Trinity Debt Consolidation Review for 2023
The Trinity debt management program (DMP) (i.e., a consumer credit counseling program) takes an entirely different approach than what debt settlement companies use. Rather than waiting for accounts to fall behind and get sold to third-party collection agencies before negotiating the balance on the debt, Trinity negotiates directly with original creditors to reduce interest rates.
Clients get a single consolidated monthly payment lower than the total amount they currently pay to creditors due to the reduced interest rates. Consequently, clients get out of debt faster than if they were to continue paying the minimum required monthly payments on their own. In addition, Trinity Debt Management already has agreements with creditors to reduce clients’ interest rates, so they can give you a free quote on your consolidated monthly payment before you sign up.
Trinity debt consolidation services can affect your credit but less than debt settlement services because creditors get paid every month on time. To what extent, though, do they live up to their claims? This review contains all the information you need to know about Trinity Debt Management and Debt Relief Services. And don’t stop here; after reading the Trinity debt management review – check out other top-rated companies, including Accredited Debt Relief and CreditAssociates.
The following Trinity Debt Management review explains how their services can affect a person’s credit, the program’s cost, and what Trinity debt management customers say about the services they receive.
NoMoreCreditCards.com researchers have spent years examining the debt relief, settlement, and consolidation industry to develop the most accurate, unbiased company reviews. We aim to ensure you choose the right services to help you get out of debt.
Trinity Debt Management Debt Relief Program Pros
- Free consultation.
- Free Financial Education: Offers free financial education online, Ebooks, debt calculators, and much more
- Lower interest rates and payments: Negotiates lower interest rates and fees with creditors
- One monthly payment: All debts get simplified into one consolidated monthly plan.
- Less negative impact on credit: Participating in a debt management plan won’t affect a person’s credit score as much as debt settlement.
- Legal protection not needed: Since creditors get paid every month, there is no need for legal protection or attorney representation.
Trinity Debt Management Debt Relief Program Cons
- Not all states qualify: Not available in Kansas, Nevada, Montana, Rhode Island, or New York.
- Less flexibility in monthly payments: Consumer credit counseling programs offer less flexibility in the monthly payment and term, as a debt settlement service does.
- Higher cost: It will cost more to get out of debt than with a settlement plan, including the fees and what creditors get paid.
- Needs more transparency: Their website needs to be more transparent about the program, fees charged, and other details.
- Lack of accreditations: Fewer accreditations than other companies.
About Trinity Debt Management
Legal Name: Trinity Credit Counseling, Inc.
Industry: Nonprofit credit counseling agency
Address: 11229 Reading Road, Cincinnati, OH 45241
Website: www.trinitycredit.org
Phone: (800) 793-9049
Licensed? Yes, for consumer credit counseling.
Where is Trinity Debt Management Available? Cincinnati and Ohio. Trinity is not licensed to offer the DMP in the states of KS, MT, NV, NY, or RI
Certifications and Accreditations: Association of Credit Counseling Professionals (ACCP), International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and Financial Counseling Association of America (FCAA).
Trinity Debt Management Customer Login: Trinity’s credit counseling program offers clients 24/7 access to their accounts online at www.secure.trinitycredit.org/ClientDefault.aspx. Here is where clients can view monthly payments and progress, add or delete creditors from their program and access all of the details relevant to their program.
What is Trinity Debt Management?
Trinity Debt Management is a nonprofit Christian debt management organization. They offer a consumer credit counseling program to help people pay off credit card debt faster and save money.
Trinity Debt Management offers free financial education, student loan relief services, and housing counseling on its website.
However, their financial service focuses mainly on credit counseling rather than debt resolution and credit consolidation lending options.
For other debt resolution programs, visit the top 20 Best Debt Relief Companies page next. For top debt settlement companies, read the Accredited Debt Relief reviews.
How Does Trinity Debt Management Work?
Trinity outlines three simple stages for their debt management programs (DMPs).
Consultation: Consumers can call for a free consultation and explore the options provided.
Negotiation: Trinity will negotiate with creditors to reduce fees incurred and lower interest rates.
Monthly payment: Trinity offers customers a program consisting of one monthly payment for three or five years, which goes toward the debt in your DMP.
