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Credit Card Debt Help: How to Become Credit Smart and Enjoy the American Dream
Being able to buy things on credit has allowed Americans to own
and enjoy things--often for years--without having to wait and
pay cash for them. In that way, the concept of credit has been a
boon to experiencing the American Dream. Unfortunately,...
Credit card interest rate
A low credit card interest rate is important in order to save money. Your credit card interest rate is one of the biggest things that you should pay attention to when you decide to get a credit card. This is the amount of money that you'll end up...
Extending Credit in Your Home Based Business
Whether or not you will be extending credit to your customers in your home based business is a decision you will eventually have to make. Every business owner will have to write off between 3 and 5 percent of debt as bad, as long as debt is managed...
Finding the Right Credit Card
There are so many credit cards out there to choose from that deciding which one to get can feel really daunting. What makes one offer better than the hundreds of others you’ve seen? Take this little quiz to find out what you should look for in a...
Protecting Your Business From Credit Card Fraud
Credit cards are used as forms of payments now more than ever. There are also more online businesses and most of these businesses accept credit card payments. Therefore, protecting your online business from credit card fraud is vital. For businesses...
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Credit Cards and Home Equity Loans – Read the Fine Print
These days, everyone’s lives are burdened with paperwork. With newspapers, magazines, bills, junk mail, and who-knows-what taking up space in their day, few people have time to look at every piece of paper that comes their way. Unfortunately, it’s becoming more and more necessary to carefully examine bills and contracts, as various penalties are finding their way into the fine print of credit card bills, home equity loan and mortgage contracts. It truly pays to take the time to read the fine print in these documents.
Up to one third of major credit card issuers now include a “universal default clause” in their credit card terms. The UDC allows the credit card company to raise the interest rate on the account if the cardholder pays his or her bills late. This can apply even if the credit card bill is paid on time! It is important to find out if your credit card terms include a UDC, as your interest rate could be affected by whether or not you pay your telephone bill on time. This is just one of many ways that credit card companies are increasing their profits, but it isn’t one that they’re willing to advertise. When a letter comes in the mail from your credit card company that says “change in your credit card terms” or something like it, make sure that you read it. Failure to do so could raise the interest rate on your credit card substantially.
Another “fine print” issue that has been turning up recently is the prepayment penalty that is now being attached to up to half of all mortgages and home equity loans. The
volatile nature of interest rates in the lending market has inspired many homeowners to repeatedly refinance their homes in the last few years. Lenders often hold a mortgage for only a few months before the borrower finds a lower rate and refinances, paying off the original loan. In order to “protect” the profits from lending the money, up to half of all lenders are now requiring a substantial penalty if the loan is paid off prior to a specified date. These fees can amount to several thousand dollars on a primary mortgage and several hundred dollars on a home equity loan. Most borrowers would not be pleased to go through the process of refinancing their home, only to find out at closing that they owed a penalty of five thousand dollars. Instead, be sure to read the fine print in your mortgage or home equity loan documents before you sign them.
As the lending and credit markets become more and more competitive, lenders are doing more and more to increase their profits. They are not necessarily doing so in obvious ways, however, so it is always in your best interests to read any document carefully before you sign. Your failure to do so could cost you quite a bit of money.
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 debt consolidation and credit counseling, and HomeEquityHelp.com, a site devoted to information regarding home equity loans.
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