Ok, sorry to bear some bad news......if a cc company contacts you to close your account for an amount less than owed.....payoff $360 on $500 owed, you will recieve a 1099 showing earned income for the $140 forgiven debt. Plus your credit report will show a "closed by bank w/settlement" which stays for 7 yrs. This is happening all over the place because the minute people stop paying the banks start scrambling to get some sort of payment.