Why did my credit card company stop trying to collect my unpaid balance?

For many credit card borrowers, falling behind on payments has become increasingly difficult to recover from recently. Not only are credit card balances rising nationwide , but at an average of over 22%, credit card interest charges can add substantially to the balance owed. And, today's elevated inflation rate is only adding to the issue, as borrowers' budgets are also being squeezed by rising everyday costs. As a result, even a temporary financial setback can result in some cardholders falling months behind on their payments.

Once that happens, the credit card issuer's collection attempts can become a regular part of the problem. For example, your credit card company may call repeatedly to push for payment, and they may also send past-due notices via text or mail — or otherwise push you to bring the account current. So, if those collection efforts suddenly stop after weeks or months of contact, the silence can be noticeable — and also confusing.

And, that silence can also raise an important question about what is happening with the unpaid balance. A credit card company that stops contacting you hasn't necessarily stopped pursuing the debt altogether, after all, and the change could signal that something else is happening with the account.

There isn't one explanation for why a credit card issuer's attempts to collect on a debt may suddenly stop. Depending on how delinquent the account is and what the issuer has decided to do with it, the lack of communication could indicate the following:

If you've gone months without making the required payments, your credit card company may have charged off the account . Federal banking guidance generally requires open-end credit accounts, including credit cards, to be charged off once they're 180 days past due.

But a charge-off is an accounting action, not debt forgiveness . In other words, your issuer may stop treating the balance as an active account it expects you to repay normally, but that doesn't automatically eliminate your obligation to pay it. And, what happens next depends on how the creditor chooses to handle the debt.

Learn whether you qualify to have a portion of your debt forgiven now .

Another possibility is that the creditor has decided to turn the account over to a third-party collection agency . If so, there may be a gap between when the credit card company stops contacting you and when the collection agency begins.

That means a few weeks of silence could simply represent a transition between collectors. Once the new agency receives and processes the account, you could start receiving collection communications again.

Your credit card issuer may also sell a charged-off balance to a debt buyer. When that happens, the original creditor no longer owns the debt, so its collection attempts would generally stop. The debt buyer, however, can then pursue collection on the account.

Again, there may be a period in this situation when you don't hear anything. How long that lasts can vary, though, and the next communication about the balance could come from a company you've never dealt with before.

Not every interruption means the debt has changed hands.