1. You can send a DV to any debt collector, whether they are only an assigned collection agent or own the debt.
Howver, you only have 30 days from date of their dunning notice for your DV to invoke a cease collection bar.
They have no time period or requirement to provide debt validation, even if the DV is timely, provided they dont continue active collection.
If your DV would now be untimely, it invokes no cease collection bar, so they could choose to ignore it.
Is the debt legit/
As to whether to accept their settlement offer, that is a personal choice. It will satisfy the debt, and thus terminate further collection, and will require them to report that the colletion is closed, with $0 balance. They have the option to also report that it was settled for less, but you sitll have a satisfied debt.
That might be a pre-condition, for example, should you apply for a mortgage.
2.Always best not to have an additional collection reporting. However, many OCs will sell a debt shortly after a charge-off, so you might contact tjem and make sure they still own the debt. If they have sold it, you cannot pay them.
3. If you qualify for the secured cards, opeing them sooner will get a open date that will give a better AAoA than if opened later.
However, if unsure of approval, then the hard pulls assoiated with the app process could do harm.
