Released on = December 10, 2005, 9:06 pm

Press Release Author = David M. Siegel & Associates

Industry = Internet & Online

Press Release Summary = The Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention & Consumer Protection Act of
2005 (BAPCPA) requires individuals to undergo credit counseling prior to filing.
This may be the first time that the individual analized his budget. By itemizing
the monthly income and expenses, changes can be made to prevent a future bankruptcy
filing.

Press Release Body = FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
12/14/05

Credit Counseling May Prove Helpful To Consumers Who File Bankruptcy

The Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention & Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (BAPCPA) became
generally effective as to all bankruptcy cases filed on or after 10/17/05.

Under new Section 109(h), an individual can only be a debtor under (BAPCPA) if given
a credit counseling briefing within 180 days prior to filing. This briefing must be
provided by a non-profit budget and credit counseling agency approved by the United
States Trustee or bankruptcy administrator. One of the important aspects of this
briefing is that the individual will be performing a budget analysis. This may be
the first time that the individual actually took the time to itemize his income and
expense information. Most debtors who are filing for bankruptcy are spending in
excess of what they are earning per month. The budget analysis provides an
opportunity to easily determine where outflow is going and to make adjustments in
the future.

Originally thought to be a burden by bankruptcy professionals, credit counseling has
proven to be rather simple. An individual can receive the briefing on the telephone
or on the internet. David Siegel, Chicago bankruptcy attorney and American
Bankruptcy Institute member, has been recommending the services of Consumer credit
Counseling Service of Greater Atlanta, Inc. (CCCS) to his clients. Their internet
site at http://www.cccsinc.org is easy to navigate through and is always available
24/7.

Congress had hoped that by requiring credit counseling and debtor education to all
individual filers, the number of repeat filings would decrease. It will take years
to determine if that becomes the end result. In the meantime, the required
examination of one\'s income and expenses can be a fine start to gaining control of
one\'s finances. Additional bankruptcy information is available at
http://www.bankruptcylawyerschicago.com.

For additional contact information:
David Siegel
davidmsiegel@hotmail.com
http://www.bankruptcylawyerschicago.com


Web Site = http://www.bankruptcylawyerschicago.com

Contact Details = Mr. David Siegel