 The total face value of the accounts was approximately $143 billion.As a result of the 2008 economic downturn, prices for the best accounts fell from the 2007-2008 high of 14 cents on the dollar to 4–7 cents.According to the Payments Source 2009 webpage, depending on the age and history of the debt, a buyer typically paid between 3 and 20 percent of the face value of the debt.