Tag Archives: Consumers

New Rule Requires Lenders to Provide Credit Scores to Consumers

New Rule Requires Lenders to Provide Credit Scores to Consumers
News from ABC News:

Starting today, lenders who deny a borrower credit or offer a higher-than-normal interest rate are required to show the borrower his credit score.

The new rule is part of an amendment to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act that passed exactly one year ago. Introduced by Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., it requires creditors to provide additional information in adverse action notices if a credit score was used in making a credit decision.

Udall said the credit scores to which consumers previously had access were often not the same as those lenders used to gauge an applicant’s creditworthiness. Bad credit scores, of course, can mean higher interest rates and less-favorable loan terms.

Now when lenders such as banks or credit card companies use credit scores to deny credit or offer an unusually high interest rates, they must disclose not only the relevant scores to the borrowers but also what influenced how their scores were arrived at, the range…………… continues on ABC News
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Credit CARD Act Turns Two: Are Consumers Better Off?

Credit CARD Act Turns Two: Are Consumers Better Off?
News from TIME:

It’s been two years since the landmark Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 was signed into law, and by all accounts, it’s led to some pretty significant changes in the giant industry grinding away behind those little pieces of plastic.

“The Credit CARD Act was passed in response to unfair practices. I think it’s one of the most important and tremendous pieces of legislation for consumers,” says Ed Mierzwinski, consumer advocate at watchdog group U.S.-PIRG. “It banned the worst credit card practices. We’ve all benefited.”

Other consumer advocacy organizations echo this assessment and even the American Bankers Association came around after initially saying that the law would be harmful to consumers (and, presumably, banks). “I think there have been a lot of positive changes for consumers,” says Nessa Feddis, vice president and senior policy counsel for the ABA. But she also says interest rates are higher on average a…………… continues on TIME
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American consumers place credit card payments above mortgage dues – AHN | All Headline News

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Consumers Still Pay Credit Cards Before Mortgages – ABC News

p>It’s not just mortgages that are upside down.

People are staying current with their credit card payments even when they are behind on their mortgage, continuing a trend first seen three years ago.

Data now shows that the flip was even more pronounced at the end of 2010, long after industry experts expected patterns to return to normal.

Among consumers who had at least one credit card and a mortgage, 7.24 percent were 30 days late on mortgage payments but current on their card payments at the end of 2010, credit reporting agency TransUnion said. That compared with 4.3 percent in the first quarter of 2008, when the change was first seen on a national basis.

In contrast, 3.03 percent of consumers with both forms of debt were at least 30 days late on credit cards, but current on their mortgage in the 2010 fourth quarter, compared with 4.1 percent in early 2008.

The reversal from traditional payment habits reflects the steep drop in home values and the spike in unemployment.

“As long as housing problems persist and unemployment is high, things are likely to stay flipped,” said Sean Reardon, a consultant for TransUnion who produced the study by …the source
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Consumers Turn Credit Card Debt Consolidation through Balance Transfer – Daily Rosetta

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Consumers Turn Credit Card Debt Consolidation through Balance Transfer -Image via Wikipedia

Most consumers are currently turning at balance transfer as a way to have their credit card debt consolidation. This provides an overall consolidation of a consumer’s debt in order to have a way to easily do the repayment of the amount owed by a customer. This also helps the customers have a way of easily managing his budget and be able to have enough time to pay for the debts owed by him.

Credit card debt consolidation through the use of balance transfer credit cards are currently becoming attractive with the low interest rates attached to it and also the attractive offers from different providers. This also helps those people with bad credit standing to effectively manage their credit card balances and also pay off any outstanding debts.

Still, people needs to keep in mind to think and consider some factors before coming into a decision of purchasing a balance transfer credit cards. A buyer may pay if it will be easier to pay for a single interest rate from a credit card t …the source
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Credit card competition good news for consumers – TotallyMoney News

ul class=”postinfo”> Monday, March 21, 2011, 11:05

Competition is returning to the credit card market with the launch of record breaking new deals from lenders.

Barclaycard trumped the rest of the field with the launch of a new 20 month 0% balance transfer period, the longest ever offered in the UK.

The announcement was made hours after MBNA and Virgin Money announced they were upping their balance transfer period to 18 months, the length previously offered by Barclaycard.

Both companies went straight to the top of credit card “best buy” charts as they charge relatively small balance transfer fees.

Lenders appear to be shrugging off the cautious mentality that saw them scale back lending after the financial crisis. The average balance transfer deal on the top five cards now stands at 17.8 months, up from 15.2 months in March last year.

Consumers are being warned to check the small print on such deals to make sure they fully understand the costs involved. The Barclaycard offering charges a 3.2% balanc …the source

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Is the New CARD Act Helping Consumers With Transparency? – Financial Feed

Posted on 12:14 p.m. by Nick Maffeo. Tags: card act, cardhub, credit card rates, credit cards, credit fees, hidden credit fees

card act 300x193 Is the New CARD Act Helping Consumers With Transparency?

The CARD Act has been helping people better understand what they are signing for at the dotted line.

The interest rate hike was not a result of the new Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act but an effect of a rough economy according to the study conducted.
CardHub.com chief executive Odysseas Papadimitriou said there was small connection between interest rate hike and the CARD act but with many ties between this recession and that of the early 1990s ………

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