Financial Education and Counseling

© 2013 BALANCE / REV1013

About BALANCE

A free service for account holders and employees

Certified counselors provide financial counseling and education by phone

Money management Credit reports Housing Savings plans Debt management and bankruptcy prevention Identity theft

BALANCE Services

InfoLine

Credit report review

Money management counseling

Debt management

Housing education

Bankruptcy prevention

Nationwide non-profit referral database

Educational resources

Account Holder Benefits

Confidential, comprehensive counseling

Services for account holders of all financial situations

Provides an alternative to bankruptcy

Helps account holders improve their credit-ability Avoid alternative financial services Reduce debt Rebuild credit Build assets

Account holders pay no fees for financialcounseling

Benefits for You

Supports mission of education

Prepares account holders for financial services

Provides a resource for struggling account holders

Offers an alternative to bankruptcy

Assists staff in helping account holders reach their financial goals

InfoLine 888-456-2227

Immediate access to financial counselors by phone (day, evening and weekend phone hours)

Callers get answers to a wide variety of money management and credit questions

Multilingual staff

Phone access provides convenience and privacy

Phone Hours

Eastern

Time Zone

Central

Time Zone

Mountain

Time Zone

Pacific

Time Zone

Monday thru Thursday

8 a.m. – 11 p.m. 7 a.m. – 10 p.m. 6 a.m. – 9 p.m. 5 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Friday 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. 6 a.m. – 6 p.m. 5 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Saturday 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

                   

  

Credit Report Review

A review of the account holder’s credit report Those declined for loans Those preparing to apply for a loan Those with inaccurate information Those struggling with fraud and identity theft

Counselors will review reports from most sources Free reports from bureaus with adverse action Free reports from Annual Credit Report Request Service Fee-based reports from bureaus Fee-based reports through BALANCE

Comprehensive educational materials and action plans are provided with credit report review

Counseling

Some calls will result in setting a counseling appointment for more detailed discussions.

Money management Credit Spending and savings plans Goal setting Housing Debt repayment

Counseling appointments are offered weekdays, evenings and weekends.

Debt Repayment Options

Counselors explore multiple options for debt repayment

The account holder and counselor weigh pros and cons of each option

Account holder may be referred to financial institution for a loan if appropriate

A Debt Management Plan may be appropriate

Debt Management Plans

A debt repayment plan in which payments are consolidated and made through BALANCE

Creditors may establish new payment terms including lower interest rates and payments

DMPs generally last 3 to 5 years

Housing Counseling

First time homebuyer education Money management Credit report review

Early delinquency intervention counseling Avoid foreclosure Determine options and consequences for

handling mortgage delinquency

Reverse mortgage counseling

Bankruptcy Prevention

Help account holders explore alternative options

Ensure account holders understand consequences

Determine possibility of loan extensions and hardship programs

Get Familiar with BALANCE

Review the materials on our website Visit www.balancepro.net

Test drive BALANCE Call 888-456-2227 and ask a money

management question, check your credit report or update your household budget

Services are confidential and convenient