CREDIT COUNSELING AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT COURSES

With limited exceptions, § 109(h) of the Bankruptcy Code requires that all individual debtors who file for bankruptcy relief on or after October 17, 2005, receive a briefing that outlines the available opportunities for credit counseling and provides assistance in performing a budget analysis.  The briefing must be given within 180 days before the bankruptcy filing.  The briefing may be provided individually or in a group (including briefings conducted by telephone or on the Internet) and must be provided by a nonprofit budget and credit counseling agency approved by the Bankruptcy Administrator for the Western District of North Carolina.  In addition, after filing a bankruptcy case, an individual debtor generally must complete a financial management instructional course before he or she can receive a discharge of his or her debts.  This financial management instructional course must be provided by an agency approved by the Bankruptcy Administrator for the Western District of North Carolina.  The following is a list of some of the agencies that have been approved for these two purposes by the Bankruptcy Administrator for the Western District of North Carolina (the list of approved agencies can be expected to grow over time, and an updated list can be obtained from the Bankruptcy Administrator for the Western District of North Carolina by calling (704) 350-7587): 

Approved Bankruptcy Certification Services

101 N. Lynnhaven Road, Suite 303

Virginia Beach, VA 23452

Telephone: (757) 416-7890

(Credit Counseling Course Only)

CCCS of Western North Carolina

50 South French Broad Avenue, Suite 227

Asheville, NC 28801

Telephone: (828) 255-5166

(Both Credit Counseling Course and Financial Management Course)

Family Service, Inc.

214 E. Franklin Boulevard

Gastonia, NC 28052

Telephone: (704) 862-0702

Facsimile: (704) 862-0239

Email: ccgaston@quik.com

201 W. Marion Street

Shelby, NC 28150

Telephone: (704) 481-9419

Facsimile: (704) 487-1720

Email: mblevins@quik.com

(Both Credit Counseling Course and Financial Management Course)

Hummingbird Credit Counseling and Education, Inc.

3737 Glenwood Avenue, Suite 100-106

Raleigh, NC 27617

Telephone: 1 (800) 645-4959

Website: www.hbcce.org

(Both Credit Counseling Course and Financial Management Course)

Institute for Financial Literacy

P. O. Box 1842

Portland, ME 04104

Telephone: (207) 879-0389

(Both Credit Counseling Course and Financial Management Course)

Consumer Credit Counseling of the Unifour

17 Highway 70 SE

Hickory, NC 28602

Telephone: (828) 322-7161

Facsimile: (828) 322-7161

301 East Meeting Street

Morganton, NC 28655

Telephone: (828) 438-3880

Facsimile: (828) 438-3802

(Both Credit Counseling Course and Financial Management Course)

Stand Sure Information Services, Inc.

16 Arnold Park

Rochester, NY 14607

Telephone: 1 (888) 615-2229

Facsimile: (585) 486-1314

(Financial Management Course Only)

United Family Services Consumer Credit Counseling Services/Housing Services

601 East 5^th Street, Suite 400

Charlotte, NC 28202

Telephone: (704) 332-9034

Facsimile: (704) 373-1604

United Family Services Consumer Credit Counseling Services/Housing Services

952 Copperfield Boulevard

Concord, NC 28025

Telephone: (704) 786-7918

Facsimile: (704) 786-7709

9601 Holly Point Drive, Suite 200

Huntersville, NC 28078-4914

Telephone: (704) 655-0234

Facsimile: (704) 655-0234

105-A East Jefferson Street

Monroe, NC 28112

Telephone: (704) 226-1352

Facsimile: (704) 282-9362

(Credit Counseling Course Only)

            For more information on these courses, you can contact the Bankruptcy Administrator’s Office at (704) 350-7587.  If you intend to file bankruptcy, you can contact one of these agencies in order to obtain your credit counseling briefing as soon as possible.