Many people in our modern society live from paycheck to paycheck. Most of them do not even see where the money they earn from a month long work goes a day after the payday. A lot of them are in deep financial trouble and are already in the brink of filing for bankruptcy. Is this what you really need or do you still want to get back your good financial standing? Debt consolidation refinance may be what you need.
Let us learn a little about debt consolidation refinance. First benefit you will from debt consolidation refinance is that it may help eliminate harassment from creditor. It may also help lower payments and design an easy one monthly payment. Once you take advantage of debt consolidation, it may help avoid filing for the dreaded bankruptcy. You may get back your life and you credit worthiness.
You may need a debt consolidation refinance when you feel that your monthly obligation becomes difficult to manage. It may be able to help avoid being subject to huge and unrealistically high late payments charges and interest rates that burden you. Debt consolidation refinance is also necessary when you start to notice that even after making your monthly payments your balance still remains the same. A part from it, debt consolidation will avoid bankruptcy and keep you in good credit shape.
If you own a home, you may apply for a debt consolidation refinance against you home. Thus, you will only pay one creditor every month. You may also get a little relief and free up some cash by worrying only for payments of your newly structured consolidation debt. You may also be more diligent in paying your debt consolidation refinance when you know that you will loose the roof over your head if you miss on your payments to your debt consolidation refinance.
Finally, when in your assessment, a debt consolidation refinance is what you need; you may want to find a reputable and respectable debt consolidation company. Avoid loan sharks who will offer to help you in your debt consolidation refinance but will apply huge interest rates. They may give you stiff monthly payment terms and charge you double what other lending institution may charge for their services. This is not the debt consolidation company you want to deal with. If you can, find a non-profit debt consolidation company or lending institution that may give you the best options when you need a debt consolidation refinance. Only entrust your home to respectable and ethical lending institution to help you in the debt consolidation refinance.
Ensure you will not loose you home and will definitely keep back you credit standing. The smart choice in debt consolidation refinance may also help free up some cash and help you sleep not worrying for harassing calls from creditors.
Even when you find the non-profit lending institution for your debt consolidation refinance, you may need to scrutinize their offer. You may want to check the interest rates they recommend. Check also the length of the payment terms and the charges for their services. When you feel comfortable with the terms, only then can you sign a document sealing your agreement for a debt consolidation refinance.
It may also be a recommendation that if you have a regular eight to five job,
you may ask the debt consolidation company for a little relief, may be you
do not need to put your home as collateral. If they can arrange for your debt
consolidations refinance without your home as collateral, maybe this is a neat
deal.
The Fed Proposes a Rules to Limit Credit Card Fees
The Federal Reserve has proposed a rule that would limit penalty credit card fees - those fees that are imposed when you default on your credit card, e.g. miss a payment. Right now, credit card companies are charging the maximum penalty fee to the majority of their customers. If it's passed by Congress, the new rule could end that practice.
The rule would stop credit card companies from charing fees that are more than the violation. For example, if you go over your limit by $5, your maximum over-the-limit fee would be $5. The rule would stop inactivity fees and prevent cardholders from being charged multiple times for one violation.
You can let the Federal Reserve know what you think about the proposed rule by commenting at their website. Make sure you leave a comment for R-1584.
The Fed Proposes a Rules to Limit Credit Card Fees originally appeared on About.com Credit / Debt Management on Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 02:10:52.
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...(more)Watch Out for Unauthorized Charges From iTunes
Note: This news story came out last year, but many readers are still facing problems with fraudulent charges from iTunes.
A MyFox New York story warns about fraudulent credit card and check card charges that appear to be from iTunes. The first signs of the fraud include charges or pending authorizations from a APL*ITUNES business for $1.00 which might seem to be accurate or an email for gift card receipts that were purchased with your account. The fraud is happening to a wide-variety of people who may or may not have an iTunes account. From the news story:
The high-tech scam has claimed victims from New York to California. At the heart of it all is Apple's wildly popular iTunes. Victims say it starts with an unexpected e-mail for purchases they never made. That's how Rachel Katz from Manhattan found out, "I got two emails thanking me for my purchase."
But by the time victims get the e-mail receipt it's usually too late. The receipts appear to be legitimate, and come from Apple, generated by the user's iTunes account. The receipts show purchases for iTunes electronic gift certificates and charges that hit checking accounts, credit cards or PayPal depending on what the user has linked to his or her iTunes account.
Some of the thieves wait for the $1.00 charge to complete before hitting the account with even higher charges. Sending an initial small charge through first allows the thief to determine whether the account is legitimate.
Many victims of the fraud are having trouble fixing the situation. Neither the banks nor Paypal nor Apple accept ownership. Meanwhile, victims are left without hundreds, even thousands of dollars.
Brett Larson with MyFox recommends deleting your credit card information from iTunes. Instead, he suggests you fund your account with an iTunes gift card. The cards can be purchased from many retailers like Wal-Mart, Target, and Best Buy. Or, you can make iTunes purchases with single-use credit card number available from your credit card company.
I just deleted my credit card information from iTunes by going to Store --> View My Account. I clicked on Edit Payment information and next to "Credit Card" I selected the radio button next to "None."
If you notice an authorization or charges from Apl*itunes, contact your bank immediately. Here are some Tips to Avoid Credit Card Scams and information about disputing inaccurate credit card charges.
via Consumerist
Watch Out for Unauthorized Charges From iTunes originally appeared on About.com Credit / Debt Management on Saturday, March 6th, 2010 at 02:05:33.
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...(more)Are Some Creditors Trying to Hide the True Cost of Credit?
Credit card issuers are now required to include credit card repayment time and cost on the front of your billing statement, but they may be trying to skirt that new requirement.
Credit card issuers are now required to give a minimum payment warning letting you know just how much you'll end up paying in interest if you make the minimum payment on your credit card. They also have to clearly state late payment penalties including late fees and penalty rates. Both these disclosures are supposed to be printed on the front of your billing statement.
The rule applies to printed statements and if you check your billing statement online, you might not see the warnings unless you download the PDF version of your statement. Could this be the real reason why some private-label credit card issuers started charging consumers a dollar to receive paper statements?
CreditCards.com reports that back in December of 2009, retailers who issue through Alliance Data Systems gave cardholders the option to get their statements online or pay $1 for paper statements. Of course, there'll be some customers to pay the fee because they can't or won't check their accounts online. The ones who opt for online statements could miss out on vital information about how much they're paying for credit.
Are Some Creditors Trying to Hide the True Cost of Credit? originally appeared on About.com Credit / Debt Management on Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 02:42:48.
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...(more)Credit card skimming is a type of credit card theft that allows thieves to steal your credit card information without stealing your credit card. After being hidden in ATMs and other credit card machines, credit card skimmers collect your data in what would have been a legitimate transaction. Waiters, retail clerks, and other customer service representatives can hold skimmers in their hands and swipe when you're not paying attention. Learn more about credit card skimming, how to recognize a skimmer, and how to avoid the theft.
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Beware Credit Card Skimming originally appeared on About.com Credit / Debt Management on Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 at 00:18:06.
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...(more)5 Ways to Spend Your Tax Refund
It's tax season and for many taxpayers that means a tax refund is due. If you know you're getting a refund, you've probably already started thinking about how you're going to spend it. Buying consumer goods would stimulate the economy, but paying off some credit card debt would stimulate your get-out-of-debt plan. See 5 Ways to Spend Your Tax Refund for some ideas on what you can do with this year's income tax refund.
5 Ways to Spend Your Tax Refund originally appeared on About.com Credit / Debt Management on Saturday, February 27th, 2010 at 00:18:53.
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