Archive for June, 2008

Today Show: “So, Countrywide employees were coaching them to lie?” Insider: “Yes.” Ex Countrywide Manager Exposes Its Lies | Consumerist

Itching to get a more fuel-efficient car? Do the math, first. Is it worth trading in your gas guzzler? | Edmunds (via KaBlog!)

If you shopped at Montgomery Ward’s last year, check your accounts and credit reports. Montgomery Ward’s Hacked 6 Months Ago, But Victims Weren’t Told | Consumerist

While we are on the subject of keeping track of your credit score, as a result of a bunch of class action lawsuits against TransUnion, virtually anyone who has had a credit card since 1987 can select from several settlement options, including up to nine months of enhanced credit monitoring.
First, the settlement applies to “[a]ll [...]

Staycation: staying home is the new vacation | Queercents

LendingClub and Prosper.com will “grade” borrowers based on Experian data. WaMu credit cards include TransUnion-based monthly FICO scores (although it probably is not worth getting a new card just for that perk). E-Loan Mortgage offers a one-time score based on Experian data
But the best one seems to be Credit Karma, which offers a free daily [...]

I have a backlog of cool articles in my starred items folder in Google Reader. Here they are:

Good news from a debt-collection industry source: Collectors Face New Law in Colorado, and NY Considers Debtor’s Bill of Rights | Collection News
Countrywide CEO Gave Below Market Rate Loans To Senators From A Special “VIP Desk” | Consumerist
Subprime [...]

Bet you didn’t know your cell phone can (1) reach an ambulance anywhere in the world, (2) unlock your car, (3) go longer with a reserve battery, (4) be disabled remotely if you grab its serial number, and (5) get you free directory information.
5 Secret Things Your Cell Phone Can Do? | Apartment Therapy
[photo: freerangestock [...]

The Interest Rate Outlook Continues to Improve | Queercents

Last year, Citi promised its credit card customers that “A Deal is a Deal” - that they would be getting rid of “any time for any reason” interest rate hikes. But now that they’re facing financial problems, Citi is reconsidering this pledge. Ed Mierzwinski made the SNL connection in his blog at US PIRG, noting [...]

Top 10 Ways to Trick Yourself into Saving Money | Lifehacker

Hundreds of brokers netted in FBI sweep Arrests include two former Bear fund execs charged with fraud | MSNBC

Former Bear hedge fund managers surrender Ralph Cioffi and Matthew Tannin, who managed Bear Stearns hedge funds before the subprime collapse, charged with lying to investors about mortgage market risk. | CNN Money

Can governments copyright laws? Should they? | BoingBoing

Government Foreclosure Rescue Plans are in the Works | Queercents

In almost every other state, a debt collector must file a lawsuit either immediately or within a short time after serving the summons and complaint. This means the court has an eye on the lawsuit, and the debt collectors must pay the “entry fee” if they want to use the considerable power of the court [...]

Anatomy of a Meltdown: The Credit Crisis | Washington Post

Settlement results in free credit monitoring service | CNN

Latest Gallup Poll Shows 43% of Americans Pays Credit in Full | StopBuyingCrap.com

Alright, maybe Elizabeth Warren isn’t a superstar to everyone. But she is the unequivocal rock star of the consumer movement. So it is totally appropriate that she’s now palling around with the most rockin’ politician since JFK. She appeared with Senator Obama Wednesday in Chicago to discuss credit cards, and I can only imagine the [...]