6 Step To Improve Your Credit Score Now

credit cards Your credit score is probably the single most important number in your financial life ... . Use of your credit report has infiltrated areas we never thought it would - from job applications to insurance premiums. I recently learned the impact credit score has on interest rates after finding [more...]

Date: 2008-12-02 17:06:27

Blog posts (766) | Videos (395)
 

David Sirota: Top 5 Reasons to Vote Against Paulson's $700 Billion Bailout

There's news this Sunday afternoon of a congressional deal to bailout Wall Street fat cats with $700 billion of taxpayer cash ( ... INHERENT FISCAL INSANITY COULD MAKE PROBLEM WORSE When an individual consumer uses a new credit card to pay off astounding debt from an old credit card, it's called kiting, and in many cases [more...]

Date: 2008-09-28 23:35:52

The Poverty Business

Sorry if this appears to be an older article, and not latest headlines, just thought it was interesting - loki The Poverty Business Inside U.S ... into Byrider, Tsosie drove off, jubilant, in a 1999 Saturn subcompact she bought entirely on credit ... access to credit has put cars, computers, credit cards, and even homes within reach for many [more...]

Date: 2009-01-15 00:45:24

Your Credit Report Card

Mark Frauenfelder is the co-founder of my favorite sites, Boing Boing (which is a “directory of wonderful things”). Mark’s also a GRS reader. He dropped me a line the other day to tell me about a new project he’s been following. Today, Credit.com is launching a free new online financial tool called Credit Report Card . This tool is designed to provide users with a quick snapshot of their credit reports. [more...]

Date: 2009-09-29 18:00:31

Credit Card Laws and Court Rulings–Have They Helped Consumers?

This is a guest post by Bill Hardekopf, CEO of LowCards.com . Congress passed the Credit CARD Act in May but gave issuers and banks almost one year to implement the major provisions of the bill. Since then, issuers did exactly what they threatened to do–raise rates and fees on a broad group of cardholders. Consumers and elected officials are not happy about this, and members of Congress plan to introduce a bill to accelerate the effective date of the bill from February 22, 2010 to December 1, 2009. [more...]

Date: 2009-09-25 19:18:38

Dell Inspiron Mini: Read This First

That’s the experience with the Inspiron 910 Mini not the mini-experience! ... and delivery that is a bargain! There I was credit card at the ready, wrist twitching, hang ... credit card away The next day I happen to have to work on my step Dads’ ultra lightweight new [more...]

Date: 2009-01-17 14:25:00

Complexity and Simplicity

When you comment on this article, you *may* lose weight, get tall or ! I\'m no doctor, but let\'s give this a shot! ... - but it can be. It isn’t a credit card, but it can be a credit card. It is an idea backed by confidence [more...]

Date: 2008-09-29 08:54:06

P2P Finance Landscape

A sad statement about the priority of the regulatory agencies and their targeting of the few open markets that allows people to lend to people without needing a bank is apparent by the list of P2P vendors actually open and doing business: Lending Club – Made it through the regulatory hoops and is now conducting business by connecting worthy borrowers with lenders. All while Citibank, Bank of America, and Chase are reducing credit lines or even closing credit card accounts. [more...]

Date: 2009-07-05 18:25:20

Credit Card Scammers Convince Cashier To Call Fake Number To Approve $8,000 Purchase [Scams]

These two guys somehow managed to make off with an $8,000 purchase at Hattiesburg Cycles in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, ... that's one highly embarrassed clerk. "Credit card fraud suspects sought" Hattiesburg American (Thanks ... by telling the cashier that they were expecting their (fake) credit card to be denied, and to call [more...]

Date: 2009-01-15 02:07:46

Interesting Reads - 17th Jan 2009

I read a lot of interesting stuff during the week, but most of it was discouraging and sombre. However, such are the times ... Card Savings by The Digerati Life: Smarter Ways to use your credit card in this intensive post ... about the signs that come with a bottoming market. 10. Credit Card losses at Citibank by Plugged In Finance [more...]

Date: 2009-01-17 17:25:10

Don't follow Japanese example - stocks are NOT cheap

Thousands of Japanese households are pouring their savings into stocks and other risky investments. It is the last stance of greed. Easy money ... % and corporate bonds may turn out as junk. We are looking at a fundamental shift not only how credit ... , mortgages, credit cards, car loans, etc. Debt is what you are ultimately responsible [more...]

