Settlement, restructuring, SARFAESI, limitation and IBC insolvency: how each route works and what it costs you.
This section explains the main routes a borrower in India has when loans or cards can no longer be repaid as agreed, and the rules that govern each one as of October 2026.
Start with the overview of debt settlement and insolvency options. It compares paying on a revised plan, restructuring, a one-time settlement (OTS), and the legal processes that lenders and borrowers can use, and links to every guide below.
The other guides go deeper into one topic each:
Rules change: every guide names the official source to check. This is general information, not legal advice; for a court notice or an auction notice, speak to a lawyer or your legal services authority quickly.
Options, costs and 2026 rules
The routes open to an Indian borrower who cannot repay: revised plans, restructuring, one-time settlement, consolidation, SARFAESI, Lok Adalat and IBC insolvency.
Options, costs and 2026 rules
Which parts of IBC Part III are in force for individuals in 2026: personal guarantors since 2019, the 2026 amendment ending the interim moratorium, fresh start status, old insolvency Acts.
Options, costs and 2026 rules
How the Limitation Act, 1963 applies to loans and card dues: the usual three-year period, how acknowledgment and part payment restart it, secured debts, SARFAESI and DRT.
Options, costs and 2026 rules
Compare restructuring a loan with settling it: total cash paid, credit report impact, who qualifies, and a worked example on ₹2.5 lakh dues with the arithmetic shown.
Options, costs and 2026 rules
How a one-time settlement of a loan or card works in India: RBI's compromise settlement rules, who approves it, the 12-month cooling period, payment terms and paperwork.
Options, costs and 2026 rules
How SARFAESI recovery works in India: the 60-day demand notice under Section 13(2), your representation, possession, auction, the right to redeem and the 45-day DRT application.
Options, costs and 2026 rules
What 'settled', 'written off' and 'post write-off settled' mean on Indian credit reports, how lenders read them, how to change settled to closed and how to dispute errors.
