ACCC Disclosure Statement
American Consumer Credit Counseling, Inc. ("ACCC") is a non-profit credit counseling agency
dedicated to providing professional personal finance education, confidential counseling, and debt
management programs. Credit counseling is available in person, by phone, and through the
internet, while debtor education is only available through the internet. Services are available to
any member of the community without regard to race, religion, national origin, gender, social
position, handicap, financial status, or ability to pay. ACCC is tax-exempt under Section
501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. All client information is held in strict confidence by
ACCC in compliance with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Privacy Act, except as authorized by the
client to be released.
Funding Sources – ACCC receives the majority of its funding from the following sources:
Fees paid by clients for counseling services and education programs offered to the public;
Fees and Grants from private foundations and corporations who support our counseling and
educational services and programs;
ACCC does not pay or receive fees or other consideration for Pre-Petition Bankruptcy
Counseling or Pre-Discharge Debtor Education Program referrals, except as set forth below:
ACCC participates in a locator service through the National Foundation for Credit Counseling
("NFCC") where potential credit counseling candidates who contact NFCC seeking financial
counseling and education services are routed to a credit counseling agency with a location in the
state of the zip code that is eligible and licensed to provide the type of counseling selected. The
business costs to operate the locator service is passed onto a NFCC member agency for calls that
may be routed to them. For calls that are routed to ACCC for counseling services, a maximum
fee per call of $12.50 is incurred.
Counselor and Instructor Qualifications – ll counselors and instructors are ACCC
employees and most work full time for the agency. In connection with credit counseling services,
counselor qualifications include extensive internal training and certification programs, frequent
ongoing training sessions, related continuing education requirements, and counselors are
required to obtain independent accreditation or certification through approved personal finance
education institutions within the first year of employment. Only counselors who have been
independently accredited or certified, are allowed to offer pre-petition budget briefings and/or
issue the Certificate of Completion for clients.
In connection with debtor education courses, instructor qualifications also include extensive
internal training and certification programs, frequent ongoing training sessions, and related
continuing education requirements.
Selling of client information – ACCC does not share or sell any client or debtor information.
All information is held in strict confidence and is not released without written consent from the
client or debtor. The only exception is if the United States Trustee may ask to view your course
information for auditing or quality assurance.
Impact on Credit Report – ACCC does not disclose or provide to a credit reporting agency any
information concerning whether an individual client has received or sought credit counseling or
instruction concerning personal financial management from the agency, and therefore, should
have no impact on your credit report and score. However, a bankruptcy filing is a matter of
public record, which may have an impact on your credit report and score. Please check with your
legal counsel regarding this matter.
Further, in connection with credit counseling services, your ACCC counselor may discuss the
option of enrolling your unsecured debt in a Debt Management Program if your budget indicates
that a Debt Management Program is a viable option for you. While you are enrolled in a Debt
Management Program, some creditors may place a "CC" notation on your credit report
indicating that you are going through credit counseling. This is a neutral notation that does not
affect your credit score. However, some creditors may view the "CC" notation as a negative
when making a decision to extend new credit to you; nonetheless, you are strongly advised
against opening any new lines of credit while participating in the Debt Management Program, as
your ultimate goal is to become debt free.
No Legal Or Tax Advice – Although a counselor may answer general questions about
bankruptcy, the agency does not provide legal or tax advice. If legal or tax advice is needed, you
should seek the appropriate assistance from an attorney or tax professional.
Cost of Services – ACCC charges fees for some services to cover the cost of providing the
service. These fees include any postage, shipping, handling, and materials. The fee is due and
payable at the time of the service. We accept ACH payments (checking or savings account and
routing number)
Fee Schedule*:
| Pre-Filing Course – Credit Counseling (Telephone, Internet and In-person) |
$49 Per household |
| Post Filing Course – Debtor Education (Internet): |
$39 Per household |
* Fees noted above include issuance of appropriate certificates upon completion of session
Fee Waiver Policy – If a debtor student has income less than 150 percent of the poverty
guidelines last published by the United States Department of Health and Human Services
("DHHS") they may be entitled to a reduction or waiver of their course fees. Eligibility will be
determined based upon the family of the size and in the state where the debtor is located. In
calculating eligibility, the following guidelines are used:
The income for comparison to the poverty guidelines is the "Total Combined Monthly Income"
as reported (or as will be reported) on Line 16 of Schedule I of the bankruptcy petition. Non-cash
governmental assistance (such as food stamps or housing subsidies) is not included in calculating
debtor income.
