Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Southern Oregon is approved by the Executive Office for United States Trustee (EOUST)* to provide Pre-Filing Bankruptcy Counseling in the states of Oregon and California in person and online as mandated by the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005.
The Agency services are funded by fees for service, grants, and individual and corporate contributions. The Agency offers credit counseling and debt management programs in which an alternative payment schedule can be negotiated with creditors in addition to its pre-filing bankruptcy counseling program.
Pre-Filing Counseling takes approximately two hours. The consumer will be asked to provide information about household income, expenses and debts so that a full budget analysis can be provided. Possible alternatives to bankruptcy will also be explored, along with any suggestions that may improve the financial situation. An overview of the bankruptcy process, including advantages and disadvantages of bankruptcy, will be provided. Clients that complete the counseling session will be issued the certificate that is required to file a Petition for Bankruptcy. The consumer credit counselor conducting or supervising this session has been trained and certified in accordance with the standards of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC).
The fee for the Pre-Filing Counseling Session is $35.00 for an individual and $50.00 for a couple. CCCSSO will not withhold services without regard to a debtor student’s ability to pay and will not withhold services because of an inability to pay. You will be eligible to have this fee waived if your income is less than 150% of the federal poverty guidelines for your family size as published in the Federal Register. If a waiver of the fee is requested, proof of income must be submitted to the CCCS office. CCCS does not pay or receive fees or other consideration for the referral of debtor students to or by the provider.
IN-PERSON COUNSELING:
Please call the Medford office at (541) 779-2273 to schedule an appointment. You must complete the required worksheet prior to the appointment, which is available here, or it may be mailed to you if requested. Upon completion of the in-person counseling, a Certificate of Counseling will be provided.
ON-LINE COUNSELING:
On-line counseling utilizes the same information that is provided when the counseling is conducted in person. Before taking the online counseling session, you should gather information regarding your income, mortgage payments, utility bills and other living expenses such as groceries, household supplies, pet expenses, medical expenses etc. as you will be asked to enter this information throughout the course. You will also be asked to list your creditors and the amounts owed to them.
If you have questions during your counseling session, please call our Medford office during regular business hours and ask to speak to a counselor, or you may submit a question to info@improvedcredit.org and you will receive an answer within 1 business day.
Upon completion of the counseling session, a certified credit counselor will review your completed session and contact you to discuss your current financial situation, the circumstances that caused you to consider bankruptcy as an option and help you develop a plan to regain control of your financial future. YOU MUST HAVE A DISCUSSION WITH YOUR COUNSELOR EITHER BY TELEPHONE OR EMAIL TO COMPLETE THE SESSION.The Certificate of Counseling will then be issued and emailed to you within 1 business day of this discussion.
* “Approved to issue certificates in compliance with the Bankruptcy Code. Approval does not endorse or assure the quality of an Agency’s services”. CCCS states that debtor information could potentially be disclosed to the EOUST, and that the EOUST has not reviewed other CCCS non-counseling services.
