Facts you Should Know Before Considering Credit Counseling or Debt Consolidation (Part 1)

There is one topic which every time I write about it seems to generate some hate mail while at the same time spawning a flurry of wonderful praise from consumers. Of course, the hate mail is always from a few people that happen to own these “certain types” of businesses I discussed and those businesses of course are Credit Counseling or Debt Consolidation companies; of which many “claim” to be non-profit organizations.

You’d almost have to be an ostrich with your head stuck in the sand to not see or hear at least one advertisement a day from a Credit Counseling or Debt Consolidation Company. However, you can expect this to change and change soon. Since this is a topic which tends to “stir up” the owners of these businesses, I am going to take a different approach by NOT sharing my opinion, but rather, the opinion of others. I will start with the news media and the Internal Revenue Service:

“(NPR News, May 15, 2006). The Internal Revenue Service is revoking the tax exempt status of some of the largest credit counseling agencies in the country. An IRS investigation disclosed that the firms solicited business from people seriously in debt and that they didn't provide counseling or consumer education, as required.

Prodded in part by a congressional oversight committee and consumer advocates, the IRS began investigating dozens of credit counseling agencies -- most holding non-profit status -- two years ago. IRS Commissioner Mark Everson says the companies "poisoned an entire sector of the charitable community."

Everson says in many instances, companies were organized merely to funnel business to loosely affiliated for-profit companies. Many of the firms spend millions of dollars on commercials that urge anyone with debt to call them to solve their financial woes. And because tax-exempt organizations are not bound by the federal do-not call list, the firms were able to randomly call consumers, pitching their services under the guise of a non-profit counseling service.

The IRS investigations are also likely to affect consumers, thanks to a new bankruptcy law that requires consumers considering bankruptcy to get counseling before they are allowed to file. The IRS wants to ensure that only legitimate non-profit agencies are doing the counseling. In addition to the actions announced Monday, the IRS is sending more than 700 compliance letters to the rest of the credit counseling industry.”

How Do Lenders View Credit Counseling Services?

Typically consumers that have overwhelming debt have two options, either enter into a Consumer Credit Counseling Program or declare Bankruptcy. While the two options may have a lot of similarities, most will opt to enrolling into a Consumer Credit Counseling program for such reasons as it is more cost effective and easier to implement.

Many credit card companies and creditors realize that it would be more beneficial to actually work with debtors and make affordable payment arrangements than to pursue typical collection activities. Instead they work with each of the individual's creditors to come to some agreement that will result into a reduced single payment plan, a consolidation of their debt, and or a reduction of interest rates and late fees - thus making it possible for the debtor to repay his or her debts over a period of 3 - 5 years. Once enrolled, the debtor will make a single payment to the consumer credit counseling service, and then the counseling service will make all the payments to the creditors.

One of the advantages of credit counseling services is to educate their client about debt management and budgeting.

The main disadvantage of enrolling into consumer credit counseling services is that many creditors will make a notation on the debtor's credit report indicating that the debt is being managed by consumer credit counseling agency.

Another major issue that a client may experience is, even though they are making their monthly payments to the credit counseling service on time, the credit counseling service doesn’t make the payments to the creditors on time. Now this will reflect on the client’s credit report as late payments.

And to add fuel to the fire, it is not uncommon for the credit counseling service to make the payments on time, while the creditors are not accepting the reduced payment amounts. This, too, would negatively affect the consumer's credit report.

However, if you are in the market to purchase a home or refinance, it is important to find a mortgage expert that specializes in helping individuals that have been enrolled or that are currently enrolled in consumer credit counseling services. The lender will request from the credit counseling agency a copy of the agreement which will indicating the date the consumer entered into the program, all the creditors involved, and the payment history of the consumer's payments. From this information, the lender will then determine if the client qualifies for a mortgage loan. FHA LENDER’S understand that if the consumer has been making their payments on time to the consumer credit counseling agency, but the creditors have been getting their payments late, then that's not the fault of the consumer and shouldn't penalize them from purchasing a home or refinancing their home.

It is important to note that many lenders view credit counseling services as similar to a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, because both can entail a payment plan and re-negotiation of debt payments. (And, in fact, some people who are using a credit counseling service do end up filing bankruptcy because they still don't have the income or money management skills to handle the payments.) So, in some cases use of such a service can be a negative.

However, many FHA Lenders recognize that if a person is attempting to handle debt responsibly by enrolling in these types of services, then that person probably takes their financial commitments seriously. In general, in order to get a mortgage the borrower must have a 12-month history of paying on time and a letter from the counseling service stating that purchasing a home or refinancing will not interfere with the repayment plan. Thanks to FHA Loans, consumer credit counseling services will not restrict the borrower from obtaining a low interest rate mortgage loan.

A Guide To Credit Counseling

Debt counseling has become a $7 billion dollar industry, but not all of them play fair. 10 years ago the credit counseling industry was dominated by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, who nonprofit affiliates, usually known as Consumer Credit Counseling Services, would negotiate lower interest rates and payment plans for people who were behind in their payments. Now Consumer Credit Counseling Services are in just about every city.

The services have plenty of competition now. A rise in consumer debt in the 1990s helped create hundreds of rivals. Some of these rivals have million-dollar advertising budgets, slick Internet come-ons and sound alike names.

