Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Credit crackdown gets personal
Lenders are securing access to ever more personal data when deciding whether to offer credit cards and loans, and lapses that would have had little effect on a credit rating a year ago are being used to deny credit.
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Monday, February 25, 2008
Introduction to Debt Management
1. Lower payments by up to 50 percent.2. Pay off debt in 36 to 60 months.3. Rebuild credit rating.4. Stop harassing phone calls and letters.
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Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Have Rate Cuts Reached Your Credit Card?
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Sunday, February 17, 2008
Folks need to curb love affair with debt
Intellectually, we know it's wrong to want to keep up with the Joneses. In an economic downswing like the one we're having now, we learn that the Joneses aren't really so well off themselves. Their accumulation of bling has made them as broke as anyone else. And yet it's still hard to watch others amass stuff without feeling envious. Or worse, it can make you feel like a financial failure by comparison.
That's what one person was feeling when she wrote to me during the chat. She opened with: "Michelle, I need you to smack me on the head, PLEASE."
I liked the use of all caps for "please." It meant she knew the answer but just needed confirmation.
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Thursday, February 14, 2008
Contest takes swipe at credit card debt
College students are vulnerable to credit-card debt, the union said, since banks market heavily to them. "Including the nation's largest bank by deposits, Bank of America," the union said, singling out the Charlotte bank.
The video contest is open to students in middle school, high school, college and grad school.
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Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Kerry Bill Would Ease Small Business Credit Crunch
The mortgage crisis that is forcing hundreds of thousands of families to sell their homes or face foreclosure is now preventing many small businesspeople from getting the financing they need to start or grow their businesses, said Kerry.
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Monday, February 11, 2008
Your credit rating explained
Each agency will provide more detailed information - including in some cases instant, continuing and online access to your file - for a higher fee.
Correcting any mistakes
You have the right to dispute inaccurate information on your credit file, and to have errors corrected. But you cannot get information removed just because you find it embarrassing.
If there is negative information on your file about people in your family with whom you have no financial connection, you can ask the agencies to "disassociate" you from them.
If you want to dispute the accuracy of something else on your file, first contact the relevant creditor. If the information is wrong, it must update its internal records and notify the credit reference agencies it deals with, usually within 28 days.
A Free Credit Check that Doesn't Decrease Your Credit Score
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Sunday, February 10, 2008
Eliminate Credit Card Debt
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Saturday, February 9, 2008
Popular credit rating system to change
Three years ago, he sent in his monthly mortgage payment as usual, but it got lost in the mail. He thought the problem was history after he paid the overdue balance the next month. But when he got his credit report last month, he found the single late payment with a note that it was negatively affecting his credit score. Friedrich, 53, an accountant who lives in Glen Oaks, wasn't happy, even though his score was still an impressive 790 out of 850.
"I think it was improper," said Friedrich, who contested the blemish and hopes it won't appear on future reports, which he checks yearly. "It was a single late payment that wasn't my fault. It was the post office's fault."
Friedrich, however, probably won't have to worry about the late payment affecting his score when he pulls his credit report this coming December.
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Friday, February 8, 2008
Freezing Your Credit Report
Finding out you have been a victim can leave you feeling helpless. The problem is so widespread now, that the state of Tennessee has taken action.
There is a new law on the books you might not know about that could be your best defense, permanently freezing your credit report.
In the past, people have been able to temporarily freeze their credit for a few months at a time, after becoming an identity theft victim. But now, a new law allows you to be proactive to protect your finances.
Denise Mustiful-Martin, a doctor from Collierville, has been the victim of identity theft twice.
"I was angry, betrayed. You get kind of cynical and you want retribution."
Both times, someone in her office did the dirty work, stealing thousands of dollars. In one case, the officer worker took the routing and account number from her business checks and ordered new ones, then started cashing them.
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