What Type of Accounts Qualify for Trinity Debt Management Program?
Trinity Debt Management works with unsecured debt to set up a single regular monthly payment to pay down balances. You may only apply for Trinity debt consolidation if the debt has no collateral promised to the creditor.
Examples of unsecured debt include credit cards, medical bills, utility bills, and other instances in which credit was given without any collateral requirement.
Only after an approved credit counselor has analyzed the customer’s circumstances and given tailored advice can they be enrolled in a DMP, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). And approved means “a licensed credit counselor.”
You can check if a company is an approved credit counseling agency on the Department of Justice’s website at: https://www.justice.gov/ust/list-credit-counseling-agencies-approved-pursuant-11-usc-111.
Is Trinity Debt Management Legitimate?
Trinity Debt Management is a licensed and nonprofit credit counseling agency that is strictly regulated.
If you contact Trinity Debt Management, they will work with you one-on-one to figure out an affordable plan. And after you get approved for the program, they work to reduce fees and interest rates owed to your creditors. They do these initial negotiations with creditors right at the beginning of the program, so you’ll quickly be able to see if things are legitimate. Verify things are getting done each step of the way if you have a concern by viewing documentation closely.
Trinity Debt Management has been operating since 1994. But unfortunately, it isn’t accredited by any organizations with which other top-rated debt relief companies have accreditations. For example, they are not certified or accredited by the American Fair Credit Council, the Better Business Bureau, or the International Association of Professional Debt Arbitrators.
Is Trinity Debt Management Licensed?
Trinity Debt Management is licensed in most states to provide credit counseling and debt management services. In addition, the Virginia State Corporation Commission and the state of Michigan have granted Trinity a nonprofit organization license.
However, Trinity is not licensed to offer debt management programs in Kansas, Nevada, New York, Montana, or Rhode Island.
Registration and Licensing details for Trinity Credit Counseling
- Trinity Credit Counseling, Inc. License #14-33
- Registered with the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, Registration #DM-80068.
- Trinity is licensed by the Virginia State Corporation Commission: #DC-56
- Trinity Credit Counseling is licensed in Michigan, License # DM-0019822
Is Trinity Debt Management Accredited?
The positive:
Christian debt management agency is accredited with the FCAA.
The negatives:
Trinity is not accredited with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) or the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC).
Warning:
The NFCC regulates the nonprofit credit counseling industry and regularly audits its members to ensure they follow industry best practices. Other businesses in the debt management industry of this size and with this much experience typically have at least one, if not both, of these accreditations (NFCC and FCCA).
Does Trinity Debt Management Hurt Your Credit?
Trinity debt management program positive effect on credit scores:
For consumers that are behind on monthly payments by a month or two:
Enrollment in the Trinity debt management program will, in most cases, improve your credit rating and credit score. The debt management program will help bring your accounts to “current” status and improve your credit rating within three to four months of consistent payments to Trinity.
However, you may notice a drop in your credit scores at first, which should change if you make your payments on time and don’t incur any new debt.
Trinity debt management program negative effect on credit scores:
- Third-party notation reported on credit reports: Consumer credit counseling programs get reported to credit reporting agencies. So, future creditors will see that a credit counseling program manages your accounts. This can be a sign to creditors that you couldn’t responsibly manage your payments on your own, but it’s a better sign than seeing you not be able to pay your debts.
- Credit cards get closed: Another downside of how Trinity Credit Counseling affects a person’s credit score is that credit cards get closed out. Closing out credit cards can lower a person’s credit score because it negatively affects their credit utilization ratio. Check out this blog post on how to build good credit to learn more about credit best practices.
Does the Trinity Debt Consolidation Program Work?
The Trinity debt management program does work. However, not all creditors agree to it. And as of 2023 and beyond, many creditors won’t participate in a DMP.
Warning:
Some credit counseling companies will provide you with a single payment, and they will pay all your creditors. But here’s the catch, some of those creditors may not have agreed to reduce the interest rate and work with the credit counseling company, but you think all creditors are participating in the plan.
So get verification of creditors agreeing to reduce the interest rate and work with Trinity.
How Much Does Trinity Debt Management Cost?
