… the handling of cash, expensive merchandise or a security clearance, you may be subjected to a credit check. If you’re behind on your bills, have delinquencies, defaults, judgments or liens, there a few things you should know.

While a company is restricted from not hiring you simply because you filed bankruptcy, they may be allowed to deny you employment if you have bad credit.  However, if they were challenged in a court, they would need to prove that your poor credit demonstrated …

Comment by Karen: … you because of bad credit? I 'think' that I have lost out …

Category: Credit and Bankruptcy , Unemployment - Job Loss

Tags: Bankruptcy Credit Check Employment

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… are drafting a proposal that would shield big banks from potentially tougher state regulations of credit cards, mortgages and savings accounts.

The article said:

“…their proposal, spearheaded by Illinois Democratic Rep. Melissa Bean, isn’t sitting well with consumer advocates who say banks shouldn’t be allowed to skirt state regulations if the restrictions don’t suit them.”

Under the plan created by President Obama and Congressman Barney Frank, lenders would face credit …

Comment by Jacob Decker: Credit card debt can almost always be …

Category: Credit Crisis

Tags: Banking Services Consumer Protections Credit card

Permalink: /credit-crisis/state-legislators-seek-to-shield-banks-from-tough-credit-card-rules/

Bankruptcy offers the perfect opportunity to rebuild your credit score by using credit cards and other forms of debt shrewdly.  Here a few tips on how to master the credit score game after filing bankruptcy.

Tip #1 – Go for the top credit cards and other loan products first.  Many debtors mistakenly believe that once they file for bankruptcy they are forever relegated to the “trash heap” of creditors who charge outrageous interest rates and …

Comment by Jim Ince: … in rebuilding your credit legally, so that you avoid …

Category: Bankruptcy , Credit Card Negotiation , Credit and Bankruptcy

Tags: Bankruptcy Credit card Debt Personal Finance

Permalink: /credit_card_negotiation/mastering-the-credit-score-game-after-bankruptcy/

Credit card companies are frantically taking drastic actions in their attempt to “work around” the new credit card legislation that will restrict their ability to randomly raise interest rates and hit credit card consumers with surprise fees.  Already credit card consumers are beginning to scream foul. An article in the NJ featured a distraught credit card consumer whose monthly minimum …

Comment by Jacob Decker: Credit cards companies employ unfair …

Category: Credit Card Negotiation , Credit Counseling , Credit Crisis

Tags: Credit card Debt Money Management Personal Finance

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The new Credit Card Act which requires credit card companies to disclose how much a debtor needs to pay each month to pay off their balance clean within three years, and how long it would take them to be debt free if only minimum payments are made may not effectively reach debtors who bank online or pay their credit card bill through automatic electronic payment.  Debtors who bank online and forgo …

Category: Credit Card Negotiation , Credit Counseling , Credit Crisis , Economy , Managing Your Finances

Tags: Credit card Debt online banking

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After the passing of the Credit Card Act, which will restrict credit card companies’ ability to increase interest rates, amongst other things, the credit card industry took decisive action to soften the blow to their profits. Below are some of the changes you may see on your credit card in 2010:

An annual fee.  Since the Credit Card Act was passed, about 43 percent of new credit card offers contained annual fees, …

Category: Credit Card Negotiation , Credit Counseling , Credit Crisis , Economy

Tags: Credit card Credit Card Act fees repayment

Permalink: /credit_card_negotiation/what-to-expect-from-the-credit-card-industry-in-2010/

… year statute of limitations on the ability of debt collectors to sue a debtor because of an unpaid credit card debt.  What that means is that if after your credit card debt is charged off, a debt collector only has 4 years to sue you and get a judgment. If they have not sued you within 4 year, they are not allowed to sue you for repayment of the credit card debt after the statute of limitations has expired.  However, if a creditor is able to sue you and win a judgment, that judgment can last …

Category: Bankruptcy Q&A , Chapter 7 Bankruptcy , Credit Counseling

Tags: Chapter 7 Bankruptcy credit cards statute of limitations

Permalink: /chapter_7_bankruptcy/it%e2%80%99s-been-years-since-i-stopped-paying-my-credit-card-will-they-sue-me/

Many debtors who have fallen at least six months behind on their credit card accounts are receiving payment demands from debt collectors.  These calls and letters can be unsettling and scary.  But it is important that debtors understand that debt collectors are infamous for using unethical and even illegal means to get you to pay your debt.  Before you rush off to pay that credit card debt because of the demand of a debt collector, there are a few things …

Category: Credit Card Negotiation , Credit Counseling , Credit Crisis

Tags: collection credit cards Debtors

Permalink: /credit_card_negotiation/what-you-need-to-know-before-you-pay-that-credit-card-debt/

Making a late payment on your credit card has always carried a heavy penalty.  Most prime credit card issuers will dramatically increase a debtor’s interest rate for one missed payment.  The penalty interest rate is typically called the “default rate.”  The average default rate for credit card issuers is 27.88 percent, and more than half of credit card issuers have a default rate that is much higher.  But after the …

Category: Credit Card Negotiation , Credit Counseling

Tags: Credit Card Act default rate penalty

Permalink: /credit_card_negotiation/credit-card-penalty-rates-vs-penalty-fees/

In the throes of this recession, the average Americans is just piling on more credit card debt and finding it more difficult to find a way out.  According to a report released by TransUnion, as of October 2009, the national average for credit card debt $5,612 per person.  The average!  That’s scary knowing that the job situation is only getting worse with at least one company announcing job losses at least every week. So what can we do to get out of credit card debt? …

Category: Credit Card Negotiation , Credit and Bankruptcy

Tags: Chapter 7 Bankruptcy credit cards TransUnion

Permalink: /credit_card_negotiation/five-ways-to-get-out-of-credit-card-debt/

Since the passage of the Credit Card Act, many credit card lenders have been dreaming up new ways of getting more money out your pockets.  One of the newest tricks on the block is the infamous “inactivity fee.”  Inactivity fees were at one point commonplace for credit cards; but eventually fell out of fashion.  But at least with some credit cards, the inactivity fee could make it comeback.   How does it work? …

Category: Credit Card Negotiation , Economy , Loans / Mortgages

Tags: Credit Card Act credit cards FICO Inactivity Fees

Permalink: /credit_card_negotiation/credit-card-inactivity-fees-coming-your-way/

As credit card companies increase interest rates and fees, many credit card consumers are looking for alternative sources of credit.  Even personal loans are given a second look due to their lower interest rates.  But what is a personal loan?  A personal loan is an “unsecured” credit line which is similar to “secured” loans in that there is a fixed amount of credit available and a finite …

Category: Credit Counseling

Tags: Credit card Interest rate Loan Personal Finance

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