Knowing Nonprofit Credit Card Debt Relief
If you have decided to seek credit counseling as a way to get relief from credit card debt, many nonprofit credit counseling agencies will be able to help you, but you must choose carefully. Agencies affiliated with one of the two major nonprofit credit counseling trade groups—National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCA) and Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies (AICCCA)—subscribe to "best practices" for non-profit consumer debt counseling services. However, just because an organization promises credit card debt relief and calls itself "nonprofit" doesn't mean that you should trust it. Unfortunately, many so-called nonprofit companies advertising credit card debt relief are under investigation by the Internal Revenue Services, various states' attorneys general, and consumer advocacy organizations for using unfair practices and making false claims. While there are a number of legitimate nonprofit firms offering credit card debt relief programs and credit counseling, you should ask questions and know the facts before entering into a credit counseling or debt management plan.
Facts about Credit Counseling
It may surprise you to learn that most of the nonprofit credit card debt relief credit counseling companies are actually underwritten by banks and credit card companies. That's because one of the things these companies do is help consumers work out debt management plans (DMPs) that will provide for full repayment (usually) of the balances owed. Since the credit card debt is unsecured, the credit card companies know they will be last in line to receive money if a consumer files bankruptcy. For that reason, they would much rather a consumer enter credit counseling and sign up for a DMP. DMPs have a couple of immediate benefits to the consumer: 1) because of the bank-sponsored status of most credit counseling companies, when a consumer enters a nonprofit credit card debt relief and credit counseling program, the collection calls usually stop; 2) again, because of the special relationship between the bank and the nonprofit, consumer debt accounts are “re-aged,” meaning that their late payments are essentially taken off their credit reports—they get a “clean” bill of health.
Potential Problems
Most DMPs are five-year programs. You have to make all payments on time and keep at it for five years, at the end of which your debt is paid and your credit report is clean. If you can't keep up with the program, however, you'll end up still owing the debt and you'll have the record of the uncompleted program on your credit report. Be sure you ask about fees for the program and get a written schedule of fees that you can compare with other competitors. Ask for references from consumers who have completed that particular program, and also inquire about the exact nature of the credit and financial counseling the firm offers. Getting the right answers to these questions should help you weed out the unscrupulous operators hiding behind the "nonprofit" moniker.
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