Privacy Policy

Our agency is committed to assuring the privacy of individuals and/or families who have contacted us for assistance. We assure you that all information shared both orally and in writing will be managed within legal and ethical considerations. Your "personal financial information," such as your total debt information, income, living expenses and personal information concerning your financial circumstances, will be provided to creditors, and possibly others, with your specific authorization.

We may also use aggregated case file information for the purpose of evaluating our services, gathering valuable research information and designing future programs. Your anonymity will be maintained through the use of your client number or by using aggregate data in all circumstances.

In all other situations, your information may he released to appropriate individuals or agencies ONLY UPON YOUR WRITTEN REQUEST, OR when our staff has been served by a valid subpoena.

The following PRIVACY PRACTICES detail circumstances under which we will release your information to a third party:

We do not disclose any non-public personal information about our customers or former customers to anyone, except as permitted by law.
We may compile data and aggregate information that you give to us, but this information may not he disclosed in a manner that would personally identify you in any way.
We may disclose some or all of the information that we collect as described below, to creditors, or third parties that you have authorized who need this information in order for us to assist you after a counseling session.
We may disclose all of the information that we collect, as described below, to creditors and related financial institutions who need this information in order to put you on a debt management program (DMP).
We restrict access to non-public personal information about you to those employees who need to know that information to provide service to you. We maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards that comply with federal regulations to guard your non-public personal information.
We collect non-public personal information about you from the following sources:
- Information we received from you on our applications or other forms you provide;
- Information about your transactions with us, your creditors, or others; and
- Information we receive from a credit-reporting agency.
We may disclose the following kinds of non-public personal information about you:
- Information we receive from you on applications or other form, such as your name, address, social security number, assets, and income;
- Information about your transactions with us, your creditors, or others, such as your account balance, payment history, parties to transactions and credit card usage; and
- Information we receive from a credit-reporting agency, such as your credit history.

Statement of Counseling Services

Please read the following statements carefully so that you will understand the procedures for the counseling session. You must indicate you agree to these provisions at the bottom of this page in order to proceed.

I understand the agency will provide a confidential, comprehensive, personal money management interview.
I understand that the interview will be conducted by a certified consumer credit counselor or qualified professional counselor. All action plans, not conducted by a certified consumer credit counselor, will be reviewed by a certified consumer credit counselor.
I have provided CCCSOC with a true and correct accounting of my financial condition to the best of my knowledge, and have disclosed all credit obligations to CCCSOC with or without a balance due at this time.
I understand that in event I am dissatisfied, I can utilize the Complaint Resolution Process.
I understand that most of the agency funding comes from voluntary contributions from creditors who participate in the Debt Management Plan (DMP), as well as from state and federal governmental units and other entities that support financial counseling. The agency is a non-profit organized and operated in accordance with Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Since creditors have a financial interest in getting paid, many are willing to make a contribution to help fund our agency. These contributions are usually calculated by each creditor as a percentage of the payment (up to 15%) you make through your DMP if you choose to enroll. However, your accounts with your creditors will always be credited with one hundred percent (100%) of the amount you pay through us on a DMP. We will also work with all of your creditors on a DMP whether or not they contribute to our agency.
I hold the agency, their employees, agents and volunteers harmless from any claim, suit, action or demand of my creditors, myself or any other person resulting from advice or counseling. Nothing herein shall apply to actions or claims under the provisions of the United States Bankruptcy Code, 11 U.S.C.Sec. 101 et seq.
I will be given a written assessment outlining a suggested client action plan which will be based on the following options:
1. I may choose to handle any financial concerns on my own.
2. I may choose to enroll in the agency's Debt Management Plan. Our DMP serves a dual role of helping you repay your debts and helping the creditors to receive the money owed them.
  Under the Debt Manangement Plan, the agency serves as a neutral third party in negotiating with creditors to liquidate financial obligations. The monthly fee for the Debt Manangement Plan is 8% of total monthly disbursement, or $35, whichever is less. There is a one-time setup fee of $50 at the start of the plan. The agency has no responsibility or obligations for any past, present or future credit rating I receive; in certain circumstances, a debt manangement plan may affect my credit rating negatively. In the event that the counselor suggests a debt manangement plan, I will receive seperate paperwork with complete details of the administration, requirements, and responsibilities.
3. I may choose to consider filing bankruptcy. A counselor may answer questions about bankruptcy, but not give legal advice. If I want legal advice, I will be referred for appropriate assistance. While an attorney can make a recommendation to file bankruptcy, it is a personal choice based on individual circumstances. I will inform the agency of the decision if I file bankruptcy.
4. I may be referred to the other services of the organization or another agency or agencies as appropriate that may be able to assist with particular problems that have been identified. While other forms of assistance may be available to me through the organization or other agencies, I am under no obligation to utilize any services to which I am referred.
At sometime in the future, my information may be used for confidential research and/or a neutral party may contact me to request an evaluation of the agency's services.

For Clients Requesting Bankruptcy Counseling Only

The following information does not apply unless you are seeking a bankruptcy counseling certificate required for filing bankruptcy.

As a result of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (BAPCPA), all those filing bankruptcy must first receive "counseling" from an agency approved by the Executive Office of the US Trustee (EOUST). Our agency has been approved to provide this counseling and these certificates for those filing in the state of California only.

We have over 40 years of experience helping people with financial problems. Our role in the bankruptcy process is not to be judgmental, but to provide assistance. Specifically, we will do a budget analysis that will examine your financial situation, discuss the factors that may be the cause of your problems, and explore your options for developing a reasonable plan for dealing with them.

We will provide you with information about bankruptcy, including its process and possible consequences. We will also consider alternatives to bankruptcy to resolve your problems. It is our view that the purpose of this session is to provide you with information so that YOU may choose the option that you think is best.

This session is designed to provide you with information and alternatives and is not intended to take the place of a consultation with an attorney to explore your legal rights and options.

At the conclusion of this session, you will be provided with a certificate that you will need should you decide to proceed with a bankruptcy filing. Your bankruptcy petition must be filed within 180 days of the completion of your counseling for the certificate to be valid.

To help cover the cost of providing this session to you via the Internet, this agency charges a fee of $50 for a single filer and $75 for a married couple filing jointly (after the first spouse pays the online fee of $50, the second spouse can complete the online session for a fee of $25 by contacting us for instructions). Payments are accepted in the form of online payment via our website, debit card, money orders, or cashier's checks. Online clients who wish to pay by mailing a money order or cashier's check to us in advance should contact us for instructions. In limited hardship circumstances, you may be eligible to have this fee waived.

We will not disclose any such information that you provide orally or in writing to anyone, except as authorized by you in writing or as required by law, such as in response to a subpoena. We may compile data and aggregate information that you give us, but this information will not be disclosed in any manner that would personally identify you. This agency will not disclose or provide any information about this session to a credit reporting agency.