If you are receiving unsolicited phone calls from an entity pretending to be ACCC (a trusted non-profit credit counseling agency), please be assured that ACCC’s policy is NEVER to contact you unless you’ve explicitly requested us to call you. Also be cautious of emails from an unusual or unfamiliar domain. ACCC’s domain extension is @consumercredit.com, and any emails using a different extension should be treated with suspicion.

×

ACCC’s Client Login allows current clients to access their program information, including the due date, program benefits, and other documents.

Select a Client Login below based on the service that you are currently enrolled in:

Debt Management Program

Client Login

Bankruptcy

Pre-Bankruptcy Client

Post-Bankruptcy Client

Not yet a client, but looking to get started?

ACCC offers debt relief options to individuals and families that are suffering from stress related to credit card debt by providing effective credit counseling, helping to consolidate debt, and advising on debt management.

Get Started

Wait!

You are now leaving the Consumer Credit website and are going to a website that is not operated by ACCC. We are not responsible for the content or availability of linked sites.

Are you sure you want to leave?

No, return me to the previous page.

Yes

New Nationwide Changes to Credit Reporting

Consumer debt is often the cause of poor credit reports and scores. However, there are times when other factors make repairing your credit difficult. After a settlement with New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, the three largest credit reporting agencies have developed a nationwide plan to protect consumer’s rights and improve systems at the agencies themselves. Let’s take a look at the benefits and changes promised to consumers in the National Consumer Assistance Plan.

Our credit counseling advice is to stay updated on credit reporting changes.

Our credit counseling advice is to stay updated on credit reporting changes.

Upcoming Changes to Credit Reporting

According to the New York Times, “The settlement requires the agencies to introduce the changes, which the bureaus said will be instituted nationwide, over three years.” Here are 5 highlights from the plan that may help consumers with some of their credit problems.

180 Day Waiting Period for Medical Debts on Credit Report

High medical bills affect so many Americans struggling to get out of debt. Fortunately, these debts will be treated differently for credit reporting purposes. Since insurance hold-ups often make debts appear to be unpaid on credit reports, medical debts will not be reported until 180 days have passed. This allows for insurance and other factors to be properly resolved. Paid debts that went through collections will be removed as well.

Free Credit Report after Dispute

If a consumer initiates a dispute on their credit report, the agencies must provide a free credit report once a change occurs. This will hopefully put the consumer at ease knowing changes have been made, without needing to pay for a copy of their report. Whether it’s saving money on a free credit report or other measures, every little bit can help when getting out of debt.

Credit scores and reports have become so integral to personal finances. “They affect whether we can obtain a credit card, take out a college loan, rent an apartment or buy a car — and sometimes even whether we can get jobs,” said Mr. Schneiderman in a statement. Remember to regularly check your credit reports for errors. If you would like more information about credit reports and disputing errors, visit ACCC’s Repairing Your credit Report section of the website.

Easier to Dispute Credit Report Errors

Consumers will now be able to get more information and assistance along the way through the dispute process. Trained employees of the credit reporting agencies will work on the disputes rather than having the consumer go through an automated process. If your dispute isn’t resolved to your liking, the credit reporting agencies will provide alternative actions you can take.

AnnualCreditReport.com

Each credit reporting agency will have to include a link to AnnualCreditReport.com on their homepage. This site offers consumers one free credit report from each of the companies once a year. This service will now be more pronounced and available to consumers who may or may not know about it. Checking your credit report is a great way to have good credit management habits.

No Parking Tickets or Fines

This one might come as a relief to many people. Those pesky fines or tickets that have caused you grief will no longer be reported on credit reports. Breathe a little easier, but make sure you pay them! Avoid the fines and avoid drowning in debt.

If you’re struggling to pay off debt, ACCC can help. Schedule a free credit counseling session with us today.

ABOUT AUTHOR / Michelle

Michelle is a regular contributor to Talking Cents. She has taken several financial courses on debt management and is ready to circulate what she has learned from them as well as lessons from her own life- family to DIY projects to student loan debt.

View all author posts →

creditU

Say goodbye to the burden of debt

Struggling to manage your debt and improve your financial health is a thing of the past with the CreditU mobile app, an essential tool for anyone looking to manage their personal finances with ease.

CreditU Apple App Store CreditU Google Play
Dev Tool:

Request: blog/new-nationwide-changes-to-credit-reporting
Matched Rewrite Rule: blog/([^/]+)/?$
Matched Rewrite Query: post_type=post&name=new-nationwide-changes-to-credit-reporting
Loaded Template: single.php