1st Choice Credit Counseling aka DBSM, Inc is different from other similar agencies in that it is a federally recognized 501 c 3 non profit education- focused charitable organization with no ties to the credit community. We do not pay or receive fees or other consideration for the referral of clients.  Our only mission is to help you by providing you with objective information which will give you the tools you need to make decisions about what is best for you. We realize that you are in a difficult situation and believe that objective unbiased assistance is crucial if you are to make good decisions.

It is important for you to know that counselors are not attorneys and cannot give legal advice. If you want legal or tax advice, especially regarding a bankruptcy and its potential effects on your financial life, you need to seek that appropriate assistance from other sources.
Upon completion of the course, we will provide a certificate of course completion to the client. The completion of a credit counseling or debtor education course does not negatively affect your credit report or score.Information about how filing bankruptcy may affect your credit report or score should be obtained from an attorney or other source.
All supervising counselors have received college degrees and have completed a minimum 100 hours of training and over 100 one-on-one sessions in credit counseling, financial education matters and bankruptcy counseling. All counselors have received instruction in these same matters and have comparable certification.

Our clients privacy is very important to us. All counseling services are confidential and protected.Only authorized agencies with legitimate authority to monitor our practices may review your file. Our privacy policy can be viewed on our website.

When requesting and registering for a pre filing counseling session or course, there will be a charge (your session may be prepaid through your attorney's office) for the service and resulting certificate.  However, inability to pay shall not be a reason to deny the session, course or certificate. Inability to pay must be assessed based on your state's regulations AND on your annual gross income as it relates to the Federal Poverty Level Guidelines. If you believe you qualify for a fee waiver, you must contact DBSM, Inc at 1-877-692-5669 or print and complete this form.

Nothing herein shall apply to actions or claims under the provisions of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, 11 U.S.C. Sec 101 et.Seq.