Monday, December 26, 2011

Banks not lending? Corporate borrowing soars in 2011

Consumers may be cutting debt and banks may be tightening up their balance sheets, but borrowing by U.S. corporations is in full swing.

At a time when the popular narrative centers on how tight-fisted banks are getting with their lending, end-of-year data for syndicated loans tell a different story.

Corporations use syndicated loans for longer-term financing. The loans usually are provided by a group of deep-pocketed lenders who can distribute liability among them and thus decrease their risk. Big Wall Street investment banks are usually the source of such loans.

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Sunday, December 25, 2011

How to Pay Off Your Christmas Debt in 2012

For many people, Christmas shopping is a must and the holidays will never be complete without spending.  But before the year ends, ask yourself, “Will you be stress-free come 2012 or will you find yourself stuck in deep holiday debt that would be difficult to get out of?

In case, you do find yourself stuck in debt, be sure to act quickly and do not delay paying off your Christmas debt.  On this post, we present practical tips on how you can become debt free at the soonest time possible. 
Check your report. As a consumer, you have the right to request for a free copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus.  You can exercise this right at the start of 2012 especially if you used credit cards to shop. Thus, you can check the status of all your accounts and make sure that the charges are correct. 

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Charities focus on water for Christmas

Christmas is all wet. Not all wet as in humbug and Scrooge. All wet as in water.

Clean, accessible water for the world’s poor is one of the hottest causes of the season.

December donors who open their hearts and wallets will send millions of dollars flowing to villages and urban slums in Africa, South Asia and Central America.

And, drop by drop, lives are changed. Countless children are spared killer waterborne diseases. Countless women are spared backbreaking hours fetching water in 40-pound, 5-gallon plastic jugs.

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Thursday, December 22, 2011

European banks retreat from U.S. property sector

(Reuters) - In September, German bank Eurohypo and developer Forest City Enterprises Inc (FCEa.N) were negotiating a $65 million loan for 9 MetroTech, part of a 11-building office campus in Brooklyn, New York.

By October, the European bank told Forest City to find another lender, according to sources familiar with the talks. A month later, Eurohypo announced it was halting lending for U.S. commercial real estate altogether.

Eurohypo is not alone. Many European banks are retreating from the United States property market to deal with problems at home.

With other lenders also pulling back from the market, borrowing costs for property developers and buyers could jump, said Michael Higgins, managing director and head of U.S. real estate finance for CIBC World Markets Inc.

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Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Ratings agency Fitch warns US of possible credit downgrade

The ratings agency Fitch has warned that it may downgrade America's triple-A credit rating unless action was taken to reduce federal debt.

Fitch said the country's rising debt burden was not consistent with maintaining its top rating, but said it would probably not make a decision before 2013.

Last month, Fitch changed its US credit rating outlook to negative from stable, citing the failure of a special congressional committee to agree on at least $1.2tn in deficit-reduction measures.

"Federal debt will rise in the absence of expenditure and tax reforms that would address the challenges of rising health and social security spending as the population ages," Fitch said in a statement on Wednesday.

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Thursday, December 15, 2011

Prosecution: Gervasi swimming in red ink before arson

Using personal bank accounts and bankruptcy records, prosecutors Wednesday attempted to portray former Scranton firefighter Thomas S. Gervasi as a man drowning in red ink who was routinely hit with late fees on mortgage payments and awash in credit card debt totaling more than $139,000.

On one American Express credit card, he owed $26,989; on a second American Express card, he owed $31,045, according to his court papers filed in 2004 seeking Chapter 13 bankruptcy protection.

Mr. Gervasi's case was later dismissed when he stopped making the $350 monthly payments he was required to pay, said attorney Jim Jones, a bankruptcy court trustee. As a result, Mr. Gervasi's case was thrown out of court and all outstanding debt he tried to discharge in the bankruptcy remained against him, Mr. Jones said.

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Wednesday, December 14, 2011

How to Manage Holiday Credit Card Debt

The best way to avoid bad debt is to plan your expenses, set a definite budget, and stick within your limit.  But what if you find yourself stuck in credit card debt after the holidays?  What can you do to get yourself out of the situation?  On this post, we present tips for cardholders on how to manage debt:

1. Check your accounts. Make sure that there are no incorrect charges in any of your accounts, especially if you have balances on multiple credit cards.  In case you find errors, call up your credit card issuer immediately to dispute the charges.  This way, you can be sure that you are not paying for debts you did not owe.

