Frozen HELOC
by Gerry Manning
I thought I'd share some more tidbits with you, for whatever they might be worth. So far, I've been reading the handwriting on the wall with 20-20 vision. Back in the spring, when Countrywide and WaMu were reported to have sent out hundreds of thousands of letters freezing people's HELOC accounts, I told my wife to immediately draw out the full limit on our GMAC one. She didn't like the idea, because we didn't need the money, but went along with my judgment on the matter (will wonders never cease?)
DebtSmart Email Newsletter: 2/3/09
by DebtSmart Email Newsletter
Letter from the publisher; Cool Quote; Pickup Payments; STATISTIC: Debt Collector Complaints; The Case for Walking Away; Avoiding The Credit Card Over-The-Limit Fee; "Another bank 'shafting,' courtesy of BofA"; Banks Make Rewards Plans Less Rewarding; Household Math™: Before the tip; Teaching children the value of money; The new rules of car buying
Capital One, and other, banks’ tactics that might shock you
by Scott Bilker
I called myself to try and keep the account open and, for the most part, the banks are not agreeing. They tell me that, "these decisions are in response to the current credit crisis." Gee, I'm thinking that, "huh, the banks blew it to the tune of $300 billion because of bad decision making and now, they're next move is to close the accounts of they're profitable, and potentially profitable customers." Yeah, that's a good move--duh! What are they thinking! Talk about cutting your nose off.
DebtSmart Email Newsletter: 1/21/09
by DebtSmart Email Newsletter
Letter from the publisher; Cool Quote; Capital One, and other, banks’ tactics that might shock you; STATISTIC: Borrowing Down; Virtual Assistant; The Cost of Clutter; "Needless to say, I was pleased."; How Real People Grow Their Wealth; Household Math™: Compounded Daily vs. Monthly; Is your credit score costing you a fortune?; A dozen ways to save after wage cuts or job loss
The Cost of Clutter
by Jill Cooper
We live in a society of extremes. People seem to be extremely in debt, extremely overweight and extremely disorganized. People everywhere are trying to come up with new and better solutions to solve these problems but not many of their ideas are working. It's because they are focusing on the wrong problem. For example, if your child comes to you and says "I have a drug problem." You don't sit them down and say, "Well let's work on a way to get your grades up and then we'll work on your drug problem." How foolish that would be. The real problem is not the grades but the drugs. You take care of the drugs and the chances are pretty good that the grades will come up.
DebtSmart Email Newsletter: 1/7/09
by DebtSmart Email Newsletter
Letter from the publisher; Cool Quote; Refinancing your mortgage; STATISTIC: How Students Use Credit Cards; ID Theft Expert: A Consumer’s Guide to ID Theft Awareness and Avoidance; Paying Your Bills On Time; "Citibank did try to up my rate by sneaking..."; You can make money on YouTube; Household Math™: Job Offers; Credit Card Minimum Payments; Ten Tips for Boosting Your Credit Score in 2009
DebtSmart Email Newsletter: 12/24/08
by DebtSmart Email Newsletter
Letter from the publisher; Cool Quote; Negotiation persistence saves $21,000; STATISTIC: Credit Card Use Drops; New Rules Requiring an Automated Voice or Keypress Opt-Out for Recorded Message Telemarketing Calls Take Effect 12/1/08; Fraud Alerts and Fraud Freezes; "My credit score is soaring"; Bad Credit Hotel; Household Math™: Timing Is Everything; Organize Your Children and Save Your Sanity; If Dad Can Do It Himself, Maybe He Shouldn't
Fraud Alerts and Fraud Freezes
by Andy Jolls
An alert places a statement on your credit report so that if a fraudster attempts to obtain credit in your name, the creditor, in checking your credit, will encounter a statement that says something to this effect: “I may be a victim of fraud. Call me at my phone number before extending credit.” By calling you, the creditor ensures more security.
Debt smart credit card rules adopted by federal regulators
by Scott Bilker
I can't believe it! It appears that we consumers have received a major holiday gift this season.Government regulators adopted sweeping new rules for the credit card industry. Finally, rules that protect consumers! This is certainly a time for celebration, because it's the first time in decades that consumers have received protection from some of the most terrible practices of these banks. I am excited, however, these rules don't go into effect until July 2010. My only fear is that the banks will figure out a way to get around these changes by that time.
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