Date: 2008-11-07 15:12:21

Bad Credit Doesn’t Mean No Credit

by Chris A Smith Just because you need help with your credit report does not mean you are automatically excluded from getting a new line of credit. Each lending institution, be it a credit card company or a bank, has it’s on rules regarding the granting of credit and often times these can vary greatly from institution to institution. Usually, the company offering the best rates and terms is more conservative than others and will consider the entire credit history of an applicant. [more...]

Date: 2009-06-08 12:30:05

House Price Searches Soar as Prices Plummet

With the market tailspin continuing, we are seeing some interesting changes in consumer search behavior that point to opportunities for marketers ... . Bad Time for Borrowers At the same time, we have seen an increase in searches related to credit cards and loans. For example, share of US Internet searches for "credit cards" are up 107% in the past [more...]

Date: 2008-09-30 14:30:04

Have You Ever Lost It All ?

We are headed for some wicked hard times.  Some of us are already feeling the sting ... credit card debt spread among about 5 different cards, no job, no place to live and if that wasn’t bad ... from my job and lived on credit cards for months while trying find another job.  After several months [more...]

Date: 2008-10-10 11:00:39

Beware Long-Term Cardholders With Perfect Payment Histories, Your Credit Lines May Be Slashed [Credit Cards]

Oliver paid off his Citibank platinum card on time, in full, every single month since 1989, ... up on his credit report. Oliver writes: I’ve been a Citibank Platinum cardholder since 1989 – that’s longer ... gleefully informs me that: “Sir, due to some recent negative information on your credit report we’ve [more...]

Date: 2008-07-20 19:00:00

Credit Cards Dealing With Bankruptcy

by John Steed When a person or organization or institution files for bankruptcy, it is not always because they are unable to pay their creditors ... . The commonest of these are the institutions that offer credit card facilities. The advantage of going ... . As a requirement, the debtor is required to have an up-to-date copy of your credit history, good [more...]

Date: 2009-01-14 20:27:17

Investors May Be Too Optimistic About Consumer Recovery

The most accurate banking analyst, Meredith Whitney, has warned that banks are likely to continue to restrict consumer credit, ... , are implemented. Credit card issuers shifted their model away from one where they earned ... are likely to cut credit to risky borrowers even beyond what they would have done in a risk-averse [more...]

Date: 2008-12-14 06:10:36

Say Goodbye To Plastic

Nouriel Roubini has been the most prominent Cassandra for the financial crisis, ... that I introduce her newest prediction: the severe curtailing of credit card lines. It would definitely make sense as banks haven’t been keeping credit card debt on their books, but instead turning them [more...]

Date: 2008-12-01 22:01:01

Membership Has Fewer Rewards

For credit card-carrying Americans, the latest news from the economic crisis is good, then bad, then good again ... they had to, since credit card companies raised their interest rates even as personal income and credit limits dropped. Visa, MasterCard, et al., also are responding to the worsening economy [more...]

Date: 2009-01-14 19:00:18

When The Bill Collector Calls

A couple of weeks ago I received a very unusual phone call ... , I pulled a copy of my credit report and there was no credit card account bearing that number nor ... . The caller stated that she was calling in reference to my XYZ Bank credit card and asked [more...]

Date: 2008-11-17 11:00:33

5 Ways Poor Credit Scores Costs You Extra Money

Most of us wish a great credit inform to acquire vehicle financing, credit cards, and to squeeze a home. But, over these consumer loans, your credit inform can price we in bland vital expenses. What we do not know about your credit could be costing we money.Having a credit label equates to which we can sequence tickets, lease a car, and haven road residence rooms. [more...]

Date: 2009-08-13 23:35:42

Naivité RevealedJanuary 14, 2009

I am angry enough that I think my fingers will have cramps after about 2 minutes from the fast and furious typing I will do ... mistakes.Keywords: Free trial.You know, in the age of credit card fraud and identity theft, I always thought I was safe. Yes, I use my credit card to order books on amazon or sign up for netflix [more...]

Date: 2009-01-14 18:47:12

Credit Line Profiling: Right or Wrong?

From NPR: Credit card companies are trying to cut the credit lines of many customers ... . They interviewed two people with Countrywide loans who had also received unwanted credit cuts. One of those men ... in the mail, saying their credit limits have been cut. American Express is one prominent example of companies [more...]

Date: 2008-10-28 15:54:52

Credit Card Debt: Next Big Hit to Banks?

Given how overextended consumers are, and how banks have been cutting back on the cheapest piggybank, home equity loans, by slashing those credit lines, and the reports of rising delinquencies from even conservative ... in credit card losses. But under the new bankruptcy code, if you do no qualify for Chapter 7 bankruptcy [more...]

