According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the default of a debt is controlled by the terms of the contract creating the debt and applicable state or federal law. If a state or federal law does not provide when an account is delinquent, the FTC and courts look to the contractual agreement between the original creditor and the consumer creating the debt to determine when an account is in default. Where a debt is created without a contractual agreement, the FTC and the courts may look to the creditor's reasonable written guidelines to determine when an account is in default.