2. Prioritize your debts.  If you are dealing with multiple credit card debt, see which of your accounts have the highest rate.  If possible, pay off your full balance on this account to stop debt from further accumulating.  Be sure to submit the minimum due payment on the credit cards that you can’t pay in full to avoid late fees.  Afterwards, you can work on paying off your debts from one card to the next. 

Read more How to Manage Holiday Credit Card Debt

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Thursday, December 8, 2011

E-Books, Credit Cards, Ahold, Cordray Nomination: Compliance

Dec. 8 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. is probing the possibility of anticompetitive practices in the e-book industry, Sharis Pozen, the acting chief of the U.S. Justice Department’s antitrust division told a House committee in Washington yesterday.

European antitrust regulators are probing whether Apple Inc.’s pricing deals with publishers restrict competition, according to a statement from the European Union on Dec. 6. They are investigating arrangements with five e-book publishers and publishers’ deals with retailers, the commission said.

The publishers are Lagardere SCA’s Hachette Livre, News Corp.’s HarperCollins, CBS Corp.’s Simon & Schuster, Pearson Plc’s Penguin and Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck GmbH’s Macmillan division.

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Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Understanding the Credit Card Approval Process

Are you planning to get a new credit card this year?  If yes, understanding the credit card approval process will help you in choosing the right card for you. On this post, let us discuss the step-by-step process of applying for a credit card.

Comparison.  There are many types of credit cards in the market and it’s important to choose a card that complements your personal needs and lifestyle.  There are credit cards that are especially created for students and some credit cards offer different reward programs.

Some credit cards strictly require good or excellent credit so if you have a poor score, you should look for credit cards for bad credit.  It’s important to understand that submitting an application for a credit card that strictly requires good credit will only lead to rejection.  Thus, before applying for your chosen credit card, you must first make sure that you meet all the issuer’s requirements.

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Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Bernanke denies hiding size of crisis loans

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke denied Tuesday that he had hidden the true size of the bank’s emergency lending to Wall Street from Congress and the American people.

A recent article by Bloomberg News garnered widespread attention by reporting that the Fed had lent or guaranteed more than $7.7 trillion to ailing banks during the financial crisis and that banks had earned an estimated $13 billion of income by taking advantage of cheap Fed credit.

In a letter to Congress, Bernanke said that article, and many others, “contain a variety of errors and mistakes.”

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Monday, December 5, 2011

SEC probes financing of new Marlins stadium

MIAMI (AP) – The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating the financing of the Miami Marlins' new downtown stadium.

SEC subpoenas to the city and Miami-Dade County are seeking a long list of documents and records, including those involving meetings and communications between government officials and executives with the Marlins and Major League Baseball.

The executives include baseball commissioner Bud Selig, ex-MLB president Robert DuPuy, Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria and the team's president, David Samson. Copies of the subpoenas, dated last week, were provided Monday by city and county officials to The Associated Press.

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Sunday, December 4, 2011

How to Buy A Used Car With Bad Credit

If you need to buy a car but with bad credit, finding an affordable package can prove to be a challenge.  Many lenders charge high interest rates on car loans for people with bad credit to make up for the risk.  Hence, buying a used car rather than a brand new vehicle can enable you to save some cash.  On this post, let’s take a look at more tips on how you can find a reasonable bad credit car loan deal.

Check your latest credit report.  Order the latest copy of your report so you’ll know exactly where you stand.  Some car dealers may try to take advantage of you by saying that you have a much lower score and that you cannot qualify for a better deal.  Bringing a copy of your report when visiting a dealership’s location will protect you against such lies.

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Thursday, December 1, 2011

Credit Card Complaints Keep Coming, Says CFPB Report

Even though last year's financial reform was supposed to make credit cards more transparent, consumers are still complaining about interest rates, billing disputes and confusing credit card terms.

A sizable minority of the more than 5,000 complaints about credit cards submitted to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau between mid-July and mid-October involved issues that were supposedly addressed by the CARD Act, signed into law in February 2010. The law required greater clarity in the language of credit card agreements and gave consumers a longer grace period to pay balances before incurring late fees, among other provisions.

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Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Wise Spending Tips for the Holidays

The last few months of the year is considered to be the most profitable season for many merchants and businesses.  With four different holidays fast approaching, the Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year – many consumers are willing to spend a little more despite the limited budget.

Are you ready to face the holidays this year?  How can you survive the season without getting stuck in bad debt?  Consider the following suggestions:

Zero in your credit card balances.  Before the holiday season comes, make sure that you have no remaining balance in any of your credit card accounts.  If you’re planning to use your credit cards for holiday shopping, it’s best to start with zero balance. 

