Archive for the ‘Debt Problems’ Category

Be Wary of Debt Consolidation

“Debt consolidation” almost seem like magical words for the cause that they imply rolling debt into undivided manageable total with an affordable payment. But is that always true? The answer is: maybe.

Debt consolidation have power to take one of three forms today. You be able to transfer account balances to credit cards with lower benefit rates. Or you can take out a home equity loan and pay off other debt. In the third case you can obtain a debt consolidation loan.

In the first case, the lower interest rates offered on many credit card accounts are often introductory to lure consumers into accepting the cards. If a card has an introductory offer though, it means the rate will go up. If you transfer debt to the card because it currently has a low interest, it’s easy to see what is going to happen when the rate goes up. In jo

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4.5 million Brits plan to transfer credit card debt in the New Year

According to research by Santander Cards, more than 4.5 million Britons are planning to transfer over 3.2bn of debt between carry to the credit of one’s account cards in the first three months of 2010, myintroducer.com reports.

It is thought that people will be looking to move their balances `to take advantage of introductory balance transfer periods`.

The number of Britons looking to transfer credit card fault has increased by a third compared with the same time a year ago.

Director at Santander Cards, Emma Roberts, said: “The number of people transferring balances has risen year without interruption year, whilst the amount being transferred has fallen dramatically; this is a clear sign that consumers are becoming savvier when it comes to managing their finances.”

A spokesperson for company Gregory Pennington commented: “It is important to bear in mind that transferring credit card debt to a card with a lower interest rate will not actually reduce an individual`s debt.

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Utility Bills Create Debt for Struggling Homeowners

Homeowners struggling to prevent foreclosure oftentimes have to make difficult and almost impossible financial decisions at times. When unemployment strikes and benefits are just a fraction of the working gains, bill juggling is common.

When it is necessary to cut back on expenses some bills can be eliminated or reduced. But there are also expenses that are necessary in order to live a decent life. They include the mortgage payment, food expenses, and utilities charges. Middle and low income families are forced to decide which bills will be paid on a reduced income. In many cases, the bills are rotated with a bill being paid every other month.

Unfortunately there are many situations coming to light where bills are not paid at all, and they include utilities bills.

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Consumers continue to pay down unsecured debt

Figures released by the Bank of England (BoE) have shown that in November, consumers repaid 376m of unsecured debt – 215m smaller quantity than the total repaid in October, but almost double the six-month average, the Guardian reports.

Meanwhile, the Building Societies Association (BSA) said that its members had seen the excellence of savings accounts fall by 600m in November – suggesting that some of the money being used to repay unsecured debts is coming from savings accounts.

Chief UK and Eurozone Economist and Managing Director of Western European Forecasting and Analysis at IHS Global Insight, Howard Archer, said: “The fifth successive net repayment in consumer credit in November is clearly the consequence of many consumers` desire to reduce their debt, low demand for credit, and a lack of availability of unsecured credit from banks.

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FTC Warns About Auction Scams and Pitches

We have all read the vendue pitches or seen them on television. These are the pitches that talk around assets like government seized properties or foreclosed homes. According to the pitch, all you have to do is buy a price guide to find millions of dollars worth of items the government or auto dealers are practically giving away. It’s your chance to find a true bargain.

What a deal! Or is it?

The Federal Trade Commission warns consumers that many of these auctions are more like scams. At the least, the pitch fails to give every one of the information the consumer needs to make a good decision about getting involved in what the company is offering. Two types of assets most commonly sold at auction are cars and homes.

This is how it works. T

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Tags: Pitches

Many mortgage holders `£200 a month better off`

According to the Bank of England, a quarter of UK homeowners are at least 200 a month better done than this time a year ago, the Telegraph reports.

A survey of 2,000 households found that almost half of all people who make payments towards a mortgage debt have seen their monthly payments fall by more than 100 over the last year, with around a quarter seeing more than 200 knocked off their payments.

The Bank believes the `cushion on these terms for homeowners against the effects of recession, rising unemployment and the fall in house prices` has helped some householders cope with their debt problems.

However, the Bank `does not minimise` the damage caused by the recession and the credit crisis.

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Indebted graduates struggle to find work

According to figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats, unemployment in the recession is rising fastest among 18-24-year-olds who have degrees, the Guardian reports.

The data shows that in the three-month period running up to September, one in five 18-24-year-olds who were unemployed had a degree.

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Rising Interest Rates Encourage Debt Consolidation

With all the changes going on in the credit industry right now, it might be confusing what the most judicious course of action is for those who have credit card debt. If you have many credit cards, you’ve probably already noticed that the interest rates on your balances are being bumped up by credit card companies that are taking advantage of the time they have left to raise rates. That’s because new legislation is coming out that will limit their ability to put in motion interest rates. This is where bad credit debt consolidation comes in.

Most American households have at least two credit cards, if not in greater numbers. This is a challenge for more than one reason: first, you have to keep track of all the cards and make sure you’re keeping on top of payments, and second, it’s austere to keep up with which credit cards have which interest rates. With hi

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