MORE THAN EIGHT MILLION AMERICANS HAD THEIR IDENTITIES STOLEN LAST YEAR
Recently there were more than 150 major incidents affecting more than 57 million people in the U.S. There have been breaches of secure information in nearly every sector of the business community, not just in the credit industry. ID theft has also reached into education, health care, banking, and even into government sectors. Anyone can be affected by identity theft.
> Identity Theft, Fraud, and Scams
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TEN THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOUR CREDIT CARDS
You might think that everyone knows that you have to sign your credit card in order for it to be valid — after all — there's a notice on the back of the card that says "Not Valid Unless Signed". Here's what VISA says may happen when you present an unsigned card for payment:
> Consumer Credit
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THE US JUDICIAL HELLHOLES® 2007
The latest ranking of America's most unfair jurisdictions in which to be sued has been revealed in the American Tort Reform Foundation's 2007 Judicial Hellholes® report. Judicial Hellholes are places where judges systematically apply laws and court procedures in an inequitable manner, generally against defendants in civil lawsuits. In this sixth annual report, the ATRF shines the spotlight on six areas of the country that have developed a reputation for uneven justice.
> Articles | > Laws & Regulations
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BANKRUPTCY FINANCING GETS PRICIER AND MORE ELUSIVE
Financing is getting pricier and more elusive for companies that file for bankruptcy. Debtor-in-possession - or DIP - financing is the fuel that keeps companies going through bankruptcy, allowing them to continue paying their suppliers and their employees as they try to become profitable again. It has been a popular and lucrative form of financing for much of the last decade, as the DIP lender is usually the first to be paid back when the company emerges from bankruptcy or liquidates.
> Bankruptcy
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A WARNING ABOUT DEBT COLLECTORS
During these tough economic times the Better Business Bureau (BBB) says debt collectors face unique challenges that may tempt them to take part in illegal behavior. "We had a 20 percent increase in inquires on debt collection practices since last year, and received 1,248 complaints against collection agencies in the past 12 months as well," said Dennis Horton, Director of the Better Business Bureau of Chicago and Northern Illinois - Regional Office in Rockford.
> Collection Practices
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THE DEBT TRAP: HOW BANKS PUSH TROUBLED BORROWERS DEEPER INTO DEBT
Brenda Jerez hardly seems like the kind of person lenders would fight over. Three years ago she became ill with cancer and ran up $50,000 on her credit cards after she was forced to leave her accounting job. She filed for bankruptcy protection last year. For months after she emerged from insolvency last fall, 6 to 10 new credit card and auto loan offers arrived every week that mentioned her bankruptcy and, despite her poor credit history, dangled a range of too-good-to-be-true options.
> Consumer Credit | > Articles
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HANGING ON TO YOUR JOB DURING THIS ECONOMIC BLACK HOLE
As many of you not only watch the value of your 401K plans decrease, you are also probably very worried about whether or not you'll be the next in line to be laid off from your company. In order to avoid that pink slip, now more than ever, you better do as much as you possibly can to hang on to your job. Here's some very important tips.
> Articles | > Business & Financial Advice
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US JUDICIARY OFFICE REPORTS BANKRUPTCY COURT FILINGS INCREASE IN LAST 12 MONTHS
August 27, 2008 ― In the 12-month period ending June 30, 2008, there were 967,831 bankruptcy cases filed, according to statistics released today by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. That is a 28.9 percent increase compared to filings for the 12-month period ending June 30, 2007, when cases totaled 751,056. Historic data on bankruptcy filings is available on the Judiciary's website under Bankruptcy Statistics.
> Bankruptcy
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"HI, MY NAME IS FRED, AND I'M ADDICTED TO CREDIT CARDS."
After years of free spending -- $200 jeans, a silver BMW and other grown-up toys -- Michael Wagner had racked up $25,000 in credit-card debt and was behind on his mortgage and car payments. Creditors called night and day. It was a "hopeless downward spiral," he says. Then, last November, the 34-year-old sales manager for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch joined the "Sunday morning breakfast club," a group of debtors who meet weekly over coffee and eggs to share money woes. Mr. Wagner says he is now...
> Consumer Credit
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TEN OF THE WORST NETWORKING MYTHS
Some people just have a knack for getting out and meeting many kinds of people and building meaningful relationships. They see the value of how interacting with others increases their knowledge and creates opportunities. Conversely, so many other people stifle themselves by creating excuses for staying in their shells. Here are ten of the worst myths about networking and their current, more sensible replacements that will help see the light to an important and valuable social activity.
> Articles
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DEBT COLLECTORS PUSHING TO GET THEIR DAY IN COURT
Cook County Circuit Court has been turned into a frenetic debt collections machine, a reflection of easy credit gone sour and a collections industry determined to get paid. More than 119,000 civil lawsuits against alleged debtors are clogging courtrooms, and at least half will result in judgments that debt collectors will use to dock wages, seize bank accounts and file liens against homes, compounding the woes of troubled borrowers.
> Collection Practices | > Laws & Regulations
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THE RECEIVABLES EXCHANGE'S MEMBERSHIP EXCEEDS $500 MILLION IN A/R TURNOVER
The Receivables Exchange, the world’s first online marketplace for real-time trading of accounts receivable, today (June 9, 2008) announced that its Charter Member program has surpassed $500 million in accounts receivable turnover since commencing its sales initiatives two months ago.
> Articles | > Financing Methods
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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PERSONAL BANKRUPTCY
Bankruptcy has become an epidemic. An astounding 91,214 Americans declared bankruptcy in May 2008, up 31% from the same month a year ago. More than 1 million Americans are expected to declare bankruptcy this year, a jump of nearly 50% from last year, according to the American Bankruptcy Institute. That means at least one in every 100 families will be affected by a bankruptcy. It's a sign of the times: a combination of the housing and mortgage crisis, consumer debt burdens and the strains that...
> Bankruptcy
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EXPERIAN AND VOICEVAULT TO CREATE BIOMETRIC AUTHENTICATION SYSTEM
Experian, the global information services company, and VoiceVault, a leader in voice-based biometric identity verification, have entered into a partnership to create a hosted, pay-as-you-go biometric identity verification service. The VoiceCheck service, secured by VoiceVault, will dramatically reduce the time and costs associated with validating contact centre callers.
> Identity Theft, Fraud, and Scams
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FIGHTING ON TWO FRONTS!
A suburban soldier fighting in Iraq has spent the last two years also fighting a battle to fix his credit over a mistake, he says, his credit card issuer started. The credit card "Military Star" is given only to service members and can be used only at military stores, and when La Grange native Peter Huetson was deployed two years ago, the credit company told Huetson to send in his orders and not to worry; his credit card payments would be suspended until he returned.
> Consumer Credit | > Articles
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