Debt Arbitration is the industry created around the practice of debt settlement. Debt arbitrators are third-party institutions that work on behalf of their clients to negotiate out-of-court settlements for old bills, invoices, lawsuits, liens, medical bills, utility bills, judgements, and other types of significant debt. Typically, debt arbitrators are in lieu of credit counseling as a way to avoid bankruptcy.

Arbitration is a legal technique for the resolution of disputes outside the courts, wherein the parties to a dispute refer it to one or more persons (the "arbitrators", "arbiters" or "arbitral tribunal"), by whose decision (the "award") they agree to be bound. Arbitration in the United States and in other countries often includes alternative dispute resolution (ADR), a category that more commonly refers to mediation (a form of settlement negotiation facilitated by a neutral third party). It is more helpful, however, simply to classify arbitration as a form of binding dispute resolution, equivalent to litigation in the courts, and entirely distinct from the various forms of non-binding dispute resolution, such as negotiation, mediation, or non-binding determinations by experts.

The major difference between debt arbitration and credit counseling is the fact that debt arbitrators work independently on behalf of their clients, while credit counselors work on behalf of credit card companies. Debt arbitration itself is conducted through something known as debt negotiation. During this process, arbitrators negotiate a lump sum settlement for amounts owed to credit card companies - typically, at a significant discount to the actual amount owed. Clients then make more affordable payments to the debt arbitrators to pay off the remaining balance.