2011 marks the 60th anniversary of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC), the largest and longest-serving network of nonprofit, community-based credit counseling agencies in the nation. The NFCC is comprised of close to 100 Member Agencies representing more than 800 locations from coast-to-coast and Puerto Rico, with more than 3,000 certified credit counselors, and in excess of 2,000 certified housing counselors. Through one-on-one counseling sessions, the NFCC Member Agencies assist approximately four million consumers annually with their financial concerns around debt, housing, and bankruptcy.
“Even though some form of credit has existed for centuries, most experts agree that it wasn’t until the late 1940s that the concept of credit as we know it today was born,” said Susan C. Keating, president and CEO of the NFCC. “It is not surprising that only a few years later, community leaders realized that consumers needed financial education to accompany their newfound access to credit, and the NFCC was created.”
Money Management International (MMI), founded in 1958, is one nation’s oldest nonprofit credit counseling organizations. You can read all about MMI’s rich history by visiting the Culture section of our website.
Today, MMI is an industry leader in financial education, counseling, technology, industry association, growth, creditor relations, and program development. The MMI team has nearly 1,500 full-time employees throughout the United States. MMI is headquartered in Houston and has major contact centers in Houston, Ft. Worth, Denver, Phoenix, Baton Rouge, LA, and Warwick, RI. In addition to providing services nationwide by phone and Internet, MMI currently provides counseling and financial education to clients from 119 branch offices throughout the country. Following is a condenced timeline of some of MMI’s milestones.
1958- Oldest merger partner was founded in Phoenix under the name Family Debt Counselors.
1997- Money Management by Mail was founded by six credit counseling agencies.
1997- Gained accreditation by the independent Council on Accreditation.
1998- Became a member of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling.
2000- Merged with CCCS of the Gulf Coast Area.
2001- Adopted a volunteer program, Certified Money Management Volunteers that recruits and trains volunteers from local businesses and community service organizations to teach the importance of financial responsibility.
2001- Became a member of the Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies.
2001- Merged with CCCS Southwest and CCCS of Chicago.
2001- Established the MMI Financial Education Foundation. Unique among credit counseling agencies, the Foundation is a related but separate nonprofit tax-exempt entity that exists to educate the general public on building sound personal financial skills by supporting innovative programs that teach those skills and principles.
2002- Merged with CCCS of SW Virginia, CCCS of Lehigh Valley, and CCCS of Baton Rouge.
2003- Name was changed to Money Management International.
2003- Merged with CCCS of Denver, CCCS San Diego, CCCS of Maine, and CCCS of Central New Jersey.
2004- Merged with CCCS of South Jersey and CCCS of Mid-Oregon.
2004- Approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to deliver housing counseling services nationwide, including foreclosure prevention counseling and homebuyer education.
2005 – Approved by HUD to provide nationwide counseling required by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) for consumers completing a reverse mortgage application.
2005- Approved by the Executive Office for United States Trustees to provide pre-filing bankruptcy counseling and pre-discharge education in compliance with the Bankruptcy Code.
2005- Acquired CCCS of Southern New England. Merged with CCCS of Fort Worth, CCCS of Washington, DC, and CCCS of Spokane.
2007- Received approval from the bankruptcy court to assume control and servicing of approximately 40,000 Debt Management Plans previously managed by AmeriDebt.
2007- Selected by the Homeownership Preservation Foundation (HPF), the national organization that operates the Homeowner’s HOPE™ Hotline, to provide foreclosure prevention and loss mitigation counseling services.
2008- Merged withed CCCS of Racine, WI and Linn-Benton, OR.
2009- Reaccredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA).
2009- Introduced its four guiding principles: (1) Customers will know we care (2) We will inspire and respect each other (3) We will act with integrity (4) We will be financially responsible.
2009- Merged with CCCS of New Orleans and acquired CCCS of Madison, WI.
2009- Reached the milestone of receiving more than one million inquiries in the year 2009 from consumers requesting information, asking financial questions, or seeking assistance with handling their debt.
2010- The organization, long known as both MMI and CCCS in many markets, transitioned to one brand name: Money Management International.