Fraudulent Credit Card Use

By William Blake

Credit card fraud is one of the biggest ways of identity theft. It is also the easiest way to steal from someone else. Almost everyone has a credit card and more than half of those people use them everyday. There are many ways for people to get your name and credit card numbers. Anyone can get and use this information. It only takes one scamming person to get your information and use it for all that it is worth.

My Credit Card ? How Can People Use It?

Anyone who has seen your credit card information can attempt to use it fraudulently. For most of us that is quite a number of people. Can you count how many people have seen your credit card this week? It is overwhelming to think about the possibilities of credit card theft. But it is important to acknowledge the danger and take the necessary precautions. Remember that you should never throw away or leave with others papers or invoices containing your credit card information. It is also not wise to give your credit card information when on the telephone to make telephone transactions. If you have refused to give your credit card information and someone is overly anxious to receive it and keeps pressing you to give it to them don't give in.

Check Your Statements

You should your credit card statement on a regular basis. If there is anything out of the ordinary call the company and inquire about it. You want to be aware of what is happening with your credit card at all times so that you can stop any fraudulent use quickly.

Protect Your Card

A fraud protection plan added to your credit card may cost you an annual fee but you will find that the peace of mind it gives is well worth the money. If your credit card information is stolen you will not be liable to repay any of the charges. This is an investment that should be made when you receive any type of credit card.

A Lost Credit Card

If you lost or misplaced your credit card, make sure that you report it as soon as possible. Even if you think that you lost it in your house or car, it does not matter. Odds are that you did, but there is a chance that you lost it somewhere else and you never know who may find it. If you report it missing, they can suspend your card until you find it or cancel it if you do not. It is not a big hassle and worth it in the end.

About the Author:

Thinking of trying to lower your payments or the balance owing by negotiating credit card debt? Be sure to visit the Debtopedia website at http://www.debtopedia.com to get some helpful information & advice first.

How to Raise Credit Score in 5 Easy Ways

By Marcus Duke

If your credit score is low and you need to purchase a home or buy a car or open a credit account you may find that these privileges are extremely difficult with less than perfect credit scores.

For people with low credit scores all is not loss, you may be able to raise your credit scores.

By implementing small changes daily you can see your credit scores improve gradually and improve your chances of getting approve for credit.

1. Pay every bill before it is due. If you make it a habit to pay your bills on time you can improve your credit rating and credit score.

When your payments are overdue or late your credit score can suffer greatly. Paying your bills on time is good practice. This one step alone can change your credit score in a positive way.

This step is extremely important in raising your credit scores and will help to improve your score as well.

You can't just ignore the payments that you have missed. Get those payments current and then get back on track so you can get back to paying your bills on time.

The charges already owed to the companies will not go away and still need to be paid for you to be current on your bills.

Every on paid bill does not go away, those companies still expect to get paid. Most companies will be happy to make arrangements with you to make payments towards paying off the debt owe.

3. Onforeseen times and incidences can happen to anyone. This may the the cause for your current financial state.

5. Everyone faces hard times from time to time.

Tip #5 - Avoid Just Moving Your Debt - Many people merely move around their debt instead of paying it off, which will not help you out when wanting to know how to raise credit score. Instead of moving your debt to another card, you should be working to pay it off instead. This is the way that you can lower that score.

About the Author:

Would you like to improve your credit rating?, make sure you check out Macus's website to raise credit score in less than 30 days at Credit Score Rating Guide, and educate yourself on How to get approved for credit

Is throwing money at the mortgage market the solution?

By Chris Clare

You may have noticed over the last month many countries have past bills in their governments to inject substantial amounts of cash into their banking system. They have done this on the understanding that all the bad loans also known as toxic debt is weakening the institutions and rendering us unable to borrow money so leaving us all worse off as a result.

So the big question is will injecting this money actually get the banks lending again and if they do, will it have any effect on us, the general public. In answering this question and dealing with the issues here I can only comment on our particular situation here in the United Kingdom. Whilst it may be similar in other parts of the world I cannot comment due to the fact that I am unfamiliar as to how their market works, so what may have an effect here may not be the case anywhere else.

Now the general consensus would be that due to the credit crunch the various financial institutions involved in the lending of money are not at liberty to do so, through a lack of it. So it would then follow on that the way to solve the problem is to supply them with the necessary means, i.e. more money. But this approach does not begin to scratch the surface with regards to the underlying problem. The reality is that the banks have been badly hit by the credit crunch and so are quite unwilling to continue on with lending as if nothing had happened.

The main result and contributory factor to the current financial predicament is that of house prices, and house prices are not only falling but are set to continue to fall for the foreseeable future. Consequently lenders are finding that they have to tighten all their criteria not least in the area of loan to value LTV, that is the amount of money that is lent based on the value of the property. Most lenders during 2007 lent up to 95% LTV some lent 100% LTV and in some cases they went as high as 125%LTV.

While the market is buoyant most annalists will agree this type of lending is OK. Think about it if you lend on a 100,000 house 125% which results in a loan of 125,000 and the house price rises over the next three years at a rate of 10% per annum, which was not unheard of. Then your LTV in three years time would only be 93% this is alright from a lending point of view and what would be considered an acceptable risk.

However house prices are not rising by 10% per annum in fact they are falling by at least 10% and some people think that these falls will be worse. So with that in mind if you now lend to someone 85,000 on a 100,000 house in three years your loan could be as high as 118% LTV. This as I am sure you will agree unacceptable lending in this climate. This therefore clearly explains why lenders are unwilling to lend over 90% LTV and in some cases 85%.

So what does this mean to the bailout and the future of the market? Well in my opinion, and I may be right or wrong only time will tell, I think that the bailout will have little effect. Yes the lenders are under a commitment to lend at the levels of 2007 during 2009, but if you understand what has been said in my previous paragraphs they cant lend at the high loan to values. Most of the urgent cases for lending are the people coming out of rates that have been arrange in the last five years, these people are going to be pushing the LTVs due to the current house price falls.

Another thing to consider is the high amount of self certification mortgages that have been arranged over the last 5 years. These types of mortgages will definitely be a rarity because they are seen as to high a risk and the institutions don?t want to know. And even if they are available the LTV will be far lower so what are the consequences in that scenario?

Don?t get me wrong, I am all for the government trying to give the economy a much needed boost, but I just think that the institutions will be unwilling to take the risk on loans at the 2007 and before levels. They will most probably stockpile for the future. This will mean that house prices will continue to spiral downwards due to the LTV not being at a suitable level and the banks will be even more cautious about the type of loans on offer and also the vetting process. It really is a difficult situation and I think that the only way around it if for one of the institutions to bite the bullet and take a calculated risk with regards to their lending.

About the Author:

Advice on mortgages from specialist Independent Mortgage Advisors help information and no obligation mortgage calculators please visit Mortgage Route

Will cutting rates be beneficial for the public?

By Chris Clare

We are getting further into the credit crisis, and as we do so, people are finding it more difficult to get credit for anything. This is causing people to look even more closely at interest rates than ever before. A year ago, Joe Public wouldn't have had a clue what LIBOR was or what it meant. Only those in the financial industry were aware of its meaning. Nowadays it is common knowledge, and a very hot topic.

The nation is now aware that LIBOR, the London Inter Bank Offered Rate reflects the actual rate at which banks borrow money from each other and is accepted as an accurate barometer of how global markets are reacting to market conditions.

The rate is calculated by the British Banking Association (BBA) which takes the lending rate from 16 different contributing panels. They then disregard the top and bottom 4, concentrating on the middle average 8 rates. The average of these becomes that day's LIBOR rate.

Over the last twelve months the difference between the LIBOR rate and the Bank of England base rate has been substantial and it has also been acknowledged that the period of this variation is also longer than ever before. There has recently been a drop in the rate with a 1.065 percentage reduction on Friday 7th November giving a rate of 4.496% (its lowest point since April 2004), reflecting a slashing of the interest rate by 1.5% to 3% by the Bank of England. The pressure has been put on the financial institutions to pass this on to the general public, not only by the government, but also by the media. With this in mind, many of the leading banks are following the Bank of England's lead.

