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Friday, January 23, 2009

Having A Credit Problem?

By Landon McGehee

The term "bad credit" does not mean no credit. It actually means that any credit you may be able to get is at a much higher cost. Because you may have been through some tough times financially in the past results in astronomically high rates of interest. But rest assured that there are ways that you can "repair" your credit.This article will address three of these, the best for you depending upon how extreme your circumstances are.

Your problem: Your credit report contains information that is just wrong. Method #1: Contact the credit bureaus and make enquirers.

You have asked for a copy of your current credit report from each of the three credit bureaus. You discover, to your horror, that there are some entries made by past lenders that are negative. This could be a mistake on their part, for example, it may state that you still have an outstanding amount on a loan when you know that the loan has been paid off - and you have actual proof! A well-constructed letter to the credit bureaus, including your evidence, should take care of this problem.

Problem: You have a number of overdraft fees. Method #2: Choose your bank carefully.

Multiple overdraft fees on a checking account are a source of discomfort on their own. If the credit bureaus discover that you have them (usually the bank will tell them), it will make things worse as it will damage your credit rating. It is an unfortunate fact that it is far too easy to withdraw more money than you may have in your account from an ATM. If your bank offers "bounce protection", they then manage to obtain another overdraft fee from you at around $20 to $35 each time. No wonder that they encourage you to take out this protection!

We all know that the wise thing to do is to check your account before you withdraw any money, but because we are always in a rush, that very rarely happens. To avoid this problem, you should use a bank that doesn't have the "bounce protection" as an automatic addition to accounts, so that, if you don't have the money in your account, the ATM won't give it to you! This will help you avoid those dreaded overdraft fees.

Problem: Low ceiling on your line of credit Method #3: Obtain a sub-prime merchandise card.

Financial problems such as poor credit history in your past are interfering with your chances of obtaining credit for the future. Life becomes more difficult if you cannot even find someone or some institutions that grant consumer loans.

The most effective way to boost your line of credit without crippling yourself financially is to obtain a sub-prime merchandise card. This is a card that allows you to purchase items from one merchandiser, which is usually the one from whom you purchased it, through a line of credit. You are asked to pay a deposit on items you buy with the rest being put on the card.

The sub-prime merchandise card has the advantage in that it tells the credit bureaus that you have a new line of credit, which in turn reflects positively on your credit report.

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UK Drowning in Debt, Is Debt Management a Way Out?

By Phillip Evans

A report out from the UK Insurer AXA suggests the UK public is drowning in debt with 11.6 million people (25 per cent of the adult population) saying are under pressure financially with a momentous number, around one million three hundred thousand people, admitting their finances are entirely unmanageable.

The report suggests that over 3.7 million people are reported to be struggling to cope with mounting credit card bills and just over a million people have borrowed too much money and are now struggling to keep up their repayments.

County Court Judgements CCJ's issued to the personal consumer has increased to their highest level since the beginning of 2007 and half a million home owners with mortgages where threatened with repossession or court action.

In England and Wales CCJs rose by 17.4 per cent year on year to 223,519, their highest level since the first quarter of 2007, according to figures published by the Registry Trust, the public interest company which manages the register of judgements, orders and fines on behalf of the Lord Chancellor. This represents an increase of 24.8 per cent from the second quarter of 2008.

Individual insolvencies in England and Wales increased to 27,087 in the third quarter of 2008, up 8.8 per cent from 24,893 in the previous quarter.

17,341 people went bankrupt, which has shot up 12.1 per cent from 15,463 in the second quarter of the year, and 9,746 individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs), which is up 3.3 per cent from the three months before.

The credit crunch could be blamed for the increase in corporate and personal insolvency throughout 2008, however, its patently obvious that further failures are going to be compounded by the recession throughout 2009.

It was hoped that the SIVA, planned for release in early 2009 would help with some of the debt burden, however, the Insolvency Service has just abandoned the concept.

For consumers with debts up to 75,000 a SIVA, being the simplified IVA and would have only required that a simple majority of your creditors to accept the proposal for insolvency, was planned for April 2009.

