Based on your financial expertise, provide your response or viewpoint on the given financial question or topic. The response format is open.

What is 'consolidating' debt and why do people do it?
Debt consolidation is basically getting all your debt into one loan. This is possibly more convenient, and lets you close the other accounts (in the case of credit cards, preventing you from incurring any more debt). Ideally, your consolidated debt will have a better interest rate, so it saves you money as well. If you're defaulting on your debt already, you're likely combining this process with some negotiation with your existing creditors.