In clamoring for reductions to be passed on there are a number of factors that appear to have not been taken in to consideration;

A reduction in interest rates to existing customers is very welcome. However from the bank's perspective this can have a detrimental effect on arrears performance. As borrower's payments are reduced this will automatically increase arrears percentages; for example a borrower who has a monthly payment of ?350 and is say ?300 in arrears, is currently 'off the radar'. However, should the monthly payment be reduced due to a rate cut to ?280 the borrower is now in excess of one month in arrear. This will be replicated throughout the collections process as those accounts that are one month move to two, two to three etc culminating in more accounts reaching the stage where they are referred to solicitors for litigation proceedings to commence.

Banks who wish to lend to other banks at the LIBOR rate will be looking at the performance of the borrowing bank's mortgage book. This will inevitably have slipped with the decrease in rates, and will of course only slip further as more cuts happen in the future. As a result, banks will become more unwilling to lend out as the possible risk of lending increases, which will in turn be detrimental to the LIBOR rate.

There is another way that banks achieve funding for their daily dealings. Income from their loan books and retail deposits are also used for mortgages and loans. This is how some banks have been able to keep afloat during the recent crisis and it is indeed true to say that the competition that now exists for investments is every bit as intense as it was for mortgages just a few years back.

The drop in rates will mean that the income derived from borrowers will plummet, although banks will continue to grapple for investment business. Therefore the bank's profits will droop and their recovery will be made slower. As the banks fight for investment, the rates drop even below the LIBOR rate, meaning that the only way for banks to get liquid funds is through retail business. In that respect, LIBOR must then drop far enough to be attractive to banks in comparison with the cost of getting in retail business.

To summarise, there is little doubt that the government's actions have boosted confidence levels and created a positive impact on the money market. However there is still a long way to go, and many more challenges to overcome, and the cash injection and reduction in interest rates, although remedial, will still have a few nasty side effects. The irony is, as this article is written, LIBOR has gone back up to 5.65%, so who knows what to expect!

About the Author:

Mortgage Route offers information help and advice on mortgages from qualified mortgage brokers along with free mortgage calculators and sourcing tools.

Ten Tips to Successful Debt Collecting

By JR Rooney

10 Tips to help you collect debt:

PREPARE: Go over the paperwork on the debtor before making a call. Knowing the history of the account is key. Have all the records in front of you, ready for reference if needed.

ATTITUDE: Adopt a straight, professional business-like attitude. You have a contract, you delivered the goods, money is owed, and you have a right to expect payment. Never let it become personal. Don't yell or raise your voice; and NEVER swear. Don't threaten; legal action is your recourse.

CONTACT: Make sure you're talking to the right person. Don't let the individual brush you off with "You'll have to talk to the bookkeeper." Identify the person who will pay the bill. If you cant get through after several calls, tell the secretary that you know your calls are being screened. Indicate the purpose of your call and if necessary give deadlines.

CONTROL: Always control the conversation. Keep it focused on the debt and on the repayment schedule. Do not let the debtor sidetrack you with personal history, excuses, etc. Remember, the objective of your call is to collect money, or get a commitment to pay not to become friends with the debtor or win arguments.

FLEXIBLE: Always be prepared to adjust to any situation. Think about the kind of customer you are dealing with and adapt to meet the circumstances. Be prepared to accept a reasonable payment schedule, and a willingness to deal with a customers circumstances.

NOTES: Try to Keep detailed, accurate notes of every single contact with the debtor. Always probe for additional information on the debtor. Notes of these contacts will help you in later phone calls, and may be invaluable if litigation is needed. Great notes will also help in credit decisions in the future or in cases where skip tracing may be needed.

PRODUCTIVE: Keep contact brief and to the point. This is a business call, not a social one. View your efforts on a ratio of time expended to results achieved. Long conversations probably mean the customer is stalling you, or trapping you in the buddy syndrome.

PRECISE: Never leave a call open ended, such as "Well talk next week," or "Ill send what I can." Every single call should result in a commitment to some kind of payment, You need a specific amount, by a specific date, even the check number the customer is using to pay the promise.

