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« PreviousEBITDAR: the pirate's financial metric Next »The Fed's Wall Street pay fix A bolder approach to credit-rating agency reform Posted by Barbara KiviatFriday, September 18, 2009 at 11:55 am 7 Comments • Trackback (2) • Related Topics:investingregulation Yesterday the SEC rolled out a bunch of new rules and proposals meant to purge conflict of interest and ineptitude from the credit-ratings agencies—that group of companies whose greatest hits include considering Enron investment-grade [more...]

Date: 2009-09-18 15:55:25

Blog posts (40) | Videos (19)
 

Why Are My Credit Cards Being Canceled?

In today’s economy, credit card companies are changing interest rates at whim (at least until the new credit card laws go into effect…in July 2010 ... . And this could ding your credit score a little bit, which is not something you really want to happen ... by following this simple tip - it helps your credit score and it lets you keep all your available cr [more...]

Date: 2009-01-07 16:59:00

Is it True About Credit Card Limit Cut Backs?

Yep, you bet. Actually, if you haven’t been contacted by your credit card company yet you should be on the lookout for some form of a notice very ... are getting financially hit here. Having a polished track record and an unsmudged credit score isn’t even ... that will outline the new terms of your credit card, including interest rates and credit card [more...]

Date: 2009-01-02 06:03:30

Basic Credit Scoring 101 For A Better Mortgage Rate

by Rob Kosberg Credit scoring is becoming more important to mortgage pricing so now would be a terrific time to brush up on your credit education ... balances should hold steady at no more than 30% of the card limit. The credit bureau believes ... is one of the major credit scoring companies. All can learn from the numerous pages of financial tips [more...]

Date: 2008-12-30 08:22:00

The Daily Poverty Post.

First of all, isn’t it funny that when conjuring the telephone, we think of the above? ... , this safe site will provide you with one free FICO score and credit report every 12 months — ... out how to call your credit card company to renegotiate your interest rate! Before we begin [more...]

Date: 2008-12-06 17:33:45

NY TIMES: Buffett to Offer Details on Derivatives

Warren E. Buffett has long been an proponent of transparency and a critic of murky financial instruments ... by 2019. On Monday, Mr. Buffett said he would disclose in the next annual report more information ... of companies and stocks with the highest possible credit rating, have tumbled 36 percent since Oct [more...]

Date: 2008-11-25 04:21:48

Cortera launches first community for small business credit repor...

Boca Raton, Florida and DEMOfall 2009, San Diego, California (PRESS RELEASE – September 26, 2009) — Cortera™, a community-driven business information company, today unveiled the Cortera Credit Exchange™, http://www.cortera.com, a new online service that, for the first time, blends business credit report data with user generated payment experience reviews and ratings from companies’ business partners. read more [more...]

Date: 2009-09-26 11:00:53

Pitfalls of Bad Credit Credit Cards

Having lousy FICO scores, as we all know, affects our ability to pull out loans ... you for what you’ve done, they’ll report you to credit rating ... . As for the lending companies that do accept our request to borrow money, the rates [more...]

Date: 2008-12-27 14:35:46

Yes, Virginia, There IS a Santa Bernanke!

So, lenders are not apt to move as quickly or as far down on rates as purchasers of mortgages would like ... , defaults, judgments or employment gaps on your loan application. Of course, if you do, then it’s too late and you’re already screwed. One caveat: Many credit card companies have lowered credit limits [more...]

Date: 2008-12-25 06:26:36

Debt relief solutions are assisting thousands to get out of debt

Many consumers have been falling prey to the unscrupulous actions taken by the money grubbing credit card companies, ... negative slight against the debtor’s credit report. These practices are forcing consumers to look ... a negative on their credit report and giving the creditors the ability to raise the rate and basically [more...]

Date: 2009-01-16 14:48:15

Things I Learned When I Refinanced My Home

Some days I feel like a home refinancing expert. I’ve refinanced my home twice in the last three years to take advantage of attractive interest ... , I called my local banks, credit unions, and savings and loan companies. I also checked interest rates on the Internet. One year later, while checking on the Internet I found a rate of 4.375 percent [more...]

Date: 2009-01-15 01:31:07

Interesting Reads 26 Sep 2009

Here is a video of Buffet praising a Chinese suit company I found this week. I thought this was pretty interesting because it looks like Buffet doesn’t wear any other suits these days, so their suits must be really good or at least really good value for money. On to some other great posts this week: Savings Account Rates: The Latest on High Returns @ The Digerati Life Credit Monitoring Services check your credit report @ The Smarter Wallet Understanding Marginal Tax Rates @ M is [more...]

Date: 2009-09-26 14:05:47

THE MELTDOWN LEAVES AMERICA’S PENSION FUNDS $ 400 BILLION IN THE RED

from the WASHINGTON POST:2008 Leaves Pensions UnderfundedStock Losses Leave $400 Billion Deficit; Shoring Up Funds May Be CostlyBy David S ... will leave some companies with diminished profits, weaker credit ratings and higher borrowing costs [more...]

