LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - July 28, 2010) -  Throughout history debt relief has evolved and recently the industry has undergone a dramatic change due to high consumer credit card debt. Debt relief forgiveness can be traced back to biblical times in the Old Testament, when Moses declared a Holy Year to take place every year where all debts are forgiven and all slaves freed. In more recent times bankruptcy has been the dominant form of debt relief. Due to our economic situation bankruptcy simply can't be the only way to receive debt forgiveness.

Fortunately new debt relief programs have sprung up helping consumers get out of credit card debt. These programs are known as alternatives to bankruptcy and vary in how they work.

For consumers with less than $10,000 worth of credit card debt, credit counseling or debt management might be the better approach to debt elimination. This program doesn't necessarily get rid of debt, but helps consumers who are struggling financially come up with an effective plan to eliminate debts. Debt Management experts help consumers form payment plans and strict schedules for payments. In some cases these professionals can talk to creditors and work out a compromised payment plan, making the payment process easier and more achievable.

The other two bankruptcy alternatives are debt consolidation and debt settlement. These two programs are targeted to consumers who have relatively higher amounts of debt.

Debt Consolidation: In this program consumers take out one large loan in order to cover all the various debts owed. This simplifies the payment process by only making payments towards one debt as opposed to many others. In some cases debt consolidation companies can negotiate interest rates so consumers can get out of debt faster.

Debt Settlement: Although this is considered an alternative to bankruptcy it is the only one to actually eliminate debt amounts without having to repay them. Debt settlement agents work with creditors in order to negotiate debts. A successful negotiation can lower an overall debt amount up to 50%. This includes credit card debt and other unsecured debts. A program can take 24 to 36 months and once complete a consumer will be debt free.

Total Debt Relief offers a free debt evaluation for consumers which can be taken advantage of at their company website:

www.totaldebtrelief.net/

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