As hard as it may be, stress-wise, keep in contact with them, regardless. Also, some cc companies have a hardship dept. Contact them. They can often get the harassing calls and penalties stopped, at least for a while.

You could try to settle for less than you owe, IF you are able. Keep in mind, any one who settles a debt with a cc company for less than they owe, will have to pay taxes on the part written off by the cc company IF it is over $600. That's right, anything over $600 that THEY write off, gets reported as income on your tax return.

If you are going to be able to try to settle for less than you owe, stop making ANY kind of payment now. Some of them refuse to settle, or even talk about it at all, if you've made even a tiny payment within the last 90-120 days or more.

I don't have any legal knowledge, so your mileage may vary. Feel free to PM me if you'd like.

kat