Date: 2008-10-01 09:17:30

Credit Card Lenders Clamp Down Hard

Consumers are in a newly austere mood, and those who have lived beyond or at the edge of their means may be forced to retrench whether they want to ... wrote off an estimated $21 billion in bad credit card loans in the first half of 2008 ... , some can come back to haunt consumers. The result can be a lower credit score, which forces a borrower [more...]

Date: 2008-10-29 03:50:36

Triple B Coming to NYC

Chase%20-%20Wamu%20Overlap.jpg Don’t worry, the credit rating of the City of New York has not fallen to one rung above junk ... . Capital One the credit card company figured out deposit gathering was a good low cost source of funds for its credit card lending and snapped up North Fork. The sleepy older banks like Chase who were losing [more...]

Date: 2008-10-01 21:40:02

Awards and Ebooks

This month I’m posting two topics for the price of one. Bargain! First, ebooks ... you from opening the covers unless you swipe your credit card through the slot. New credit card? Tough, throw [more...]

Date: 2009-01-18 03:39:46

Lawsuit Proceeds: Don’t Leave Home Without Them

Credit cards The settlement of a major lawsuit by a public company has generally not been used as a moment to comment on a company’s financial outlook, but that’s what American Express Co. did this morning. The credit-card giant, in announcing a $1.8 billion settlement with MasterCard Inc. (after a similar, larger agreement with Visa [more...]

Date: 2008-06-25 15:08:33

How and When to Cancel a Credit Card

Update: After feedback from readers, I’ve made some clarifications to this post ... and other agencies report your habits to credit bureaus, organizations that collect this information ... . My recommendations have not changed, but I’ve tried to emphasize the effect closing a credit card [more...]

Date: 2008-09-16 12:00:22

Talk About Timing! ... pt. 2

Friday, January 16, 2009Last night I tuned into the follow up webcast on Oprah.com w/ Suze Orman. I learned a bit. Okay, I learned a lot ... , Equifax, & Experian. Yes, three..When credit card companies, car and mortgage lenders sit down ... the balance on your credit cards. This improves your FICO score... Seems like a no brainer right [more...]

Date: 2009-01-16 19:11:00

Credit Card Companies Are Closing Unused Accounts

Several GRS readers have written lately with the same credit card problem — but not the one you’d expect ... on to the accounts since they help my credit history. I just got some bad news about my oldest credit ... . And for my past loyalty they’re willing to potentially make me take a major hit on my credit score [more...]

Date: 2009-01-06 19:00:00

Mint.com Says I'll Be Bankrupt In Sixty Days At This Pace

When Mint.com first integrated the tracking of investments alongside bank records and credit cards this May, ... all of my accounts, taking on more credit card bills than my actual assets, what was once trivial is eye-opening [more...]

Date: 2008-11-23 07:03:20

Two Financial Goals - Less Debt, More Income

This article is part of an M-Network group writing project, the 12 Days of Christmas - Personal Finance Style ... beast which can be incredibly difficult to slay - especially credit card debt, which can have interest rates over 30%. If you only make the minimum credit card payment, it will take you years to pay [more...]

Date: 2008-12-02 11:10:55

Washington Post Takes On Barry’s Credit Card Donation Issues

Woah! How did this end up not only in one of the main U.S. papers, but, on page A2? Obama Accepting Untraceable Donations ... to use largely untraceable prepaid credit cards that could potentially be used to evade limits on how ... from flowing into its accounts, aides acknowledged. Instead, the campaign is scrutinizing its books [more...]

Date: 2008-10-29 12:35:10

Collection Agency calling from 571-431-1958 (Washington, VA)

Steve reported a Collection Agency (5714311958 from Washington area, VA) . The following comments were posted: AACC AACC AACC 5127689800 AACC 804-234-9056 assetacceptance.com Asset Acceptance is a leading purchaser and collector of charged-off consumer debt. Since 1962, we have provided credit originators such as credit card issuers, consumer finance companies, retail merchants, utilities and others an efficient alternative in recovering defaulted consumer debt. [more...]

Date: 2009-09-25 19:53:49

Markets won't Bottom until Banks Stabilize

It should be obvious to most investors that until the financial sector stabilizes and starts to post a meaningful rally, ... in other segments of credit, including revolving credit card and auto loans and now deteriorating ... . As I stated a few days ago, the market will probably not bottom until we see a combination of bad assets [more...]

Date: 2009-01-16 14:12:44

Saving your credit and credit scores

I have blogged about my experiences with American Express and their systematic reductions in my credit lines ... as “closed as consumer’s request”)  which would have locked in the higher credit limit on the credit report. Canceling a card with a good history will impact your credit, but being at 99-100 [more...]

