Do not let a debt mediation company keep your funds in their house account. Use a debt negotiation company that insists on setting up a special trust account for you. When you give someone your money it magically becomes their money. Who would you rather have hold your money during your debt negotiation program. If a debt settlement company wants to hold your money and they are not a law firm, they are probably breaking the law. The law is very specific about how money can be held. Most states have laws about debt collection and their are laws about how money can be held. Your best bet is to use a debt settlement firm that has you set up your own bank account. You control it and if you decide that you do not want to do the program anymore, there is no question about getting your money back.