Available Services at CCCS of Buffalo, Inc.

Financial Counseling

A Certified Financial Counselor will:

• Thoroughly review your income and expenses
• Review your Credit Report and Score
• Analyze your unsecured debts (credit cards, retail cards, finance company loans, collection agencies, judgments and medical bills) and review appropriate debt repayment options
• Provide you a written overview of your financial situation and action steps to take
• Supply resources to achieve financial goals and address financial concerns

From budgeting advice and suggestions for positive spending habits, to a creditor repayment plan, you and your counselor will work as a team to create a spending plan and determine the best plan to achieve your financial goals. Ultimately, your counselor has your best interest in mind.

Student Loan Counseling

During a Student Loan Counseling Session a Financial Counselor will:

• Review financial goals and student loan concerns
• Analyze living expenses
• Adjust a budget specific to a client's needs
• Supply resources to help reduce costs
• Review credit score and credit report
• Evaluate student loan debt
• Explore options for student loans including deferments, forbearances, alternative repayment plans, and consolidation loans
• Review the pros and cons to each option
• Assist in applying for appropriate option
• Assist in communicating with the student loan lender, as needed
• Provide a written overview of options with action steps to take
• Supplemental information regarding student loans and repayment options

Creditor Repayment Plan (CRP)

One option your counselor may recommend is a Creditor Repayment Plan (CRP). A CRP is a partnership between you and CCCS to systematically pay down your outstanding debt through monthly deposits to CCCS, which will then be distributed monthly to your creditors.

By participating in a CRP, you may benefit from:

• Lower monthly payments
• Reduced interest rates
• Waived late/over limit fees
• Elimination of collection calls
• Having only one monthly payment
• Becoming debt free in 5 years or less

How is a CCCS plan able to lower my rates when I can't do it on my own?

The negotiated interest rates and payment amounts you may receive on a CRP are based on the higher likelihood of repayment to your creditors due to more favorable terms.

Financial Coaching

A Certified Financial Counselor will:

• Provide you with your credit score and explain how to improve your credit score in order to qualify for low interest loans in future
• Pull your credit report and thoroughly review it with you
• Teach you how to dispute any inaccuracies on your credit report
• Help you create an individualized budget based on your Financial Goals

From credit reports and credit scores to budgeting advice to suggestions for positive spending habits, you and your counselor will work as a team to create a spending plan and determine the best plan to achieve your financial goals.

**Gift Certificates are available. If two (2) or more gift certificates are purchased at the same time a $10 discount per certificate will be applied.

Small Business Counseling

A Certified Financial Counselor will:

• Thoroughly review personal and business financial issues/concerns
• Review income and financial goals
• Analyze expenses and cash flow: Formulate and/or adjust a budget specific to a client's needs and supply resources to help reduce costs
• Review credit score/ report and make recommendations to raise your credit score
• Evaluate business and/or personal debt and explore debt repayment options

Provide you a written overview of the financial situation with action steps to take. We also supplemental information regarding the recommendations and referrals for further community support.

Credit Report Review

A Certified Financial Counselor will:

• Thoroughly review your credit report and what your score means for you
• Make recommendations on how to raise your credit score
• Advise how to correct information that is inaccurate by disputing discrepancies to the credit reporting Agencies

** We offer Credit Report and Credit Score services to Landlords and potential Tenants

Reverse Mortgage Counseling

Mandatory counseling required for anyone who is applying for a Reverse Mortgage. A certificate of completion is provided after the appointment.

A Certified Reverse Mortgage Counselor will:

• Provide you with unbiased information about how Reverse Mortgages work
• Help you understand eligibility requirements, steps involved in the Reverse Mortgage process, costs, benefits, and possible alternatives

Pre-Purchase Counseling - Make Your Move

Obtain valuable information through a six (6) hour course regarding the home buying process and the financial obligations of owning a home. Make Your Move meets all HUD and Fannie Mae guidelines and all participants are provided with an official certificate of completion. Also available online.

Financial Goal Software with Boulevard R

Financial Coaching and Small Business clients will have access to a web-based software that reveals the steps you will need to follow in order to achieve your personal financial goals. All you have to do is input your financial goals and your current financial status via an online dashboard, after which you will receive specific, actionable steps to achieve your goals, valuable resources, and access to a "What If" model to simulate the trade-offs of different financial decisions you may make. Research shows that people who create a roadmap to reach their financial goals are significantly more likely to be financially successful than those who don't take the time.

Upon completion of the online dashboard, you will be sent a Starter Roadmap which will:

• Analyze your "financial health"
• Project how long your savings will last
• Provide educational content on your key financial goal
• Identify ideas on potential ways to financially protect yourself

You will be able to log in and out of your dashboard in order to modify your goals and current financial status, as well as discover how different life events and modifications can impact your financial future.

Bankruptcy

CCCS of Buffalo offers EOUST-approved bankruptcy pre-file counseling and pre-discharge education to the United States of America (not available in Massachusetts, Oregon, North Carolina, or Alabama). "Approved to issue certificates in compliance with the Bankruptcy Code. Approval does not endorse or assure the quality of an Agency's services."

Bankruptcy Pre file/Credit Counseling Course

One of two required courses needed in order for a person to file bankruptcy. The Pre-File course is needed before the bankruptcy case can be filed with the court.

A Certified Financial Counselor will:

• Provide an overview of bankruptcy
• Explain the positives and negatives of filing
• Help you understand the process
• Evaluate your personal financial situation
• Provide you with a personal budget plan

Once your session is complete your counselor will issue you the certificate that is required in order to file your bankruptcy. This certificate is good for 180 days from the date and time issued. If you are not able to file the bankruptcy within the 180 day time frame then due to the U.S. Department of Justice bankruptcy regulations the course must be retaken.

Bankruptcy-Pre-Discharge/Debtor Education

The second and last required course in a bankruptcy proceeding. The certificate from this course will allow your debts to be legally discharged.

Your Certified Financial Counselor will review how to:

• Develop a budget
• Reach financial goals
• Rebuild and protect credit for the future

Once your session is complete your counselor will issue you the certificate that is required in order to have your debts/bankruptcy discharged.