ArticlesReader.com Menu
Newest Articles
Most Viewed Articles
ArticlesReader.com RSS
Submit Article
Login
Signup
Search the articles

Articles Main Categories
Advice
Animals
Automobiles
Business
Career
Communications
Computer Programming
Computers
Entertainment
Environment
Family
Fashion
Finance
Food
Health & Medical
Home & Garden
Humor
Internet Business
Internet Marketing
Legal
Leisure & Recreation
Marketing
Other
Politics
Reference & Education
Religion
Self Improvement
Sports
Technology & Science
Travel
Writing
Subscribe
Receive alert message from us when new articles submitted to our site for free.

Enter your name

Enter your email

Syndicate

















Related Products
Home::Credit

Credit Counseling Services Checklist

Author : Joel Walsh
There are credit counseling agencies that rescue people from the deepest financial holes. There are also credit counseling agencies that just shovel in more dirt. How do you tell them apart?

by Joel Walsh



Signs of a Reliable Credit Counseling Agency



__Better Business Bureau Membership

The service's website should have a BBB logo and a link to their record on the Better Business Bureau website. Click through the link to check that there are no unresolved complaints against them. Many people only think about the Better Business Bureau after they've been cheated, but by then there's not much you can do. Working with a credit counseling agency that is a member of the Better Business Bureau means that you can go to them to help mediate any dispute you might have with the service provider.



__Accreditation

Reputable credit counseling services will be accredited by an independent nonprofit, just as many schools are. One such accreditation body is the National Institute for Financial Counseling Education.



__Fees

A good credit counseling agency will charge a small, reasonable monthly fee, usually around $30. Some also charge a fee upfront, though this fee should be reasonable (around $50 tops). It may be possible to get a hardship waiver of these fees if you truly do not have the $30-50.



__Clear Application

The application must clearly say what the fees to be paid are, what the services to be provided are, and in what timeframe all of this will be provided.



__Reasonable Promises

Run far, far away from any organization that proposes to "wipe out" your debt for you, rather than simply helping you to repay the debt. Short of your creditors just deciding to forget about the debt (unlikely), there is no way to erase debt–even bankruptcy leaves a huge mark on your credit report for ten years.



True, your car may not go missing from your driveway if you stop paying unsecured debt (i.e., debt that is not "secured" with collateral, like most credit cards, unlike most auto loans). But you are still legally obligated to pay the debt, and the possibility of being taken to court will loom over you. You will likely be unable to get even "bad credit" financing if you still have debts in collections–good luck buying a car or house.



Not Necessarily Signs of a Reliable Agency

XX Nonprofit Status

Nonprofit status is essentially a tax designation, not a government endorsement of a group's mission. There are plenty of near-fraudulent credit counseling agencies that are registered nonprofits.



XX Respectable Name

Any group can put words like "National," "Alliance," "Assistance," and other trust-inspiring words in their name. But a name is just a name. Make sure to check any organization against the list above to make sure they're reliable. Also try searching for the group's name on a search engine. Don't just look for a lack of negative reports–that might just mean the group changed names recently. Instead, look for positive reviews from real people, and preferably mention on reputable third-party websites, such as news sites.



Ready to find a credit counseling agency? You're in the right place: the web is full of credit counseling agencies. Just use the checklist above, and you'll have no trouble separating the saints from the scams.


Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com





Joel Walsh has written on credit counseling: www.debtguru.com [Publish this article on your website! Requirement: live link for above URL/web address w/ link text/anchor text: "credit counseling" OR leave this bracketed message intact. Permalink: debtguru.com/articles/credit-counseling-services-checklist.html]





Spam emails More free articles

Related articles


  1. How Do I Establish A Good Line of Credit?
  2. A Debt Mentality
  3. Are You Worried About Credit Card Debt
  4. Say Cheese
  5. Better the Devil You Know
  6. Paying your credit card on time
  7. Did Your Credit Score Today?
  8. Free Credit Reports: Get Yours Today!
  9. Your Consumer Rights
  10. Building Good Business Credit After Bad Credit
  11. Online, Phone, U.S. Mail or In-Person: Where is Your Credit Card and Personal Identify Safest?
  12. How To Boost Your Credit Score
  13. Balance Transfers Can Help You Stop Putting Money Down The Drain!
  14. Shoppers Beware - 'Tis The Season
  15. New Law Provides Free Annual Credit Report
  16. Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Your Credit Report
  17. Tired Of Being Broke?...Learn How To Force Banks To Give You Money!
  18. Ways to Look Good without Selling Your Soul to the Credit Card Sharks
  19. Credit Report And Correction Techniques
  20. Ten Steps To Building A Good Credit History
  21. First Major Regulatory and Legislative Victory of 2005 for Creditors and Consumers
  22. When You Are Eligible For A Free Credit Report
  23. 10 Ways To Protect Your Financial Identity Being Used For Someone Elses Shopping Spree
  24. Credit Cards, Merchant Accounts, and Your Bottomline
  25. Fun with Credit Cards
More related feeds
Credit Counseling Services Checklist
__Better Business Bureau Membership. The service's website should hit a BBB trademark and a unification to their achievement on the Better Business Bureau website. Click finished the unification to analyse that there are no unharmonious...

Credit counseling. Debt help allows you to avoid measures such as ...
Credit counseling services checklist there are credit counseling agencies that rescue people from the deepest financial holes there are also credit counseling agencies that just. Major requirements, course descriptions, faculty, ...

Useful Advices: Credit Counseling Services Checklist at www ...
ints from the scams.

Credit Counseling Services Checklist
Requirement: 1) live link for above URL/web address; 2) link text/anchor text: “credit counseling” OR leave this bracketed message intact. Permalink: http://debtguru.com/articles/credit-counseling-services-checklist.html] ...

Subjects: Credit Counseling Services Checklist at www.subjects.org.ua
aints from the scams.

Credit Counseling Services Checklist
__Better Business Bureau Membership. The service's website should have a BBB logo and a link to their record on the Better Business Bureau website. Click through the link to check that there are no unresolved complaints against them. Ma...

Debt Settlement Impacts Credit Card Holders
Because so many people are applying for debt counseling services, it is being said that the credit card industry could be facing a troubled situation similar to the recent increase of foreclosures in the housing market. ...

E-Folder: Credit Counseling Services Checklist at www.e-folder.org.ua
from the scams.

Main Subject: Credit Counseling Services Checklist at www ...
eparating the saints from the scams.

Credit Counseling Software
One of the many allegations leveled against several consumer credit counseling agencies is that they charge high fees. The high fees drive lots of people away from the service. But instead of running away from this wonderful service, . ...

 

 

2007 articlesreader.com - All Rights Reserved