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Credit Cards Bring Festive Cheer
Christmas is almost upon us once again and the worry of meeting
the demands that it has on our finances comes to the fore. Many
will get themselves into a level of debt that they cannot
sustain and if it's paid for with your current credit card...
Free Credit Report – Watch Out for Scams
Many people may still not be aware of an amendment to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) that Congress passed last year. This amendment allows U.S. citizens to receive a copy of their credit report, for free, once per year. The plan is being...
Home Equity Loan or a Home Equity Line of Credit?
A home equity loan is good for items that require one large payment. This is why so many consumers use it for debt consolidation. The interest rates on home equity loans are low enough to be beat out the prevailing rates on almost every other type...
Increase Your Sales Accept Credit Cards, Part 2
In part two we will discuss overcoming objections, which credit cards to accept and using the check paying option. If your business is home-based or has been in operation for less than two years, you’re likely to face objections from the bank. If...
Making Your Business' Credit Card Work Smarter
Credit cards are convenient financial means for hundreds of
millions of people all over the world. However, personal use is
not the only way credit cards come in handy. Credit cards can
also be a major benefit for covering business expenses. If...
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Credit Report – Look Out for Your Debit Report, Too
Most consumers are aware that there are companies that keep track of their personal financial transactions – installment loans, mortgages, credit card accounts, bankruptcies and judgements. These items are assembled by the three main credit bureaus into a credit report, which is available upon request by lenders, employers and anyone else with whom a consumer might do business. The credit report tells these people, in a simple, summarized form, whether or not a consumer is worthy of more credit or another loan. What few people realize is that there is another firm that keeps track of the banking transactions by American consumers, and that information is available only to banks in the form of a debit report. You may not have heard of a debit report, but it can affect you in ways you may not even realize and can prevent you from opening a bank account.
The debit reports are compiled and maintained by a company called ChexSystems. ChexSystems maintains a database of banking transactions by consumers, and creates a “debit score” based on deposits, withdrawals, overdrafts, and whether or not an account has been forcibly closed. Generally speaking, you probably won’t have an entry in ChexSystems’ database unless you have a history of writing bad checks, overdrawing your account too much, or having your account closed by your bank. On the other hand, people sometimes have entries put in the database by error and don’t find out about their entries in the database until their request to open
a checking account is denied by their bank. Most banks now use this system, and while some provide a little latitude, most will refuse to do business with anyone who has a negative entry in the database.
The system was originally designed simply to keep track of people who wrote bad checks, but over the last three decades it has evolved into something much more elaborate. Consumers are entitled to receive a copy of their report from ChexSystems, but few people request one, as most people have never heard of the company or their product. The debit score for an individual is only available to banks.
Since few people can make do without a bank account these days, it’s worthwhile to at least be aware of this system. We couldn’t find a Website for ChexSystems, but they can be reached by phone at 800-428-9623. In addition, there are numerous third party Websites devoted to helping people who have had problems establishing bank accounts due to problems with their debit report. Just type “ChexSystems help” into your favorite search engine.
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 personal bankruptcy, debt consolidation and credit counseling, and HomeEquityHelp.com, a site devoted to information regarding mortgages and home equity loans .
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| 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. |
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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 ... |
| Credit magazine provides information on the international credit markets for credit investors, issuers and market professionals. |
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| CUNA: The Credit Union National Association |
| News and resource directory about credit unions. |
| www.cuna.org |
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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, ... |
| credit.about.com |
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