Consumer Credit Counseling Services

What Consumer Credit Counseling Services does

Consumer Credit Counseling Services (CCCS) is a nonprofit credit counseling organization founded in 1912 and headquartered in West Bend, Wisconsin, with offices in Sheboygan and La Crosse. The organization provides free financial assessments, one-on-one credit counseling, debt management planning with negotiated creditor terms, housing counseling, student loan counseling, financial education courses, and advocacy services to individual consumers and families. It is licensed by the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions and the Minnesota Department of Commerce, is a member of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC), holds HUD-approved housing counselor status, and is approved by the Executive Office of the U.S. Trustee to issue bankruptcy counseling certificates.

CCCS serves consumers across Wisconsin and Minnesota through a hybrid delivery model combining phone intake (1-800-350-2227), website-based client intake forms, in-person counseling at its offices, and educational workshops delivered via partner organizations. The underlying technology is a website-based counseling intake and service delivery platform; there are no disclosed proprietary technology components, APIs, or AI/ML capabilities. Services are free at the point of use, with the organization's operations funded through United Way contributions (Washington County, Fond du Lac Area, Great Rivers, and Oshkosh Area), government grants, HUD program participation, U.S. Trustee certificate fees, and donations.

CCCS markets primarily through a long-running content/SEO engine (Tip of the Week blog dating to at least 2010), community referral partnerships with United Way agencies and the NFCC network, and direct client outreach. The organization is affiliated with Family Service Association, accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA), and partners with Junior Achievement of Wisconsin on youth financial education. The reported client outcome is that 70%+ of clients increase savings and decrease debt by 10% within six months of engagement.

Name

Consumer Credit Counseling Services

Legal name

Consumer Credit Counseling Services

Website

https://cccsonline.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1912

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Consumer Credit Counseling Services (CCCS) is a Wisconsin-based nonprofit providing free credit counseling, debt management, housing, and student loan counseling to individuals in Wisconsin and Minnesota, funded by United Way, HUD, and U.S. Trustee programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Credit Counseling Services

NAICS

Credit Bureaus (561450), Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (522)

SIC

Services-Consumer Credit Reporting, Collection Agencies (7320)

akta.pro primary industry

Consumer Credit Counseling & Budgeting (FSAEAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Credit Counseling & Debt Management Plans (DMP) (FSAKAJAH)

Keywords

• Credit counseling services
• Debt management programs
• Financial education courses
• Housing counseling
• Bankruptcy counseling certificates

Headquarters

HQ city

West Bend

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Nonprofit Funded Services: Free services to clients funded through United Way contributions, government grants, and donations. Organization is nonprofit with NFCC membership.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CCCS delivers free, personalized one-on-one financial counseling with NFCC-certified counselors, structured debt management programs with negotiated creditor terms, HUD-approved housing counseling, and student loan counseling. Services include comprehensive financial assessments, credit report review, goal planning, and tailored action plans designed to reduce debt, increase savings, and improve credit scores.

Product overview

Consumer Credit Counseling Services (CCCS) offers a unified suite of financial counseling and education services designed to help individuals achieve financial stability. The core offering consists of one-on-one counseling with certified credit counselors combined with educational courses and specialized programs. Key services include debt management planning with negotiated creditor terms, housing counseling, student loan assistance, and comprehensive financial assessments that result in personalized action plans. The organization operates primarily through human counselor interactions rather than a technology platform, serving clients in Wisconsin and Minnesota communities including Sheboygan, La Crosse, West Bend, and Fond du Lac.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• One-on-One Financial Counseling Personalized one-on-one counseling sessions with certified credit counselors that help individuals manage their money, create budgets, and develop strategies for reaching financial goals.
• Financial Education Courses
• Housing Counseling
• Debt Management Program
• Student Loan Counseling
• Financial Assessment

Quantifiable outcome

• 70%+ of clients increase savings and decrease debt by 10% in six months

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCCS is a member agency of NFCC, the oldest and largest national nonprofit credit counseling organization. NFCC provides accreditation, standards, and network support for member agencies.
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHUD-approved housing counseling provider. Offers homeownership education, foreclosure prevention, and rental counseling as part of HUD's housing counseling program.
• United Way of Washington CountymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal United Way partnership providing community funding and referrals for residents in Washington County, Wisconsin.
• Fond du Lac Area United WaymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal United Way partnership providing community funding and referrals for residents in the Fond du Lac area.
• Great Rivers United WaymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal United Way partnership covering the Great Rivers region in Wisconsin.
• United Way of Oshkosh AreamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal United Way partnership providing community funding and referrals for Oshkosh area residents.
• Council on Accreditation (COA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccredited by COA, demonstrating compliance with national standards for human service organizations.
• Family Service AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated organization. Family Service Association is a United Way agency that helps people improve their financial stability and quality of life.
• Junior Achievement of WisconsinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with JA Wisconsin for financial education programs serving youth in the community.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Money Management International (MMI): One of the largest US nonprofit credit counseling agencies, providing debt management, housing counseling, bankruptcy counseling, and financial education. Direct peer operating at the same service lines and with similar NFCC-style accreditation, but at a much larger national scale.
• Take Charge America: National nonprofit credit counseling agency offering debt management plans, housing counseling, bankruptcy counseling, and financial education. Direct peer operating the same U.S. Trustee- and HUD-approved services as CCCS.
• Clearpoint Credit Counseling Solutions: Nonprofit credit counseling agency providing debt management, housing counseling, student loan counseling, and financial education. Direct peer with the same regulatory credential stack (HUD-approved, U.S. Trustee-approved) and consumer target market.
• GreenPath Financial Wellness: National nonprofit credit counseling agency offering debt management plans, housing counseling, bankruptcy counseling, and financial education. Direct peer because it provides the same core service suite (counseling, DMP, HUD-approved housing counseling) to consumer clients under the same NFCC-style nonprofit model.
• American Consumer Credit Counseling (ACCC): National nonprofit credit counseling agency offering debt management, credit counseling, housing counseling, and financial education. Direct peer with an overlapping service catalog, NFCC-style accreditation, and consumer/SMB client base.
• Credit.org (formerly Springboard Nonprofit Consumer Credit Management): National nonprofit credit counseling agency providing debt management, housing counseling, bankruptcy pre-filing counseling, and financial education. Direct peer delivering the same regulated consumer credit counseling services to individual clients.
• InCharge Debt Solutions: National nonprofit credit counseling agency offering debt management plans, housing counseling, bankruptcy counseling, and financial education programs. Direct peer delivering the same HUD-approved, U.S. Trustee-approved, NFCC-affiliated services as CCCS, with national reach.
• Money Fit by DRS (formerly Apprisen): Nonprofit credit counseling agency providing debt management, housing counseling, bankruptcy counseling, and financial wellness education. Direct peer with the same regulatory credentials and service lines as CCCS, with broader national reach.

Others

• Financial Counseling Association of America (FCAA): Industry association for financial counseling agencies, parallel to the NFCC, whose members offer credit counseling, housing counseling, and student loan counseling. Comparable as a peer ecosystem participant that defines standards and accreditations overlapping with CCCS's services.
• National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC): The national trade association and accreditation body of which CCCS is a member. Not a direct competitor (it is CCCS's industry body) but the most thematically connected entity: NFCC provides the brand, network, and standards that enable CCCS's services and gives the comparison a structural anchor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Consumer Credit Counseling Services