In most cases your username is your email address. If after entering your email address, you are still unable to log in, please call Customer Service.

To reset your password click on the Forgot Password link on the login page and enter your username. You will receive an email or text with instructions to reset your password. If you are having trouble resetting your password, please call Customer Service.

When selecting a password, you should pick something you can remember. The password needs to be at least seven characters and contain at least one letter & one number.

After you have logged in, click “my account” to change your log in information under Account Settings. In Account Settings, you can also change your contact information and your password recovery method.

In 2005 Congress passed the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act. Section 109(h) provides that a debtor will not be eligible to file under either chapter 7 or chapter 13 unless they have completed a credit counseling course within 180 days prior to filing.

The new legislation also requires that all individual debtors (both in chapter 7 or chapter 13) complete a debtor education course after the case is filed. If a debtor does not complete the course, it constitutes grounds for denial of discharge.

As a representative of the court your attorney must ensure that you complete each course and submit your certificates of completion in your jurisdiction.

You will need to log into myHorizon to access the course. Once you begin your Credit Counseling course, you will be required to enter information on your income, monthly expenses, and debts. This information does not have to be exact and can be estimated.

You will need:

  1. Your case number
  2. The jurisdiction your case is filed in

Important: If you do not have this information, you will need to contact your attorney to obtain it.

Yes. Your attorney will be emailed a certificate of completion once the course has been completed in its entirety (including any provider specific requirements such as: follow up call, quiz completion, post verification, etc.).

You will receive your certificate of completion immediately after you have completed the course in its entirety (including any provider specific requirements such as: follow up call, quiz completion, post verification, etc.).

The certificate will be sent to the email address listed in your account and a copy will also be available by logging into your myHorizon account.

The pre-filing Credit Counseling certificate is valid for 180 days from the date of completion. The post-filing Debtor Education certificate does not have an expiration date, however in most cases the certificate must be provided to the courts within a certain time from your filing date. Please contact your attorney for your specific requirement.

The Credit Counseling Course takes approximately 90 minutes. The Debtor Education Course takes 120 minutes.

Yes, you can take the course together. Based on your course provider, you may have one shared login or two separate logins. See the specific course instructions.

No, however please make sure to save, submit your responses, and properly “log out” of courses rather than just simply closing windows or hanging up, to ensure that your information is saved. Some providers save all progress; some only save per section completion.

When taking the course by phone you will go through each section of the course. At the end of each section you will be asked to save that section. If you hang-up in the middle of a section you will be brought back to the beginning of that section the next time you call.

A Credit Bureau is a company that collects information about consumers’ credit. When you apply for credit they provide information to the creditor. There are three main credit bureaus; Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.

No. Creditors (including any financial institutions, stores, loan offices, collection agencies etc.) may not send information to all bureaus. The bureaus do not share information among themselves. So the information on each bureaus credit report may be different. For this reason, it is important to have a complete awareness of what all three bureaus are reporting about you.

Knowing what is in your credit report gives you the information you need when trying to secure favorable rates for a mortgage, credit card or other loan. Lenders look at your credit history and your credit score to determine whether or not to give you a loan and at what interest rate. It is important to know what is in your credit report before you apply for credit so you can correct any inaccurate data.

Also it’s wise to check your credit report frequently for signs of fraud. If someone obtains your social security number, only a few additional pieces of information are necessary to perpetrate fraud in your name. Common types of identity theft include fraudulent bank accounts, credit cards, utilities, and loans.

Due to the rise of identity theft it is recommended to check your credit report frequently so you can stop any potential illegal activity. Using a credit monitoring service is a good way to make sure you are staying aware of changes that happen to your credit report.

Ordering your own credit report is considered a “soft inquiry” and does not affect your credit score. Soft inquiries are not visible to creditors who may view your credit report, but will show on a credit report you request.

A credit report contains four categories; Personal Information, Accounts, Inquiries, and Public Records. Many credit reports will also include your reported addresses and employment history.

The “Personal Information” section includes identifications such as name, address, social security number and birthdate.