For the time being the options available to the equity challenged British public who are struggling with debt and are not wishing to go bankrupt is either seeking debt management advice or some form or individual insolvency arrangement.

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Finding A No Balance Credit Card

By Nick Makaryk

Getting a credit card is a beneficial idea though it can often prove rather hard to get one, particularly when your credit history is to a lesser extent satisfactory. There often can be many restrictions in having your application approved and poor credit will surely make it just about impossible to get a card. As a matter of fact, even if you do acquire one the interest rates would be rather high as to make acquiring one would be prohibitively costly.

Clear Up Poor History

Although, it is still possible to obtain a card even when you do not have a good score or even a banking account because you can get what is called as a no bank account card. Such cards are valuable when you need to restore your bad credit and they are easily procurable and will do you a great deal of good when attempting to fix your poor credit history.

These no bank account cards are normally preloaded and their credit limitation is the sum of money that you load up onto your card through pre-payment. The benefits of these cards is that you can easily moderate on how much you are spending and also improve your credit, and additionally, this will prove to be very valuable in dealing with your money more efficaciously.

Nonetheless, it is not sensible to go hurrying out and acquiring one because truth being, that you will be better off by first of all shopping around to find the very best deal. Without a doubt, nearly all such cards go with similar incentives and advantages as are the case with normal credit cards even so, there will be times when certain no bank account cards might not provide enough incentives and you will need to search to find those that do offer enough advantages.

Another feature that is worth searching for is a no bank account card that will not charge up an abnormally high interest rate and which will not require paying off yearly fees either. Lastly, you must also shop for one that sees to it that you get the most beneficial customer support to assist you should you encounter that you have a trouble that needs to be settled.

Also you will need to be informed about the entire credit card application process to see to it that your application gets accepted, which for example of a non-online application normally entails having to delay about a week for the application to be examined and processed and a decision reached.

When applying for a no balance card you must do a certain amount of preparation and by researching online you should expect to get some really good offers. Even so, you will need do some comparison of interest rates, view different advantages besides identifying the cards that are most beneficial. Likewise it is a sound idea to pick out only that company that allows you maximum benefits so that you can mend your bad credit and get your finances on track in the most effective timely manner.

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Types of Bad Credit Loans

By Trinity Preston

If you have bad credit, you might think that the options for borrowing money are pretty much non-existent. It's true that people with bad credit are considered risky to lend to, but it doesn't mean that there aren't options for borrowing money and rebuilding your credit. There are actually a few common types of bad credit loans that will let you borrow money and start building a better credit score.

One of the most common types of bad credit loans is a personal loan. They are one of the easiest and fastest ways to get money. Personal loans are also referred to as payday loans and guaranteed loans. Credit checks are not a requirement to receive a personal loan. Usually, the basic criteria to qualify is to be a U.S. citizen, show proof of income and be at least 18 years old.

Personal loans are also called guaranteed loans sometimes. This term probably comes from the fact that they are really fast and easy to get. Almost anyone can qualify, including people with bad credit. The loans usually have a high interest rate since the people borrowing the money are usually considered high risk, but if you need money fast, personal loans can help. In order to qualify, you usually need to be at least 18 years old, provide proof of your steady income, and be a citizen of the United States.

Most lenders don't check your credit history if you are applying for a government student loan. If you plan to attend school and need to borrow money, a government school loan is the best way to go not only because they will issue it to you even if you have poor credit, but also because the interest rate will probably be lower than you could find from a private loan.

Really, the main advantage to a secured credit card is to help you build your credit. By establishing a card in your name and making your monthly payments on time, you will improve your credit score. So even though secured credit cards don't really make any more money available to you, they are helpful for building a positive credit score which in turn will help you qualify for other loans in the future.

For people with bad credit, opportunities to borrow money might decrease. However, there are still ways for you to be able to borrow money and improve your credit rating. Some of these common bad credit loans might be the answer to your financial struggles.

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College Tuition - Solely A Parents Responsibility?

By William Blake

When your child reaches the end of his or her high school education you may automatically begin to see dollar signs. They want to further their education and you know that is what is best for them. But who will pay for it?

