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• California Settles Annuity Sales Scam
  Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. and Insurance Commission Steve Poizner today announced a $7.2 million settlement with American Investors Life Insurance Company, Family First Insurance Services, and Family First Advanced Estate Planning, resolving allegations that the companies sold thousands of annuities with exorbitant fees to vulnerable senior citizens
• Don't Print Full Credit and Debit Card Numbers on Customers' Purchase Receipts: FTC Reminds Businesses
  To reduce the risk of fraud and identity theft, the electronically printed credit and debit card receipts given to consumers must not include more than the last five digits of the card number, and must not show the expiration date.
• Nationwide Debt Collector Will Pay $1.3 Million to Settle FTC Charges
  A Texas-based debt collection company will pay more than $1.3 million to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it misled, threatened, and harassed consumers in violation of federal law.
• FTC Creates Consumer Hotline for Consumers Who Paid for Debt Reduction Services
  The Federal Trade Commission has created a consumer hotline for consumers who purchased "debt reduction services" from Edge Solutions, Money Cares, the Debt Settlement Company, the Debt Elimination Center, and Pay Help Inc. The hotline is in addition to a letter that was recently sent to the customers of Edge Solutions and the other companies, notifying them that the companies were shutdown.
• 5 Tips for Protecting Your Checking Account
  Make sure all the checks, debits, automatic payments, and other withdrawals are ones you authorized. If you see a transaction you did not authorize, notify your bank immediately. If your bank has online banking, you don’t have to wait until your bank statement comes--you can check your transactions at any time.
• Consumer Credit Limitations for Military Service Members and Dependents - Limits interest to 36 percent MAPR
  The rule applies to all persons engaged in the business of extending consumer credit and their assignees. The final rule applies to consumer credit, which the DoD defines as payday loans, vehicle title loans and tax refund anticipation loans that meet specific parameters. For these defined transactions with covered borrowers (covered transactions), the DoD rule.
• Feds Urges Improved Underwriting Standards on Third Party Loans
  When a bank makes a loan that it plans to hold, the fundamental standard it uses to underwrite the loan is that most basic of credit standards that I’ve already talked about: the underwriting must be strong enough to create a reasonable expectation that the loan will be repaid.
• Give Yourself Credit – Good Credit; It Reaps a Variety of Financial Rewards
  

  Having a solid credit history can affect consumers in a surprising number of ways. Credit histories influence everything from renting an apartment and getting a mortgage to applying for a job or qualifying for a lower rate on auto or home insurance, according to the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.).

• Home Equity Lines of Credit - Who Uses This Source of Credit?
  This report profiles single-family homeowners who used home equity lines of credit in 2001 and compares them to their counterparts from 10 years earlier, including age, home value, mortgage, age of home, number of loans for home improvements and proportion of people using home equity for debt consolidation.
• Seven Credit Rating Agencies Register with SEC as Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations
  Washington, D.C., Sept. 24, 2007— The Securities and Exchange Commission issued orders today granting the registrations of seven credit rating agencies as nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (“NRSRO”). The firms are the first to be registered with the Commission under the Credit Rating Agency Reform Act of 2006.
• Underfunded Pension Plans: Treasury, IRS Issue Proposed Regulations
  Washington, D.C.--The Treasury Department and IRS issued today proposed regulations to provide guidance on new rules enacted as part of the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA) that restrict benefits in pension plans that are underfunded.
• Paying for College ... the Smart Way
  The cost of college has risen faster than the general inflation rate for many years. So, it's no surprise that many parents borrow to pay for higher education and that many college graduates owe tens of thousands of dollars on student loans and related debt. Here are strategies for keeping college financing costs down.
• When You Need Money Fast: Sources of Affordable Cash
  It's two weeks until payday, your credit cards are maxed out ... and then your car breaks down. You only need a few hundred dollars for the repair but you need it now. Many people in these situations have turned to "alternative" financial services providers such as pawnshops, car-title lenders (for a loan secured by the borrower's car) and payday lenders (for unsecured loans that borrowers promise to repay out of their next paycheck or regular income payment).
• Credit Score: 5 Tips in Improving Your Credit Score
  Many credit-scoring models consider the number and type of credit accounts you have. A mix of installment loans and credit cards may improve your score. However, too many finance company accounts or credit cards might hurt your score.
• 15 Simple Strategies for Saving Money on Loans and Credit Cards
  Loans and credit cards provide great consumer benefits, but as with any form of borrowed money, you've got to be careful about how you manage credit. Here are tips for saving money on credit products — in your basic financial affairs, when shopping for new credit, and when using loans and credit cards.
• Maintaining Good Credit Reaps a Variety of Financial Rewards
  NEW YORK, July 26, 2007— Having a solid credit history can affect consumers in a surprising number of ways. Credit histories influence everything from renting an apartment and getting a mortgage to applying for a job or qualifying for a lower rate on auto or home insurance, according to the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.).