While the website needs to be more transparent, Trinity’s monthly debt management services fees can range from $8 to $50. The maximum monthly fee allowed to be charged by nonprofit credit counseling companies is $50 per month.
After five years, this can add up to a high amount. Additionally, the creditors pay Trinity Credit Counseling a fair share fee. So they are making money on both sides of the equation. And there are more fees; the Trinity debt management fee to enroll in the service can be as high as $75, which is the legal limit for this enrollment fee.
What Does Trinity Debt Management Charge For Debt Consolidation?
Trinity does not charge any upfront fee, and consultations are free.
Trinity Debt Management Complaints at BBB
Trinity Debt Management has received one complaint in the last three years through BBB. While the company did respond, the complaint still needs to be resolved.
The nature of this complaint could have resulted in the company getting a downgrade in its BBB rating from an A to a C.
Here’s why; the company responded to the complaint by acknowledging that they offer debt validation, debt dispute, and credit repair services to remove erroneous account items from credit reports. Still, they don’t guarantee to remove any items from a person’s credit report.
The problem is that if they are a nonprofit consumer credit counseling company, they could violate rules and regulations by offering these credit repair-type services. And BBB is most likely aware of this point. For more information about this Trinity Debt Management complaint, visit the BBB.
Interested customers should analyze the agency’s complaint data with the company’s size and transaction volume in mind. Remember that the quality of complaints and the firm’s replies are often more telling than the total number of complaints.
Is Trinity Debt Management BBB Accredited?
While Trinity Debt Management has been in business for 26 years, it is not BBB accredited. It does not have a BBB business profile, accreditation, or rating. Sometimes companies won’t become BBB accredited because they want to keep all of their proprietary business documents private from BBB, which BBB may require as part of their initial background and due diligence check protocols.
Trinity Debt Management Customer Reviews
Trinity Debt Management received a “good” rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot, with 180 reviews.
On Yelp, their customer satisfaction rates are high. For example, Trinity’s Yelp rating is 4.5 out of 5 stars from 13 reviews.
Twelve Trinity Credit Services customers provided 5-star ratings. In addition, some customers expressed how the company had greatly improved their credit scores, and their interest rates were reasonably low.
In addition, some customers mentioned that the debt management process only took 3 to 6 months, which doesn’t make sense as consumer credit counseling programs last for nearly five years. So they may be offering more than consumer credit counseling.
Others added that the process was efficient and well-organized and that they received excellent customer service from the Christian debt management agency.
How to Cancel Trinity Debt Management
Because a debt management plan (DMP) is not legally binding, you can cancel it anytime. However, you may not receive a refund of your fees, and you must ensure that you have another method of dealing with your debts.
Conclusion
Trinity Debt Management has been in business for a long time. It has many attractive features, such as lower interest rates, nonprofit status, credit counseling services, free consultation with a certified credit counselor, and accreditation with the FCAA.
However, many questions about the company’s offerings still need to be answered. For example, Trinity offers little information about the interest rates it can obtain and is not NFCC accredited. Furthermore, the company’s exact monthly fees do not get disclosed.
There are also very few Trinity debt consolidation reviews on the company’s social media pages or website. As a result, customers may have difficulty determining customer satisfaction levels. In addition, the company does not actively encourage such feedback.
Trinity Debt Management may be an excellent debt relief company. Still, when these negative factors are considered, they fall short on many qualifications. This is particularly true for customers looking to consolidate or settle their debts.
As a result, we cannot recommend Trinity Credit Services for debt consolidation at this time but recommend researching the Top 20 Best Debt Relief Companies List for 2023.
Disclosure:
NoMoreCreditCards.com does its best to provide factual and truthful information aimed at helping the public by giving honest debt relief, settlement, and consolidation reviews. However, please email us at Info@NoMoreCreditCards.com if you believe any of the information on this page needs to be revised, and we will make appropriate edits. Always do your research, and do not rely solely on the information provided in this review. We are not responsible for the results of any program you choose to join. Always check multiple sources when researching a company, including Trinity Debt Management reviews, Reddit, BBB, TrustedCompanyReviews.com, FTC, and your state’s Attorney General office.