In the “Accounts” section, you will be given details on all your open and closed accounts:

  • Date Account Opened
  • Type of Credit Owner of the Credit
  • Total amount of the loan, credit limit, highest balance
  • How Much is Still Owed
  • Fixed or Minimum Payment
  • Status
  • Latest activity

The “Inquiries” section, gives you a list of everyone who asked to see your credit report. Any time you or anyone else receives a copy of your credit report it will be listed. Inquiries are divided into two sections. “Hard” inquiries are ones you initiate by filling out a credit application. “Soft” inquiries are from companies that want to send out promotional information to a pre-qualified group or current creditors who are monitoring your account.

In the “Public Records” section will be listed any financial issues such as bankruptcies, judgments and tax liens.

For assistance with understanding your CIN credit report, please call Customer Service.

While viewing your credit report click the Print option at the top of the report, then use your browser’s print option or Access the PDF Version from the documents list.

A credit score can range from 300 – 850. You credit score can vary bureau to bureau due to differences in the credit report data reported and depends on the scoring model used. Some lenders use custom scoring models. For example when you apply for a credit card, the lender may request a bank card industry option score which takes the basic formula and adjusts certain information that may do a better job of predicting if a consumer will pay back that specific type of debt. But these scores tend to be similar to the broad-based score just with slight differences.

Your credit score affects whether you get credit or not, and how high the interest rate will be. Having a low score may mean you will be denied credit or that you may have to pay more for it.

Remember a credit score is just a snapshot in time. The credit score you have today will be different than the credit score you will have in a month and in a year. Building good credit takes time.

The general scoring categories below will give you a better understanding of what a score can mean for you.

A score above 760 is considered excellent credit. With this score you are considered an excellent credit risk and are qualified you for the best deals. Contributing to this score may be a long credit history, multiple established credit and loan accounts, payment of bills on time, and no negative public records.

A score of 725-759 is considered very good credit. With this score you are considered a very low credit risk and qualified for some of the lowest rates. Contributing to this score is a long history of bills paid on time.

A score of 660 – 724 is considered good credit. With this score you are considered a low credit risk and qualified for competitive interest rates and terms. Contributing to this score may be a late payment in the past, all accounts are currently paid on time, and having a standard amount of credit card debt.

A score of 560 – 669 is considered a fair credit. With this score you are considered a moderate credit risk and qualified for decent rates but not the best available. Contributing to this score may be older negative public records, higher credit card balances, and too many new applications for credit.

A score of 280 – 559 is considered a poor credit. With this score you are considered a high credit risk and it may be difficult to be approved for standard credit products. Contributing to this score may be high amounts of credit card debt, late payments, and collections. Also this score may be due to not using credit cards and loans regularly.

Credit scores are based on your personal credit history recorded by the bureaus. According to the Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO) here is the breakdown:

35% of your score is determined by your payment history. Do you pay your bills on time?

30% of your score is determined by the ratio of available credit and amount owed. So if you have $10,000 in available credit with $1000 owed your ratio is 10:1; that is good. If you have $10000 available credit and owe 9,000, the ratio is 10:9 which means you are over extended.

15% of your score is determined by the length of your credit history. How long have your accounts been open and active?

10% is the variety of types of credit. For example credit cards, installment loans and mortgage loans are all different types of credit.

10% is new credit. If you have opened a bunch of new credit lines your score may drop. Lenders worry that you may be overextending yourself.

For more information on how your score is determined visit: www.myfico.com/crediteducation/whatsinyourscore.aspx

Your score considers both positive and negative information in your credit report. Good credit habits like always paying bills on time, managing your credit by keeping balances low, and only opening new credit cards when you need them can all have a positive effect on your financial health and your score.

Additionally, you can take steps to improve your score after filing for bankruptcy with these suggestions:

  1. Clear your credit report of errors. Be sure that all pre-bankruptcy filing debt on your credit report is recorded as “Included in Bankruptcy”.
  2. Be mindful of your finances. Keep an eye on your spending, be conservative with credit, and most of importantly pay all of your bills on time.
  3. Apply for a secured credit card. A secured credit card requires you to put down a security deposit. Secure credit cards can be paid off in full every month. Applying for a secure credit card that reports back to the bureaus your good payment behavior may help you re-establish your credit.

For more information on how to improve your credit score with each bureau visit: