What does the legal use of the term assigned mean in regards to debt assignment?

The term assigned in this instance means the original creditor has assigned or given the right to collect the debt from you to another entity, such as a collection agency. If there is a proper assignment, you no longer owe the money to the original creditor and it may likely refuse to accept payment. Now your debt is owed to the company the debt was given to. Sometimes, unpaid debts are sold to collection companies for maybe 50% or some other higher or lower percentage of the unpaid amount. Now the collection agency owns your debt. This is why you might be able to make a deal with the collection agency to pay less than the amount owed. If a collection agency pays 50% of the debt, then contacts you, it will want the full amount. If you can't pay it they will sue. However, suing and collecting the full amount through garnishment is a slow, time-consuming process. Often the agency prefers to get something more than it paid in order to make a profit. If the agency paid $500 to buy a $1,000. debt, it might be very happy to get a payment from you in a short time for $700. That way it made a quick $200 with not much work. Remember when dealing with collection agencies that claim the debt has been assigned to them for collection, you have a right to see that assignment in writing before sending them anything.