Article : Why credit counseling often fails?

source : articles.moneycentral.msn.com
By Liz Pulliam Weston

MSN Money

When people are overwhelmed by debt but don't want to file for bankruptcy, I typically recommend they make two appointments:

• One with a legitimate credit counselor, preferably affiliated with the National Foundation for Credit Counseling.

• Another with a bankruptcy attorney.
  
  

I make the second suggestion for a number of reasons.

One is that credit counselors and their debt-management plans, which are designed to pay off credit card debt over five years or so, are geared to steer people away from bankruptcy. Consulting with a bankruptcy attorney can help ensure that those struggling with debt know all their options.

The other, even more important reason: I know that even if you desperately want credit counseling to work, it often won't.

Here are the statistics, straight from the NFCC. Of the 3.2 million people who contacted NFCC agencies for help last year:

• About one-third were able to handle their finances on their own after a counseling session.
• Another third were either too far gone for debt management plans to help, with too little income or too much debt, or had problems credit counseling couldn't help and were referred to social services agencies because of issues such as a gambling problem, alcoholism or other addiction.
• The final third enrolled in debt-management programs (DMPs), but the dropout rate averages at least 45%. ...
  

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Article : Consumer credit counselors – How do they help you?

By Sandy Thomson, your credit counseling news source

Many people don’t know that consumer credit counseling can work as a substitute to filing bankruptcy. Expert credit counselors can educate you on various financial topics and offer debt counseling services after thoroughly assessing your financial condition.

Once you sign up for the services of a consumer credit counseling agency, your debt level would be evaluated by a professional credit counselor. Subsequently, a repayment plan is worked out on the basis of your income and debt level. They would negotiate with your creditors to reduce your interest rates and establish a debt management plan that would help you get out of debt.

How does consumer credit counseling work?

While setting up a debt management plan, your financial situation is comprehensively assessed by the credit counselors. Given below are the factors that are primarily taken into consideration:

• Number of credit accounts you have
• The outstanding balances of those accounts
• The interest rates
• Minimum monthly payments
• Delinquent accounts (if any)

The credit counselor also takes into account how much you earn each month and how much you spend. Taking all these factors into consideration, a debt management plan (DMP) is created to pay off your bills. Every one of your creditors receives this suggested plan for acceptance purposes.

As soon as they agree to the suggested debt management plan, you need to start making payments to the consumer credit counseling agency. As per the DMP, this payment is allocated to your creditors. When you enter a DMP, your credit accounts are usually frozen so that you don’t run up new balances.

Fees of consumer credit counseling services

A host of credit counseling agencies maintain that they’re nonprofit in nature. Even though an agency declares themselves to be nonprofit, you shouldn’t by any means assume that their services are free of cost. More often than not, their services are available to you against a fee. The initial payment made by you might be used to compensate for the fees. On the other hand, some debt management companies might ask for a flat fee which is deducted from your monthly payment. ...

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News : Congressman looks to change student loan bankruptcy, although debt consolidation may help as well

source : debtconsolidationconnection.com
By Angela Hawke on Apr 27th, 2010

Trying to fund higher education is a challenge many people face, as are the effects of not being able to pay off student loans in the long run.
One aspect of student loans that make them even more difficult is the fact that they are difficult to get rid of through bankruptcy. New laws passed in 2005 made all types of student loans harder to erase through filing, although a congressman is looking to change that.
Tennessee Democrat Steve Cohen, along with fellow party member and Illinois Representative Danny Davis, have authored a bill that would bring bankruptcy rules for student loans back to the way they were. In doing so, privately originated student loans would be treated the same as other forms of debt.
Cohen said that people should not be discouraged from getting further education because of the fact that it could lead to financial difficulties, and that his bill helps with that. ...

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more debt consolidation news :
-Free credit score law could help consumers, while debt consolidation can lower credit card bill
-Debt consolidation may be an alternative to questionable interest-rate reduction companies

News : Consult with consumer credit counseling service before seeking debt settlement

source : debtconsolidationconnection.com
By Oscar Monfort on Mar 26th, 2010

A recent column suggested that people consult with a consumer credit counseling agency before they consider debt settlement.

In writing for the Detroit Free Press, Susan Tompor noted that a debt settlement could end up costing them while also hurting their credit score. Through debt settlement, lenders agree to take less money than is owed in order to square up an account.

