Fact or Fiction: Financial Counseling

Fact or Fiction: Financial Counseling

Belief:  I will hurt my credit score if I meet with a Financial Counselor

Response:  Both fact and fiction

Simply meeting with a Financial Counselor will not have any impact on your credit report, whatsoever. Keep in mind that you have to share certain data with a creditor or any company that reports information to a credit bureau in order for that transaction to show up on your credit report. It is a good idea to understand what, if anything, potential creditors or financial professionals are going to do with your information before you do any business with them.

If you decide to employ a Financial Counselor and you give them permission to act on your behalf in re-structuring or reducing the amount of debt you owe a creditor or a group of creditors, those actions could very well have a negative impact on your credit score. Even if you reach a mutual agreement with a creditor who allows you to settle with them for less than what you owe them or to pay them over a longer period of time than what was originally agreed, that creditor will almost certainly report that information to the credit bureau and that data will cause your credit score to drop.

Scott Arney
Chief Executive Officer
Chicago Patrolmen’s Federal Credit Union

Don’t forget, members of the Credit Union enjoy free and confidential Credit Counseling and Financial Planning through our Financial Planning and Education Center. We are here to assist you every step of the way.