Author Archives: Steve Rhode
- Accredited Debt Relief and InCharge Debt Solutions Advice Needed. Should I Go With Them? – Ashley
I read your article about incharge and accredited debt relief and i acutally have a time set up to speck with a guy named Ted at accredited. Can i send you a copy of the terms and see what you think. My husband and i are trying to determine if we should use them or [...]
- FTC Gets Contempt Ruling Against Promoter of Credit Repair and Debt Relief Services
At the request of the Federal Trade Commission, a U.S. district court issued a contempt ruling against promoters of credit repair, debt relief, and food stamp services who violated a 2010 settlement with the FTC. The court ordered the defendants to pay for refunds to consumers they harmed, in violation of the court order. The [...]
- Credit Card Delinquencies Fall by End of 2011
The national credit card delinquency rate (the ratio of borrowers 90 or more days past due) reached 0.78% in the fourth quarter of 2011, a drop of almost 5% from the same period one year ago and continuing well below historical norms. Not great news for debt relief providers. Average credit card debt per borrower [...]
- Debt Advice and Debt Help Less Needed Survey Shows
A survey by Bankrate.com that was conducted at the beginning of February, 2012, which found people are feeling more confident about their financial standing. That’s good news for a rebounding economy. Bad news for debt advice providers. The most shocking figure for me, in a positive way, was that more than 70 percent report having [...]
- Bankruptcy Filings Set to Rise in Canada
Canadians are facing a projected increase in personal bankruptcies in 2012. Experts say this is due to an increase in lower paying jobs that just won’t allow people to make ends meet on those wages. Benjamin Tal of CIBC World Markets said, “Note that in recent years, the number of proposals … has risen dramatically, [...]
- Consumer Law Group Sued by Florida Attorney General as a Debt Settlement Loopholer
A tipster just sent me a copy of a recent case filed by the Attorney General of Florida against Consumer Law Group, Michael Metzner, David Ran Barnea, Ran Barnea, and Daniel Post. This seems to be an excellent case of the advanced fee debt settlement legal model, unraveling. It was not all that long ago [...]
- Fake Debt Collectors from India, Stopped
In December of 2009 I wrote Frightening Calls From Fake Debt Collectors Threaten People With Jail for Payday Loans. It’s a Scam. Since that time people have been receiving an increasing number of brazen calls from fake and phony debt collectors threatening jail or arrest. The names and telephone numbers these fake debt collectors literally [...]
- Citizens Financial Group – Consumer Complaint – 2-21-2012 (2)
Date You Feel You Were Scammed: September 6, 2011 State You Live in: Ohio Race/Ethnicity: White Age Range: 51-65 Total Amount of Fee Paid: $2,500 Company Name: Citizens Financial Group Company Address: 40 North Central Ave Ste 1400 Phoenix, AZ 85004 Company Telephone Number: 866-573-2890 Website of Company: citizensfg.com Consumer Statement: I was promised by [...]
- Scam Alert – Beware of People Promising Help or Money From Mortgage Company Settlements
It appears consumers are receiving calls from telemarketers claiming they are eligible to receive part of the $25 billion settlement a number of states reached with mortgage servicers and foreclosure servicers. Callers are requesting the bank account information to direct deposit funds into the consumers account from the government settlement fund. It is a scam. [...]
- Can I Accept Responsibility and Pay Off My Debts Without My Husband’s Assistance? – Debt
I am 47 years old with credit card debts totally about 15K and Student Loans in excess of 30K. I married my husband 2 years ago in order to provide health insurance for him and his son due to employment changes. Shortly after our marriage, my employer decided to close the doors where I was [...]
- Should I File Bankruptcy After My Divorce? – Marie
I was married for 11 years. My credit was always in good standing and I paid my bills on time. My now ex-husband and I kept all of our banking and credit card accounts separate. Reason being is that his credit was really bad. Due to helping bail him out of financial disasters over the [...]
- Pre-Bankruptcy Credit Counseling Certificate: Need One? I Found the Cheapest Class Online Here
Bankruptcy Counseling First let me say that the entire idea of requiring consumers to have to get a pre-bankruptcy credit counseling certificate in order to file bankruptcy is ridiculous. It was ridiculous in 2005 when they passed the law, it’s ridiculous today. The requirement for people to complete some mandatory pre-bankruptcy counseling class was originally [...]
- Living With In-Laws, Deep in Debt, Husband in Denial, Marriage on the Rocks, and I Need Debt Relief! – Sharla
My husband and I both have federal student loan debts (US Dept of Ed and Sallie Mae). We have already each consolidated and are on 20 year repayment terms. He used credit card in college so we had $8000 credit card debt when we began our marriage. We were able to make payments, but have [...]
- Student Loan Public Service Loan Forgiveness – New Forms and Documentation Released
The Department of Education has released new forms and documentation to assist government backed student loan holders with getting their loans discharged through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. The new documents include updated information on eligible loans: Any non-defaulted loan made under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program (Direct Loan Program) [...]
- The Super Duper How to Switch Banks Step-By-Step Guide
Flexo (aka Flexo) has a new post over on his tremendous site that gives you a set-by-step approach to switching banks. Seems more people are taking steps to vote with their money against bank policies they don’t agree with and beat feet to another bank. As Flexo says: With automated banking, direct deposits, and pre-authorized [...]