Credit Counseling Agency

It's not impossible to repair a bad credit score, but many people don't know where to start.
That's where credit counseling agencies come in. However, there are many credit counseling agencies out there who are there to help themselves, not you. They will advise you to take out expensive credit consolidation loans, they will not help you to budget or learn to live within your means, and they will give you bad advice, such as telling you to shut down older credit cards - which actually hurts your credit.
One place to turn is the National Foundation For Credit Counseling, a non-profit agency which maintains a list of local, nonprofit agencies.
Their home page has a wealth of information on everything from fair debt collection practices, to smart budgeting.
And their member agencies can offer free or low cost budget advice and credit consolidation advice. Whether it is free or involves a minimal fee depends on a number of factors, including your financial situation.
However, even if the agency uses the NFFC seal of approval, use your common sense. Check with the Better Business Bureau to see if there are any complaints against them. Consider going to your local courthouse to see if any civil complaints have been filed against them. And whatever advice they give you, you have to decide if it makes sense for you in your particular situation. Think carefully before closing out old lines of credit, and before taking out a new credit consolidation loan. ONLY do that if you are sure that you can repay the new loan.
This shouldn't scare you away from using a credit counseling agency's services, because they provide helpful advice to millions of people every year. If you do a little investigating, you may find that a credit counseling agency is the perfect solution for you.