- What exactly is Consumer Credit Counseling Service?
- How can I obtain my credit reports?
- How do I know if my situation is severe enough to contact CCCS?
- Who can be helped by the CCCS debt management plan (DMP)?
- If I’m on a DMP, will my creditors continue to telephone me?
- How is CCCS funded?
1. What exactly is Consumer Credit Counseling Service?
Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS) of the Central Savannah River Area is a nonprofit community service agency established in 1990 to provide:
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Confidential budget, credit and housing counseling
Consumers can call and request a counseling appointment with one of our professional, certified counselors to review expenses, income and spending habits.
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Debt management plans to repay creditors
For consumers who are financially overextended, we offer a debt management plan to help you repay creditors. Many creditors will reduce or waive interest charges when payments are made through CCCS.
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Our education department offers workshops for employee groups, civic groups, church groups, or other groups who may be interested, on topics such as Personal Money Management, “Consumer Beware” Issues, Understanding Credit/Dealing Effectively with Debt, Obtaining and Understanding Credit Reports, and Homeownership Education. Depending upon the mission of the group requesting an educational program, a monetary sponsorship may be requested or fees may be charged.
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Counseling appointments are available via telephone for consumers experiencing time or transportation constraints.
CCCS of the CSRA is a member of the United Way of Central Georgia, the Better Business Bureau of Central Georgia and the CSRA, Inc., and the National Foundation for Credit Counseling; is accredited by the Council on Accreditation for Children and Family Services ; and is approved to provide comprehensive housing counseling by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Georgia Housing and Finance Authority.
2. How can I obtain my credit reports?
It is now possible to obtain a free copy of your credit reports from all credit reporting agencies once a year via the Internet. For more information, visit annualcreditreport.com.
If you would prefer to order copies of your credit reports by mail, list the following information:
- Full name
- Daytime and evening phone numbers
- Current address
- Addresses for past five years
- Date of birth
- Marital status
- Birth name
- Social security number
Sign the bottom of your request and enclose a copy of your driver’s license, utility bill or government identification, showing your current address. Send one copy of this information to each of the following national credit bureaus:
Equifax Credit Information Services
PO Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
1-800-685-1111TransUnion Corporation
Consumer Relations Division
PO Box 390
Springfield, PA 19064-0390
1-800-916-8800Experian
PO Box 8030
Layton, UT 84041-8030
1-888-EXPERIAN (1-888-397-3742)
3. How do I know if my situation is severe enough to contact CCCS?
If two or more of the following apply to you, it’s time to schedule an appointment with CCCS:
- You use credit for living expenses.
- More than 20% of your take-home pay is used for credit payments, excluding home mortgage.
- The balance in your savings account is shrinking.
- You use credit cards impulsively.
- You are at or near the limit on your charge cards.
- You pay only the minimum amount due on your charge accounts each month.
- You have defaulted on a payment more than one time.
- You have received a phone call about your delinquent accounts.
- Your anticipated pay raise is already committed to paying debts.
- You are unsure of how much you owe.
- You have seriously considered taking out a consolidation loan to pay off your credit cards.
- You have taken a cash advance on one credit card to pay another card or other bills.
- You charge more each month than you make in payments.
- You have paid a bill with a post-dated check.
- You do not think of credit as a form of debt.
4. Who can be helped by the CCCS debt management plan (DMP)?
A Debt Management Plan may help many people who are experiencing difficulty making payments to creditors. A DMP allows you to make a single monthly deposit to CCCS, based on a renegotiated payment plan, which in turn is paid directly to your creditors by CCCS. To find out if you are suited for a DMP, contact CCCS for a budget counseling session with a certified counselor. You may contact us right here on our web site. During your appointment, your counselor will review your budget (income, living expenses, and credit obligations) and may recommend a debt management plan.
5. If I’m on a DMP, will my creditors continue to telephone me?
In the majority of cases we are able to work with creditors towards a positive solution that will satisfy everyone. Once creditors begin to receive regular payments through CCCS, they should stop calling you.
6. How is CCCS funded?
Most of our funding comes from voluntary contributions from creditors who participate in Debt Management Plans (DMP). Since creditors have a financial interest in getting paid, most are willing to make a contribution to help fund our agency. These contributions are usually calculated as a percentage of the payments clients make through any DMP — up to 15% of each payment received. However, clients’ accounts with their creditors are always credited with 100% of the amount paid through CCCS and we will attempt to work with your creditors regardless of whether they contribute to our agency.
A $20 fee is charged for budget counseling as well as for the initial assessment associated with credit or debt management counseling. Under limited circumstances, the fee may be waived. If one chooses to enroll in a Debt Management Plan through CCCS, he or she will also be charged a monthly fee equal to 6.5% of his or her total monthly payment (not to exceed $40 per month).
Our office is located at 1341 Druid Park Avenue in Augusta, GA. (Map of location)