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Sam Glover

Mint.com Wants to Sell Your Shopping Habits

March 15, 2010

According to Felix Salmon, Mint.com, the popular personal finance website, may be benefiting from playing outside the regulatory rules that govern banks. At a Banking 2.0 panel at SXSW, Mint’s Aaron Patzer explained why:
For instance, he said, he can see pretty much in real time how much money his huge database of customers is, in [...]

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Pocket Service and Pre-Judgment Garnishment

March 8, 2010

Pocket service is lawyer slang for the procedural rule in Minnesota that a lawsuit commences on service of the summons and complaint. This is different from the rule in almost all other states and the federal courts, where a lawsuit begins with filing of the summons and complaint.
When coupled with Minnesota’s rules on pre-judgment garnishment, [...]

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Funny or Die on the Need for a Consumer Financial Protection Agency

March 3, 2010

Funny or Die’s Presidential Reunion from Will Ferrell

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Divorce Lawyer Selection

March 3, 2010

Minnesota, like most states, has hundreds of divorce lawyers. Picking the best divorce lawyer for you can be intimidating and frustrating. You can increase your chances of finding a good match with a little preparation and a few good questions.

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Minnesota Needs Debt Buyer Regulation

March 1, 2010

Minnesota Representative Joe Mullery and Senator Ron Latz recently introduced a bill that would prevent debt buyers from filing a lawsuit without the ability to prove they have the right to collect a debt.
Why the need for the rule? Debt buyers and collectors file tens of thousands of lawsuits against Minnesota consumers every year, and [...]

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Debt Collection Help: Free Resources

February 26, 2010

Getting called or served with a lawsuit by a collector is a pain, at best. You can help yourself deal with debt collection with free information and tools online, but not everything you find will actually help. Here is a selection of resources that will:

If you are contacted or sued by a debt collector, use [...]

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Banks at Risk of Failure: 702

February 23, 2010

According to the FDIC, over 700 banks are currently at risk of going under, a huge jump over the last three years, and a bit of a shocker given the size of the federal stimulus. The FDIC has already shuttered 20 banks this year, and there is no sign that things will improve in the [...]

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Bereavement Fares Aren’t Always Fair

February 18, 2010

When an out-of-town family member dies, you only have a few days to hop on a plane for the funeral. Thus, the idea of a bereavement fare, which—in theory—enables grieving family members to pay their last respect without paying airlines’ extremely high last-minute fares.
A bereavement fare is usually a discount off the “full fare,” but [...]

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FTC: Watch Out for Job Scammers

February 17, 2010

From the Federal Trade Commission:
If you’re looking for a job, you may see ads for firms that promise results. Many of these firms may be legitimate and helpful, but others may misrepresent their services, promote out-dated or fictitious job offerings, or charge high fees in advance for services that may not lead to a job.

Job-Hunting/Job [...]

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Don’t Be Promiscuous with Your Passwords

February 4, 2010

According to a study by Trusteer, a security firm, 73% of internet users use the same password for online banking and other sites. This is not a good idea.
If you use the same password to access multiple accounts, so can an identity thief. I recommend generating long, complex random passwords for your bank accounts, and [...]

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Maryland Judge Dismisses “Tens of Thousands” of Mann Bracken Lawsuits

February 2, 2010

Mann Bracken, the enormous debt-collection law firm, recently closed its doors, leaving hundreds of thousands of consumers unable to resolve their debts. Since Mann Bracken sues on many of its debts, the sudden closure also left courts in confusion.
One Maryland judge decided to take drastic measures. According to The Baltimore Sun, he dismissed “tens of [...]

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What Credit Card Security Codes Are For

January 27, 2010

Credit card security codes (CVV2 codes) are not stored on your card’s magnetic strip, and merchants may not keep them. Providing it ensures that you have the actual card in your possession. Maryland consumer rights lawyer Sonya-Smith Valentine explains:

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I Don’t Believe in Imaginary People

January 23, 2010

Corporations may be imaginary people, but last week, the U.S. Supreme Court held that imaginary people are entitled to free speech. Along with trolls and gnomes, presumably.
President Obama’s nails the problem in his weekly address:

Weekly Address: President Obama Addresses This Week’s Supreme Court Decision | WhiteHouse.gov

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Comparing Total Cost of Ownership for T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon

January 18, 2010

When T-Mobile threw a $9.99 charge on my bill, I was ready to ditch T-Mobile and never look back. But in the comments to that post, as well as the comments to a similar post on Consumerist, I learned there was nowhere to go. All the major cell phone carriers engage in preacquired account marketing—or [...]

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Revised Comment Policy

January 5, 2010

We get all kinds of comments here. Some are helpful and relevant, others are barely-coherent, ad hominem diatribes. Lots are somewhere in between. Until now, I have approved nearly every non-spam comment. No more.

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Is Mann Bracken Out of Business?

December 22, 2009

I got the word a few days ago that gigantic debt collection law firm Mann Bracken was going under. Atlanta consumer lawyer Tim Cook says Mann Bracken’s lawyers are out of work and the phones are instructing callers to contact their creditors. Could it be?
It could. Mann Bracken has been under fire in Georgia, and [...]

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Subprime Credit Cards Adapt to New Regulations

December 18, 2009

New regulations designed to stop credit card lending abuses cap the first-year fees a credit card issuer may charge at 25% of the credit limit. So First Premier Bank is doing just that, charging $75 for a credit card with a $300 limit. But since the new law does not limit interest rates, First Premier [...]

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Avoid Identity Thieves on Facebook

December 14, 2009

Take a moment to look over your Facebook profile, and consider all the information your friends have access to. Your name, address, and date of birth? How many of the answers to your “security” questions for your financial websites are contained within your profile or updates?

Only friend people you know. Nearly half of Facebook users [...]

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