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
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The Mission: CD Rates California, Mission Bank
Choosing a savings plan that makes sense for you and your lifestyle can be a difficult task ... , certificates of deposit, credit cards, and business, agricultural, commercial real estate, construction, residential, and consumer loans. It also provides credit card processing services to area [more...]
Date: 2009-01-15 05:21:10
Why Internet Marketers Love The Global Recession!
Internet marketing experts are thriving today as never before; ... out the storm on credit. Credit card companies are lowering limits and/or raising the interest rates ... -to-Consumer business is just as bad, if not worse. Millions of jobs have evaporated in the past year alone [more...]
Date: 2008-12-31 05:02:24
50%+ rally in the stock market but situation is getting much worse
We have enjoyed a +50 percent rally in the stock market yet this rally has been unable to create private sector jobs or stem the economic pain for most. Millions have seen their bills skyrocket, credit card interest rates hiked, hour’s cut, wages slashed, and are dealing with an accelerating decline in home prices (FL) and pitiful stock portfolios. In order to get a sustained recovery, consumer spending (70% GDP) will have to rebound sharply, which is not going to happen anytime soon. [more...]
Date: 2009-09-29 12:17:40
Consumer Groups Blast Banks' Card 'Tricks'
If credit cardholders feel worse off since the passage of the law designed to protect them from banks, that's because they are. An avalanche of new fees, interest rate hikes and other costly changes since the law was signed in May suggest the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act, or the CARD Act, has backfired. [more...]
Date: 2009-09-29 19:40:03
Thursday morning links
TOP STORIES GDP falls 0.3% in third quarter on dive in spending - MarketWatch World markets cheer Fed rate cut - AP Bernanke makes it official ... as U.S. dollar falls - Canadian Press Credit card borrowing reaches record levels as consumers turn to plastic ... . We are Japan. - MarketWatch Greenspan Slept as Off-Balance-Sheet Toxic Debt Evaded Scrutiny [more...]
Date: 2008-10-30 12:42:00
Friday morning links
TOP STORIES Rate cut from Japan, Barclays seeks funding - Reuters Nevada, Michigan, Florida lead 'underwater' list - AP Housing plunge: ... is more likely than many assume - MarketWatch Banks, consumer advocates urge U.S. to allow credit card debt ... it feels so bad - CNN/Money Economic data point to the start of a recession - LA Times Recession Ghost [more...]
Date: 2008-10-31 13:20:00
Kevin Drum — Why Can’t We Have It All?
Kevin Drum is looking at the benefits of massive fiscal stimulus as well as tax cuts… And he wonders why we don’t do both? Stimulus spending can ( ... than they are today. Likewise, it will be helped along if consumers have paid down some of that credit card debt and put a few dollars aside. Right? We can’t keep running a negative savings rate [more...]
Date: 2009-01-12 21:07:07
Philippine Congress Tables Proposed Credit Card Interest Rate Cap Law
While the public was distracted yesterday by the deliberations of the justice committee of the House of Representatives on the substance of the ... . They consider any balances left unpaid as unsecured loans, as opposed to other forms of consumer loans which [more...]
Date: 2008-11-26 14:12:51
TARP II: The Wrath of TALF
In normal times the Federal Reserve responds to crises by using teeny, gold-plated hydraulic levers to raise and lower interest rates ... which it will lend up to $200 billion to support the issuance of debt backed by consumer and small-business debt -- such as credit-card loans, student debt, auto loans and loans backed by the Small [more...]
Date: 2008-11-26 15:35:02
Goal Setting: Getting Out of Debt Once and For All
By Nora Dunn It is easy enough to say that you have a goal of being debt free in “x” months or years ... out her credit card and dig an even deeper hole of debt in the name of “treating” herself ... are? A friend of mine has gads and gads of consumer debt – the worst kind, with high interest rates [more...]
Date: 2008-12-16 21:11:59
D. Other Publishers
A number of publications from non-Nolo publishers have a wealth of information beyond what is in this book. The Ultimate Credit Handbook, by Gerri Detweiler (Plume Books), covers everything you’d want to know about credit ratings, credit cards, completing credit applications, protecting your credit privacy and many other topics. Surviving Debt: A Guide for Consumers, by National Consumer Law Center. NCLC is a nonprofit organization that normally publishes books to assist lawyers. [more...]