TIME: The longer an account is outstanding, the less likely it is that it will be paid. If payment is not arranged or a payment plan is not established within 90 days, place the claim with a collection agency or start legal proceedings.

PLACEMENT: Just type "Collection Agency" to any search engine and pick a firm that ranks outside of the sponsored listings. If a Collection Agency needs to buy you or bid for your business they must be desperate and could have money issues.

About the Author:

A Full Service Collection Agency that ranks organically on Google is this Collection Company

How to Eliminate debt

By JR Rooney

Three steps to freedom form debt:

1. Stop acquiring new debt.

2. Establish an emergency fund.

3. Implement a debt snowball.

Here's how to approach each step.

Stop acquiring new debt (This step can be accomplished in a minute.)

This may seem self-evident, but the reason your debt is out of control is that you keep adding to it. Stop using credit. Don't finance anything. Cut up your credit cards.

That last one can be tough. Don't make excuses. I don't care that other personal finance sites say that you shouldn't cut them up. Destroy them. Stop rationalizing that you need credit cards.

* You don't need credit cards for a safety net. * You don't need credit cards for convenience. * You don't need credit cards for sky miles.

You don't need credit cards at all. If you're in debt, credit cards are a trap. They only put you deeper in debt. Later, when your debts are gone and your finances are under control, maybe then you can get a credit card. (I don't carry a personal credit card. I don't miss having one.)

After you cut up your cards, stop all recurring payments. If you have a gym membership, cancel it. If you automatically renew your online video game account, cancel it. Cancel anything that automatically charges your credit card. Stop using credit.

Once you've done this, call every credit card company that you just killed. Do not cancel your credit cards (except for those with a zero balance). Instead, ask for a better deal. Find an offer online and use it as a bargaining wedge. Your bank may not agree to match competing offers, but it probably will. It never hurts to ask.

Establish an emergency fund (This step will probably take several months.)

For most, this is counter-intuitive. Why save before paying off debt? Because if you don't save first, you're not going to be able to cope with unexpected expenses. Do not tell yourself that you can keep a credit card for emergencies. Destroy your credit cards; save cash for emergencies.

How much should you save? Ideally, you'd save $1,000 to start. (College students may be able to get by with $500.) This money is for emergencies only. It is not for beer. It is not for shoes. It is not for a Xbox 360. It is to be used when your car dies, or when you break your arm using RIPSTICK.

Keep this money liquid, but not immediately accessible. Don't tie your emergency fund to a debit card. Don't sabotage your efforts by making it easy to spend the money on crap. Consider opening a savings account at an online bank like ING or e-trade. When an emergency arises, you can easily transfer the money to your regular checking account. It'll be there when you need it, but you won't be able to spend it spontaneously.

Implement a debt snowball (This step may require several years.)

After you've stopped using credit, and after you've saved an emergency fund, then attack your existing debt. Attack it with vigor. Throw whatever you can at it.

Some experts say to pay your highest interest debts first. There's no question that this makes the most sense mathematically. But if money were all about math, you wouldn't have debt in the first place. Money is as much about emotion and psychology as it is about math.

There are at least two approaches to debt elimination. Psychologically, using a debt snowball offers big payoffs, payoffs that can spur you to further debt reduction. Here's the short version:

1. Order your debts from lowest balance to highest balance. 2. Designate a certain amount of money to pay toward debts each month. 3. Pay the minimum payment on all debts except for the one with the lowest balance. 4. Throw every other dime at the debt with the lowest balance. 5. When that debt is gone, do not alter the monthly amount used to pay debts, but throw all you can at the debt with the next-lowest balance.

I'm a huge fan of the debt snowball. It still takes time to pay off your debts, but you can see results almost immediately.

Supplementary solutions

You can do other things to improve your money situation while you're working on these three steps.

First, focus on the fundamental personal finance equation: to pay off debt, or to save money, or to accumulate wealth, you must spend less than you earn.

Curb your spending. Re-learn frugal habits. (Frugality is something with which most college students are all too familiar.) You can find some great ideas on the internet. Also check Frugal for Life.