Date: 2009-01-09 13:13:54

WSJ: Could Warren Buffett Save Dow Chemical?

For Dow Chemical CEO Andrew Liveris, failure isn’t an option. Liveris has a tough juggle ahead of him to complete his company’s $15 ... or not. Liveris has said his priority is to preserve Dow’s investment-grade credit rating ... last week and have Dow on credit watch for further downgrades. That means Liveris probably can’t pay [more...]

Date: 2009-01-09 18:10:00

Payday Loan Harassment

Make a good chance from no fax payday loans. The need for another 15 days. Technology has changed the way of people’s thinking ... to avoid further charges as well as your employment with a poor credit histories while approving ... harassment post-dated check from that company. The rate of interest debt! This can be really helpful [more...]

Date: 2009-01-08 05:56:13

The Real Reason Citigroup Is a Mess

Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit is blaming his company’s considerable troubles on moves by previous management to dive into real estate ... . Citigroup, like others, simply got caught up in the complicated market of derivatives and credit ... rates, misleading terms, unnecessary and expensive products like credit insurance, and the rest [more...]

Date: 2008-11-26 15:00:31

Verizon, Alltell, TPG and Goldman Sachs (VZ, GS, T, VOD)

Alltel may soon be acquired by Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), according to a breaking news report from CNBC's David Faber ... held by TPG and GSCP, which are Texas Pacific Group and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners.... part ... . If there is any company that can acquire this and not have all the credit rating issues and not run into multiple [more...]

Date: 2008-06-04 18:32:28

Senators: credit scores shouldn’t determine insurance rates.

A person’s financial history should not determine how much they pay for auto insurance, say three south central Senators. “If you have a low credit score you pay a higher amount,” said Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau ... it so insurance companies could not set premiums based on credit scores. She is co-sponsoring [more...]

Date: 2009-01-15 23:01:51

Riding the global economic crisis in Singapore

Author: Shandre Thangavelu, National University of Singapore and ANU Despite an average growth rate of nearly 8 per cent from 2004 to 2007, ... companies to get access to credit facilities, the Singapore government announced a S$2.3 billion loan facility for local companies (including SMEs) through its business financing scheme on 21 November 2008 [more...]

Date: 2009-01-05 04:15:28

Sellers of Tribune CDS Protection Face Large Payout

Hmmm Matthew Cowley reports: The dire conditions facing media companies were highlighted by this week’s auction to settle credit derivatives ... , determined a value for outstanding bonds of just 1.5% of face value. Standard and Poor’s, a ratings ... . The auction result for Tribune loan credit default swaps, or LCDS, was only slightly better, [more...]

Date: 2009-01-07 09:50:00

Sellers of Tribune CDS Protection Face Large Payout

Hmmm Matthew Cowley reports: The dire conditions facing media companies were highlighted by this week’s auction to settle credit derivatives ... , determined a value for outstanding bonds of just 1.5% of face value. Standard and Poor’s, a ratings ... . The auction result for Tribune loan credit default swaps, or LCDS, was only slightly better, [more...]

Date: 2009-01-07 09:50:00

Outlook Worsening for U.S. Transportation Companies - S

A rapidly deteriorating U.S. economy, slowing growth worldwide, and credit market dislocations are stepping up the pressure on North American transportation companies, according to Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services. The sharp decline in oil prices (S&amp [more...]

Date: 2009-01-14 20:15:18

Thursday morning links

TOP STORIES Murky future for auto rescue amid GOP opposition - AP Foreclosure Storm Will Hit U.S ... , Companies - Washington Post Commodity crash tests faith in supercycle - Telegraph U.K.'s door open ... Jersey - Bloomberg The Credit Rating on a Benevolent Counterfeiters Debt - Infinity A? - Kasriel [more...]

Date: 2008-12-11 13:40:49

Downgrades of European Real Estate Companies More Likely

The European real estate sector’s business model resilience and companies’ financial policies will be tested over the coming months,  Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services says in a new Industry Report Card. In the context of lower investor ... . Technorati Tags: credit-ratings, European real estate, standard-and-poors [more...]

Date: 2009-01-12 15:24:08

MortgageNewsClips: Is The Fed Done?, Awesome Map, AARP 625k HECM, Banks Hoarding?, Muni Market, Bernanke, Warming Up, Fed High Wire, PMI Report, Ira Has 3

VIDEO: Monetary Policy with Zero Interest Rates: Is the Fed Done? ... stability and the normalization of credit markets,” Bernanke said. Citigroup, which is looking to break ... figure since last May. In another sign of a possible thawing of the credit markets, companies [more...]

Date: 2009-01-16 01:21:57

The Yen Reeks Havoc on Some of Your Favorite Companies!

Over the years, American’s have really gotten a “thirst” for Japanese products ... of the recession and strong yen. Meanwhile, Honda had its credit rating cut by Fitch from A+ to A. Sony ... . How bad? Well, analysts were expecting a profit of 35 billion yen…instead, they may report a 100 [more...]

