It's Becoming More Difficult To Borrow Home Equity
While it's getting more difficult to qualify for home equity loans, Americans borrowed more of their home equity lines of credit than last year.
Consumers' average credit score rose to 737, from 730 in 2006, according to the Consumer Bankers Association. Home equity lenders use credit scores in…
Federal Reserve Announces Consumer Help Office
If you have a problem with a bank or other financial institution you now have someone to call for help.
The Federal Reserve just announced its consumer help office.
The Fed makes sure that banks and lenders comply with consumer protection and fair lending laws. This includes checking and savings…
Spyware and Identity Theft and Sam's Stolen Credit Card Number
A couple of weeks ago, Sam had his American Express number stolen. Someone spent $285 with 1-800 Flowers, and bought other small items here and there. We were on Hilton Head Island when we got the call, and AM X immediately shut down the account and issued Sam a new card number. When we got home on…
Updating from March 8, 2007 Clark Howard Show
Want to save money on gas? Check out www.cheapskateshopping.com. The website bills itself as being "professional cheapskates" and they have great information on various credit cards that give you cash back and other deals when you purchase gas (and other items).
For those of you wondering about that…
Has your child's identity been stolen? The Identity Theft Resource Center (www.idtheft.org) has some red flags you should watch out for, including:
Want to reduce the number of credit card offers you're getting in the mail? (That way, you can focus on all the holiday cards you're getting.)
Here are the ways you can OPT OUT:
Calling 1-888-5-OPTOUT (1-888-567-8688) to have your name removed from direct marketing lists.
Contact the individual credit…
Do Credit Card Companies Protect Your Privacy?
I've written about the new "blink" technology that allows you to simply hold up a credit card with radio frequency (RFID) identity tags to pay for something. McDonald's and other retail establishments have put these RFID card readers in front of their cash registers to speed up the payment process.
…
On today's show, we talked about the Wisconsin man who went to a state park and found a 5.47 carat perfect canary yellow diamond. You can read the story here www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1161514533285400.xml&coll=2
Of course, I suggested on-air that if you couldn't afford a…
On the Ilyce Glink Show this morning, we were talking about identity theft and the good samaritans who are out there warning people that their social security numbers are on government websites as well as boards where ID information that has been stolen (social security numbers, credit card numbers…
Rebates In The Form Of Visa Card
On the Ilyce Glink Show today, I spoke with Mary. She had bought her 14-year old son a cell phone. She filled in the $50 rebate form, cut out the skew from the box. She mailed it in and wound up getting a $50 Visa Card. When she tried to activate it, she couldn't. (I've suggested that Mary follow up…
How Much Do You Owe On Your Credit Cards?
Here's the heart-stopping figure of the month: $9,300. That's how much the average family carries in credit card debts. Ten years ago, the amount of debt Americans carried was less than half.
What's going on? It's the "gotta haves" that have taken over this country, as in "I gotta have that new bag…
Robert Kiyosaki (www.richdad.com) joined us on the program today to talk about the Learning Annex's Real Estate Wealth Expo in Atlanta on May 6-7 at the Georgia World Congress Center. Kiyosaki and Donald Trump will be there. I'll be there, too, broadcasting live from 11a-1p on May 7th. For ticket…
Here's an email I got yesterday about the Social Security Issue:
I applaud you for speaking out about identity theft. Why don't you take it a step further, and help provide the overall cure? Having a radio show, you could be of great help in that area. Get your pal Clark to help, too.
The Problem…
Looking For The Perfect Credit Card
According to the NPD Group, more than 60 percent of consumers look for better credit card deals each year. And this week, when credit card bills from December are causing January migranes, credit card companies tend to launch their new programs.
Barclays Bank recently announced that it is issuing a…
