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Freedom Debt Relief

“Can a legacy debt settlement company transform into a full consumer financial wellness platform by layering embedded tax, lending, and ancillary financial services on top of its core debt negotiation program?”

Founded2002
HQ1875 S Grant St #300, San Mateo, CA 94402
IndustryFintech / Lending
The story

Founded in 2002 as one of the largest U.S. debt settlement companies, Freedom Debt Relief has evolved from a pure debt negotiation service into a broader consumer financial wellness platform operating under the Achieve brand umbrella (Freedom Financial Network Funding, LLC parent). The company's affiliate FreedomPlus originated personal loans via Cross River Bank as an adjacent product. In 2025-2026, the company deepened its embedded finance stack by adding free tax filing via April and completing its first ABS securitization, signaling a move toward product diversification and capital markets sophistication for its core debt settlement fee cash flows.

Last 12 months
2025-12
In the December 2025 recap →
2026-02
In the February 2026 recap →
Product timeline
2002
Freedom Debt Relief founded as a debt settlement company focused on helping consumers resolve unsecured credit card debt.· pivot
2017
CFPB filed a lawsuit against Freedom Debt Relief alleging consumer protection violations.· pivot
2019
Freedom Debt Relief settled the CFPB case and agreed to policy and disclosure changes.· pivot
2025
Freedom Debt Relief (operating as Achieve Debt Relief) completed its inaugural ABS securitization of $217.23 million collateralized by debt settlement fees (ACHD Trust 2025-DS1).· lending
2026
Freedom Debt Relief launched free federal and state tax filing for active clients through a partnership with April (embedded tax technology platform).· pivot
Regulated entities
2
regulatory licences held by Freedom Debt Relief
Licence types, jurisdictions and registered entities are in the Embedded Finance Index report.
The stack
1 layer disclosed in Freedom Debt Relief’s embedded-finance stack
Lending
FreedomPlus unsecured personal loansDebt settlement program (fee-based, not a loan product)ACHD Trust 2025-DS1 ABS securitization
Accounting gap: none

Freedom Debt Relief — frequently asked

Where is Freedom Debt Relief headquartered?

Freedom Debt Relief is founded in 2002 and headquartered in 1875 S Grant St #300, San Mateo, CA 94402.

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