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How to Settle Debt With CRDT First

George Simons | January 30, 2025

Fact-checked by Patrick Austin, J.D.

Patrick Austin
Attorney from George Mason
Patrick Austin, JD

Patrick Austin is a licensed attorney with a background in data privacy and information security law. Patrick received his law degree at George Mason University's Antonin Scalia Law School, where he served as the Editor-in-Chief for the National Security Law Journal.

George Simons
Co-Founder of SoloSuit
George Simons, JD/MBA

George Simons is the co-founder and CEO of SoloSuit. He has helped Americans protect over $1 billion from predatory debt lawsuits. George graduated from BYU Law school in 2020 with a JD-MBA. In his spare time, George likes to cook, because he likes to eat.

Edited by Hannah Locklear

Hannah Locklear
Editor at SoloSuit
Hannah Locklear, BA

Hannah Locklear is SoloSuit’s Marketing and Impact Manager. With an educational background in Linguistics, Spanish, and International Development from Brigham Young University, Hannah has also worked as a legal support specialist for several years.

Summary: To settle debt with CRDT, determine how much you can pay and make an offer for a bit less, giving yourself room to negotiate and reach an agreement. If you’ve been sued for debt, file a written Answer to avoid default judgment and give yourself time to negotiate. Solo can help with all this and more.

If you are being contacted multiple times by a debt collector who was retained by CRDT First, it is understandable if you feel scared, anxious, and unsure about what to do next. Debt collectors are focused on trying to get you to repay the debt you allegedly owe.That is why debt collectors retained by CRDT First may call you on your phone, try to connect with you on Facebook, X, or another social media platform.

If you are being contacted by a debt collector, do not give up hope. You have legal options and tools available to resolve your debt issue with CRDT First.

Settle debt with CRDT

You can negotiate debt settlement at any stage of the collections process. SoloSettle makes it easy.

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What is CRDT First?

The “CRDT” in CRDT First stands for Credit First National Association. CRDT First specializes in offering credit cards affiliated with automotive companies to consumers.

Who does CRDT First collect for?

CRDT First routinely manages credit cards on behalf of Bridgestone, Firestone and Tires Plus. More than 4.5 million people own a CRDT First credit card. If you fall behind on making payments towards a CRDT First credit card, the company will eventually refer your account to a debt collector.

Check out CRDT First reviews online

Looking for info about what other consumers have shared about their debt collection experience with CRDT First? If the answer is yes, then take a moment to check out these real online reviews:

Objectively speaking, the online reviews of CRDT First are relatively mixed (i.e., some good, some not so good). Despite the mixed reviews, it is recommended to take proactive steps to engage with CRDT First in an effort to resolve your debt collection matter. It is quite common for debt collectors, including CRDT First, to be willing to resolve your debt issue in an amicable manner, such as through a negotiated debt settlement.

Of course, if the idea of calling a debt collector to engage in settlement talks sounds like nails on a chalkboard, then consider using SoloSettle to negotiate online and resolve your debt through the digital settlement platform.

Know your rights under the FDCPA

It is important to be aware of your legal rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. The FDCPA is a federal statute that was designed to protect consumers from harassment and other unlawful actions by debt collectors. In addition, the FDCPA established guidelines and rules that dictate how debt collectors can act, including:

  • Debt collectors are not allowed to contact you at your place of employment.
  • Debt collectors are prohibited from threatening you with a lawsuit.
  • Debt collectors cannot contact you prior to 8:00 a.m. in the morning or after 9:00 p.m. at night.
  • Debt collectors cannot use rude or vulgar language when talking to you on the phone or in emails or texts.

6 steps to settle debt with CRDT First

If you owe the debt and want to avoid going through the contentious and stressful litigation process associated with a debt collection lawsuit, then you can try negotiating a debt settlement. CRDT First may agree to settle for a lesser amount than what is owed, especially if you make a reasonable lump sum offer.

In the event you were served with a Summons and Complaint regarding a debt collection lawsuit filed by CRDT First, then now is the time to act and not bury your head in the sand hoping the debt will magically disappear. If you take just a few proactive steps, you could potentially get CRDT First off your back and get them to accept a lower amount through negotiated settlement.

The debt settlement process can be as simple as following these steps:

  1. Respond to CRDT First’s debt collection lawsuit via an Answer. This is critically important so you avoid getting hit with a default judgment by the court.
  2. Calculate how much you can afford to put toward the amount owed without negatively impacting your ability to pay other important living expenses such as rent, utilities, transportation, etc.
  3. Begin settlement talks with CRDT First. Generally speaking, your opening settlement offer should be lower than the amount you calculated in Step 2. Why? Because making a lower opening offer provides some room to engage in productive settlement talks and you can negotiate upward.
  4. If you are able to secure an agreement, make sure to get the debt settlement terms and provisions in writing.
  5. Both you and the debt collector need to sign the debt settlement agreement.
  6. Pay the negotiated amount.

