The Foundation for Credit Counselling (CCCS), Britain's leading debt charity, is creating three new centres of excellence to confront acute problems.

The three centres have been developed to concentrate expertise on repossession, bankruptcy and benefits.

The Centre for Repossession Counselling will be based in Leeds. It will work closely with the Council of Mortgage Lenders and others to reduce or alleviate repossessions. It will have its own freephone (0800) number and be directly available to the public.

The other two centres of excellence will help some of the 500,000 people in need whom CCCS plans to counsel this year by telephone and online.

Bankruptcy Counselling will be based in Birmingham. Its support will be available to the 75,000 people a year who have been counselled by CCCS and advised that bankruptcy is the best solution for them. They will be helped to determine their options, to petition for bankruptcy and to gain financial support when they need it.

Financial support will be a key factor in the Nottingham-based Benefits Counselling Centre. It will cover 17 benefits available through a number of government departments, local authorities and employers and will with time build a unique database.

Announcing the new centres, CCCS chairman Malcolm Hurlston made it clear that "nothing is excellent on day one, but we aspire to excellence in meeting these acute modern needs.

"All the centres are being staffed by experienced CCCS counsellors drawing on pooled expertise and special training."

"There will be separate announcements to mark the public launch of the three centres. Benefits and bankruptcy counselling will start this month; repossession counselling is scheduled for October."

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For further information:

Frances Walker or James Ketchell 0207 636 5214

07771 788 713 (out of hours)

Or email fwalker@hurlstons.com, jketchell@hurlstons.com

Notes for editors:

1. The Foundation is responsible for running the UK's leading debt charity, Consumer Credit Counselling Service. It receives some 300,000 calls a year.
2. CCCS is self-funding. Lenders share with the charity the benefit they receive from its operation, making a donation from the money repaid to them through debt management plans. This allows CCCS to retain its independence and ensure that its advice is always in the best interest of the client. CCCS aims to separate the "can't pays" from the "won't pays".

January 21 2008