Some of the recent rivals actually will negotiate a good repayment plan, while others only charge large, upfront fees, pay their executives even larger salaries and pocket most of the money that should be going to pay off creditors. Some of these companies will target people who are not late on their payments, but are tired of the high interest fees..

The really bad ones of the lot are not even credit counselors. They will usually bill themselves as specialist in "debt settlement", they promise to help you get rid of your debts for pennies on the dollar, of course that would be after you pay their upfront fee of $3000 or more. In many cases by the time someone, who could do something about them, hears about these types of companies, they have already left with the victim's cash, disconnected their phone lines, and are now doing business under a different name somewhere else.

Since these people don't seem to have any trouble finding someone in need of their services, there are plenty of people out there who need the services of a legitimate credit counseling company. It is hard to get an accurate count of the number of people who have used credit counseling services for debt repayment. Of those in debt repayment plans only about half are expected to successfully complete their repayment plans. The other half will drop out, with some of them filing for bankruptcy.

Most credit counseling services will negotiate lower payments with credit card companies and other lenders, then will make the arranged payment to the creditors using a check or an electronic transfer given to them by the client.

Many of the credit counseling services receive their fees from the lenders themselves, which is sent back to the service from the portion they have received. Because of this many critics have accused credit counseling services of being a tool of the lending industry.

Because the payment system is known as "fair share", it has encouraged the growth of credit counseling services. This has caused some agencies, driven by competition, to openly target consumers who have not fallen behind in their debts by promising lower interest rates. This practice has angered credit card companies and many times hurts the consumers. These consumers find out too late that these types of plans can hurt their credit and are unnecessary.

Just so that you understand. If you are able to make your payments and are current on all of your accounts, you do not need the services of a credit counseling agency. If your interest rates are too high, many time you can negotiate a lower rate with your credit card company, all you have to do is ask or threaten to take your business elsewhere.

If you are unsure whether or not you need a credit counseling service, look at this list below.

You are unable to pay even the minimum payment on your credit cards.
You are always late paying one or more of your regular bills.
You have collection agencies and your creditors calling you all the time.
You have tried to work out a reasonable payment plan with your creditors, but have been unable to do so.

If you are too far in debt, credit counseling may not be able to help. Your creditors will have their limits as to how far down they will go, and the credit counseling service may not be able to get your payment low enough to give you breathing room or to help you get out of debt. It this is the case, bankruptcy may be the best option for you.

If you are in need of a credit counseling service, here are some things to watch out for.

Large upfront fees Consumer Credit Counseling Services will usually charge a $10 set-up fee. Do not go with anyone trying to charge you more.

No accreditation Legitimate credit counseling services are affiliated with the National Foundation for Credit Counseling or the Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies.

Delayed or missing payments Some companies will pocket the first payment as a fee rather than pay your creditors. This can hurt your credit rating. Make sure you know the amount going to your creditors and when it is sent to them.

Unrealistic promises Watch out for companies who claim they can get rid of your debt for no money or for very little money without hurting your credit rating. Legitimate credit counseling services help you to pay back what you owe and will tell you upfront that there may be some affect to your credit rating.

What is Credit Counseling?

Credit counseling is a good resort to manage various debts properly. Generally credit counseling is a professional counseling, provided by various organizations to help borrowers for repaying their debts properly. With the help of these organizations, people can manage their debts and lessen their burden.

Credit counseling helps people to overcome their debts burden. Their counseling enables borrowers to pay off their debts with smaller, monthly repayment that is convenient for everyone to pay. Especially credit counseling is required for those who are confused with various debts and different lenders.

These days, credit counseling services are easily available. Many companies provide this service. One can find out this service from his local communities and over the internet. For providing credit counseling service, some companies may charge fees or some organizations do not charge fees for their services. To manage debt problem properly, it is important to find a proper credit counseling service.

However, credit counseling is the best option for borrowers to prevent all sorts of debt damages. The way a credit counselor works is as follows:

•At first, a counselor evaluates a borrower’s condition and on the basis of that he makes a plan. And this plan helps the borrower to pay off his bills. Sometimes, legitimate counseling service can convince creditors to take less than borrowed amount and arrange a longer repayment period.

•In case of credit counseling, most of the time borrowers do not need to pay their bills directly. But, instead of that, in every month they make only payment to the credit counseling service and that amount is distributed among their creditors in accordance with the agreements they have arranged. All together, their arrangement will help borrowers to lessen their loan load and manage their debt properly.

As it is mentioned before that choosing a right credit counseling company is also important. With help of an unprofessional credit counseling company, a borrower can more get into debts, instead of coming out of it. Even more, such kind of unprofessional companies can misguide borrowers too. Therefore, individuals are advised to choose a credit counseling company wisely. In that case, one can take help of local associations of credit counseling companies. By making some efforts borrowers can make this service remunerative for themselves. Borrowers should check the reputation of various companies, duration of their service, and if possible they can try to get the opinion of their previous clients. At the same time, borrowers should bear in mind that at the time appointment with credit counseling company, it is better to present as much of their documentation and paperwork as possible, like proof of their expenditure, their income, the verification of their debts etc.

Credit counseling is offering borrowers a service that will help them to eliminate all confusion and complication regarding various debts and creditors. To manage debts properly and prevent monthly budget from unnecessary loan load, the necessity of credit counseling is unavoidable.