills, even student loans, which most debt settlement companies will not handle.

Here are some quick facts about Integrity Debt Relief Group (Court Mediation Services):

Company Founded in	2000
Years in Business	8
Number of Employees	Unknown
BBB Rating	Not a Member
BBB Complaints	0 Unresolved Complaints
Free Services	Free Consultation
Escrow or Payment Plan Available	No, not applicable
Source of Funds	Client makes 1 min payment on all accounts
Fee Structure	$2500 upfront, nothing else
Avg Settlement	Not applicable, all debt eliminated
Refund Policy	Unknown
Minimum Debt Required	Unknown

About the Company

Court Mediation Services was founded in 2000 by Brad Daley and Integrity Debt Relief Group appears to be just a name that are doing business under.

Fees

Their fees are referred to as “Process Cost” and can vary per client, but the general unconfirmed consensus is that it is $2500 upfront.

Their Process

You, as the customer, provide them with enough money for 1 more minimum payment on each account that’s still with the original creditor, plus $43 fee per account. If a minimum payment is less than $50, they require $50. If the credit card company is demanding overdue and over limit fees, then Integrity Debt Relief Group only requires 2% of the balance.

If the debt is with a collection agency, no minimum payment is required.

Integrity Debt Relief Group (Court Mediation Services) sends a check to the creditor along with a change in terms and conditions. The new terms and conditions are now reversed in favor of you (and Court Mediation Services). Some examples of these changes are :

• they can’t charge you any interest
• the new minimum payment is $10
• they can’t charge late fees
• they can’t put any negative marks on your credit report

The new contract also stipulates a monetary penalty from $500 to $2500 if they break any part of the new contract.

The Contract

By cashing the check that is sent, the creditor is accepting the new contract, with the new terms and conditions (this process is called novation). CMS intentionally sends the first payment late, to induce the first violation of the new contract. The creditor always cashes the check, and in doing so violates the new contract, and subjects themselves to the penalties spelled out in the new contract.

The object of these tactics is to lure the creditor into breaking the new contract, which according to Integrity Debt Relief Group (CMS), they always do. Month after month, the credit card company cashes the minimum payment (now $10), and assesses late fees and overlimit fees, etc, continuing to violate the terms of the contract.

The Credit Card Company Will Owe You Money

The penalties add up every month and soon equal (or “offset”) and often exceed the debt previously owed to them. CMS uses the simple and airtight process of contract law (offer, consideration, acceptance, and performance) to demand that the credit card company (or other creditor) retire the debt, or pay them any excess fees according to the the new contract.

According to the company, “They will act as if they are still under the original contract and we let them do so until the penalties offset the original debt.” CMS does not give specific statistics on how many cases they’ve handled, but they imply that they have successfully offset very account and have never been taken to court. The Creditor understands that the contract is binding and they can’t win.

If the debt is with a collection agency, CMS follows a more traditional approach by disputing the debt and requiring validation.

What to Expect

The company warns customers of a couple things:

1. expect collection calls and ignore them
2. expect some mail correspondence and forward them to CMS
3. expect negatives on your credit report for 6-12 months. This is a violation of the new contract, but will be removed later in the process. CMS starts this removal process at month 7 after you send them your credit reports.

According to the company, their complete process takes 12-15 months to eliminate the debt and correct your credit report.

Website Experience

Integrity Debt Relief Group’s website is a simple interface, with only 1 page and a consultation form. It lacks any real information about the company, but instead encourages people to fill out the free consultation form in order to speak with a representative.

It’s clear that their intention is not to get you a settlement on your debt, but to eliminate it. The main part of the page is an 12 minute audio piece that explains in detail how they will “legally get rid of 100% of your unsecured debt.” I guess in this case an audio clip is worth a thousand words.