Date: 2009-01-14 23:51:28

Flashback: Bank of America launches credit card for illegal immigrants - USATODAY.com

Any wonder Bank Of America is now Belly Up? Well, it's bankrupt just like the mortgage industry thanks to their ignorant and greedy anti American policy instituted to "aid undocumented workers in building their credit"! This latest of bailouts ... that liberals lauded as a great thing you'll remember I'm sure:Bank of America launches credit card [more...]

Date: 2009-01-17 06:06:00

Obama Wants Everyone Out of Debt Erase Up to 50

This administration realizes that the economy is bad and people are suffering President Obama is trying to put a limit on the amount of interest the credit card companies can charge you But perhaps you have already gotten into trouble with your credit card and don't know what to do about it [more...]

Date: 2009-09-11 07:42:37

Finance Issues Online

A good financial resource online can be found at Monitorbankrates.com, an abundant amount of financial quotes, articles, and links all at one site. With so much talked and written about credit that can be had while dealing with bad credit scores, I was surprised to see them talk concerning the issue of Excellent Credit Credit Cards receiving [more...]

Date: 2009-01-17 05:48:23

PFBlogger Spotlight: Green Panda Treehouse

What color is US currency? It’s green. What’s one of the most content creatures on the planet? Well, one of them is a panda ... of it. I got a credit card in college and like many of my friends, I charged on it like crazy ... some of my friends (who would return the favor and use their credit card next time). I also thought [more...]

Date: 2008-08-07 16:28:03

Latest News in Credit History and Jobs - May 1, 2009

House clears bill reining in credit card practices to protect … - Minneapo… 30 Apr 2009 at 12:29pm It was written that Cornelius Vanderbilt learned early in his adulthood that personal vengeance makes for good business. I’ve never missed ? read more a credit card payment since I’ve had them - years. [more...]

Date: 2009-05-01 08:08:06

Profiting from Payday Loans in 2009

On an otherwise normal evening in 1964, a woman known as “Miss Witness” received a disturbing telephone call from alleged loan shark Frank Sacco ... . Prices are still crashing - currently sitting about 35% below a year earlier. Credit is nearly frozen. Banks and credit card companies alike are buckling down and leaving very little money free [more...]

Date: 2009-01-16 19:38:12

Is Debt Necessary For Generating Income?

“Margie” writes in: My husband and I are pretty frugal, but we currently carry about $25,000 in credit card debt and a personal loan ... about $1,200 on each one of the the personal loan and two credit cards. This way we’ll be able to pay off ... ? First of all, it’s worthwhile to get a bead on how bad this debt actually is. Margie reports [more...]

Date: 2008-11-26 20:00:49

Why Your Credit Rating Is Important

by Steve Collins Credit ratings, at their most straightforward, are personal debt histories ... of our financial behavior. Lenders and credit card companies look to credit ratings for the most simple assessment of whether we are a good or bad risk. But what kind of information does a credit rating contain [more...]

Date: 2009-01-17 22:27:43

Debit Cards vs. Credit Cards: Fees and Fraud Protection

Posted December 23, 2008 - 05:33 by Will Chen Many financial experts suggest using debit cards instead of credit cards because in theory, you will spend less if you are only paying with money [more...]

Date: 2009-01-17 21:42:04

Debit Cards vs. Credit Cards: Fees and Fraud Protection

Posted December 23, 2008 - 05:33 by Will Chen Many financial experts suggest using debit cards instead of credit cards because in theory, you will spend less if you are only paying with money [more...]

Date: 2009-01-17 21:42:04

You Can Implement your own Credit Repair

by Rob Kosberg One day you realize that you are in a serious personal financial disaster situation ... of your salary that goes for necessities such as mortgage, car loans, credit card payments, utilities, other loan ... . This is the income you can devote to reducing debt. Next, decide which loans and credit cards [more...]

Date: 2009-01-14 23:27:42

Why Cash Offers More Flexibility Than Gift Cards

Photo courtesy of krisandapril We have recently attended a number of weddings, ... with the swipe of a credit or debit card. Gift cards may get lost. I am notoriously bad at keeping ... in your birthday card and get three pennies back it registers.  When you swipe the same amount [more...]

Date: 2008-09-30 18:00:53

Bad Mortgages Are Just The Beginning

credit card health Yesterday I talked a bit about how, through the bailout bill, ... be looking at credit card companies such as American Express following suit. I thought ... . Americans have almost $2.6 trillion in consumer credit outstanding, according to the Federal Reserve [more...]

Date: 2008-10-16 17:29:00

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