 TITLE: How to Maintain Your Credit During a Crisis CONTENT: Contact Your Lenders\n--------------------\nDuring a financial crisis, continue to pay all your bills on time as usual if at all possible. But if you're struggling to make ends meet due to income loss or other circumstances resulting from the crisis, don't skip your payments or pay late.\nInstead, contact your lenders immediately to inform them of your situation and ask if they have any hardship options. Sometimes during major disasters or crises, lenders offer impacted customers helpful options such as temporarily lowering interest rates or payment amounts, pausing payments for a set time, or placing loans in deferment. You must be proactive, however: Most lenders won't come to you with these options; you need to go to them.\nIf it looks like you will also struggle to pay utility and service bills, such as your cellphone, internet or electricity bill, contact your providers right away. Inform them of your situation and ask if they can offer flexible payment options or any other assistance in light of the crisis. END