1.    A debt-settlement provider may not charge fees of any type or receive compensation from a consumer in a type, amount, or timing other than fees or compensation permitted in this section.

Terms Used In North Dakota Code 13-11-21

  • Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.

2.    A debt-settlement provider may not charge or receive from a consumer any enrollment fee, setup fee, upfront fee of any kind, or any maintenance fee.

3.    A debt-settlement provider may charge a settlement fee that may not exceed an amount greater than thirty percent of the savings. If the amount paid by the debt-settlement provider to the creditor or negotiated by the debt-settlement provider and paid by the consumer to the creditor pursuant to a settlement negotiated by the debt-settlement provider on behalf of the consumer as full and complete satisfaction of the creditor’s claim with regard to that debt is greater than the principal amount of the debt, the debt-settlement provider is not entitled to any settlement fee.

4.    A debt-settlement provider may not collect any settlement fee from a consumer until a creditor enters into a legally enforceable agreement to accept funds in a specific dollar amount as full and complete satisfaction of the creditor’s claim with regard to that debt and those funds are provided by the debt-settlement provider on behalf of the consumer or are provided directly by the consumer to the creditor pursuant to a settlement negotiated by the debt-settlement provider.