March 2, 2010

Creditors Find Ways Around New Credit Card Rules

Our friend Denise Richardson, of givemebackmycredit.com, has posted an article about new regulations placed on credit card companies. However, creditors aren't willing to back down so easily and are finding creative ways to bypass losses of revenue that the new rules, that came into effect on February 22 of this year, might cause.

The new regulations include:

Unfair rate increases and the universal default clause have been eliminated. This means that if you are late on one bill, a different creditor cannot use that to justify an increase in your interest rate. It also means that creditors cannot hike up the interest rate on a whim.

Limits on credit issued to the under-21 crowd are now in effect. This one protects college kids -those most sought after by creditors, from getting heavily into debt before the truly understand the repercussions and how the credit industry operates.

Fee calculations are more structured eliminating inconsistent payment cycles, over-the-limit charges without the consumer's consent, and extra interest charges due to pesky double-cycle billing practices.

Favorable interest rates must stay in effect for new credit cards for at least 12 months unless they have been issued as a promotional rate. In that case, they must stay in effect for 6 full months unless the consumer has been 60 days or more late with his payment.

Creditors are now required to use understandable language in all documentation and fine print including applications, billing, and notices. Statements must show how long it will take to pay off the debt incurred if the consumer only makes the minimum payment due.

Any changes to a consumer's credit card account cannot take place until he has been given at least 45 days notice.

To replace lost revenue because of the above revisions, many credit card companies are going to start charging $1 for paper credit card statements. To avoid this, you have to sign up for electronic statements. Creditors are also adding on "inactivity fees," increasing annual fees and reducing rewards or requiring card holders to request rewards that used to come automatically and placing expiration dates on rewards.

Creditors can also request that their customers agree to over-the-limit charges. This means consumers can exceed their monthly limit and if consumers don't read the fine print and don't pay attention, they can agree to this without realizing it. Credit cards with variable interest rates instead of fixed rates allow the creditor to raise the interest rate every time the primary rate goes up.

To protect yourself from any unwanted credit card surprises, be sure to read all documentation (including the fine print) the credit card companies send to you. Also, you can shop around for the best interest rate and other reward incentives.

If you have credit questions or concerns, feel free to contact us through our website or by calling 205-879-2447.

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February 12, 2010

5 Debt Transfer Mistakes To Avoid

Our friend Denise Richardson, of givemebackmycredit.com, has posted an article with five common mistakes that consumers make when transferring debt. Transferring your debt from a high interest credit card to a new card with lower interest should raise red flags. Following these five tips will help prevent you from having to pay more money and going further in debt as well as saving your credit score.

1. Closing the Original Account:
After transferring the balance to a new card, you should refrain from completely cancelling the account. 15% of your credit score is made up of the length of time you keep accounts. Cancelling accounts will lower your credit score and change the way it's calculated.

2. Not Confirming the Spending Limit Ahead of Time:

A credit card company will not notify you of the spending limit you qualify for until your initial application is approved. After the application is approved, you may call to inquire about your spending limit at any time. It is vital that you know what your spending limit is on the new card before you initiate a balance transfer. If the amount of the balance transfer is greater than the spending limit on your new credit card, you may lose the low introductory rate by going over the spending limit with your transfer.

3. Not Expecting Balance Transfer Fees:
Some credit cards will charge you a substantial sum to transfer your balance, sometimes as much as 5%. For example, if your balance is $5,000 you could pay about $250 in fees.

4. Ignoring the New Card's Default Interest Rate:
Initial low interest rates on a new credit card are temporary and will default back to a higher rate. The new interest rate can be as high as your previous card that you transferred the balance from.

Should this occur, you will be left repaying your debt under the same unfavorable terms you thought you had left behind. If you know your credit score, you can call the credit card company and ask which interest rate you qualify for.

5. Losing the Introductory Rate;
Making a late payment or going over your limit on a new card can result in early termination of the low introductory interest rate. Be sure to read the fine print to determine what stipulations apply.

If you have questions or concerns, feel free to contact us through our website or by calling 205-879-2447.

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January 20, 2010

Lesser-Known Factors Affect Your Credit Report

MSN Money has posted an article about "secret" ways that lenders keep track of your credit score and gauge what kind of customer you would be. Credit scores aren't the only things that companies look at.

"You're being judged by the type of transactions you make, how you pay your bills, how much profit you generate for your lenders and a host of other factors."

This type of information is used to determine things like:

The kind of credit card offers you get.

-Whether your credit limits are raised or suddenly lowered.

-Whether your over-limit credit or debit transactions are approved.

-Whether your card issuer calls you about a suspicious transaction, blocks it or shuts down your account.

-How cooperative your issuer is about waiving fees or lowering your interest rate.

-How quickly your issuer calls you if your payment is late.

-Whether a collection agency contacts you about an old debt and how hard it pushes.


Several other lesser-known things are taken into consideration:

-Credit-risk scores are the most well known and show companies how big of a "risk" your account will be. A score above 700 is considered to be low risk.

-Response scores "predict the likelihood a consumer will respond to an offer of credit, such as a new card or a balance transfer offer."

-Application scores deals with data submitted to the company that's not related to your credit score. The data includes things like how long you've lived at your current address, worked for the same employer and how much you earn.

-Bankruptcy score:

Credit scores typically predict the chance you'll miss a payment in the next two years. Bankruptcy scores predict the likelihood you'll throw in the towel on your debt entirely and file for Chapter 7 liquidation or a Chapter 13 repayment plan, said David Rubinger, spokesman for credit bureau Equifax, which produces the leading Bankruptcy Navigator Index or BNI. BNIs range from 1 to 300, with the higher the score, the lower the predicted risk. Most lenders use both credit scores and bankruptcy scores, Ulzheimer said, to help assess the risk that you won't pay.

-Revenue scores try to predict how much profit your account will generate.

-Attrition-risk scores address the probability of a user no longer using a particular card. This score is often tied in with other scores. For example, if you are low-risk and your account generates large amounts of profit, the credit card company will likely lower your interest rates or raise your credit limit to keep your account.

-Behavior scores

provide a snapshot of how a consumer is handling all of his or her credit accounts. Behavior scores, by contrast, typically focus on a single account (the one you have with that particular creditor) but take in a broad view. Does the user pay off her bills every month, carry a balance occasionally or frequently pay only the minimums on her cards? That information typically isn't available on a credit report, but is contained in the issuer's databases, along with other data that helps the score describe how she handles her account. A behavior score might be used in conjunction with other scores, such as credit or bankruptcy scores, to decide whether an overdue payment is an aberration (maybe he's traveling?) or a sign of impending financial crisis (maybe we should call the consumer today and find out what's going on).

-Transaction scores are used every time you use your card to decide if the transaction will be approved. It is also used to determine if fraudulent transactions.

-Collection scores are used to assess whether or not you'll be able to pay. Collection companies watch for signs of change in your financial situation, such as other accounts being paid off.

If you have had credit card or credit report issues, feel free to contact us through our website or by calling 205-879-2447.

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January 6, 2010

Companies that Collect Your Personal Information

The Michigan Collection Law Blog has posted an article, originally from ConsumerReports.org, about how insurance companies, creditors, employers, landlords, insurers and law enforcement agencies (and identity theft criminals) collect more information about consumers than one might expect.

Demand for your personal information has exploded in recent years. Its availability has also raised privacy concerns. When users buy and compile various pieces of information about you, “they can paint a very complete picture of your activities,” says Paul Stephens, director of policy and advocacy at the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group.

For example, insurance claims you have filed are collected by a company called ChoicePoint and are used as references by insurance companies to determine home and auto insurance rates. Your health information, such as records of prescription drugs, is collected by MIB Group for similar reasons. Both of these fall under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, therefore, you can receive a free copy of your credit report annually.

Other information that is monitored and collected about you include your checking account,
returned purchases, rental history, mailing lists and credit history.

If you have any questions or concerns about this topic, feel free to contact us by calling 205-879-2447.

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November 3, 2009

Legal Uses of a Credit Report

The Consumerist has posted an article that highlights what your credit report can be (legally) used for. Some things your credit report can be used to determine are:

-Applications for credit, insurance, and rentals for personal, family or household purposes.
• Employment, which includes hiring, promotion, reassignment or retention. A CRA may not release a credit report for employment decisions without consent.
• Court orders, including grand jury subpoenas.
• "Legitimate" business needs in transactions initiated by the consumer for personal, family, or household purposes. (litigation is not legitimate by 3rd parties)
• Account review. Periodically, banks and other companies review credit files to determine whether they wish to retain the individual as a customer.
• Licensing (professional).
• Child support payment determinations.
• Law enforcement access: Government agencies with authority to investigate terrorism and counterintelligence have secret access to credit reports.

However, debt collectors don't legally have the power to false information on your credit reports. Such behavior is prohibited by the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

If you have had issues with how your credit report has been used, or problems with debt collectors, feel free to contact us.