The income of a spouse is included in calculating income, whether or not a joint petition is filed,
unless the spouses are separated and a joint petition is not filed. The income of any other family
member listed on Schedule I as a dependent is also included.
Please consult with your attorney to see if you qualify. If your attorney cannot help you, or you
do not have legal representation, call ACCC at 1-866-826-6924 to see if you qualify for a
reduced fee or waiver of fees.
Active Duty Military Members – Are eligible to have their pre and post counseling fees waived.
Please contact a counselor or instructor and advise them of your military status to get your fee
waived.
Certificate of Completion – ACCC is obligated to provide a Certificate of Completion to a
client promptly upon the completion of counseling services. ACCC is obligated to provide a
Certificate of Completion to a debtor promptly upon the completion of an instructional course.
ACCC will provide an appropriate Certificate of Completion to each individual only after
completing each session or course. Certificates are issued regardless of ability to pay.
If you utilize the online Pre-Petition Bankruptcy Counseling session, upon completion of that
session you will be required to contact a counselor at American Consumer Credit Counseling,
Inc. for an additional extended telephone counseling conference. During the phone review a
counselor will go over an analysis of your current financial situation, discuss the factors that
caused such conditions and provide recommendations for developing a plan to respond to
problems without incurring negative amortization of debt. The analysis completed will be
uploaded to your account for future review. In addition, the counselor will answer any questions
you might have and will authorize issuance of your Pre-Petition Bankruptcy Counseling
certificate. We cannot issue a certificate of completion until you make contact with us. An email
will be forwarded to you upon completion of the online course with specific instructions
regarding this call.
The Pre-Petition Bankruptcy Counseling certificate issued to you by ACCC will expire 180 days
from the date you complete the course. If the certificate expires, no additional fee is required to
complete the course again. ACCC does not file Certificates of Completion with the Bankruptcy
Court and you are solely responsible for following up with your attorney/the bankruptcy court to
ensure that the certificate has been received and filed. Failure to file your Certificate of
Completion with the Court in a timely manner could result in your case being dismissed. ACCC
will not be liable for certificates that are lost during transmission; however, we will resend the
certificate at your request.
Alternative Payments In accordance with 11 U.S.C. § 502(k) of the United States Bankruptcy
Code, you have the opportunity to negotiate an alternative payment schedule with regard to your
unsecured consumer debts within 60 days prior to filing your petition with the Bankruptcy Court
providing for payment of at least 60% of the amount of each consumer debt of a period not to
exceed the repayment period of the loan, or a reasonable extension thereof. If you choose to
pursue this option, you may incur additional fees in connection with a debt management plan.
Additional Disclosures The fee charged for the online credit counseling briefing will be no
greater than the client’s ability to pay and no greater than $49.00 per household. The fee charged
for the classroom credit counseling briefing will be no greater than the client’s ability to pay and
no greater than $49.00 per household. The fee charged for the telephone credit counseling
briefing will be no greater than the client’s ability to pay and no greater than $49.00 per
household.
The debtor education course is offered regardless of the client's ability to pay.
Course materials are provided through the Internet via an interactive learning module. The internet briefing can be accessed 24 hours a day / 7 days a week / 365 days a year.
The United States Trustee has oversight of ACCC’s Pre-Petition Bankruptcy Counseling and
ACCC’s Pre-Discharge Debtor Education services. Your information may be disclosed to the
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Effective Date: 05/29/24 Page 5 of 5
United States Trustee in the ordinary course of this oversight, during the investigation of any
complaints, during on-site visits or during quality of service reviews.
The United States Trustee has reviewed ACCC’s Pre-Petition Bankruptcy Counseling service
and ACCC’s Pre-Discharge Debtor Education course but has not reviewed or approved other
services offered by ACCC.
ACCC provides counseling and instruction services in English and provides in-person and
telephonic credit counseling services in Spanish as well. Clients or debtors with limited English
proficiency can further access information on professional interpreter services by visiting the
United States Trustee Program’s website: https://www.justice.gov/ust.