Century Debt Settlement Review: Fees, Lawsuits & Data Breach

Century Support Services is a legitimate, BBB-accredited debt settlement company that negotiates reduced payoffs on unsecured debts like credit cards and medical bills, charging 18% to 25% of the enrolled balance only after a settlement is reached. This Century debt settlement review covers what the program does, what it costs, and the real risks — credit damage, lawsuits, taxes, and a recent data breach — that any prospective client should weigh before enrolling.¹²

The company, headquartered in North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, reports having settled more than $2 billion in debt for over 297,000 customers. It operates in 49 states; West Virginia is the exception.³

How the Program Works

Century brands its debt settlement process as “SmartTrack.” You start with a free evaluation, and to qualify you generally need at least $10,000 in unsecured debt — credit cards, medical bills, or personal loans.⁴ After you sign, there is a 30-day cooling-off period before the program officially begins.

Once enrolled, you open a dedicated FDIC-insured savings account that stays under your control. You deposit an agreed monthly amount, and as the balance grows, Century’s negotiators contact your creditors to propose lump-sum payoffs below what you owe.⁵ Negotiations typically start two to four months in, depending on how quickly the savings build, how many creditors you have, and the size of each balance.⁶

Clients are generally advised to stop paying enrolled creditors directly while negotiations are underway. That is a deliberate leverage tactic: creditors are more willing to settle delinquent accounts than current ones. Creditors are never obligated to accept an offer, and if they refuse, you still owe the original balance.⁴ When a creditor will not negotiate with a debt settlement company, Century routes the account to its affiliate Century Legal Group at no extra cost. Century Legal Group deals only with the creditor and does not provide legal advice or representation to you.⁷

Fees and Actual Savings

Century charges no upfront fees, which is consistent with federal law prohibiting debt relief firms from collecting payment before delivering results.⁸ The company’s fee runs 18% to 25% of the total enrolled debt and is collected only after each individual debt is settled. When you approve a settlement, the creditor is paid directly from your dedicated savings account.⁶

On the results side, Century’s published examples show savings of roughly 38% to 67% of enrolled balances before fees.⁹ One independent review source estimates that clients who complete the program save over 40% before fees, but only around 16% after fees are counted, over 24 to 48 months. On average, clients end up paying 68% to 75% of their total enrolled debt once fees are included.¹⁰ Century itself cautions that results vary and that not all clients complete the program.

The Real Costs: Credit, Lawsuits, and Taxes

The 16% net savings figure only tells part of the story. Three separate consequences follow directly from the debt settlement model, and they apply regardless of how well Century negotiates.

Credit Score Damage

Because the strategy requires you to stop paying creditors while funds accumulate, enrolled accounts fall delinquent. A settled account is reported as “settled for less than the full amount,” and that notation stays on your credit report for seven years. The score drop can exceed 100 points, and settling multiple accounts compounds the damage. Settlement effectively ends the original credit agreement, so the lender typically closes the account, cutting your available credit and raising your utilization ratio.¹¹

Creditor Lawsuits

While accounts sit delinquent waiting for negotiation, creditors and collection agencies can sue you for the full balance. Century’s BBB responses indicate the company refers clients to legal partners when collection efforts escalate, but the lawsuit risk is inherent to the debt settlement model and cannot be eliminated.¹²

Tax Liability on Forgiven Debt

The IRS generally treats forgiven debt as ordinary taxable income. When a creditor cancels $600 or more, it must issue a Form 1099-C, and you must report that amount on your federal return for the year the debt was canceled, even if the 1099-C contains errors.¹³ Exceptions apply for debt discharged in bankruptcy, when you are insolvent at the time of cancellation, or for certain qualified principal residence debt discharged before January 1, 2026.¹⁴ Factor the potential tax bill into your comparison with other options.

Complaints and Customer Reviews

Century has held BBB accreditation since 2016 and carries an A+ rating, but its BBB customer review average is 3.39 out of 5 stars across 33 reviews. Negative reviews cite a lack of transparency about how settlement actually works, fees that felt higher than expected, and the shock of being sued by creditors while enrolled. Century has been described as responsive on the BBB platform, engaging with complaints and reviewers.¹⁵

The gap between the strong accreditation and the mixed reviews reflects a tension common across the industry. Accreditation measures business practices and responsiveness; the review scores reflect the uneven outcomes built into a process where creditors can refuse offers, lawsuits happen, and credit takes a hit no matter how the negotiations go.

The November 2024 Data Breach

In early November 2024, Century — operating under its parent Next Level Finance Partners, LLC — discovered unauthorized access to its systems. The investigation, which concluded May 30, 2025, determined that 160,759 individuals were affected. Exposed data included names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, driver’s license and state ID numbers, passport numbers, financial account information, medical records, health insurance details, and digital signatures.¹⁶

Notifications did not go out until roughly June 27, 2025. Century filed breach notices with the Maine and Texas Attorneys General and offered affected people 12 months of free identity theft protection and credit monitoring.¹⁶ As of mid-2025, several law firms had opened investigations into potential class action claims, though no lawsuit had been formally filed and no state attorney general enforcement action had been announced beyond the standard notifications. No ransomware group publicly claimed responsibility.¹⁷ Given the sensitivity of what a debt settlement client hands over to enroll, this history matters.

Company Background

Century Support Services, LLC is headquartered at 2000 Commerce Loop, Suite 2111, North Huntingdon, PA 15642, operates under Next Level Finance Partners, LLC, and holds NMLS ID 1245669.¹⁸ The company reports more than 265 employees and is led by CEO Tim Detisch.¹ It is a member of the American Fair Credit Council, the industry trade association whose members are expected to follow the FTC’s advance-fee ban and make standardized public disclosures.¹⁹ You can reach Century at 888-913-8784 or customercare@centuryss.com.²⁰

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