|
|
|
10 Signs You May Need Credit Counseling
Debt management programs can be of real help for people that discover they cannot face their debts. At first, they will attempt to solve the situation all by themselves by cutting down on spending and keeping a close eye on accounts. If this doesn’t...
A Credit Card With More Than Meets The Eye
With so many credit cards dominating the market these days,
people can no longer tell the difference between one card to
another. It all seems like a wide array of credit cards all
committed to provide the consumers with substantial means...
A Guide to Bad Credit Credit Cards
Having less than perfect credit can hurt you and your financial future. One way to get yourself
out of the dark hole of credit is by responsibly using a credit card. If you have bad credit and
are looking for a credit card, you may want to stick...
Adverse Credit Secured Loans - Setting Aside the Credit Report.
The debt defaults that you made in the past are not ready to let go of you so easily. It continues to show itself in the credit file, earning the debtor an adverse credit history for the nest six years, sometimes even larger. A group of loan...
The Rewards Of Student Credit Cards
The way to help build a bright future is to extend your
education into a higher learning facility. A 2004 study by the
U.S. Department of Commerce found that a high school graduate
earns an average of $36,000 per year, while a person with...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Credit Card Debt – Watch Your Credit Report and Your Bill
Most consumers are aware of the importance of their credit report. This document, offered to consumers and lenders by the three major credit bureaus, offers a fairly complete list of financial transactions and debts incurred by a consumer. Lenders examine the report, along with the associated FICO score, to determine whether a consumer is worthy of receiving additional credit or loans. What many consumers may not know is that credit card companies regularly check their credit reports, and unfavorable entries may result in a higher interest rate on their credit cards.
We have previously noted that many credit card companies employ something known as a “universal default clause” in their terms of service. This clause allows the company to raise interest rates on the customer’s card if the customer pays bills late. A late payment to the phone company could result in a higher interest rate on the Visa card. Most companies also allow themselves the latitude to raise their customers’ interest rates for any reason at all. With this in mind, the credit card companies tend to run occasional credit checks on their customers, often raising rates if they notice any activity that, in their opinion, makes the customer a higher risk. This might happen even if the customer has a history of paying his or her credit card bills on time.
The sorts of
things that may create a “risky” client include taking out additional loans, additional credit cards, or building balances on existing cards to at or near their limits. The companies justify this activity by saying that consumers who do these things create greater risk for the lender, and these costs must be passed on to all of their customers. The problem for the customer is that these higher interest rates are often assigned without warning. The new rate applies to existing balances, too. An interest rate hike today could mean that the television you bought last fall has suddenly become more expensive.
What can consumers do? Keep an eye on your credit card bill and your credit report. You can receive a copy of your credit report, for free, at http://www.annualcreditreport.com. As for your credit card bill, watch the interest rate. If it abruptly changes to a higher rate, call your credit card issuer and ask them about it. They will often reduce the rate if you call and complain. If not, your only option may be to shop around for another card.
About the Author
©Copyright 2005 by Retro Marketing. Charles Essmeier is the owner of Retro Marketing, a firm devoted to informational Websites, including End-Your-Debt.com, a site devoted to establishing credit, debt consolidation and credit counseling.
|
|
|
|
|
| Credit Reports - Credit Cards - Car Loans - Home Loans - Credit.com |
| Credit.com offers a variety of credit related products and services including credit reports and credit scores, credit cards, car loans, home loan and ... |
| www.credit.com |
|
| Equifax Personal Solutions: Credit Reports, Credit Scores ... |
| National consumer credit reporting company that offers credit reports, FICO(R) credit scores and identity theft protection products to consumers and small ... |
| www.equifax.com |
|
| The FTC's web site on Credit |
| Credit is much more than a piece of plastic, and the resources on this site can help you become a more savvy consumer. You’ll also find compliance ... |
| www.ftc.gov |
|
| Federal Trade Commission - Consumer Credit Center |
| Features an assortment of helpful articles related to credit issues. |
| www.ftc.gov |
|
| AnnualCreditReport |
| Site set up by the big three credit reporting agencies in the United States, to furnish free annual credit reports, as required by federal law. |
| www.annualcreditreport.com |
|
| Springboard - Non-Profit Consumer Credit Management |
| Our mission is simple: To offer education on the wise use of credit. ... SPRINGBOARD has been approved to provide credit counseling services and issue ... |
| www.credit.org |
|
| myFICO - FICO Credit Scores, Online Credit Reports and Identity ... |
| myFICO.com: Get your Free credit report and Free credit score with a 30-day trial of Score Watch. All three FICO Scores and Credit Reports Available now ... |
| www.myfico.com |
|
| Credit Suisse Global |
| Credit Suisse Group is an international financial services group. - Shares part of SMI. |
| www.credit-suisse.com |
|
| Experian: Free Credit Report and Credit Score, Credit Check ... |
| Credit referencing and consumer targeting for the USA and other countries. |
| www.experian.com |
|
| National Credit Union Administration - Home Page |
| An independent federal agency that supervises and insures 7152 federal credit unions and insures 4240 state-chartered credit unions. |
| www.ncua.gov |
|
| Credit - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| Debits and Credits, a type of bookkeeping entry; Credit (creative arts), acknowledging the ideas or ... Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credit" ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
|
| Credit (finance) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| Any movement of financial capital is normally quite dependent on credit, ... Sometimes if a person has financial instability or difficulty, credit is not ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
|
| The National Foundation for Credit Counseling |
| DebtAdvice.org is a service provided by the Members of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC), most of them known as Consumer Credit ... |
| www.nfcc.org |
|
| FreeCreditReport.com | Free Credit Report and Credit Score Online ... |
| FreeCreditReport.com: Free credit reports and credit scores from Experian. Get your free credit report and credit score now. It's free, fast, and easy! |
| www.freecreditreport.com |
|
| Compare credit cards | apply for a credit card | 0% balance ... |
| Compare over 300 credit cards, including 0% offers and balance transfers, and make a credit card application online... |
| www.moneysupermarket.com |
|
| Ford Credit - Auto financing for Ford, Lincoln and Mercury cars ... |
| Ford Credit provides auto financing to finance a lease or purchase a car or truck through Ford, Lincoln or Mercury dealerships. |
| www.fordcredit.com |
|
| The Credit Card Prank |
| In my lifetime, I have made nearly 15000 credit card transactions. ... Credit card signatures are a useless mechanism designed to make you feel safe, ... |
| www.zug.com |
|
| Credit magazine, corporate bonds, derivatives, structured credit ... |
| Credit magazine provides information on the international credit markets for credit investors, issuers and market professionals. |
| www.creditmag.com |
|
| CUNA: The Credit Union National Association |
| News and resource directory about credit unions. |
| www.cuna.org |
|
| Credit/Debt Management - Tools and Advice for Managing Credit and Debt |
| Drowning in debt? Trying to improve your credit score? This is the place for you. Get real world information and tips, as well as the legal low down, ... |
| credit.about.com |
|
|