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October 23, 2009

5 Things that Ruin Credit

MyCreditGroup.com has posted an article listing five things that ruin credit scores, and how to avoid these little-known pitfalls.

The first thing you shouldn't do is destroy old credit cards that are paid off. You get points from the credit card company just for keeping an account with them for a long time, whether you use the card or not. Plus, it looks good on a credit report to have a longstanding account.

Next, you shouldn't spend all the limit on your card.

Truth is, your balance-to-limit radio is going to have a big effect on your credit. You want your balance (the amount you spend) to be only 20% of your limit (the amount that’s available). That means that $3,000 credit card should only have $600 on it if you want to keep your credit shiny clean.

Applying for too much credit will also hurt your credit score. Applications sent in to different companies in close intervals often means you won't get any of the cards. The article advises keeping the same card for a long time, as sending in applications less than 6 months apart rarely pays off.

The article also warns against not paying late fees. If you just pay the balance every month, the late fee rolls over and is then considered 30 days late and you're charged double the amount of the original fee.

The last piece of advice offered for consumers is to be sure to pay bills on time. This eliminates fees and benefits your credit score.

You know what date your bills are due. Set up online bill pay, write the due dates in big letters on your calendar, do whatever you have to do, but don’t rely on the postal service to get your bills to you on time.

If you have questions or concerns regarding the accuracy of your credit report, feel free to contact us.

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September 12, 2009

Video On Credit Card Changes - Alabama Live Interview

A couple of weeks ago I was invited by Alabama Live to appear on the morning show to discuss the new changes to credit card laws that went into effect recently. Keep in mind that more changes are coming at the first of the year and then next summer.

If you would like more information about this or if you are dealing with abusive debt collectors or false credit reporting, feel free to contact us.

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August 23, 2009

Man Tries to Steal 130 Million Credit Card Numbers

The Associated Press has posted an article about a man from Miami, Albert Gonzalez, who has reportedly tried to steal 130 million credit card numbers. "The one-time government informant" is being charged with the largest case of credit and debit card data theft in the nation's history...on top of another 40 million numbers that he previously stole.

Gonzalez used to work for the US Secret Service as an informant responsible for tracking hackers, which is ironic because

...the agency later found out that he had also been working with criminals and feeding them information on ongoing investigations, even warning off at least one individual, according to authorities.

Two Russian co-conspirators also joined Gonzalez in attempting to hack into corporate computer networks to leave malware that would give them access to steal data. They targeting major companies such as 7-Eleven Inc, the grocery store chain Hannaford Brothers, Co. Inc, as well as a New Jersey based card-payment processor named Heartland Payment Systems.

He is already in jail on other hacking charges and could face up to 20 years for this particular sentence. Other charges against him include hacking into the servers of Barnes and Noble, TJ Maxx, Office Max, Sports Authority and the restaurant chain Dave and Buster's.

If convicted, Gonzalez could face a life sentence for those charges as well as 20 years for the recent charges.

If you have had problems with identity theft or stolen credit card numbers, feel free to contact us.

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May 24, 2009

Cardholders And Problems With Credit Cards

Time.com has posted an article that takes a different approach to dealing with the issue of credit card debt.

Barbara Kiviat, author of the article, says that credit card companies' "laundry list" of fees and other assorted charges are a large matter in the problem when looking at consumer debt. However, some fault lies with the consumer. The article says that people are more likely to make bad decisions when using a credit card to pay. People dont' typically think of all the fees and interest rate they will have to pay off on top of the cost of the item when the bill comes in.

...we're just really bad at understanding costs that come later on. Instead, we assign a disproportionate amount of importance to what's immediate and tangible.

Several impulse purchases put on a credit card with a hefty interest rate can take quite awhile to pay off. Let's take this article as a reminder to consider the long term effects.

If you have had problems with credit card debt, feel free to contact us.

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May 21, 2009

How the New Credit Law Affects You

CreditCards.com has posted an article that discusses exactly how the newly passed credit reform bill will affect consumers.

The new bill calls for credit card companies allowing consumers more time to pay their balance and "clearer due dates and times." Payments would be due at least 21 days after the notice is mailed. This would prevent random changes in the due date of payments and the resulting late fees. Time deadlines, such as before 5pm, would also be illegal.

Cut-off times set before 5 p.m. on the payment due dates would be illegal under the new law. Payments due at those times or on weekends, holidays or when the card issuer is closed for business will not be subject to late fees.

Hikes in interest rates would also be limited. Interest rates on a transaction could only increase after the first year and drastic changes cannot be made sooner than 45 days after the consumer was informed. "Universal default" would also be done away with, meaning that interest rates would no longer be affected by the consumer's payment history with any other institution.

The credit card company must tell the consumer about the implications of only paying the minimum balance each month, as well as tell the consumer how much to pay monthly if they want their debt off in a specific amount of time. The consumer would have the option to eliminate over-limit fees. One option is to have their card rejected if a transaction would exceed the limit and thus avoid late fees. Double cycle billing is also done away with.

Upfront fees for subprime credit cards would also not be allowed to exceed 25% of the first year's credit limit.

If you have had credit issues feel free to contact us.

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May 13, 2009

Proposed Credit Amendement Bill Passes House

Associated Press writer Marcy Gordon has written an article about the House passing Obama's proposed credit card bill. The bill seeks to protect consumers by demanding 45 days of notice before an increase in interest. If made into law, this would take effect in 90 days.

Some other parts of the bill wouldn't take effect until next year, such as:

The measure would prohibit so-called double-cycle billing and retroactive rate hikes and would prevent companies from giving credit cards to anyone under 18.

The White House released a statement saying that the credit card industry needs more accountability and effective enforcement against violations and consumers need protection from "abusive fees and penalties."

If you have had problems with sudden raises in interest rates or other credit card issues, feel free to contact us.

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May 7, 2009

Obama Seeks Credit Reform in Favor of Consumers

Associated Press writer Ben Feller has written an article about President Obama trying to reform aspects of the credit card industry.

He wants to do away with "the tricky fine print, sudden rate increases and late fees that give millions of consumers headaches."

"I trust that those in the industry who want to act responsibly will engage with us in a constructive fashion, and that we're going to get this done in short order," Obama said, delivering a pointed message to leading executives of credit-card issuing companies after a closed-door White House meeting.

The Senate and the House are both pushing credit bills that provide more protection for consumers, especially during the recession. Obama has made clear that he intends to sign the bill into law. If passed, it will come into effect next year.

We plan to follow this and keep you updated. If you have had problems with credit card debt, feel free to contact us.

March 31, 2009

Insight and Tips on Credit Cards

Our friend Denise Richardson has a guest post on her blog providing insight into the credit card industry. The source, and author of the blog post, is Scott Taylor, who was in the industry for 20 years.

Taylor feels that credit cards can be very useful when used properly, but the average consumer doesn't have enough education about how the credit card industry works. Banks know that most people will only pay the minimum monthly payment, and will use high interest to gain profit.He uses the example this example:

If you have a balance of $5000 with the average interest rate at 13.89% and a monthly payment of $150- If you NEVER used the card again and made every payment on time and constant amount, it would take you a short 3.5 years to pay that balance off..

Taylor also warns against exorbitant fees. He warns the consumer to be on the lookout for excessive fees that are disguised as processing fees to complete a transaction, such as balance payment over the phone...or online.
Here is an insider tip, if your credit card company charges you a fee to pay your account online- you need to fire that company immediately. They are gouging you for fees that are absolutely not necessary.

He also warns of the dangers of "re-pricing." Taylor says that companies will alter interest rates of nearly everyone every year. If you have debt with another creditor, delinquent payments, or have had identity changes you're interest rate will very likely go up.

If you have had any problems with credit card companies, feel free to contact us.

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March 14, 2009

American Express Pays off Clients to Pay Balance/Cancel Account

John W. Sharbrough, of the Alabama Consumer Law Blog, posted an article relating to American Express' attempt to bribe clients to pay off their debt.

The company is offering customers as much as $300 to pay off their balance and and close their card. However, the article warns that this is an attempt to "subvert bankruptcy laws."

“What AmEx is trying to do is move to the front of the line in terms of getting paid back by customers who owe debts to multiple lenders", said Micheal Talano, an analyst at Sander O’Neill & Partners. “They clearly grew loans faster than their competitors in the years leading up to this financial crisis.”


Ironcially, American Express just recieved $3.39 billion "from the U.S. Treasury to boost its capita....But apparently it had no intention to use that money to increase lending" according to Sharbrough.


If you are dealing with this, or any other issues relating to bankruptcy or debt collection/credit card troubles, feel free to contact us.

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October 3, 2008

Errors On Credit Card Statements - What Alabama Consumers Should Do With The Fair Credit Billing Act

We just were this week contacted by an Alabama consumer who is dealing with false charges on her credit card bills. Unfortunately, this problem affects consumers across the country including those of us in Alabama.

