News

2010

June

13

• Vigilance is key to protecting your credit. If you're even slightly concerned about the privacy of your personal information, Jim Stickley is your worst nightmare. The chief technology officer of TraceSecurity, a risk management firm based in Louisiana, breaks into banks and

• Study says math deficiencies increase foreclosure risk. If you can’t divide 300 by 2, should you qualify for a loan? That is one of the questions raised by a new study led by a Columbia University assistant business professor, Stephan Meier, who found

12

• Confusion over estate tax keeps advisors busy. The disappearance of the federal estate tax this year has created confusion and frustration among the wealthy, even among those who stand to benefit from it. And this has sent them in droves to amend

10

• FTC wins Countrywide settlement, but celebrates too early. It's an all-too-familiar Washington story. Officials call a news conference to pat themselves on the back for righting a wrong they shouldn't have allowed in the first place. Meanwhile, the hapless victims are left to

08

• Debt-settlement companies draw increasing criticism. The ads are ubiquitous, and for consumers awash in debt, nearly impossible to ignore: Reduce your credit card bills 50%! Avoid bankruptcy! The relief is real! Behind the ads is a fast-growing industry that barely existed

• Countrywide customers to be repaid $108 million for overcharges. Bank of America, owner of former mortgage giant Countrywide Financial, will pay $108 million in refunds to hundreds of thousands of homeowners under one of the largest judgments imposed by the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC

06

• Who's checking your credit report?. Dear Liz: As part of our mortgage refinance, my wife and I were provided copies of our credit reports and scores by the credit union making our loan. Our scores are great, ranging from 777 to 819,

• The new 20-year mortgage. MOST people who took out jumbo mortgages during the financial crisis got hit with high interest rates as lenders and investors recoiled from anything that seemed even remotely risky. Now that market conditions have improved,

05

• A last push for consumer watchdog. As lawmakers in the House and the Senate iron out differences between their far-reaching new financial regulations, consumer advocates are waging a final, fervent push to safeguard the legislation and bolster key provisions. "The recent

• Consumers stand to gain the most from financial overhaul. Though the Wall Street and banking features of the giant financial industry overhaul bill taking shape on Capitol Hill have drawn most of the attention, home buyers and mortgage applicants should be major winners when

01

• Owners stop paying mortgages, and stop fretting. For Alex Pemberton and Susan Reboyras, foreclosure is becoming a way of life — something they did not want but are in no hurry to get out of. Foreclosure has allowed them to stabilize the family

May

30

• Study assisted-living options for aging parents. The residents at the assisted-living facility looked so frail, many sitting in wheelchairs or hunched over their walkers, making their way slowly along the hallways. "Let's give our kids everything they want anytime they ask

29

• FHA to halve concessions for mortgage loan sellers. One of the key attractions of FHA mortgage financing is going, going -- but not quite gone. Sellers and buyers who move fast can still make the most of it. Sometime this summer, the Federal

23

• Documents you need to save or purge while getting organized. Save it or toss it? It's a question we face whenever confronted with canceled checks, utility bills, ATM and credit card receipts, 401(k) statements — that mound of paper taking over our homes. If you're like

22

• How the finance bill affects consumers. For consumers trying to figure out what the financial overhaul bill means for them, the legislation the Senate passed Thursday offers some tantalizing possibilities. Merchants might offer more discounts to people who pay cash. You

20

• Financial regulation is stalled in Senate. Two Senate Democrats broke party ranks Wednesday to block an effort to wrap up debate on landmark legislation to overhaul the nation's financial regulation, potentially delaying passage. Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.) called for

18

• Senate votes for a clear credit score. Anyone rejected for a credit card, car loan or department store charge account has most likely discovered a frustrating aspect of the government-mandated, free credit reports: the glaring absence of the numerical credit score that

• Senate gets ready to act on financial regulations. Democratic leaders gave notice late Monday that they intend to wind down the weeks-long debate over new financial regulations, even as lawmakers continued to churn through proposed changes to the massive bill. "This cannot be

• Spike in homeowners losing mortgage aid. Homeowners taking advantage of mortgage aid under a federal foreclosure-prevention plan are being dropped from the program at an increasing rate, potentially forcing more borrowers out of their homes as the program struggles to make

17

• Financial overhaul plans remain mostly intact. The Senate this week could hand President Obama his second major legislative victory of the year, both on administration priorities that seemed in doubt not long ago. Passage of a 1,400-page bill to overhaul the