NEWS RELEASE
November 30, 2005

For more information, contact:
David Hill, Credit Counseling Coordinator
(800) 615-3022
www.chestnut.org/credit

CHESTNUT HEALTH SYSTEMS’ CREDIT COUNSELING PROGRAM APPROVED CREDIT COUNSELING AGENCY TO SERVE INDIVIDUALS FILING BANKRUPTCY

Bloomington, IL. Chestnut Health Systems’ Credit Counseling Program, with main office located at 1003 Martin Luther King Drive in Bloomington, IL, has been identified by the United States Trustee’s office as an approved credit counseling agency.

Now that the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 is effective, all debtors filing for bankruptcy under either Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 must complete credit counseling with an agency approved by the United States Trustee's office.

Chestnut Credit Counseling Services is the only agency to receive this approval for both the Central Illinois and Northern Illinois Judicial Districts. “This counseling will allow debtors to explore other options besides bankruptcy and will provide them with budgeting skills and knowledge that will help them with future finances,” according to Chestnut’s Credit Counseling Coordinator, David Hill.

Chestnut Credit Counseling is accredited by the Council of Accreditation (COA) and is a member of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC). Its mission is to provide services to consumers to help them achieve financial wellness through financial management counseling, financial education and, when appropriate, debt reduction services through debt management plans. All Chestnut’s credit counselors are certified by the NFCC and are certified consumer interviewers through the Fair Credit Reporting Act. In addition to the Bloomington location, Chestnut Credit Counseling also has offices in: Granite City, Joliet, Chicago, Oak Lawn, Des Plaines, Wheaton, Decatur, Peoria, Morris, Crete, Frankfort, and Kankakee, Illinois. For more information, visit Chestnut’s website at www.chestnut.org/credit or call us at 1-800-615-3022.

To find all approved agencies, go to the Trustee's website, www.usdoj.gov/ust, and click "Credit Counseling and Debtor Education."