In 1883 a small group of Southern California merchants organized the Los Angeles Board of Trade.  The purposes of the organization were to handle the problems of distressed business debtors and to help attract businesses to Southern California. These early members also learned that an exchange of factual data concerning their dealings with customers would increase the safety of their extensions of credit.

Soon after, the original group developed the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, which took over the civic growth functions.  The original organization became the Los Angeles Wholesalers' Board of Trade, which better described its services to manufacturers, wholesalers and other industry groups.  The “Board of Trade” originally had about 60 member firms.

For more than 50 years the Board of Trade administered commercial insolvency cases through creditor-controlled extension agreements, compromise settlements and general assignments for the benefit of creditors.  It also assisted members and other creditors in bankruptcies, probate proceedings and fire insurance claims.

Separately, the Los Angeles Credit Men's Association was organized in the early 1900’s, affiliated with the National Association of Credit Men (later Management) [NACM].  The L.A. Credit Association provided services in areas other than business adjustments such as legislation on both the national and state levels, credit education, credit reporting and industry credit groups, and through its Collection Division, a licensed agency operating for its members.

As time went on it became evident that the two organizations had substantially common members. In 1944 they merged as the Los Angeles Credit Managers Association.  The Los Angeles Wholesalers' Board of Trade became the Adjustment Bureau of the merged organization.

Continued growth widened the area served by the Association, and in 1952 the name was changed to Credit Managers Association of Southern California.  In 1961 the Association was incorporated under the new California Nonprofit Corporation law.

The concept of member-directed, mutual benefit credit associations also developed in Northern California.  The Board of Trade of San Francisco was organized in 1877, concentrating on business collections and adjustments.  Meanwhile, two other member-controlled organizations were created early in the 20th century to meet other member needs. Credit Managers Association of Northern California (later, NACM-Northern & Central California, or NACM-NCC) and the Oakland Wholesalers Association were also affiliated with NACM, until the mid-1970's when The Board of Trade of San Francisco left NACM, the Oakland association later following suit. Ultimately those two organizations merged into The Board of Trade of San Francisco. 

In 1988 NACM-NCC merged with the Southern California association, which was renamed Credit Managers Association of California (CMAC).  In 1990 CMAC acquired the assets of The Board of Trade of San Francisco, thereby consolidating what had been five separate business credit organizations into one regional Association with between 2,000 and 3,000 members, the largest and most financially secure of NACM's 50+ affiliated credit associations.

Moving into the new millennium, CMA is changing along with the rest of the world. We have developed an informative and well visited Web site, www.creditservices.org. In addition, over the past few years CMA has invested heavily in innovative technology, developing a second, transactional website, www.anscers.com, featuring an Encyclopedia of Business Credit as well as Internet-based applications that deliver Industry Credit Group services, member-to-member credit ratings [RFI’s], and online placement and tracking of Collection claims.

In order to better relate our identity to our mission rather than geography, the association has adopted the trade style, CMA Business Credit Services, in our marketing and everyday business transactions.

CMA’s headquarters is in Burbank. Chapter offices are in San Leandro, CA, and Las Vegas. Personnel are highly trained and committed to member service above all else.