"Regulators and others warn that if borrowers get involved with the wrong outfit, they could end up losing thousands of dollars, ruin their credit, and find themselves hounded and even sued by creditors and possibly forced into bankruptcy," Tompor said. ...

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Link to a forum : "Consumer Credit Counseling etc."

Last post: Feb 23 2010
(more than 26 replies)

Opening post of this forum :
"Hi ,

I'm not saying I'm going to do this, but it never hurts to consider options. Does anyone know anything about debt consolidation, consumer credit counseling, bankruptcy, and similar such programs?

DR says they are a bad idea b/c they will destroy your credit. But, I'm starting to wonder if it might be the only realistic option for us. Ironically, one reason we were able to take on so much debt is because of our good credit. Somehow we always manage to make the minimum payments and make them on time. However, if we were to move I doubt if we could get another mortgage or even qualify for a rental property because our debt to income ratio is terrible with a capital T. And I know of others who have declared bankruptcy or done some type of debt consolidation and they survived and were better off in the long run.

If the farm sells the situation will change considerably but who knows when that will happen.

Given the poor economy I don't see our income going up significantly any time in the near future. At the rate we're going we will literally have this consumer debt for the rest of our lives.

Does anyone have any ideas? "

see this forum

Article : Consumer Credit Counseling Services

By Neil D'silva

What are the functions of Consumer Credit Counseling Services?

Contrary to what most people think, or want to think, about consumer credit counseling services, these services are not just about mere counseling for your financial credit problems. They are much more than that. The following is a list of all the services that the consumer credit counselors will provide to you:-

• Of course, the first service is counseling itself. They will listen to your financial problem carefully. When you are speaking all these things out, you are yourself realizing the extent of the problem you are in. Anyways, the credit counseling services will try their best to counsel you verbally about your financial problems at the outset.
• The next step is to train you in financial management. The credit counseling services will sit with you and discuss how you can better manage your finances. They will prepare a budget for you and your family so that you can make the best use o the income you are getting and efficiently manage the payments you need to make.
• Most importantly, they will tell you of schemes in detail, such as the debt consolidating and debt refinancing plans by which you can solve all your credit problems. Debt consolidation means clumping all your individuals into a single loan which you can pay with greater ease. While, debt refinancing means getting your existing loan renewed through another lender at a cheaper rate of interest. The consumer credit counseling service will coach you in these plans, and will help you implement them too.

Why choose Consumer Credit Counseling Services?

It is very difficult for people who are deep in debt to manage their finances properly. Sometimes, these people might have the financial capacity to come out of their debts, but because they are not managing their loans properly, they are not able to solve the situation. This is where the consumer credit counseling services help. They will actually sit and discuss the problem with you and will tell you of ways by which you can be debt-free.

Most people when they approach consumer credit counseling services, they do not even know what debt consolidation or debt refinancing means. Even if they know about them, they have most likely a very hazy idea about it. It is the job of the counselor to make people aware of these viable solutions to their problems.

Credit counselors also become important when a person is to file for bankruptcy. In fact, the American law has made it compulsory for people to enroll into the programs of the credit counselors before their bankruptcy so that they can seek knowledge of how to avoid this sticky scenario the next time round.

Thus the consumer credit counseling services are not all out there to make a fast buck. Most of them have genuine intentions and a noble way of doing business.

Which Consumer Credit Counseling Services to avoid?

Many credit counseling services are nothing but scams, and you need to avoid them like the plague. Avoid all companies that are not registered with the government. Their programs have no value at all in the courts. Do not go for any consumer credit counseling services who want to push a particular policy of theirs. You must make sure that they are understanding your problem first, and working with you to find a solution for it.

source : http://ezinearticles.com/?Consumer-Credit-Counseling-Services&id=1009856

Link to a forum : Bankruptcy? debt consolidation service? Consumer Credit Counceling Serv?

2006
First comment from this forum :

"I'm trying to not file for bankruptcy. Overdraft protection is the only thing keeping me from making late or no payments at all on my bills and that's nearly maxed out. I'm in huge cc debt, apppr 35k, and bankruptcy seems like the easiest way out and to feel like a person again. I want to try and fight my way out of this mess if I can. I would like to see if a service can help me but know there's a lot of scams out there. Is CCCS a debt consolidation service like Debtco or are they two different things? How do I go about finding a fair and reputable service? What types of questions should I ask? I'm near Portland, OR. Anyone have a suggestion of where to find a good service or lawyer (if bnkrp is in the future)?

