Personal Finance

Credit Scores For Free

April 15, 2011

For a long time now, consumers have been able to get a free copy of their own credit report one time each year from each of the three main credit reporting agencies, TransUnion, Experion and Equifax. And that has led some consumers to mistakenly believe that they are also entitled to a free credit score. [...]

Read the full article →

How Does Mortgage Delinquency Affect Your Credit Score?

April 14, 2011

Many people, many more than usual and many more than in past years, have recently experienced the trauma of not being able to make the house payment, not being able to catch up after delinquencies and the horror of foreclosure, not to mention the people who never really missed a payment but were completely unable [...]

Read the full article →

One Page Mortgage Disclosure

April 13, 2011

If you have ever purchased a home with a mortgage, you will remember the stacks upon stacks of papers you needed to sign, bothe during the loan application and the closing, all the while supposedly knowing everything each paper said, even while there was not time to read them. Well now, Elizabeth Warren, the woman [...]

Read the full article →

Divorce, Credit and Identity Theft

April 12, 2011

Many problems with credit can be caused by going through a divorce. Many times, regardless of what the court order may say, the lenders just want their money and so they will harass you for payment and report bad credit on your report even if your ex-spouse is supposed to be the one responsible. Divorce [...]

Read the full article →

Document Your Receipts

April 11, 2011

It’s the last week to file your taxes if you are going to make the April 18 deadline for the year 2011. And while many who were expecting a huge refund may have completed this onerous task clear back in January or early February, those of us who know that they will end up paying [...]

Read the full article →

Check Your Credit Report

April 4, 2011

Today is April 4, leaving just 11 days until tax day 2011. And while your financial mind may be on other things at this point, tax day can serve as another reminder that if you haven’t checked your credit report lately, you need to do it. If you haven’t checked your credit report yet for [...]

Read the full article →

Mortgages, Credit and Financial Responsibility

March 25, 2011

There are a lot of valid reasons for avoiding credit. However, there are also some reasons you should have credit. Many mortgage companies are now requiring 3 open lines of credit along with a good down payment and a 750 plus credit score in order to qualify for a new mortgage to purchase a home. [...]

Read the full article →

The Crazy Credit Catch-22

March 23, 2011

Remember Catch-22 and that “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” mentality? Well that is exactly how credit works these days. If you are responsible, pay off all your debts on time and live a relatively debt-free, all cash life, you can be penalized by mortgage companies when you want to purchase a home. [...]

Read the full article →

Mortgage Delinquencies Decline

March 22, 2011

The mortgages that are at least 30 days late decreased more last month than it has in over a year. Delinquencies in February 2011 were down 1.2 percent from January 2011 and 18.4 percent from last year at this same time. But the foreclosure inventories are still quite high and significantly higher than last year [...]

Read the full article →

Consumers Cutting Back On Credit Cards

March 14, 2011

According to a new study from the credit bureau, TransUnion, there are as many as eight million credit card accounts that are deemed “incactive” today. The inactive accounts are believed to have contributed to the 24.6% decrease in U.S. Credit card delinquency rates. The majority of the inactive cards were in the “high risk” category [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries