Felon-Run Debt Collector Shut Down for Bullying Consumers

June 26th, 2009

After being accused by New York Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo, of using illegal scare tactics to “terrify” indebted Americans into repaying their debt, a Buffalo, N.Y. debt collection agency run by convicted felons has been shut down by state authorities, The Los Angeles Times reports (“After TV Report, NY Authorities Shut Down Collection Company Run [...]

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Workers Take a Hit From Employers Scaled-Back 401(k) Plans

June 22nd, 2009

A quarter of U.S. employers aren’t able to keep up with the expense of matching employees’ 401(k) contributions, according to the results of a new Charles Schwab survey.

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International Monetary Fund Predicts Gradual Economic Recovery

June 15th, 2009

The International Monetary Fund has forecasted that the U.S. economy will contract 2.5 percent before the end of this year but will expand 0.75 percent by the end of 2010, according to analysis of the IMF’s World Economic Outlook report from April (“IMF Raises Forecast for U.S. Economy, Risk of Debt,” Bloomberg, June 15, 2009).
The [...]

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Supreme Court to Rule on Bankruptcy Reform Law

June 12th, 2009

The Supreme Court will take on a provision of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 that restricts “debt relief agencies,” including lawyers, from advising their clients to take on additional debt before filing for bankruptcy.

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Missouri Attorney General Sues Texas Debt Relief Company

June 11th, 2009

Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster has filed suit against debt relief company Credit Solutions of America for illegally charging consumers for debt relief services the company never provided.

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Consumers Charging Less, Paying Off More of Their Debt

June 8th, 2009

A new report shows that consumers are charging less to their credit cards while also paying down the balances on those cards.

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High Delinquency Rates Hurting Nevadans’ Credit Scores

June 3rd, 2009

The credit scores of consumers in Nevada are tanking as Nevadans continue to struggle to pay their bills. The average credit score in the state has dropped 12 points since the first quarter of last year to 618 from the average score of 630 (“Nevadans’ Credit Scores Dip as Economy Tanks,” Reno Gazette-Journal, May 31, [...]

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Companies Favor Salary Freezes to Avoid Layoffs

June 2nd, 2009

Since January, employers have been more likely to scale back employee salaries than to eliminate positions, a recent survey reveals.

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BofA Modifies 64,000 Home Loans as Part of Predatory Lending Settlement

June 1st, 2009

After having settled predatory lending charges with 42 states, Bank of America has modified more than 64,000 home loans worth $823.5 million in principal and interest savings, with the intention of modifying loans and reducing interest rates for up to 100,300 borrowers.

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2 Arkansas Women Dodge Credit Repair Fraud Allegations

May 29th, 2009

Two Arkansas women who have been sued for defrauding at least 139 people in a credit-repair scam have refused to respond to a judge’s order to pay $700,000 in penalties and have even started a new credit repair operation.

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