Our friend Jay Fleischman has an excellent post on this issue which we recommend you read. Jay has several points but here are just a couple of things you need to do to dispute the false charge:

You must:

* write to the creditor at the address given for “billing inquiries,” not the address for sending your payments, and include your name, address, account number and a description of the billing error.
* send your letter so that it reaches the creditor within 60 days after the first bill containing the error was mailed to you.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about false charges on your credit card statements.

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August 22, 2008

Statute Of Limitations On Credit Card Debt - Which State Law Applies?

Our friend Jay Fleischman of the New York Consumer Litigation Blog points out something that is rarely discussed in collection suits over credit card debt - which state statute of limitation law applies when a credit card company (or debt buyer) sues you?

Here is the heart of the matter according to a recent court decision out of Florida:


In the recent case of Capital One Bank USA, NA v Gregorich, one court in Florida has hit the nail on the head by saying that the statute of limitations is governed by the Cardmember Agreement between the consumer and the credit card company.

In the Gregorich case, Capital One began a lawsuit about 3 1/2 years after the date of default. The Customer Agreement (Capital One’s term for Cardmember Agreement) specifically stated that it would be governed by Federal and Virginia law. The relevant statute of limitations in Virginia was deemed to be 3 years because the Agreement did not qualify as a “written contract” governed by the 5 year Virginia Statute of Limitations.

End result? Capital One loses.

Your lesson? Always check the Cardmember Agreement to determine the appropriate statute of limitations.

If you have been sued, feel free to contact us for a free evaluation of your options and rights under the law.

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August 8, 2008

Warning About Debt Reduction Or Debt Settlement Companies

Our friend Denise Richardson has an interesting post about how Credit Solutions, supposedly the largest debt settlement company in the nation, is being sued for allegedly misrepresenting what it can do for consumers. With so many consumers facing crushing debt, there is a huge marketing campaign ongoing for debt settlement companies. While I'm sure there are some good ones, we typically hear of the bad ones who take consumers' money and provide nothing in return other than a destroyed credit report and, usually, default judgments when the consumer is sued. If you are considering using one of these companies, make sure you understand what you are "buying" and what they are "selling".

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July 25, 2008

Tips For Alabama Consumers Regarding Surprising Credit Card Fees

We were recently made aware of this interesting blog post at bankaholic.com regarding 5 little known fees on credit cards. Please read the entire post but here are the five:

1. Low APR Cards May Carry Annual Fees;
2. Fees for Extra Services;
3. You May Be Charged Nominal Amount Even if You Pay in Full
4. Balance Transfers Have Fees; and
5. Low APRs Only for a Limited Time.

We all want to get the best credit cards (if we have to use them) and these are some fees that most of us are not aware of. Educate yourself so you can protect yourself.

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July 13, 2008

Credit Card Companies May Damage Your FICO Score By Lowering Credit Limits

The USA Today recently ran a story on how banks are cutting credit card limits which has the effect of increasing the percentage of credit used as compared to the total available credit and this lowers the FICO score. Here is an example from the article:

Let's say a cardholder has a credit limit of $10,000 and a balance on the card of $4,000. The card company worries that large balance may increase the prospects for default, so it lowers the credit line to $5,000.

But in doing that, it completely changes what is known as the credit utilization rate, raising it from 40% to 80%. That is then factored into the calculation of one's so-called FICO credit score, which measures creditworthiness, according to Craig Watts, a spokesman for FICO-creator Fair Isaac Corp.

It appears there is nothing illegal about this but you do need to be aware of this possibility and do your best to lower or eliminate credit card debt to protect your FICO score. Of course, one thing that will damage your FICO score is false information on your credit reports. The solution is to pull your credit reports, review them, then dispute any false information, and finally sue if the false information is not corrected. Please feel free to contact us if you live in Alabama and have questions about your credit reports.

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February 21, 2008

Reminder to Watch for Credit Card Skimming

We ran across this video that discusses the dangers of eating out. Though this happened in April of 2007, you could still potentially be a victim of this scam. The scam involves credit card skimming, which is where someone who uses your credit card runs it through a device, which records your personal information from the card. They can then make a duplicate card, which appears to be and works just like your card. When used, the charges show up on your account.

The only real way to prevent this is to regularly check your credit and bank card statements and balances. If anything looks out of line, contact your bank immediately to report it.

If you have been the victim of identity theft and have difficulty correcting it revew these articles, Identity Theft Credit Issues and Steps for Reporting Credit Errors on some steps you can take to begin repairing your credit.

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