Why Payment Processors Suddenly Care About “Compliance”
Hey everyone,
We need to tell you something that perfectly illustrates why the debt crisis exists in the first place.
The truth: We can’t process payments for debt relief yet. And the reason why shows you everything you need to know about whose side the financial system is really on.
The Wall We Hit
When we started Citizens Reunited, we assumed payment processing would be straightforward. We’re a legitimate Delaware Public Benefit Corporation trying to help people escape debt. What could be controversial about that?
Then we tried to set up with Stripe.
Rejected.
Not because of our business model. Not because we’re actually risky. But because we’re categorized as “debt relief” - the same category as predatory debt settlement scams.
Here’s What We Discovered
The same financial ecosystem that created the debt crisis has spent decades building walls to prevent anyone from actually solving it.
Every legitimate debt relief effort faces this moment where they discover:
- The regulators protect the predators (payment processors won’t work with debt relief)
- The “solutions” are designed to fail (debt settlement companies exist to extract fees, not forgive debt)
- Real alternatives get systematically blocked (try getting a banking relationship as a debt relief cooperative)
The Double Standard Is Stunning
The same payment processors that reject cooperatives trying to forgive debt for free will happily process payments for:
- Payday lenders charging 400% APR
- Debt settlement companies that charge 25% fees and rarely deliver results
- Credit card companies designed to keep you in minimum payment hell forever
- Debt collectors buying portfolios for pennies to harass people
But a member-owned cooperative trying to buy and forgive debt? Suddenly that gets the “too risky” excuse.
What We’re Building Instead
Since the traditional system won’t let us play, we’re building around them entirely:
Direct Payment Infrastructure
- ACH transfers: Bypass credit card networks completely
- Cryptocurrency options: Decentralized money they can’t control
- Check processing: Old school methods for new school cooperation
- Partner credit unions: Community-controlled financial institutions
Member-First Payment Design
- Zero middleman fees: 100% of contributions go to debt relief when our system launches
- Transparent processing: You’ll see exactly where every dollar goes
- Democratic oversight: Members vote on payment policies
- Cost optimization: Built for cooperative efficiency, not profit extraction
Why They Don’t Want Us to Succeed
Think about it: The debt industrial complex generates billions in profits by keeping people trapped in debt cycles. Debt relief cooperatives threaten that entire business model.
- Credit card companies want you making minimum payments forever, not paying off debt quickly
- Debt settlement companies want you paying them fees for years, not getting debt forgiven for free
- Debt collectors want you scared and isolated, not organized and fighting back collectively
- Banks want you dependent on their credit products, not building cooperative alternatives
Citizens Reunited threatens all of that.
The Irony Is Perfect
We’re late GenX who lived through the S&L crisis, the dot-com crash, 2008, COVID, and now inflation. We’ve watched every generation of financial “innovation” make things worse for regular people while the system creates new ways to extract wealth.
The payment processor situation is just the latest example. They’ll happily process payments for debt settlement scams that charge 25% fees, but a cooperative trying to forgive debt for free? Suddenly that’s “too risky.”
What This Means for You
Right now: We’re building payment infrastructure that bypasses their gatekeepers entirely.
Soon: When our systems launch, you’ll be able to contribute directly without enriching the same companies that profit from your debt.
Long-term: We’re proving that cooperative alternatives can work, even when the existing system tries to block them.
Our Promise
We will never:
- Promise debt relief we can’t deliver (unlike every debt settlement scam)
- Charge fees for services that should be free (unlike “nonprofit” debt management)
- Sell your financial data to creditors (unlike every fintech app)
- Take investor money that compromises our member-first mission
We will always:
- Use their own legal loopholes against them
- Share every financial decision with member-owners
- Prioritize collective power over individual profit
- Build infrastructure they can’t co-opt or destroy
The Bottom Line
The system created this payment processing barrier on purpose. It’s designed to protect debt extraction while blocking debt relief.
But here’s what they didn’t expect: We understand how to build around them.
Your debt. Our fight. Their tools turned against them.
Ready to bypass their gatekeepers entirely?
Join our email list → to be notified the moment our direct payment systems launch.
Questions? Email us at founders@citizens-reunited.com. We respond personally to every message.
Next in this series: “The Delaware Loophole Strategy: Using Their Own Corporate Law Against Them”