Christian Credit Counselors (CCC) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) debt management agency.
CCC provides and offers:
- Budget Counseling
- Credit Counseling
- Credit Report Counseling
- Financial Education
CCC does not provide or offer:
- Loans. We do not lend money. WE ARE NOT A LOAN COMPANY.
- Debt Settlement
- Bankruptcy
CCC has helped hundreds of thousands of individuals and families NATIONWIDE and continues to do so. Se Habla Español.
Our certified credit counselors offer counseling services and financial education nationwide. CCC is currently licensed to provide debt management services in 36 states. However, regardless of enrollment in a Debt Management Program, our counselors will offer financial advice or refer you to trusted organizations as appropriate.
By enrolling in our Debt Management Program, your unsecured debt is consolidated into one low manageable monthly payment, and in most cases, you will receive reduced interest rates which allow your total debt to be paid off in full within an average of 3-5 years.
A DMP is a systematic way to pay your outstanding unsecured debts in full up to 80% faster, at reduced interest rates with a lower monthly payment. Through this voluntary payment plan, CCC will automatically debit your bank account once per month and send the funds directly to your creditors. Generally, it takes approximately 36-60 months to repay debts through a DMP.
Individuals or families burdened with unsecured debt – credit cards, medical bills, and/or collection accounts. Ask yourself: “Is my unsecured debt unmanageable and overwhelming?” Our Debt Management Program (DMP) can help you get out of the financial hole you are in.
A source of income is required to make your monthly DMP payments. Although there is no minimum amount of debt required to enroll, clients who benefit from our program typically have a minimum of $10,000 in credit card debt.
The DMA is a written contract that transparently discloses all pertinent information about the Debt Management Plan to the client. The client will have an opportunity to review the agreement before signing. Once the client returns the signed DMA, it will serve as authorization to enroll the client in the DMP, pending their first monthly payment.
The monthly payment is determined by the amount of debt you owe. Each account is individually calculated and consolidated into one monthly payment. The monthly service fee calculation is determined by state regulations. CCC caps our monthly fees at $75.00 even though some states allow a much higher amount.
CCC has long-standing relationships with over 400 creditors. The interest rate reductions are pre-determined and disclosed at the time of enrollment. Individual results vary; APR: 0.00% to 15.99%.
No. As a condition of granting you reduced payments and APRs, the creditors will close your accounts to future purchases when you enroll in the DMP. Closing the accounts also allows us to calculate an estimated payoff date of when you will be debt-free!
No. CCC can help in either situation, whether current or past due. Our Debt Management Program consolidates all your credit cards, medical bills, and even collection accounts into one monthly payment.
Yes, creditor harassment will stop once the DMP has been approved by the creditors.
Yes. Most creditors will STOP the over-limit, late, and past-due fees as part of their DMP concessions.
No. Your credit report may be noted as “managed by a credit counseling agency”, however, enrolling in a DMP does not directly impact your score. Please visit www.experian.com for more details.
One of the factors that make up your credit score is your Credit Utilization Ratio. This is the percentage of your total credit limits that you are currently using. Generally, having a lower Credit Utilization Ratio has a positive impact on your credit score. Closing credit cards means losing access to any available credit and may increase the Credit Utilization Ratio unless the balances are already close to the limits.
Remember, the goal of the DMP is to develop a plan to ultimately improve your financial and credit standing.
DMP is a better option to handle unsecured debt because CCC is an advocate of paying back money that you have borrowed if you’re financially able to. The DMP status only remains as a note on your credit report for the duration of your plan and does not negatively impact your score.
After successful completion of the DMP, you’re more likely to qualify for a mortgage or rent a home and qualify for auto or other types of loans. Most employers run background checks and upon viewing your credit report, they will see that you are a responsible consumer and potentially responsible employee.
Truths about Bankruptcy….
Bankruptcy costs money – filing fees, attorney fees, pre and post-counseling fees and has strict requirements to qualify. Bankruptcy remains on your credit report for up to 10 years and negatively impacts your credit for years. It should be your last resort.
