--- title: "Credit Counseling and Debt Help for Arkansas Residents" description: "Free credit counseling and debt management help for Arkansas residents from Cambridge Credit Counseling, a nonprofit agency." url: https://www.cambridge-credit.org/debt-help-in-arkansas publisher: "Cambridge Credit Counseling Corp" updated: 2026-09-29 --- # Credit Counseling and Debt Help for Arkansas Residents Cambridge Credit Counseling Corp, a nonprofit agency founded in 1996, offers free credit counseling, debt management plans, student loan counseling, housing counseling, reverse mortgage counseling, and bankruptcy counseling to residents of Arkansas. Counselors are certified and the agency is a member of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. Call 800-235-1407 to speak with a counselor about your options. ## Credit Counseling and Debt Management Plans in Arkansas Arkansas residents can receive a free credit counseling session from Cambridge Credit Counseling. A counselor can review your budget and explain whether a debt management plan makes sense for your situation. A debt management plan consolidates unsecured debts into one monthly payment handled by the counseling agency. It is not a loan and does not involve borrowing new money. Almost all concessions such as reduced interest rates or waived fees follow preset guidelines set by each creditor, not by Cambridge Credit Counseling. In some cases they can vary based on the level of hardship in the budget, and certain accounts may not be eligible for them. ## Housing Counseling for Arkansas Homeowners and Buyers Cambridge Credit Counseling is a HUD-approved housing counseling agency, and this service is available to Arkansas residents. It includes first-time homebuyer courses. A mortgage is a long-term secured loan where the home serves as collateral, and a monthly payment typically includes principal, interest, taxes, and insurance, known as PITI, along with private mortgage insurance in many cases. Buyers who put down less than 20 percent of the home price are usually required to carry private mortgage insurance, which can range from 0.15 percent to 2.5 percent of the loan amount and can often be dropped once the loan reaches an 80 percent loan-to-value ratio. Arkansas residents who cannot afford a full down payment can talk to a HUD-approved housing counselor about programs that may help. ## Student Loan and Reverse Mortgage Counseling in Arkansas Cambridge Credit Counseling also offers student loan counseling and reverse mortgage, or HECM, counseling to Arkansas residents. These sessions help residents understand their options before making decisions about repayment or a reverse mortgage. ## Bankruptcy Counseling and Debtor Education for Arkansas Residents Cambridge Credit Counseling is approved by the Department of Justice to provide pre-filing bankruptcy counseling and post-filing debtor education, and both are available to Arkansas residents. Bankruptcy counseling and debtor education each cost $50.00 per household per session and are available free or at a reduced rate based on ability to pay. The fee is per household, not per person, so a married couple filing together pays once. Households with income below 150 percent of the federal poverty guidelines for their household size are presumed eligible for a fee waiver. Households above that line may still qualify for a reduced fee if they can show a temporary financial hardship, such as a recent job loss or drop in income, unexpected medical costs, disability, separation or divorce, the death of a household wage earner, or another documented financial circumstance that significantly impacts the household's ability to pay. Waivers and reductions are assessed on the household's current income, expenses and overall financial condition, and Cambridge Credit Counseling will not refuse services to anyone due to inability to pay. Approval by the U.S. Department of Justice Executive Office of United States Trustees does not endorse or assure the quality of our services. ## What Cambridge Credit Counseling Does Not Offer in Arkansas Debt settlement is a different service from credit counseling. It involves negotiating to pay less than the full balance owed and is typically offered by for-profit companies. Cambridge Credit Counseling is a nonprofit credit counseling agency and does not provide debt settlement services to Arkansas residents. ## How to Get Started in Arkansas - Credit counseling sessions are free of charge. - Call 800-235-1407 to reach a counselor for new inquiries. - Counselors are certified, and the agency is ISO 9001 registered. ## Questions and answers ### Is credit counseling really free for Arkansas residents? Yes. Credit counseling sessions from Cambridge Credit Counseling