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Monday, November 28, 2011

Report: Banks earned $13B from secret Fed loans amid crisis

Providing what it calls "a fresh narrative" of the financial crisis, Bloomberg Markets Magazine reports that banks earned $13 billion in secret cut-rate loans from the Federal Reserve and that one day in early December 2008 they needed $1.2 trillion to stay afloat.

As of March 2009, toting up loan guarantees and lending limits, the Fed had committed $7.77 trillion to rescuing the financial system. That was "more than half the value of everything produced in the U.S. that year," Bloomberg writes.

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Sunday, November 27, 2011

The other student loan problem: too little debt

LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Jesse Yeh uses the University of California-Berkeley library instead of buying textbooks. He scrounges for free food at campus events and occasionally skips meals. He's stopped exercising and sleeps five to six hours per night so he can take 21 credits — a course load so heavy he had to get special permission from a dean.

The only thing he won't do: take out a student loan.

"I see a lot of my friends who took out student loans, then they graduated and because of the economy right now they still couldn't find a job," said the third-year student, whose parents both lost their jobs in 2009 and who grew up in the boom-and-bust town of Victorville, Calif., on a block with several houses in foreclosure. "The debt burden is really heavy on them."

Even as college prices and average student loan debt rise, educators in some sectors of higher education report they're also seeing plenty of students like Yeh. After watching debt cause widespread damage in their families and communities, they're determined to avoid loans no matter what.

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Thursday, November 24, 2011

U.S. House votes to raise FHA loan limits

WASHINGTON, Nov 17 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday approved a bill to raise the maximum size of mortgages the Federal Housing Administration can insure, sending it to the Senate for final approval.

The measure would push the so-called FHA conforming loan limit in the highest-priced real estate markets back up to $729,750 through 2013, from $625,500, a sign of lawmaker concern over the still-depressed state of the housing sector.

The limits, which vary from market to market, were temporarily raised for FHA and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac during the financial crisis when banks became reluctant to lend. They automatically dropped back on Oct. 1.

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Wednesday, November 23, 2011

What Is Online Cash Advance Financing?

Online cash advance financing is increasingly becoming popular these days.  Many people in need of immediate cash have been able to get the financial assistance they need by applying online.  Are you familiar with this type of loan?  If not, let us talk about the basic facts you should know about this form of lending.

What is Online Cash Advance?


Online cash advance is simply a payday loan offered through the internet.  But what is a payday loan?  As the name suggests, a payday loan is a short term loan payable by the borrower’s next pay check. Traditional payday loan lenders offer their services from a specific location. 

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Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Bank earnings hit highest level in 4 years

WASHINGTON – Bank earnings rose over the summer to their highest level in more than four years, while the number of troubled banks fell for the second straight quarter, federal regulators reported Tuesday.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said the banking industry earned $35.3 billion in the third quarter. That's up from $23.8 billion in the same period last year. More than 60% of banks reported improved earnings.

The FDIC also says there were 844 banks on its confidential "problem" list in the quarter, or roughly 11.5% of all federally insured banks. That was down from 865 the April-June period, the first quarter in five years in which the number declined.

Banks with assets exceeding $10 billion drove the bulk of the earnings growth. They made up 1.4% of all banks but accounted for about $29.8 billion of the industry's earnings in the third quarter.

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Tuesday, November 15, 2011

TransUnion: National Credit Card Delinquencies Increase, but Remain Near Record Low Levels

CHICAGO, IL, Nov 15, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- The national credit card delinquency rate (the ratio of borrowers 90 or more days past due) increased in the third quarter for the first time since the fourth quarter of 2009, edging upward to 0.71 percent. Average credit card debt per borrower increased $63 in the quarter to $4,762, though it remains near record-low levels. This information is reported by TransUnion and is part of its ongoing series of quarterly analyses of credit-active U.S. consumers, evaluating how they are managing credit related to mortgages, credit cards and auto loans.

The Q3 2011 TransUnion data released today show credit card delinquency rates rising from the historic lows of last quarter. "This is the first quarterly increase we've seen in almost two years," said Ezra Becker, vice president of research and consulting in TransUnion's financial services business unit. "Even so, we are still well below historical norms. In fact, we're at the second lowest delinquency rate nationwide that we've seen in the past 16 years.

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Monday, November 14, 2011

US economic data inspires cautious optimism

Economic indicators in the US are showing signs of recovery, despite the Federal Reserve’s unwillingness to take the steps needed to curtail the budget deficit, according to Julius Baer.