Debt Management Program
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Debt Settlement
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CCC has been in business for over 34 years and has several accreditations and certifications:
- Council on Accreditation (COA)
- Better Business Bureau (BBB) A+ rating
- Member of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC)
- Credit Counselors certified by NFCC
- Awarded a Certificate of Recognition by the California State Assembly acknowledging our work in helping individuals burdened by financial pressures.
Call us at 800.557.1985 or fill out the intake form on our website. Our certified credit counselors are happy to provide you with a FREE Budget Analysis and Debt Management quote today!
CCC is licensed in 36 states nationwide: AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, HI, IL, IN, IA, KY, LA, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, NE, NM, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, WA, WV and WY.
Each client enrolled in our DMP is assigned a Certified Credit Counselor who will be your point of contact throughout the program. By having an assigned Account Specialist who is familiar with the status of your enrolled accounts and your progress on the program, we ensure you receive the attention and care that you need while on the DMP.
Upon receiving your file, your Account Specialist will reach out to you via email and/or phone to introduce themselves. You can reach the Account Specialist department toll-free at 800-557-1985 option 5. Please note that Account Specialists do not have extensions to ensure that you receive the assistance you need promptly in the event that your Account Specialist is unavailable.
You can access your account information online via our Extranet client portal. Click on “Client Portal” located on the top right corner of this webpage. Enter your login information (previously provided via email when you signed your contract electronically). Once logged in, you can
- Send and receive secure messages with your Account Specialist
- View your current creditor(s) enrolled in the DMP and history of creditor counteroffers
- View your payment history
- View all your signed paperwork and CCC statements
- Change your contact information and login information
Click on “Forgot Username/Password” on the Extranet login page. You will receive a system-generated email from donotreply@christiancreditcounselors.org with your new password. Make sure to check your Junk or Spam folder if you do not see it. Remember to mark CCC emails as “Safe”. Once logged in, you can change your password under “Settings”.
NOTE: This password reset feature is not available if your initial system-assigned password was never changed. Please contact your Account Specialist for assistance.
The balances on your CCC statement are estimates, only your creditor statements contain the legally true and correct balances. This is why it is important that you send in your creditor statements every 3 months, as required by your contract.
Once your monthly DMP payment is debited from your bank account, it sits in a trust account maintained solely for client funds for 5 business days to ensure the funds clear our bank and do not return as insufficient funds. This accounting best practice was implemented to protect all our clients.
As the legal account holder, you will (and should) still receive monthly statements from your creditors. These are for you to review and retain for your records. No action is required unless directed by your Account Specialist.
Forward any documentation you have concerns about to your Account Specialist and they will be happy to review and discuss it with you. To best advise you, your Account Specialist needs to see exactly what you are looking at.
After you signed your Debt Management Agreement (DMA), you should have received a Welcome Letter via email. Review the letter carefully and follow the instructions to change your creditor due dates so that they align with your monthly ACH date.
Your creditors require timely payments to continue granting DMP benefits, such as lower payments and reduced APRs, to you. Please contact your Account Specialist immediately to discuss your options.
Send in your creditor statements for any accounts that you left off the program. Your Account Specialist will review them and advise you if CCC can add these accounts to your existing DMP and potentially lower your interest rate and/or payment.
Yes! You can make extra payments at any time, and CCC does not charge a prepayment penalty fee.
Your Debt Management Agreement specifies that all payments are to be made through CCC. It is crucial you pay your accounts through the DMP so that we can keep track of your progress and ensure your successful completion of the program. Contact your Account Specialist immediately if you made any payments directly to your creditors.
Contact your Account Specialist and they will obtain your payoff balance for you. Please ensure that you have the funds available as payoff balances are only accurate for a short period of time. It is important that you pay off your accounts through the DMP so that we can keep accurate records of your progress and, eventually, your successful completion of the program.
Because your monthly DMP payment remains the same throughout the program, once an enrolled account is paid off, the extra payment is typically applied to the next account with the highest interest cost, which is not necessarily the highest balance or interest rate.
Simply, this is the most mathematically efficient way to allocate the funds. By paying down the highest interest-cost account first, you will complete the program more quickly and pay less in total interest charges than you would with any other strategy.
By making extra payments through your DMP! CCC does not charge a prepayment penalty fee so feel free to contact your Account Specialist anytime you wish to apply extra funds towards your principal balance.