Today we live in a competitive world. In order to be a major player in the game it is important to have a good education. Of course you want your child to have a bright future and as many opportunities as possible to succeed. A college education plays a major part in your child's future prospects.

Parents continue to support their children through the college years. A summer job is hardly enough work to finance an education, so parental help is necessary. Some parents, however, don't have the finances to fund a college education for one child, let alone two or three.

Good students begin thinking about their higher education early. As they are nearing graduation from high school they already have an idea what area of study the want to enter and what college will offer the best program in that area.

In early planning a student can do much to help finance their education as well. By working hard in high school and maintaining a high grade point average they put themselves in line to receive scholarships and financial aid that will help them finance their education.

While it is true that it is difficult for students to fund their own education if they plan ahead and work hard in high school they will be eligible for grants and loans, financial aid, scholarships and other assistance that can greatly reduce the amount of that parents have to pay toward their child's education.

Parents can plan ahead as well. No matter where you live there are numerous college savings plans that parents can take advantage of as early in the child's life as possible to help them be prepared to contribute toward their child's college education. A good college fund can really relieve a lot of stress of college expenses.

If both parent and child work together and begin planning early there is much that can be done to reduce the stress of paying for college. Develop a savings plan early in your child's life and train them to be conscience of ways to help out, working part time, saving money and working hard to get good grades in school. All of this will make things much easier when that first tuition check comes due.

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Remove Tax Lien

By Matt Douglas

If you have a tax lien on your credit report, you should take immediate action to remove it. This is a very bad mark and will lower your score considerably.

The first step is to request validation from the bureaus. This is done through sending a dispute letter directly to each.

Surprisingly it is not out of the ordinary for incorrect information to be reported on your credit. It is estimated that 1 in 4 people have inaccurate information on their report.

Upon receipt of your letter the bureau will investigate the mark. They will contact the state or federal government and ask for verification that the debt does exist. If it is verified then you will have to make some form of payment.

It may be in your best interest to talk with a tax negotiator to work out a settlement with the government. You can often pay a reduced amount, and once paid you can remove it from your report.

This debt can be collected on for 10 years. It will be reported on your report for 7 years once it is paid.

Upon payment you should wait around 3 months and then send another dispute letter to the bureaus asking for validation. We have learned that once the government has received payment they often will ignore a bureaus request for validation.

Thus your lien will not be verified and the bureaus will remove it from your report. Additionally if this mark was make in error then send any documentation along with your dispute letter to prove that.

Repayment

The state and federal government are willing to negotiate and settle on a reduced payment. It is called an OIC (offer in compromise), this just means that the government is accepting partial payment.

The government will decide to accept based on; your income, assets, ability to repay, expected amount they will recover. It can help if you send in a letter explaining your financial hardship that led up to this.

It can help to have a tax negotiator though it is not essential.

In sum, you can remove a tax lien and other negative marks from your credit report. You do not just have to live with bad credit.

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How to Send Money to Brazil

By Chloe Banks

There are different ways to send money to Brazil. One of these is through having a relationship with an American bank that also has a presence in Brazil.

If the recipient of the funds has an account with one of these banks, it might be a good idea to open an account locally with the same bank, as money being sent between accounts within the same bank is often processed quickly and at little or no cost.

Bank transfers between different banks aren't difficult, but can entail a waiting period of up to 5 business days with higher costs.

Another way of getting money to Brazil quickly is through a wire transfer. This gets the money to its destination quickly, but fees can be very high and there must be a corresponding bank to receive the wire transfer.

For people who send money to Brazil regularly, another way is through an ATM or pre-paid debit card.

Make sure you have a debit card that will ensure money can be withdrawn from a large network of ATMs in Brazil. If using an ATM card, make sure you trust that the recipient is not accessing funds without your permission. A pre-paid debit card is a safer way to ensure the recipient receives the exact amount of money intended.

In addition to these methods, online payment services such as ATM Cash are becoming a more popular way to send money to Brazil. The process moves the money quickly and the fees are relatively low. Online services allow you to send money 24/7 from your computer.

These are some of the safest and most efficient ways of sending money to Brazil.

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