A household would never run its budget the way the US government does, said Mark Matthews, a managing director at the boutique private bank. If the US were a household with an annual family income of $21,700 (its gross domestic product), it would be spending $38,200 every year. Despite an outstanding credit card bill of $142,710, it is still adding new debt of $16,500 annually — and through painful efforts it recently achieved a budget cut of $385.

There has been some improvement in the jobless numbers, but unemployment has been above 9% for 28 months now. That is its longest slump since 1945.


Sunday, November 13, 2011

Which Credit Cards Can Help You Rebuild Credit?

Today, bad credit is a common problem that many consumers are confronted with.  The good thing is, you can do something to improve your credit score and get yourself out of bad credit.  On this post, let’s take a look at some of the credit cards that you can use to rebuild your credit more quickly. 

Secured Credit Cards. A secured credit card is a popular type of bad credit credit card that requires the submission of security deposit.

Unsecured Bad Credit Credit Cards.  There is a new type of bad credit credit card in the market which does not require security deposits.

Prepaid Credit or Debit Cards. Prepaid credit cards or debit cards have evolved since they were first introduced in the market.

Anyone can easily obtain a prepaid debit card regardless of credit history or credit score.

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Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Wealthy Qualifying for Loans Intended for Low-Income Borrowers

Nov. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Colorado’s San Miguel County is known as a winter playground with world-class skiing and mountain vistas, a place where homes can sell for millions of dollars.

If you’d like to buy, the Federal Housing Administration -- the agency created to aid low-income and first-time homebuyers - - can help. Not far from the ski resorts of Telluride, an FHA- approved borrower can pick up a five-bedroom, four-bath house with stainless steel appliances and a two-car garage for about $600,000.

The agency, created during the Great Depression, has found itself insuring high-dollar loans in hundreds of counties across the country, from New Jersey to Florida to Arizona. Such loans are drawing renewed scrutiny as lawmakers debate whether to expand FHA lending to even wealthier borrowers.

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Monday, November 7, 2011

UPDATE: Student Loans Push $7.39B Consumer Credit Expansion

WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--U.S. consumer credit grew during September, bouncing back after a big dip the previous month, mainly on the increased issuance of student loans.

Consumer credit increased by $7.39 billion, to $2.452 trillion, the Federal Reserve said Monday. The figures are a significant turnaround from August, when consumer credit fell $9.68 billion, according to revised figures. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires had forecast a $4 billion September expansion in consumer credit.

A growing amount of student loans from the U.S. government appears to be a primary factor driving the jump, said IHS Global Insight U.S. Economist Gregory Daco. Tuition bills drove the credit expansion more than consumers increasing their spending at stores, he said.

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Thursday, November 3, 2011

House panel approves White House subpoena in Solyndra loan deal

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Republican-led House panel on Thursday agreed to subpoena the White House for documents related to Solyndra Inc., the failed California solar company that received a half-billion-dollar federal loan.

A House Energy and Commerce subcommittee voted 14-9 along party lines to authorize subpoenas of top White House officials. GOP lawmakers say the subpoenas are necessary because the White House has denied or delayed requests for thousands of documents related to Solyndra. The Fremont, Calif., company received a $528 million federal loan before filing for bankruptcy protection and laying off 1,100 workers.


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Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Don’t Get Stuck with Holiday Credit Card Debt

Are you ready for this year’s shopping spree?  The Christmas season is known to be the most expensive time of the year.  Obviously, a lot of people tend to spend more during the months of November and December and preparation for the Christmas Eve and the New Year.

In line with the merriment and celebrations, consumers should also be conscious about their spending to avoid holiday debt.  Nobody wants to wake up the next morning of the New Year stuck in a pile of debt, not knowing where to begin with repayment.

The best way to start the year right and stress-free is to avoid holiday debt.  By this, we mean credit card debt.  Indeed, many credit cardholders are guilty to maxing out their limit, buying gifts and spending on food – charging everything to credit.  Sure enough, having a credit card is a convenient way to purchase but don’t forget that you are still spending real money.

