Never Let 'em Spin Your Head – Negotiating with Debt Collectors

Consumers who are “between jobs” have seen their credit card balances explode as they swipe plastic to make ends meet. Their interest rates have soared too, thanks to something called the Universal Default Provision in their credit agreement: miss any payment, anywhere and Slam! You’re at 29.9% everywhere. Add late payment fees and over limit fees and…Surprise! Some folks just can’t keep up.

So they stop paying. That’s when the collection calls begin. And when they try to be reasonable and explain their good intentions and ask for a payment plan they can afford, the debt collectors spin their head just like Linda Blair.

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The Benefits of Using Prepaid Debit Cards

When applying for a prepaid card, there is no need to worry about getting rejected because of one's dismal credit history involving previous banks. One doesn't even need to have a bank account to avail of a prepaid card, only the willingness to present personal information, government-issued identification, and a six to ten dollar fee, typically collected after the prepaid card is first loaded.

The world of plastic payment has an exclusive side that cash payers cannot penetrate. One cannot purchase items online with old-fashioned green paper, for example, nor can one make instant, long-distance reservations to hotels or airline flights. Credit cards have made for a convenient, secure, and easily accessible way to pay without having to actually be there to give money. For those who have fallen from grace but still want to avail of these increasingly significant financial perks, prepaid debit cards offer the ticket back into the electronic payment scene.

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30-year fixed rate mortgages and are back down to 4.5 percent

Lets call it a turnaround! Market factors seem to be easing the 30-year fixed rate mortgages and are back down to 4.5 percent. These new figures are due to rates finally moving upward, after a month-long run of sliding performance. This comes after news from leading economists that the recession is over. It is time to do some homework, get out your mortgage package and take notes. Even if you have no equity left you still might qualify. The programs you need to check out are the Fannie Mae Refinance Plus and Freddie Mac’s Relief Refinance modification packages. The criteria is if your home value has dropped to 80 percent of the amount of your loan. There are other factors of getting approved but if you are not one of the 9.8 percent of Americans unemployed, then you have a good chance. Let us look at the refinancing goals of both programs:

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