are free of charge for consumers, including residents of Arkansas. ### What happens if I join a debt management plan in Arkansas? A debt management plan combines your unsecured debts into one monthly payment managed by the counseling agency. It is not a loan. Almost all concessions like lower interest rates follow preset guidelines set by each creditor, and certain accounts may not be eligible for them. ### Does Cambridge Credit Counseling offer debt settlement to Arkansas residents? No. Debt settlement means paying less than what is owed and is usually offered by for-profit companies. Cambridge Credit Counseling is a nonprofit agency that provides credit counseling and debt management plans instead. ### How much does the bankruptcy debtor education course cost for Arkansas residents? Bankruptcy counseling and debtor education each cost $50.00 per household per session and are available free or at a reduced rate based on ability to pay. The fee is per household, not per person, so a married couple filing together pays once. Households with income below 150 percent of the federal poverty guidelines for their household size are presumed eligible for a fee waiver. Households above that line may still qualify for a reduced fee if they can show a temporary financial hardship, such as a recent job loss or drop in income, unexpected medical costs, disability, separation or divorce, the death of a household wage earner, or another documented financial circumstance that significantly impacts the household's ability to pay. Waivers and reductions are assessed on the household's current income, expenses and overall financial condition, and Cambridge Credit Counseling will not refuse services to anyone due to inability to pay. ## Sources - John Henle, Cambridge Credit Counseling, email of 24 September 2026; 28 CFR 58.21(b)(1) and 58.34(b)(1) (checked 2026-09-24) - Mortgage Downpayments| Cambridge Credit: https://cambridge-credit.org/mortgage-down-payments.html (checked 2026-08-04) - cambridge-credit.org credit counseling page: https://cambridge-credit.org/credit-counseling.html (checked 2026-08-03) - Gary Washington, Director of Bankruptcy Counseling, Cambridge Credit Counseling, by email 2 September 2026. (checked 2026-09-02) - Cambridge Credit Counseling: https://cambridge-credit.org/index.html (checked 2026-08-04) - Mortgage Downpayments| Cambridge Credit: https://cambridge-credit.org/mortgage-down-payments.html (checked 2026-08-04) - cambridge-credit.org about page: https://cambridge-credit.org/about.html (checked 2026-08-03) - NFCC Member Agencies register: https://www.nfcc.org/nfcc-member-agencies/ (checked 2026-08-28) - cambridge-credit.org housing counseling page: https://cambridge-credit.org/housing-counseling.html (checked 2026-08-03) - cambridge-credit.org bankruptcy page: https://cambridge-credit.org/bankruptcy-counseling.html (checked 2026-08-03) - cambridge-credit.org about page: https://cambridge-credit.org/about.html (checked 2026-08-03) - cambridge-credit.org contact page: https://cambridge-credit.org/contact.html (checked 2026-08-03) - Cambridge Credit Counseling: https://cambridge-credit.org/index.html (checked 2026-08-04) - Mortgage Basics | Cambridge Credit: https://cambridge-credit.org/mortgage-basics.html (checked 2026-08-04) - Mortgage Downpayments| Cambridge Credit: https://cambridge-credit.org/mortgage-down-payments.html (checked 2026-08-04) - Mortgage Downpayments| Cambridge Credit: https://cambridge-credit.org/mortgage-down-payments.html (checked 2026-08-04) - industry definition, NFCC: https://www.nfcc.org/resources/debt-management-plans/ (checked 2026-08-28) - Mortgage Basics | Cambridge Credit: https://cambridge-credit.org/mortgage-basics.html (checked 2026-08-04) - Federal Trade Commission, How To Get Out of Debt: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-get-out-debt (checked 2026-09-18) - How To Get Out of Debt, Federal Trade Commission: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-get-out-debt (checked 2026-08-28) - CFPB consumer guidance: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-the-difference-between-credit-counseling-and-debt-settlement-debt-consolidation-or-credit-repair-en-1449/ (checked 2026-08-28) - Mortgage Basics | Cambridge Credit: https://cambridge-credit.org/mortgage-basics.html (checked 2026-08-04) --- Cambridge Credit Counseling Corp is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit credit counseling agency. Credit counseling is free. Talk to a counselor: 800-857-2808 | https://www.cambridge-credit.org/get-help Cambridge Credit Counseling Corp is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Required disclosures and state licenses, the privacy notice and the terms are linked in the footer of every page.