July 1, 2011

Dear Certificants and Agencies:

Thank you for your patience as the Center for Financial Certifications manages the transition to new policies and procedures in anticipation of the establishment of a new regulator, the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (“Bureau”).

It is widely expected that the Bureau will significantly increase scrutiny of both the debt relief services industry and certification providers. By implementing new policies and procedures, the Center is taking proactive steps to ensure your certifications continue to meet all regulatory requirements. We are also enacting changes that we believe will provide clear guidance.

In order to facilitate these changes, the Center is pleased to announce the following:

1. New Procedures - The Center has posted new CEU Procedures on its website at www.fincert.org/ceu_main.html. These procedures are effective immediately and can be downloaded in PDF format. Please be sure to review these procedures carefully, as they contain many detailed changes.
   
   
2. New Forms - The Center will post new forms governing the approval and reporting of CEUs at www.fincert.org as soon as possible, and they will be effective as of posting. The new
   CEU Approval Request Form will replace the Continuing Education Approval Form, and the new CEU Reporting Form will replace the Continuing Education Completion Form.
   
   
3. CEU Approval Changes - In order to ensure Certificants receive a quality continuing education experience, approval of CEUs will now require more thorough documentation and be more restrictive. Not all CEU Programs approved before June 30, 2011 are still considered valid for use after July 1, 2011. CEU earned prior to June 30, 2011 which were  Pre-Approved  will be accepted for renewal purposes. Approved CEU programs will now appear on the CEU Pre-Approved List so that Certificants may more easily identify CEU opportunities. This list will be regularly updated as new CEU Programs are approved.
   
   
4. CEU Reporting Changes - CEU reporting will now be done once per Certification Period, at the time of certification renewal, on a single CEU Reporting form which will accompany the Application for Renewal.
   
   
5. Reduction of CEU Requirement - The number of CEUs required during a Certification Period has been reduced to 16, two of which must be in Ethics. Counseling Techniques, Educator Techniques, and other certification-specific CEUs are no longer required.
   
   
6. Ongoing Updates - The Center will continue to post new procedures, guidelines and forms as they become available. Please check the www.fincert.org website regularly for updates.

It is anticipated that Certificants and agencies will have many questions about these new procedures and forms. In order to ensure accurate answers, it is requested that all questions be sent by email to Certifications@financiallit.org. Responses will be provided as quickly as possible.

We believe these changes enhance the value of our certifications and make improvements to the certification and renewal process that will benefit both the Center and our Certificants.

Thank you for you continued support. We truly appreciate the opportunity to meet your certification requirements