Some credit card users may begin to notice what are called opting out policies on the back of their credit card statements. These opt out notices are being delivered to some credit card users who are in jeopardy of having their interest rate increased by the credit card issuer. There are several reasons why a credit card issuer may decide to increase the interest rate on a consumer. This article deals with a few of them.Some consumers may be...more
Debt collection has become an issue with some consumers. Generally, debt collection procedures do not begin until after the lender has tried a variety of ways to get paid what is owed them. Some of the more common methods that lenders use include sending letters of delinquent payment and perhaps placing phone calls to the borrower's home. When these methods have proven to be futile, the lender may pass the loan onto a debt collection agency or...more
Active duty military personnel who are having financial problems with their mortgage payments have some avenue of help under the Soldiers and Sailors Relief Act which can be very beneficial to them and to their families.Who is eligible for this program?The provisions of the SSRA apply to active duty military personnel who had a mortgage obligation prior to enlistment or prior to being ordered to active duty (for Reservists). This includes members of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, as well as commissioned officers belonging to the Public Health Service and those in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) who are engaged in active service. Military reservists ordered to report for military service and those persons ordered to report for induction under the Military Selective Service Act as well as guardsmen called to active service for more than 30 consecutive days are also covered under the act.In the area of home mortgage protections, the act limits the amount of mortgage interest that may be charged on home loans incurred by a service member (including debts incurred jointly with a spouse) before he or she entered into active military...more
Cosigning on a loan can be a great way to help a family member or close friend when they need help, but it can also be a great way to ruin your own credit if things do not work out.Before you decide to cosign on a loan, you should always read the cosigning agreement that lenders have for these. By law, the lender must show you a copy of the...more
Many consumers know that they have a credit score but they may not know what the score is. As well, many consumers know that there are some actions or inactions that they can take that will help or hurt their score. Again, they know the broad picture, but not the details. Here are some of the things that consumers do that all but massacres their...more
Most consumers are aware of the current problems that some financial institutions are experiencing. This has caused some concern for large investors, those with CD investments over the maximum amount that is covered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Currently, the maximum allowed is $100,000 per account.The simple answer to this problem is to spread your certificate of deposit money into various accounts at various institutions with each account not exceeding the limit. This is completely legal and many investors are doing just that. However, keeping money in several locations can cause bookkeeping problems. There is another way of doing this can be far easier. A somewhat new service, the Certificate of Deposit Account Registry Service, or CDARS, can do this work for you.Promontory Interfinancial Network is the company that provides this service. It has been available for over five years and nearly 1,800 banks and thrifts in all 50 states offer the service. The service allows CD depositors with balances of up to $50 million to have their entire balances insured by the FDIC.Let's look at how this works. In this example, the investor has a $1 million CD.The investor would...more
By now most American consumers have heard about the sub-prime mortgage crisis. It would be difficult not to have heard about it. What many consumers have not heard much about is the increasing belief that even homeowners with prime mortgages may be...more
Did you know that today more individuals are turning toward personal bankruptcy as a way of solving their financial hardships? It is true.During the period from 1998 through 2000 there was a decrease in the filings for bankruptcies but that is not...more
Do you know what to do if your credit cards or ATM cards are stolen? You might be surprised at how many people do not.All consumers should know that the Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA) and the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA) offer procedures if...more
Just like a regular savings account, a money market account is a type of savings account that is offered by banks and credit unions. The main difference is that money market accounts will usually pay higher interest, have higher minimum balance...more
Many consumers have found that putting money into CD's (certificate of deposit) accounts is a good way to earn additional interest over regular savings accounts. Just like the regular savings account that most of us are familiar with, money that you...more
Most consumers have heard of Chapter 7 bankruptcy but there is another type known as Chapter 13. This article details some of the differences between the two and how they may affect someone who has to file.There are many differences between Chapter 7...more