<prompt> Human: Preface: I know that the fuckup was mine. Not looking for what I should have done. Looking for how to fix this mess.When I was fresh off the turnip truck at age 18, I took out some private student loans. I didnt qualify for grants because my parents owned farmland that they inherited but rented out and they made too much money and had too many assets. My parents were also not creditworthy enough to co-sign and I was all on my own for school.Long story short, I got out of school, got overwhelmed when it came time to deal with the student loans I had multiple lenders and navigating that world was confusing as hell to me. It felt like playing whack a mole... Once I had one dealt with, suddenly something went wrong with another, was not good with finance to begin with, depression from being in the wrong career, and defaulted on one of my private loans through Iowa student loanaspire. I know I fucked up. That is no question.I am now 30, making more money, depression is under control, all credit card debt is paid, car was bought outright and am rebuilding my credit in hopes of buying a house with my husband. No This is when I discovered that I had this loan I had never dealt with. I feel stupid enough about it and dont need that woulda coulda shoulda lecture.Most of my loans are now in good standing. My federal loans are consolidated and my private loans are being paid slowly but surely. Navient let me rehabilitate the loans I had with them...but aspire is not. Basically, they said that all they can do is have me sign a letter in which they agree to stop my loan from accruing interest and in turn, if I ever make a late payment they can immediately take legal action against me. The worst part is though, it will not be taken off my credit until it is paid in full... Which at 40,000 will take a bit.Most lenders will not consolidate or refinance defaulted debt even though I am making payments, it is still in default status and I cant get a loan to pay it because I have a default.I feel like there is no way out. I want to pay and be in good standing, but there seems to be nothing but obstacles. My credit score is bad, but getting better. I have raised it about 70 pts over the last 5 months. But I feel like this default is what is really holding it back.Thoughts?  <response>: Stop. Dont sign anything until you read thisYou need an attorney. The attorney can ask questions like, If this account is 12 years old, did they already sue you for it? And if so, how much was the judgement they got? A consultation should cost you about 200 or 250, and you have 40,000 on the line. That seems like a good trade for me.There is a non-zero chance that you got super, super lucky and this debt has been aged off. But, youll need an attorney to confirm that, especially for a debt that is forty thousand dollars. There is also a good chance that you are totally screwed and will be on the hook for not only the forty grand but also collection and court fees and interest.Seriously - dont sign anything until you understand any implication of what it means. And stop taking advice from people whom you owe money. 