Somebody once asked Rav Genechovski what the halacha is if a person forgives his friend verbally but doesn't really mean it, does it count?
He answered that Rav Yosef Engel in his Gilyon Hashas [קידושין מט] says that it DOES help [because of דברים שבלב אינם דברים] and although he has questions on R' Engel's opinion he doesn't want to voice them because in shomayim the halacha has been paskened like Rav Engel and if he disproves him then they will change the halacha in shomayim. This will result in people receiving less mechila and he doesn't want that.