Consumer Credit Counseling Service
Before You Fall Behind
The single most important piece of advice credit experts give to consumers is--pay your bills on time! Late payments or missed payments grab a lender's attention in a credit check. When a creditor is considering letting you open an account, or loaning you money to remodel your house, a spotty payment record leaves a negative impression.
On the other hand, there are many reasons why a person would start to falter in making payments. Loss of a job, mounting medical bills, or unforeseen disasters to a home--any extraordinary event can affect your ability to make even minimum payments when they are due. Before you actually fall behind on payments to any creditor, take some steps that might prevent serious credit problems from developing.
Assistance From Consumer Credit Counseling Service
If budgeting, locking away credit cards, and paying off debt do not stop your financial slide, consider consulting any of several non-profit consumer organizations. For example, Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS) is funded by creditors. With offices across the United States, Consumer Credit Counseling Service provides free or low cost services to help you resolve your financial problems.
By working with you and your creditors, Consumer Credit Counseling Service may be able to lower the terms of your payments or obtain a longer payoff period. The goal is to come up with a workable repayment plan for the consumer. CCCS can help you analyze your situation and, perhaps, enable you to better deal with your finances in the future.
