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 the business community grow and expand.

The Los Angeles Credit Men’s Association was organized in about 1900, affiliated with the National Association of Credit [Men] Management (NACM).

The LACMA provided credit-related 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 it became evident that the members of the two organizations were largely the same, the two merged and became one organization, the Los Angeles Credit Managers’ Association. The Los Angeles Wholesalers’ Board of Trade became the Adjustment Bureau of the merged organization.

The name was changed to Credit Managers Association of Southern California.

The Association was incorporated under the California Nonprofit Corporations law.

CMA changed its fictitious business name to CMA Business Credit Services.

CMA changed its fictitious business name to Credit Management Association.

CMA changed its legal name to Credit Management Association® and also adopted Credit Managers Association of California™ as a fictitious business name.

CMA ended its affiliation with NACM.