Selecting A Good Credit Counseling Agency

By Linden J. Walhard

Setting up non-profit credit counseling agencies is quite popular these days because the non-profit status helps these agencies in availing numerous benefits. One of the biggest benefits is the federal and state level tax exemptions granted to these non-profit credit counseling agencies. The two tax exemptions combined together can add up to thousands of dollars every year. In addition to tax exemptions, the non-profits status also makes these agencies eligible for several public and private grants. To initiate Fair Share contributions, it is mandatory to have non-profit status. Therefore, the non-profit status helps these credit counseling agencies obtain greater respect of the creditors. That is not all. In a few states the non-profit agencies are also unreachable by consumer protection laws.

Due to all these benefits bestowed upon them, it is not surprising to see almost all major credit counseling agencies advertising their non-profit status. However, you must keep in mind that most of these so called non profit agencies are set up only to make profits. The non profit status is only used by them as an easy method to tempt customers. Debtors in need of professional help and advice get carried away by these profit-making non profit credit counseling agencies. Only after they start dealing with these agencies they realize the actual truth related to interests and worth of these agencies. Although there are many non-profit credit counseling agencies set up just for making profits, all of them are not like that. Agencies providing genuine and authentic counseling also exist. National Foundation for Credit Counseling or the Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies provides credit to most of these agencies.

You can enquire about authenticity of a profit credit counseling agency from the local Better Business Bureau. As a debtor, you can get information related to any complaints lodged against the agency at the bureau. You can also get information related to a profit credit counseling agency from online credit forums. Good credit counseling agencies are a boon for all debtors. They help in developing a personalized debt management and budget plans for debtors. To help debtors in reducing their debt, these agencies go a step forward and speak to creditors and make them lower down or remove interest, finance charges and late payment penalties from debt amount. Some of these agencies can even get the debt collectors off the back of poor debtors. Keeping these advantages of good non profit credit counseling agencies, debtors must always be careful in selecting an agency to help them in managing their debts. Remember that if you get involved with an agency established just to make profit, you may end up worse than you are at this moment.

About the Author:
Linden Walhard continually makes short articles on subjects dealing with consumer counceling and settle debt. His publications on credit card debt settlement are published on his site .