Date: 2009-01-15 19:52:35

Moody’s to Introduce New Spokesmoose to Repair Image

Come on Down to Moody's HQ to Meet Raytee! If anyone has a public relations problem, it’s Moody’s (MCO) , once a well-respected bond ratings service, now DC’s favorite whipping boy for its role in the credit meltdown.  Between Buffett ’s dumping of the company’s stock and Greenlight’s David Einhorn pitching it as an investment short, management at Moody’s has decided to play a little offense. [more...]

Date: 2009-09-26 18:47:14

Third quarter results to dictate trend

The ongoing quarterly reporting season may dictate the market trend in the near term. Investors are bracing for poor quarterly earnings as high input costs, credit crunch, high interest rates, and the burden of piled-up inventories may hit bottom lines of companies. India's largest [more...]

Date: 2009-01-16 14:34:00

Third quarter results to dictate trend

The ongoing quarterly reporting season may dictate the market trend in the near term. Investors are bracing for poor quarterly earnings as high input costs, credit crunch, high interest rates, and the burden of piled-up inventories may hit bottom lines of companies. India's largest [more...]

Date: 2009-01-16 23:39:00

I-Card Movement Gets Boost From Equifax

081113_infocard Credit rating giant Equifax released an digital information card for verifying age Thursday, ... go a long way towards eliminating the potential for fraud or identity theft in online transactions ... the Information Card Foundation, a consortium of tech companies including big names like Google, Microsoft [more...]

Date: 2008-11-13 21:26:24

It's the Economy, Stupid

The Labor Department today reported that business productivity surged to a revised 4.3 percent annual rate in the second quarter of the year ... measure quality of output.)Higher productivity keeps inflation in check. When companies can produce ... of their lines of credit because the housing bubble has burst. The result? Employers can't sell [more...]

Date: 2008-09-04 12:27:00

Moody's worries about the chemical industry

Moody's, the global ratings agency, is today forecasting a 70% chance of a U-shaped recession, and a 15% chance of either a V or L-shaped downturn ... about the impact of the "weak credit environment" on "financially stressed companies". It points ... to recover in a weak operating market". CFOs will also be be worried when they read the report (Moody's [more...]

Date: 2009-01-15 16:08:51

Repair A Bad Credit Report - Is it possible to have it done for you?

A credit report is an important piece of paper. Lenders look at it closely when basing their decision on whether or not to give you a loan. Insurance companies can use it to determine your rates or whether they will consider covering you at all. Employers can make use of this report and use it [more...]

Date: 2009-09-26 12:09:42

Small Bizs Feeling the Chill

The New York Times: Some small companies say they are no longer able to get loans from newly cautious banks as credit tightens across the country, ... credit — at 30 percent a year. Mr. Snyder does not want to borrow much at that rate. “ ... , the Census Bureau reports, and they outpace large companies in generating new jobs. Photo by Kevin Moloney. [more...]

Date: 2008-10-07 15:08:55

Pay Option ARMs - The Implosion Is Still Coming Despite Low Rates

Mr Mortgage is a 20-year mortgage banking veteran, specializing in wholesale and correspondent sales and sales/operations management and bringing ... housing, mortgage and credit meltdown’ and company-specific events. He owns and is the primary [more...]

Date: 2008-12-24 14:00:38

Outlook Worsening for US Transportation Companies

A rapidly deteriorating U.S. economy, slowing growth worldwide, ... , the report notes. Around half of the rating outlooks for North American trucking, car rental ... and credit market dislocations are stepping up the pressure on North American transportation [more...]

Date: 2009-01-14 19:05:32

Research house upbeat on property stocks

Research house upbeat on property stocks It cites falling interest rates and possible favourable Budget measures By EMILYN YAP INVESTORS can ... credit for new investments,’ it explained. Banks may also introduce more attractive mortgage ... the operating environment for real estate companies this year, said Kim Eng Research in a report yesterday [more...]

Date: 2009-01-06 22:00:37

Mortgage Rates Dip to Low 5’s

criteria that I use for pricing Friday’s rates.  Do check with your local Mortgage Professional to see what rate you qualify for.  What’s caused this big dip?  You can thank the Fed for stepping in to buy $600 billion ... the company was in violation of financial debt covenants of its note-purchase agreement and credit agreement [more...]

Date: 2008-11-25 16:14:43

Beware of Bogus Credit Repair Companies!

So-called “credit repair” companies claim they can remove negative information from credit reports. Advertising as “Credit Advisors,” “Credit Rating Correction Services” or “Credit Consultants,” they trumpet variations on this message: “Turned down because of bad credit? We can help!” Many [more...]

Date: 2008-10-11 15:21:10

Beware of Bogus Credit Repair Companies!

So-called “credit repair” companies claim they can remove negative information from credit reports. Advertising as “Credit Advisors,” “Credit Rating Correction Services” or “Credit Consultants,” they trumpet variations on this message: “Turned down because of bad credit? We can help!” Many [more...]

Date: 2008-11-06 09:25:07

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