It's one card after another...

Peter, 35, logistics worker, and father of two

Then: He signed up for credit cards when banks called, racking up debts of $78,000.

Now: With CCS help, he hopes to clear his debt within five years.

"I earned about $3,000 a month and could borrow four times my monthly salary for every card.

You know, banks tell you, 'Oh, you can get discounts on things when you use this card or that card'.

I was always repaying just the minimum amount required for the credit card bill payments. I got my first card in 2004 and hit seven last year. One card I applied for offered a six-month interest-free loan, which I used for my children's needs. When you have too many cards, you cannot keep track. Then you keep rolling over the debt, which leads to late payment.

You take one card to pay off another, but then you realise you have to pay for using that second card and soon it's one card after another. When you don't pay on time, the interest just keeps snowballing. I went to CCS in February. My wife didn't know about my debt until we went to CCS together. Now I'm paying back with low interest and I still have enough for my daily allowance.

The new rules might have helped me back then: If my credit had been cut off after I accumulated debt worth 12 months of my income, my debt might be only half of what I owe now."

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