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Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Quicken Loans to sponsor Newman's No. 39

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. -- Jay Farner, president and chief marketing officer of Quicken Loans, was out trick-or-treating with his three children Sunday night when he received a phone call.
"We won! We won!" an associate shouted into Farner's ear.
At first Farner did a double-take. He wasn't sure what his co-worker was talking about. Then he remembered: Quicken Loans just entered into a partnership with Stewart-Haas Racing -- so when SHR owner-driver Tony Stewart wins as he did Sunday when he captured the Tums 500 at Martinsville Speedway, so does Farner's company.
The partnership became official Tuesday with a lunchtime announcement at SHR's Kannapolis headquarters, where details of the arrangement were laid out. Quicken Loans will serve as the primary sponsor on SHR driver Ryan Newman's No. 39 Chevrolet for nine races in 2012. The sponsor also will be displayed prominently on Newman's car this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, where the car will carry a special paint scheme to help promote the Quicken Loans Carrier Classic, the NCAA Division I men's basketball season opener between top-ranked North Carolina and Michigan State that will be played on the flight deck of the U.S.S. Carl Vinson aircraft carrier on Veterans Day, Nov. 11.

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Sunday, October 30, 2011

Using Debt Consolidation to Get Rid of Debt

Many people struggle with bad debt due to different reasons. Different problems can cause debt build up and sometimes, debt consolidation can be the most appropriate solution.

Before consolidating debts, it’s important to understand the steps involved in the process. Let’s talk about the different methods of debt consolidation.
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Thursday, October 27, 2011

Bachmann criticizes Obama's student loan plan


ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Republican presidential candidates Michele Bachmann criticized a directive by President Barack Obama to ease student loan debt as an "abuse of power" that will give people incentive to dodge debt.
The candidates reacted Thursday to a decision Obama announced a day earlier to cap required payments for some college loan borrowers at a lower percentage of their income and forgive payments for others after 20 years. He used executive authority to accelerate a law that wasn't supposed to go into effect until 2014.
"I believe it is abuse of power from the executive to impose via an executive order a wholesale change in the student loan," Bachmann, a Minnesota congresswoman, said during an education forum in New York put on by The College Board and News Corp.
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Wednesday, October 26, 2011

The Pros and Cons of Instant Payday Loans

Instant payday loansare short term loans for consumers who need immediate cash.  If you are not familiar with this form of financing, this article presents both positive and negative side of payday lending.

The Pros of Payday Loans


If can be difficult to get approved for a regular loan and during times of emergencies, borrowing cash from a payday lender can be the most viable option.

The Cons of Payday Loans


Despite the convenience that payday loan offers, consumers are warned against acquiring this form of help in a hurry.

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Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Coins to Credit Cards, a Short History of Money: Neil MacGregor

(This is an excerpt from Neil MacGregor’s new book, “A History of the World in 100 Objects,” just published by Penguin.)

Oct. 26 (Bloomberg) -- We’ve all grown so accustomed to using little round pieces of metal to buy things, it’s easy to forget that coins arrived quite late in the history of the world. For more than 2,000 years, states ran complex economies and international-trading networks without a coin to hand.

The Egyptians, for example, used a sophisticated system that measured value against standard weights of copper and gold. But as new states and new ways of organizing trade emerged about 3,000 years ago, coinage began to make an appearance. Paper money would not arrive for another couple of millenniums and credit cards, not until the 20th century.

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Monday, October 24, 2011

How to Navigate the New College Student Credit Card Landscape

When it comes to navigating the world of credit cards, college students are in a unique position. On the one hand, they are a very special class of consumer, banks prize college-educated customers and offer them better credit card terms than their credit standing would suggest they merit. On the other hand, the new the CARD Act makes it harder than ever for college students to qualify for credit cards, since most of them are under 21 years old. So, what’s a college student to do?

Build Credit ASAP

Not getting a credit card shouldn’t really be an option. While it would be easiest to simply wait until they turn 21 to begin their careers with credit, doing so would mean sacrificing valuable credit-building time. Every month that a consumer has an open credit card account in good standing means positive information is relayed to his major credit reports, providing evidence of fiscal responsibility and in turn, boosting his credit score.

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Sunday, October 23, 2011

Repairing Bad Credit? Use a Prepaid Debit Card

For people who need to repair bad credit, there is one type of credit card that can be used as a tool for credit improvement.  It’s not your regular credit card but it can be used for payment anywhere credit cards are accepted.  What kind of plastic payment are we talking about? 

Prepaid credit cards or debit cards are growing in popularity in the market today.  For those who cannot get approved for a regular credit card, a prepaid card is a good alternative.  Prepaid debit cards do not require credit check so anyone can easily get one regardless of credit history or credit score. 