Date: 2009-09-24 02:03:01
The Secrets Of How To Consolidate Debt
If you find yourself facing a mountain of monthly payments and see your outstanding loan balances hovering at the exact same amount for months or ... consolidation method is to transfer high-rate credit cards to a lower-rate card. However, consumers ... even years, you may be wondering how to consolidate debt in a way that protects your credit score [more...]
Date: 2009-01-15 01:32:23
Are your APR’s increasing and you have no clue what is happeneing
Credit card issuers have large amounts of power over us, and it seriously is ludicrous. They have the right to significantly jack up our interest rates, lower our credit limits, and even share personal information on us. Credit card sign up applications are extremely one-sided and only benefit one party, the credit card organization. Most consumers are under the misconception that these are legal documents they are putting their name on, but that isn’t the situation whatsoever. [more...]
Date: 2009-09-06 13:11:38
The Fed Should Buy Down Consumer Credit Card Rates - Fast
Lets say I owe the bank behind my credit card 1k dollars and Im paying 10pct interest because the best I can do is a little bit more than the ... that I have my credit card with and charge it 5pct plus some warrants to in turn loan that money back ... with to help save people’s homes, are many of the same banks that are pounding credit card holders [more...]
Date: 2008-10-24 23:38:36
Credit Card Day of Reckoning This Thursday?
Most of us are painfully familiar of the tendency for credit card issuers to try and screw us in any and every way possible, ... card (like, say, your interest rate…) if you default on another, completely non credit card related ... all are expected to act on Thursday. Consumer groups say practices of credit card companies blindside [more...]
Date: 2008-12-15 03:05:04
How to Eliminate Rising Credit Card Interest Rates
Beginning until July 2010, new credit card regulations become effective which are designed to protect consumers against arbitrary increases in interest rates and other unfair practices. There should be doubts however, if these new rules will really help at all. Why would these doubts exist? [more...]
Date: 2009-01-06 18:24:10
Is Debt Consolidation The Right Choice For You?
by William Blake Debt consolidation means to combine several small debts into one single payment per month in order to lower monthly payments or high interest rates. Typically, consumers will consolidate credit card debt, medical bills ... rate and create payments that are more manageable. Keep in mind that for debt consolidation [more...]
Date: 2008-10-27 12:23:33
New Regulation on Credit Card Unfair Practices Approved
This week, the Federal Reserve, the Office of Thrift Supervision, and the National Credit Union Administration, ... or Practices, by financial institutions in connection with consumer credit card accounts and overdraft ... until a payment is over 30 days late. I always understood credit card rates to be variable, meaning [more...]
Date: 2008-12-20 18:34:48
Reining in Harmful Credit Card Practices
By Karen Harris, Supervising Attorney Medical emergencies, unexpected events, job loss, ... risk” consumer’s ability to pay off credit card debt may be exacerbated by the likelihood of unexpected ... or other credit card debts pay higher interest rates or have other penalties or restrictions placed [more...]
Date: 2009-01-09 18:20:42
Bogus and Scam Credit Counseling Groups Become Target Of Florida Legal System
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Attorney General Bill McCollum today unveiled his office’s latest consumer protection initiative in the form of a coordinated ... , all of which were purportedly offering debt relief services including credit counseling, credit repair, debt management, and credit card rate reduction services. “As more Floridians facing financial [more...]
Date: 2008-10-21 05:39:01
What You Should Do To Find Out About Raising Credit Rating Before You’re Left Behind
The recent rise in consumer debt has many people in this country struggling to get credit of any type, however, ... to get a loan or credit card but invariably these cost the consumer more because of their situation ... for lenders with low credit loans. What most consumers do not realize is the more often you apply [more...]
Date: 2008-11-25 14:10:28
Debt relief Deals “attack on the confidence of consumers”
How’d you to your monthly credit card payments and loans - guaranteed? ... said Carol creditors can lower their interest rates. Carol, who can pay their credit card, mortgages ... rate or reduce the amount you are liable. But beware! Some of these programs are debt relief Scams [more...]
Date: 2008-07-18 10:38:03
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