To learn more about debt settlement negotiation, check out this video explaining how you can negotiate a debt settlement on your own:

SoloSettle makes it easy to start the debt settlement negotiation process. Remember to keep copies of all agreements you reach with CRDT First and honor your part of the agreement.

Settle with SoloSettle

Make an Offer

You can defend yourself if CRDT First sues you

If CRDT First decides to file a debt collection lawsuit against you, do not ignore the suit in the hopes it will just go away. Why? Because the lawsuit will not just magically disappear. In fact, CRDT First debt collectors expect people to simply ignore the lawsuit and throw it in the garbage.

Ignoring a debt lawsuit accomplishes nothing, except to benefit the debt collection agency. How? Well, if you ignore the debt collection lawsuit, it means CRDT First will simply file a motion for a default judgment in court and likely get that motion granted (since you opted to just ignore the litigation). Do not make this mistake. There are options available to take on and defeat debt collectors agencies like CRDT First.

Follow these three steps to respond to a debt lawsuit against CRDT First:

  1. Answer each claim from the Complaint document
  2. Use affirmative defenses to strengthen your case.
  3. File your Answer in court and send a copy to CRDT First.

Now, let's take a closer look at each of these steps. If you don't like to read, check out this video where SoloSuit's CEO, George Simons, breaks down the three steps to responding to a debt lawsuit:

1. Answer each claim from the Complaint document

When you get sued for a debt by CRDT First, you should receive some legal documents called the Summons and Complaint (also called the Petition in some states). The Summons notifies you of the debt lawsuit and any court dates, and the Complaint lists the specific claims that CRDT First is making against you. The first step to beating CRDT First in court is to respond to these documents with a written Answer.

The first section of your Answer should be a bulleted list of individual responses to each claim from the Complaint document. You can use one of the following answers to respond:

  • Deny
  • Deny due to lack of knowledge
  • Admit

Denying a claim is asking CRDT First to prove it. That's why most attorneys recommend that you deny as many claims as possible. It forces CRDT First to do more work to prove their case. Some debt collectors would rather drop the case at this point. On the other hand, when you admit all the claims, the court will most likely side with CRDT First.

Draft an Answer to a debt lawsuit in minutes with SoloSuit.

2. Use these affirmative defenses against CRDT First

When you respond to CRDT First's lawsuit, you have the chance to torpedo their legal arguments if you have the knowledge of debt collection tactics and laws. You can do this by asserting your affirmative defenses in your Answer. These are any legal reasons that CRDT First should not win the case. Also, remember that the company must prove that you are the person who owes the debt and owe the alleged amount. This means CRDT First must prove the following:

  • CRDT First has the right under the law to sue you.
  • You are the person who owes the debt.
  • You owe the money listed by CRDT First in the complaint filed in court.

If CRDT First fails to meet these requirements, there are excellent odds you will beat them in court and have the lawsuit tossed out.

Depending on the facts of your case, you might argue that CRDT First did not file the suit within the required statute of limitations. The statute of limitations states that a lawsuit must be filed within a given timeframe.

If the case facts show that CRDT First sued you for debts where the statute of limitations lapsed, you may file a motion to have the suit dismissed with prejudice.

Also, think about filing a countersuit against CRDT First, if you have evidence that proves CRDT First violated the FDCPA when they contacted you to repay a debt. If you possess proof that CRDT First violated this law, you may receive compensatory damages. They may have to pay your attorney fees, too.

Solo can help you make the right defense the right way.

3. File your Answer in court and send a copy to CRDT First

Once you've drafted your Answer with your responses and affirmative defenses, you can submit it to the court. Make sure to file your Answer before the deadline, which is 14-35 days, depending on which state you live in.

Send a copy of the Answer to CRDT First via USPS certified mail. Request a return receipt so you can prove that the document was properly served to the opposing party.

Now, let's explore an example:

Example: Abraham is being sued for a debt with CRDT First in California. He uses SoloSuit to represent himself and draft his own Answer to the lawsuit. In his Answer, Abraham denies as many claims as appropriate. Since the debt is from seven years ago, Abraham includes the statute of limitations passing in his affirmative defenses section because California's statute of limitations on credit card debt is just four years. Finally, Abraham pays SoloSuit to file his Answer before the deadline, which is 30 days in California. They also send a copy to CRDT First. Shortly after filing the Answer, CRDT First dismisses the case. Abraham wins!


SoloSuit can help you file your Answer in all 50 states.

Summary of what to do if you are sued by CRDT First

Here's a quick recap of actions to take if CRDT First sues you:

  • Answer each claim listed in the Complaint document.
  • Assert your affirmative defenses.
  • File the Answer before the deadline, and send a copy to CRDT First.
  • Contact CRDT to negotiate a settlement and get it in writing.

Debt collection lawsuits are no fun, but don't despair. With the assistance of SoloSuit, you can beat these shady companies at their own game. And you might even get them to pay compensatory damages if they violated the FDCPA.

Best of luck!

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