Consumerist
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credit
Denied A Credit Card? Try A Reconsideration Letter
Frugal Travel Guy has a story of how he was able to get a credit card for his son after the company first denied him. The magic bullet was a well-crafted "reconsideration letter." What's that? More » -
credit
Taking Credit Card Offers Hurts Your Credit
Last week, I wrote about how to turn your good credit into cash. I purposely excluded credit card offers from the list because I wanted things that, should you implement them, wouldn't hurt your credit. Today, I want to warn to the overzealous. More » -
credit
How to Cash in on Your Good Credit
Now that we know all the unexpected places our credit score is being used, is there anyway to turn this to our advantage? How do you cash in on your good name? More » -
credit
Legal Uses of Your Credit Report
Once upon a time, credit reports were used only for credit. Now, companies use it for a lot of decisions. Find out what is legal and what is not. More » -
credit
Where to Get Credit Report & Credit Scores
Don't buy a credit score from anyone other than the credit bureaus or Fair Isaac, makers of the FICO score equation, and don't buy a credit report from anyone, you can get your credit report for free by law. More » -
annual fees
Help! My Credit Card Is Adding An Annual Fee!
Michael is in a situation that we anticipate will become very, very common in the coming months. His credit card company has imposed a $99 annual fee. He can accept the fee, or close his account. Not only is this his only credit card, but it's the oldest credit line he has, so closing it would hurt his credit score. What would you do? More » -
hidden fees
Prepaid Debit Cards Are Money Sucking Black Holes In Your Pocket
Be very careful about activating any sort of over-the-counter prepaid debit card, reports the New York Times. They looked at a handful of prepaids currently on the market and discovered ridiculously high hidden fees—the first two months of use can cost you up to $80. More » -
time warp
You Paid Your Bill 3 Hours Early? Then It's 30 Days Late
John's fiancee bought an Apple computer earlier this year, financing it with a Juniper Visa account, then paying the account off early. That's the responsible thing to do, right? Not according to Juniper, which branded her as a filthy, filthy deadbeat. The bank marked the payment she sent in as "late" for arriving three hours before the end of the billing cycle. More » -
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credit
FICO and FAKO Credit Scores
Have you ever heard the term FAKO score? What about FICO score? Seasoned Consumerist readers will know the difference but if you're new to the whirlwind credit industry, you may not. More » -
interest rates
Fed Keeps Interest Rates At .25%
Interest rates will stay at at a low low .25%, the Fed announced today. For you this means... More » -
money
Credit Card Traps
As if a global meltdown, precipitous drop in investment value, and widespread unemployment isn't bad enough, now the economic recession is now making credit cards a bad thing. Will the travesty never end? More » -
credit limits
Does Living In California Make You A Higher Credit Risk?
Paul Smith, who lives in San Diego and has a credit score of 751, had his HSBC credit card limit lowered from $7,000 to $1,400 recently for mysterious reasons. He called HSBC to find out why. More » -
spy on yourself
Seven Free Sites To Track Your Personal Information
The Consumer Reports Money Adviser has compiled a great list of sites that store your personal information and will provide free copies of their reports to you if you ask. More » -
advertising
A Guide To The Bull#$@% They Say In Car Commercials
The folks at Bankrate and Yahoo! Finance have put together a guide that translates the silly things that are often said in car commercials. More » -
personal finance
Michael Jackson Had Bad Credit
It was apparently the least of his problems, but the late King of Pop had less than stellar credit, says TMZ. More » -
the great spending debate
How To Decide Whether To Use Debit Or Credit
Mankind is plagued by several quandaries: Paper or plastic? Ketchup or mustard? Betty or Veronica? More » -
credit
36 Risk Factors Creditors Use To Deny You Credit
Lenders can use the data from your credit report to deny you credit for any one of several reasons. If you are denied, you receive a letter identifying the credit reporting agency that provided the report, along with a risk factor reason code. Bargaineering published a list of the common risk factor codes that lenders use to deem you unworthy of credit. For all three reporting agencies, the cardinal sins are owing too much and failing to pay your bills. The list of codes, inside. More » -
discrimination
Hiring Consultant Warns: "No Connection Between Credit History And Job Performance"
Almost half of all employers use credit reports to judge job applicants, even though credit histories have no relation to job performance. Personal finance goofs are only relevant for jobs that deal directly with money—cashiers, account managers, and the like. For everyone else, negative credit reports keep otherwise capable people from securing a job to help avoid further financial problems. So why do so many companies still ask for credit reports? More »
credit
New York, 4:07 PM
Sun Nov 22
7 posts in the last 24 hours
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