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Bad Credit Mortgage Loans Online - How Your Fico Credit Score Can Affect Your Loan Approval
When applying for a mortgage loan when you have a bad credit history. There are a few things you should know about your FICO score that will help you know what to expect from mortgage lenders. With a credit score below 585, you will need to put at...
Building Credit Ideas
There are several ways that we can build credit. If you are
tired of collectors hounding you, or if you are frustrated that
no one will loan you money because you never had credit, it is
time to learn how to build your credit. First, and...
Credit Cards for Small Business
When you decide to start a small business, you find out pretty quickly that it takes more than skills and dedication in your respective area of work. Besides being good at what you want to do, you also need to known your accounting and financing...
Know How To Get The Best Credit Card Deal
Getting your own credit card is not as easy as you may think.
Applying for a credit card account needs a lot of thinking.
Before marching down to your credit card agent, ask yourself
some questions like do you want to pay for the credit...
Recognizing the Signs that You Might Need Credit Counseling.
Most families in America today have a credit card; some have two or more. The type of credit card you own, gold, platinum, ext, is almost a status symbol in society. The concept is a good one, using your good credit to purchase big-ticket items that...
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Credit Cards – What is the “Universal Default Clause”?
Most people who carry major credit cards are well aware that the interest rates associated with them tend to be higher than for other types of lending, such as home or auto loans. Anyone who has paid their credit card bill late more than once or twice is also aware that doing so may cause the interest rate on their card to go up – sometimes by quite a lot. Many credit cards carry interest rates of as much as 20% or 25% annually, and customers who want to avoid interest rates in that range make an effort to pay their bills on time.
What many people do not realize, however, is that up to one third of all credit card issuers now include what is known as a “universal default clause” in their bills. This information, usually disclosed in the tiny print on the bill that few people bother to read, indicates that the interest rate on your credit card may be increased if you pay bills late to other lenders, even if you pay your credit card bill on time.
This means that paying any bill late that could show up on your credit report, such as an auto payment or a utility bill could cause your credit card interest rate to go up. This, in turn, could hurt your credit score. There is currently nothing in Federal law that prohibits this practice; the law only
requires that lenders disclose it in writing. Credit card companies justify this by saying that customers that make late payments to anyone increase the risk for all lenders. Nevertheless, many, if not most, credit card customers are unaware that such policies exist.
Not all credit card companies have such a policy; in fact, most do not. Customers who are not interested in having the interest rates of their credit card tied to their ability to pay their phone bill on time would be advised to read the fine print in their credit card statement. If such a policy exists, you could either complain to your credit card issuer about it or shop around for another credit card. The lesson to be learned here is a valuable one – when you receive your credit card bill or a notification that your credit card billing terms have changed, take a moment to read the fine print.
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.net, a site devoted to information regarding home equity loans.
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| Credit - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
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| FreeCreditReport.com | Free Credit Report and Credit Score Online ... |
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| The Credit Card Prank |
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| Credit magazine, corporate bonds, derivatives, structured credit ... |
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| CUNA: The Credit Union National Association |
| News and resource directory about credit unions. |
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| 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, ... |
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