Also, is a charge off really that much better or different than filing for bankruptcy? What's the difference when it comes to your credit report and how it is viewed by potential lenders?"

see this forum at : http://answers.yahoo.com/question/?qid=1006021704914

Link to a forum : Does Credit Counseling WorK?

First comment from this forum :

07-17-2007 (4 posts)
"I'm going to go behind on my bills but Visa and mastercard don't seem to care. I've thought about going bankrupt but is credit counseling something to consider even if I can't afford my bills? "

see this forum at : http://myvesta.org/debt_forum/does-credit-counseling-work-t34.html

Link to a forum : Advice on consumer credit counseling?

First comment from this forum :

"My debt payments are straining my income to the breaking point. I do not want to declare bankruptcy, I am not able to secure any loans, and do not have house equity to cover my debts.

The good news is I have a steady job and brighter prospects for the future.

I have been advised to work with CCCS -- Consumer Credit Counseling Services -- to set up a payment plan for my debts. I have also been told of an outfit called Curadebt (www.curadebt.com) that claims to not only consolidate your bills, but negotiate some down.

Do any of you have additional advice or comments on these approaches? Thank you very much."

see this forum at : http://forums.kiplinger.com/showthread.php?t=3707

Article : Beware of Consumer Credit Counseling - Debt Negotiators

You've watched the TV commercials, heard the radio ads, saw the web banners and SPAM in your e-mail:

"LOWER your interest rates and payments!"

"Combine your bills into ONE LOW monthly payment!"

"We can eliminate up to 60% of your debt through negotiations!"

Who are those outfits and WHAT will you get?

They promise to reduce your debts and payments, often hyping their non profit status. The non profits are usually funded by the finance industry, the goal is to reduce bankruptcies. Creditors don't want the debts discharged, they rather forgive some interest and fees and collect whatever they can.

I also reviewed some of the contracts for debt negotiators and I was appalled by the outrageous fees charged to the people who would often qualify to discharge their entire unsecured debt through bankruptcy for just a few hundred dollars.

November 4, 2001 Washington Post article:

Easing the Credit Crunch?
AmeriDebt Is One of a Breed Of New Debt-Counseling Firms Whose Business Practices Are Drawing Regulators' Attention

"When his creditors didn't receive that month's payments, Reed said, he was charged late fees, over-the-limit penalties and higher interest rates. "My credit had been absolutely spotless, but now it's ruined," he said."

Paying off your debts will most likely NOT save your credit rating

Bankruptcy is often referred to as the "10 year mistake" by many of these debt negotiating and credit counseling companies.

Of course bankruptcy lowers your credit scores significantly for a few years. However, the credit counseling notation found on many credit reports for people who thought they were doing the "right thing" by paying back almost their entire debt can be worse than the bankruptcy.

Some people are lucky and those notations go away once the accounts are paid off. Unfortunately you can also end up with credit such as the scanned Equifax report below:

• "Consumer Credit Counseling" -- rated similar to bankruptcy
• "30 (or 60) days past due x times" -- LATE payments, while the consumer made EVERY payment on time
• "Pays 61-90 days" -- while the consumer made EVERY payment on time
• "Account closed by credit grantor" - often consumers have to close all accounts when entering the program

FACT: Your credit rating is most likely BETTER 2 years after discharging your debts than 3 years after entering a payment plan.

Yes, there WILL be creditors who won't offer you credit with a bankruptcy, even after several years. BUT, why would you need that credit?

Why would you even WANT a Home Depot charge card with a 20% interest rate when you have $$$$$ in the bank? Remember that when you discharge your debts, you then can start SAVING your money.

So, BEFORE you enter a repayment plan, you MUST get in writing that NO derogatory data will be placed on your credit reports as long as you make your payments on time. Should you find a company who is willing to do that, PLEASE post in the forum or fax that statement to me at (571) 222-1000.

........ read all from the source : bayhouse http://www.bayhouse.com/credit-counseling.shtml