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Thursday, October 20, 2011

Student loan debts crush an entire generation

USA Today says that at some point this year, student loan debt will exceed $1 trillion, surpassing even credit card debt. Felix Salmon says the number is closer to $550 billion. Either way total student loan debt is rising as other debts have tailed off. Delinquency has increased, too, since the height of the financial crisis.

It’s a huge mess.

Some people have noticed that “student loan debt” comes up a lot among the Wall Street Occupiers and the members of the 99 percent movement. Often, older people, who either attended school when tuition was reasonable, or who didn’t attend college at all in an era when a high school diploma was enough of a qualification for a stable, middle-class career, tend to think this is all the entitled whining of spoiled kids. They don’t understand that these kids accepted a home mortgage worth of debt before they ever even had a regular income, based on phony promises, and that the debt is inescapable, regardless of life circumstances or ability to pay.

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Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Payday Loan Lending - How Does It Work?

If you are confronted with an unexpected bill that isn’t part of the budget, a payday loan can be a good option to consider.  For example, let’s say that your car breaks down in the middle of the month and you can’t wait for another week to have it repaired.  Car repair costs can be expensive, especially if there is a serious damage.  In this case, taking out a cash advance from a payday lender can be the perfect solution to your problem.

What is a payday loan and how does it work?  Payday loans are also referred to as cash advance loans because this form of financing is offered for people who need immediate assistance.  Applying for a regular loan can be a challenge. This is particularly true if you have a bad credit history or a low credit score.

Read more Payday Loan Lending – How Does It Work?

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Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Student loan debt hits record levels

Students and workers seeking retraining are borrowing extraordinary amounts of money through federal loan programs, potentially putting a huge burden on the backs of young people looking for jobs and trying to start careers.

The amount of student loans taken out last year crossed the $100 billion mark for the first time and total loans outstanding will exceed $1 trillion for the first time this year. Americans now owe more on student loans than on credit cards, reports the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Students are borrowing twice what they did a decade ago after adjusting for inflation, the College Board reports. Total outstanding debt has doubled in the last five years — a sharp contrast to consumers reducing what's owed on home loans and credit cards.

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Monday, October 17, 2011

Barclays Loan to Kinder Morgan Boosts Ranking as M&A Adviser

Oct. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Barclays Plc, the world's top adviser on oil and gas mergers during the past two years, is lending $11.5 billion to junk-rated Kinder Morgan Inc. to help maintain that lead.

The financing commitment will provide Kinder Morgan with the cash needed for a $21.1 billion purchase of El Paso Corp., the largest pipeline takeover in history, Kinder Morgan said in a statement yesterday. Barclays's role on the deal also pushes the London-based bank up to sixth place from eighth among merger and acquisition advisers across all industries worldwide.


Sunday, October 16, 2011

Tips on Applying for a Bad Credit Home Loan

Buying a home is a big investment and needs a lot of preparation.  If you plan to buy a home, having a good credit history and an impressive credit score would be your best assets when negotiating with mortgage lenders.  On the other hand, having bad credit can significantly affect your loan prospects so if you can wait until your credit improves, you will be in a much better position to get a home loan.


What if you have decided to acquire a home loan despite bad credit?  What can you do to improve your chances of getting an approval and get a good deal?  Consider these tips when applying for a bad credit home loan.

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    Thursday, October 13, 2011

    Failed energy projects cross U.S. party lines

    WASHINGTON – When green energy company Raser Technologies broke ground on its geothermal power plant more than three years ago, Sen. Orrin Hatch was there to herald the day as a "turning point" in the country's clean-energy future.

    At the ceremony in southern Utah, Raser's chief executive officer thanked Hatch for his steadfast support. Utah's Republican senior senator had previously championed an earlier Raser clean-energy project — the development of an AC induction motor that could be used to power a Hummer that could get 100 miles per gallon. The company's executives would later name the Beaver County facility "the Hatch Plant."

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    Wednesday, October 12, 2011

    How to Choose the Right Payday Loan Lender

    Each year, thousands of borrowers turn to payday loan lenders for help to get through an emergency or financial crisis.  Have you tried acquiring a payday loan or are you thinking about getting one?  What important facts should you know about payday loans and how can you choose the right lender?

    Payday loans are short term loans that are usually payable within 30 days or by the next pay check.  However, failing to pay back the loan on time can become a problem as you incur steep rates and fees.  The extra charges can quickly lead to debt build up until repayment becomes difficult.
    Consider the following tips on choosing the right payday loan lender:
    • Compare online.
    • Check the lender’s requirements.
    • Check the BBB.
    • Read the fine print.
    Read more How to Choose the Right Payday Loan Lender

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