Resources
Compliance references and practical guides from the Credit Consultants Association. Material for credit professionals sits alongside plain-language explainers for consumers — everything here is maintained and dated, so you can see when it was last checked.
For Everyone
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The 7-Year Rule vs. the Statute of Limitations: Two Clocks, Not One
Credit reporting periods and statutes of limitations are separate clocks under different laws. What starts each one, what can and cannot restart them, and how debts get illegally re-aged.
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Metro 2 Reporting: A Field Guide
What the underlying credit reporting fields mean, why the date of first delinquency governs everything, and how re-aging happens when a debt changes hands.
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The eight professional standards CCA holds credential holders to, the federal laws behind each one, and what the association can and cannot do when a standard is breached.
For Credit Professionals
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How to Start a Credit Repair Business
What the work actually involves, what the law requires before you take a client, and how to choose training without overpaying for software you do not need yet.
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FDCPA Debt Validation: What Credit Consultants Get Wrong
How the FDCPA validation right actually works — the 30-day window, what a collector must produce, what courts mean by 'verification,' and the five ways consultants misuse it.
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CROA Compliance Basics: Contracts, Disclosures, and Fees
What the Credit Repair Organizations Act requires in a client agreement, which disclosures must be given, and when a fee may lawfully be collected.
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The Telemarketing Sales Rule and Credit Repair
When a phone-based sale brings your business under the TSR, and why its advance-fee restriction is far stricter than CROA's.
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Do You Need a License to Do Credit Repair?
The difference between a state license, a state registration, a surety bond, and a professional certification — and which of them you actually need.
For Consumers
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How to Read Your Credit Report, Line by Line
A plain-language walkthrough of every section of a credit report — what each field in an account means, how to read the payment grid, which dates matter, and where errors usually hide.
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Your FCRA Dispute Rights, in Plain Language
What the Fair Credit Reporting Act entitles you to when something on your credit report is wrong, what the bureaus must do, and how long they have to do it.
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How to Spot a Credit Repair Scam
Eight warning signs that a credit repair company is operating unlawfully, what a lawful engagement looks like, and how to verify a consultant before you pay.
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What to Do When a Bureau Will Not Fix an Error
Your options after a dispute is rejected, including reinvestigation, adding a statement of dispute, and where to escalate.
2 more resources are in progress. New guides are added as they are written and verified. If there is something you need that is not here yet, tell us and we will prioritize it.