While you work on spending less, do what you can to increase your income. If possible, sell some of the stuff you bought when you got into debt. Get an extra job. (But don't neglect your studies for the sake of earning more. Your studies are most important.)

Finally, go to your local public library and borrow Dave Ramsey's The Total Money Makeover. Don't be put off by the title - this is a fantastic guide to getting out of debt and developing good money habits. I rave about it often, but that's because it has done so much to help my own personal finances. After you've finished, return it and borrow another book about money.

The most important thing is to start now. Don't start tomorrow. Don't start next week. Start tackling your debt now. Your older self will thank you.

About the Author:

JR Rooney is an expert on credit andCollection Company. JR works for this Collection Agency

After the Chaos - What Types of Mortgages Remain

By Emily Winkle

The mortgage market and subsequently the entire US economy had a major meltdown in 2008. This originally stemmed from the subprime meltdown, and then the Alt-A lending collapse. As a result, the world financial markets have experienced a major credit crunch and this has resulted in a completely transformed US mortgage industry.

The previous dozen years of mortgage options and financial bliss have become a memory, with every liberal mortgage program no longer available. The remaining mortgage products are quite unlike the guidelines from the past few years. Now...they require full documentation of income, strong credit, and actually proving you have a job! It's no stretch to say that common-sense has returned to the mortgage world.

Post Mortgage Meltdown:

Before the financial crisis that destroyed the mortgage market, 100% financing loan programs were availalable to all. The only real requirement that existing in those days, were that you prove you were a US citizen. (non-citizens could only get 90% financing!). With credit scores in the high 500's, you could still obtain 100% loan financing. In November 2008, only USDA and VA loans offer 100% financing. FHA loans have removed their option to allow the seller to gift 3% to the buyer, so they are now capped at 97%. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac offer 97% options, but no 100% programs at all. If anyone tells you differently, they are giving you bad information.

The Alternative A credit market, also known as Alt-A loans, which used to offer very appealing niche loan financing products catering to borrowers with credit scores from 660 and up are also gone. These lenders offered loan programs to borrowers with scores down to 620. Aggressive programs, such as 100% no doc financing, were typically not available to borrowers below a 660 middle score. Today, even these seemingly viable products made to very strong borrowers have dried up. They were a victim of the global mortgage chaos that devoured the sub-prime banks and saw even the big 3 Automobile companies suffering and on the verge of collapse. Alt-A lenders had very liberal DTI ratios, reduced and even no income documentations, and the ability to turn any loan into an interest-only mortgage!

Leading Alt-A lenders included GreenPoint, SunTrust, Lehman/Aurora, and First Horizon. Beyond these market leaders, there were hundreds and hundreds of small niche banks and mortgage companies that arose to fulfill the demand for certain niches. Almost all of these lenders are now out of business, and the ones remaining have removed all Alt-A products from their product line. The big loser with these products drying up are the small business owner with great assets and credit, but income "reduced" through their desire to reduce taxes.

Post Subprime Meltdown:

Over 300 banks and other mortgage lenders have either closed down or exited the mortgage business. All of the aggressive financing options that sprouted up over the past 8 years are now gone. We are back to FHA and Conventional loans only, with an added twist. The credit crunch is making it even tougher for a normal, gainfully employed borrower to get a loan. Credit score requirements are now in the low 700's, where before a 680 was sufficient. Cash-out refinance loans are very hard to get. Home equity lines are being reduced, or even closed by the lender. This is happening to qualified borrowers, not just customers with borderline credit and income. Additionally, investor financing is extremely hard to obtain, regardless of income or credit.

As we begin to plan for 2009, Freddie Mac and Fannie have created new strict rules and guidelines for lenders effective December 1st, 2008. These will continue to reduce options for customers seeking financing on purchase or refinance loans. Additional restrictions for borrowers who have had a past BK or foreclosure now push the dream of home ownership from 2 years after these blemishes to 4+ years.

About the Author:

Learn more about Peachtree City mortgage and Atlanta mortgage from Brian and the team at Anderson Lending Group