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The NCR have recently been getting complaints about the NCR debt help system.

This is a computer program used by Debt Counsellors at the behest fo the NCR to update them about the status of consumers under debt review.

(even with this system in place the NCR still ask the DC’s to then send them reports every 3 months to repeat these statistics.)

The NCR has received a lot of criticism over the years for the website being complicated (or not user friendly) and having many glitches.

For quite sometime consumers leaving debt review have experienced problems when re applying for credit because of the Credit Bureaus not having removed their debt review status from their systems.

Since their systems are updated by the NCR Debt Help system there seems to be a problem either in communication or the software.

 

Now the NCR have sent out a circular saying that they are not responsible. (see below)

It sounds quite threatening.

 

 

 

 

CIRCULAR No. 2 of 2012– UPDATING AND REMOVAL OF DEBT
COUNSELLING FLAG ON WITHDRAWAL OF DEBT REVIEW

The purpose of this circular is to advise debt counsellors and credit bureaus to strictly adhere to the
process of updating records of consumers who are no longer under debt review.

We have been inundated with calls from consumers who have been advised by either debt counsellors or
credit bureaus that it is the responsibility of NCR to affect the updates or removal of debt counselling flags
upon withdrawal of debt review application. We wish to advise all those who are involved in this practice to
refrain from doing so with immediate effect.

It is the responsibility of each debt counsellor to notify credit bureaus of withdrawals from debt review by
updating the Debt Help System with the correct status code and not through the NCR. Upon receipt of the
file containing daily updates from Debt Help System, credit bureaus are expected to update their systems
and amend the consumer’s credit profile accordingly.

Circular 1 of 2012 sent to all debt counsellors in January 2012 bears reference to the processes to be
followed by debt counsellors in updating the system and dispute resolution.

Failure of any party to follow this process constitutes a direct breach of conditions of registration and the
NCR will take action against all parties who are in contravention.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Please contact Thobile Makhubu or Sharon Mokwena on 011 554 2600.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

If the Debt Counsellors are not updating the data or if the Credit Bureaus are not using the info the NCR send them then they will get into trouble and rightly so.

However with a name for the website like http://www.ncrdebthelp.co.za/ it is easy to see why people would think that the NCR are responsible for controlling this aspect of the process.

There is now talk of the NCR asking a credit provider body called the NDMA to take over and sort out the website and it’s woes- something that Debt Counsellors and consumers might not actually want to happen as it contains sensitive info that could be abused by Credit Providers.