Headline News Archive

2007

June

07

• Online checking: pros and cons. How would you like a checking account that earns 3% or more? It the latest trend in banking. From online banks like ING Direct, to…

• Rewards cards can have problems. Credit cards that offer rewards are increasingly popular, from gas company cards that give cash back to airline cards that award free tickets and retail…

• Credit freezes prevent fraud but take time to thaw. A recent warning from the Internal Revenue Service raises the question of when it is wise to consider placing a security freeze on your credit…

06

• Credit cards can catch you unaware. Over the years, my son has seen me pull out my credit card plenty of times. We get points, after all, at Toys R Us.…

• What businesses don't have to tell you. At least we know where we stand: Insurance companies and other businesses can charge people higher rates because of their credit scores, but they don't…

• Medical coverage: little better than none?. Tony Camilleri rushed his pregnant wife, Bridget, to an emergency room in January, fearing she was suffering a dangerous complication with her pregnancy. Luckily, tests…

05

• Don't let foreign exchange rates spoil your trip. To find out more about how to request a refund, click here.…

• New-account fraud difficult to detect. After graduating from high school, David Joe Hernandez served four years in the Air Force at bases in New Mexico and Japan. So it came…

04

• Credit card 'piggybacking' roils credit industry. Only a low credit score stood between Alipio Estruch and a mortgage to buy a $449,000 Spanish-style house in Weston, Fla., a few miles west…

• Writing isn't card issuers' strong suit. Federal Reserve Governors, experts in the florid phrase of many meanings, want credit card issuers to do what they, themselves, seem incapable of — write…

• Beware these credit card traps. One of the biggest challenges facing the 1.5 million or so new college graduates is learning to use a credit card wisely. Many grads already…

• As the kids go buy. They agonize over price. They're thoughtful, not impulsive. They arrive at the mall with information and purpose. They actually care about what their parents would…

03

• Option ARM rife with pitfalls for borrowers. For Los Angeles newlyweds Joseph and Jamie Horton, the deal looked too good to pass up: a mortgage with an initial 1.75 percent interest rate…

• Climbing out from under college debt. You've got the college degree, and now you're stressed about what to do with the debt. "Even if your student loans exceed your annual salary…

02

• Reprisals on property appraisals. A federal class-action lawsuit is focusing attention on an issue that's important to homeowners nationwide: Who - or what - tells you how much your…

01

• Bad times for credit card owners. Credit-card providers appear to be moving "universal default clauses" - where interest rate increases are based on the way customers handle other credit accounts -…

May

30

• Get compensated for airline wrongs. For the past four months, Mahesh Soori has been engaged in a slow and torturous battle with United Airlines for what he says is a…

• How insurance scores affect premiums. How is the credit score that insurance companies use when setting premiums different from the one that lenders use when determining your rates on a…

• Consolidating your student loans. It's a good thing you got that college education. You can put it to good use navigating the complex maze that is the student loan…

29

• No reform on private student loans. For weeks, an investigation of the student loan business has been scrutinizing whether close ties between lenders and colleges have enriched them at the expense…

27

• Don't let movers take you for a ride. Few things in life match the stress and expense of a big move -- just ask anyone who has recently changed addresses. "Moving is a…

26

• Can FHA bill save the day?. With more credit-stressed mortgage borrowers falling behind on their payments, will Congress step in and throw them a lifeline? Will legislators transform the most consumer-friendly…

25

• Credit cards: As rough as ever. There are some things you can control with your credit card bill, including how much you charge every month and how much you pay back…

• Credit cards still charging high fees. A credit card survey by Consumer Action out is warning credit card holders are still being hit with big fees, penalties and unexpected rate changes,…

• Fees, rates up on credit cards in 2007. The average late fee on credit cards has soared to $28 in the United States, while penalty interest rates average 24.51 percent, according to a…