Massachusetts Services
Consumer Assistance Council of Cape Cod http://www.consumercouncil.com/ - I have volunteered my time here, and personally recommend this service for residents of Cape Cod and the Islands, MA. (Ask Jack About Debt is independently owned and operated), For a list of services in other parts of Massachusetts, check at the website of the Attorney General's Office.
Homeowner Options for Mass Elders (H.O.M.E.) http://www.home-ma.org/ a non-profit with the mission "To conserve and protect the equity of low/mod-income elder homeowners so they can 'age in place'" You can reach them at 978-970-0012.
National Services
DebtAdvice.org http://www.debtadvice.org/ - DebtAdvice.org is a website by the members of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, (NFCC), most of them known as Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS). (What they will do for you is described on AskJack under Credit Counseling.) To go directly to their member locator service http://www.debtadvice.org/takethefirststep/locator.cfm to find CCCS near you.
Economic Resources for K-12 Teachers http://www.purechecks.com/economic-resources-for-k-12-teachers.html Links to comprehensive information on many aspects of economics are available from this site which was set up to aid K-12 teachers of economics, but is very useful for anyone interested in understanding basic economics.
FHA - Fair Housing Administration http://portal.hud.gov/portal/page?_pageid=73,1&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development insures mortgages and runs the HOPE for Homeowners program. Turn here to get help if you are having trouble paying your mortgage. (Note the URL listed here- there is another site FHA.com which is a private, not government, site. Government sites end in .gov).
FTC - Federal Trade Commission http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/sitemap.htm The FTC is a federally run agency to protect consumer's rights. Your tax dollars at work. This link will take you to a site map, where you will see listed all the information and services that they offer. This site is referenced frequently on Ask JackAboutDebt, as they address specifically consumer credit, identity theft, and abusive lending.
FDCPA - Fair Debt Collection Practices Act: http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/fdcpajump.htm - a site by the FTC about the FDCPA. This link has a PDF of the whole FDCPA (mentioned several times throughout Ask Jack About Debt.), read it for yourself.
FCRA - Fair Credit Reporting Act: http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/fcrajump.shtm Another one from the FTC - read the FCRA (mentioned frequently on this site) for yourself - direct link to PDF: http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/fcradoc.pdf
FICO - a division of FairIssac: http://www.myfico.com/ - there are lots of tools on this consumer friendly site, credit calculators, charts on how your credit score affects your APR, and much more.
OCC -Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Administrator of National Banks http://www.occ.treas.gov/customer.htm - Having a problem with a National Bank? Go to the OCC main site, or to their consumer friendly site http://www.helpwithmybank.gov/
HUD - Housing and Urban Development. http://www.hud.gov/localoffices.cfm -go to this link to find a HUD office near you. HUD can help you with housing and mortgage problems such as predatory lending, reverse mortgage for seniors, and dealing with foreclosure.
Consumer Protection at USA.gov: http://www.usa.gov/topics/consumer.shtml - More consumer information from the Federal Government, from buying a car to identity theft. Download a free 2007 Consumer Handbook, or read it online. It includes a.pdf Consumer Assistance Directory for state by state contact info including state offices, federal agencies, better business bureaus, national consumer organizations, etc..
More....Other Sites and Links