We’ve all seen them. Those offers to cover us if we are sick, laid off or injured and unable to make our credit card payments. Over the years, for every one person that has told me they have received some payment or benefit from the program, there have probably been 500 more that have not. The new Consumer Financial Protection ... Read More »

Photo Credit: Sebastianlund In the last year there has been quite a lot of news about the mortgage industry using a technique called robo-signing. This is where a person is supposed to review documents to proceed against a homeowner and foreclose on their home but in fact never examines the information to see if it is accurate. Rather than check ... Read More »

The following is an excerpt of a question from a CRN educational subscriber that was sent to his CRN specialist and forwarded to me for my take on the issues raised. I think it is a compelling topic so I am sharing the questions and concerns and the response I gave. Question: “What is Consumer Recovery Networks take on increasingly ... Read More »

West Virginia Attorney General Darrell McGraw announces a settlement his office reached with Capital One Bank (USA) N.A.; Capital One Service, LLC, a Delaware corporation; Capital One Services II, LLC; Capital One Services III, LLC; COSI Receivables Management, Inc. (collectively Capital One), to resolve claims involving credit card practices in place prior to January 1, 2006. In 2005, the Attorney ... Read More »

For anyone who has spent more than a few minutes on the GetOutOfDebt.org site you easily come to the conclusion that it is primarily about getting rid of debt but getting out of debt is more than just about eliminating your bills. Getting out of debt is also about not getting into overwhelming debt. One way to do this is ... Read More »

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is soliciting feedback and comments from consumers about a news and simpler format for credit card agreement. That’s a terrific idea. Even more impressive is the public database they maintain with over 300 current agreements from banks all over the U.S. The CFPB is soliciting comments and you can post one online right here. ... Read More »

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released a report today on the first three months of collecting consumer complaint information about credit card issues. Of the 5,074 complaints received by the CFPB, 83.8$ were forwarded to the credit card issuer. Of those forwarded to the credit card issuers, 74% were reported as a full or partial resolution. 71% of the ... Read More »

Kara Singleton Adams, from Georgia, was found guilty last week on charges of wire fraud, conspiracy, and structuring financial transactions, relating to a $25 million nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme. Already convicted in this scheme are three co-defendants including Adams’ husband, Jason James Eyer, James Adolph Schoenholz, and Brittany Dunphy. All three pleaded guilty to related charges before Adams’ trial and ... Read More »

It’s often not a parent’s first thought to check the credit report of their minor child, however, it may now become a necessity. Not because a child may fraudulently be using credit without their parents’ knowledge but because scammers may have stolen their unused Social Security number and identity. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) put out a warning last week ... Read More »

When I was 8 years old my dad took me into Citibank to open my very first savings account. He said it would teach me the value of a dollar and the importance of saving. I don’t remember how much I started my account with and if I deposited on a regular basis but I do remember being the talk ... Read More »

I’m always surprised when I give people my credit card number and then they ask me if it’s a Visa or MasterCard. These thing have some logic behind them but everybody doesn’t know the secrets to the codes. If you reach into your wallet you’ll find that all your Visa cards will begin with a 4. All your MasterCards will ... Read More »

It was only a matter of time before credit card companies entered the location-based, social media scene. It was announced today that American Express and Foursquare have officially teamed up. I remember when Foursquare hit the scene back in 2009. “This is stupid” I said. “Why would I want anyone to know where I am? This won’t last” Wrong. A ... Read More »

The Federal Reserve has recently proposed new rules in credit card lending to only consider one’s personal income and not the household’s income. Essentially, this sounds smart. They are trying to prohibit those without a steady income from taking on credit, especially those unable to repay their debt. However, Margaret Ryznar points out an outstanding point in her most recent ... Read More »

Ever wonder how effective tearing up an unwanted credit card offer is? Many will just tear it in half, or even tiny pieces, throw it in the garbage and never think of it again. However, how easy would it be for a criminal to get a hold of your garbage and tape it back together? So many of us think, ... Read More »

One of my favorite blogs, the Consumer Law & Policy Blog announced this morning that the GAO has completed their report on credit and debt protection products sold to consumers by credit card companies. You know, these are the credit protection plans that are sold to cover you in case you can’t pay the bill or are injured or laid ... Read More »