“Hot Topics” for Credit Counseling Agencies: A Legal and Regulatory Update

Jeff Tenenbaum and Jonathan L. Pompan presented on “hot topics” in the existing and new laws and regulations that set content requirements, charges and fees for, and impose other restrictions on, debt, housing and related services provided by credit counseling agencies (“CCAs”) at the 16th Annual Conference of the Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies (AICCCA). For CCAs the IRS’ compliance project is, for many, fading into the background, and their budget and debt, bankruptcy, housing and other counseling services are needed now more than ever by consumers and are recognized as necessary by the government and creditors. This lively session covered such issues as federal and state regulation of CCAs (including the latest federal and state developments), less-than-full balance debt relief alternatives, tips on how to avoid class action lawsuits, and strategies for how CCAs can maintain their tax-exempt status after surviving an IRS audit.