Family Credit Management is a non-profit Christian credit counseling agency here to help you take control of your finances. Since 1991 we’ve helped more than 100,000 people get out of debt, and we can help you too.
When dealing with financial issues, it’s vital to work with experts you can trust. The problem is, everybody looks and sounds the same – how can you know who the good guys really are?
Here are three simple ways to check if a company is trustworthy. We encourage you to put Family Credit Management and anybody else you consider through these tests.
- Check the company’s complaint record on a reputable Consumer Reporting Agency website.
You’ll see that some companies have less than 3 complaints, some have 500 and a few have more than 1000! This is an objective third party source that can give you a good look at a company’s trustworthiness.
- Make sure they’re licensed.
Check to see that they are licensed to practice both in your state and tougher states like New York and Virginia. You should never work with someone that isn’t licensed.
- Call and ask questions anonymously.
If they won’t answer all your questions without getting personal information, they care more about making money (your money) than solving your problems.
Trusted by those you trust
When the news networks you watch need a financial expert, they call us. Our staff has been featured on major networks including MSNBC, CBS, NBC, Fox and in publications such as Wall Street Journal, Better Homes & Gardens and Woman’s Day. View our media clips here.
Licensing
One of the most important things to look for is licensing and regulatory third parties. Family Credit Management is proud to have completed every licensing requirement for all 50 states. View the regulatory bodies we work with here.
- Alabama Securities Commission
- Arizona Department of Financial Institutions, Licensing Division
- California Department of Corporations
- Georgia Office of Consumer Affairs
- Idaho Department of Finance
- Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Division of Financial Institutions, Consumer Credit Section
- Indiana
- Iowa Division of Banking
- Kansas Office of the State Bank Commissioner, Consumer and Mortgage Lending Division
- Kentucky Office of the Attorney General, Consumer Protection Division
- Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, Office of the Commissioner of Financial Regulation
- Michigan Office of Financial and Insurance Services, Department of Labor and Economic Growth
- Minnesota
- Mississippi Department of Banking and Consumer Finance
- New Jersey
- New York Banking Department, Licensed Financial Services Division
- Ohio Attorney General, Consumer Protection Division
- Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, Division of Finance and Corporate Securities
- South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs
- Texas Office of the Consumer Credit Commissioner
- Virginia State Corporation Commission, Bureau of Financial Institutions
- Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Banking
Some states have few or no licensing requirements. People with no training or certification can set up a “debt management program” and basically steal your money. Always use a company, like Family Credit Management, that is legal, fully licensed, and regularly audited – that way you can be positive you will be taken care of.
In addition to these state licenses, we are proud to be ISO 9001 certified. This highly coveted distinction is granted only after we developed a complex client quality system in which all employees are thoroughly trained. This incorporates in-depth training of our staff, detailed department manuals, and complete adherence to the ISO standard including the consumer credit counseling code of practice. Learn more.
- An ISO external auditor visits our corporate offices every six months to ensure we continue to meet the ISO standard. More information can be found at www.iso.org or from our ISO register. We comply with standard BS EN ISO 9001:2000, our license number is FS 60378.
- We employ a full-time Internal Auditor who constantly works to ensure all employees are following the ISO standard. The auditor makes certain any corporate changes are in adherence to the ISO standard. Client files are audited on a regular basis; letters and emails are spot audited, and employees undergo regular "desk audits" to ensure all work is completed in a timely manner. Before any employee can independently perform duties, including our debt counseling service and providing debt help, they must have signed a training checklist verifying they completely understand the job requirements.
- Our client trust fund is reconciled every day and each year an external financial audit is conducted to be certain all of our trust accounts are balanced and properly accounted for.
- We also employ a full-time Legal Compliance Coordinator, also certified as a Christian credit counselor, who is responsible for ensuring our continued compliance with all regulatory filings, state licensing, training of employees on updates to or changes in state laws, as well as conducting internal audits of client files to ensure these state regulations are being met by all our employees.
At Family Credit Management Service we take your privacy very seriously – we never have and never will sell our client names to any party. We understand that financial difficulties and bad credit are a private matter and by working with one of our consumer credit counselors you have put your faith and trust in us. We will not let you down. You may view our privacy policy in its entirety.
