If you complete a program of debt settlement, credit report agencies are likely to signal that fact to future creditors with special notations on your credit score. Although the balances of the accounts that you settle will likely be shown on your credit report as zero, they will also have a special notation indicating that the balance was paid by settlement. Technically, this may not be enough in and of itself to damage your long-term prospects for loans, credit cards, employment screening, and other credit-dependent outcomes. However, informally, many potential creditors may balk at the mention of a settlement agreement. Although it does not bear the same profound taint as bankruptcy in American culture, the settlement process is regarded as something of an unfair shortcut by some creditors, as it means you did not pay your full account balance in good faith. For this reason, evidence of a past debt settlement on your credit report may have an adverse impact on your future creditworthiness.