Question: Dear Steve, When we moved out we gave the apartment our new address and asked them to send the final bill because they did not have it available. This was in January 2015. I tried calling a handful of times and couldn’t reach the apartment complex. In May, we had not received a bill …
The Federal Deposit Insurance Commission (FDIC) recently released their latest findings on how people deal with managing their money. I’m not talking about high level issues like which mutual fund provides a better return, but like do you have a savings account. As a consumer debt expert the information is disturbing in two ways for …
As tax season rolls around it’s no surprise to see tax refund check cashing schemes arising in the news. Announced Monday was the filing of a criminal Information charging defendants Wilson Lau, and his wife, Kate Yuee Lau, for their participation in a check cashing scheme involving more than $5 million in fraudulently obtained tax …
Yesterday, an Ohio resident was indicted for allegedly engaging in a fraud scheme that promised to fund more than $500 million in mortgage loans to around 20 churches and a dozen small businesses across the country. The man, Jamal Lawson, fraudulently obtained more than $300,000 in advance fees that he used for personal expenses instead …
Yesterday the Better Business Bureau (BBB) put put a warning of an “instant cash” Las Vegas company, Funds Direct, that are allegedly debiting consumer’s accounts $30 without authorization. Complaints filed by consumers are saying that their accounts are having direct withdrawals taken but that they have never had any contact or even heard of Funds …
A United State district court has shut down two related operations who apparently failed to provide promised debt relief services and jeopardized clients’ privacy by at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)’s request. Apparently one firm charged consumers a $1,495 up front fee for a mortgage relief assistance program that was never given as well as …
“Dear Andy, Tried twice to to get a modification with BOA with no success,have ask a law firm to help, but cant find any info on the firm Should I retain this law firm from calif. THEY WHAT THREE PAYMENTS ONE TO START, THEN ONE IN THE MIDDLE AND THE REST AT THE END. 1500-1000-500. …
“Steve, Thank you for the compassionate help you provide to your readers. Your extensive knowledge of financial matters and the integrity and honesty with which you answer readers, telling it like it is with no beating around the bush, is a rare commodity. Keep up the good work! I have read your website extensively and …
Here is an interesting excerpt from an interview with Elizabeth Warren, Esq. FC: I understand that at one point you pursued an entrepreneurial path to reform the consumer financial products market. EW: The short version is that I studied the economics of the middle class and I began to see that credit products were becoming …
“Dear Steve, I was offered to apply for overdraft protection on a checking account via telephone. As it turned out, all overdraft payments were actually cash advances, therefore high interest rates. But this is the problem. My wife recently got her annual credit report and found that the bank had this on her credit as …