The EZ checking account, otherwise referred to as the Access checking account, was introduced by Citibank as a totally free account option. It operated as such for the whole of 2009 and prior to this was repeatedly marketed as an account which was completely free of charges. This means that account holders did not pay the normal $7.50 to $9.50 maintenance fee (dependent on your state) and they were also exempt from paying the customary $0.50 (for the first 10 checks) or $1.00 for all checks written thereafter.

However in November of last year the bank decided to start imposing a monthly fee as well as per check charges on the account if their balances dipped below $1,500.

This signaled the Attorney General to spring into action in defense of the consumer. He argued that the time frame for implementing the charges was way too short. This is a complaint that would have been hard for Citibank to dispute in light of the recent implementation of the CARD Act 2009, which states that cardholders must be given 45 days notice of any material changes to their card agreements.

Although the time frame in this case was actually within this guideline, the Attorney General was evidently able to bargain for a much longer grace period in light of the fact that the account was customarily marketed as free.

Under the terms of the extension, the following was established;

• Customers who opened their account between January 2009 and November 5^th 2009 will pay no maintenance fees on their account until December 2010.
• Customers who continue to meet the original stipulations of the account will pay no check fees until January 2011.

This move has saved the banks’ collective customers millions of dollars. It should be heralded as a victory on behalf of the consumer but it should also be a testament of the banking industry’s willingness to bend in the face of changing sentiments towards the financial services sector.

The era of the free lunch may be over for new Citibank EZ Account customers but at least existing customers have a chance to adjust to the new conditions.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has built a solid reputation upon its eight foundation standards;

• Build Trust

• Advertise Honestly

• Tell the Truth

• Be Transparent

• Honor Promises

• Be Responsive

• Safeguard Privacy

• Embody Integrity

Clearly if some unscrupulous party had intentions of projecting an image of trust and safety, there can hardly be a better organization to use in its ruse and this is exactly what has happened.

Lottery scams are probably the most popular type of fraud because they have been around for decades. The latest trickery involves a scheme that attempts to steal money from unsuspecting victims by claiming that they have won a monetary prize from the BBB.

In keeping with the textbook lottery scam format, the con artist contacts the victim either by email or by phone and then identifies themselves as a representative of the BBB. In some instances the victim is given the real name of a BBB employee and referred to a website biography so the victim is put at ease.

They are then informed of the fake lottery or prize and told that they need to send some money to cover taxes or transmittance fees to claim the rest of the money.

So far this scam has defrauded at least one unsuspecting person of approximately $80,000.

In a statement issued by the BBB, the President and CEO, Steven Cox reminded members of the public that “Many people are struggling in the current economy and when someone tells you that you’ve won millions in a lottery, it can seem like an answer to prayer” however he cautioned that the BBB has never and will never operate a lottery or award any type of prize.

The BBB is an organization that accredits businesses according to established principles and standards and simply put, its stamp of approval or rating is the only thing the BBB is primed to bestow on its customers.

To avoid becoming the victim of a lottery scam in the name of the BBB or any other company it pays to remember some basic tenets;

• You should never have to pay money to receive a prize.

• You should always check the story out completely using only reputable sources.

• The receipt of a check followed by the request for money to fund the remainder of the prize winnings is a sure sign of a scam.

We would all love to be on the receiving end of a lottery win, however the chances of this kind of windfall are far and few between. Use caution and common sense to avoid being the next victim of unscrupulous con artists.

On February 7, 2010, the city of Miami, Fl will host Super Bowl XLIV at Land Shark Stadium, which was previously known as Dolphin Stadium. The New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts compete for football’s elite prize, the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named after the legendary Green Bay Packers coach.

It’s safe to say that business owners in the Miami area will see profit increases during this time. After all, the Super Bowl is expected to bring in tens of thousands of visitors to the area. With this many people flooding the city, hotels should fill up quickly, if they haven’t already. Restaurants can expect to be packed as well.

Even though stores and shops in the Miami area will benefit from plethora of tourists, businesses across the country are looking to cash in on the Super Bowl as well.

Businesses that specialize in electronics can typically expect an influx of television sales. After all, the Super Bowl is the most-watched event in any given year. This usually prompts sports enthusiasts to rush out and purchase high-definition televisions and surround sound systems. Some of the larger retail chains sometimes offer promotions and discounts around this time of year to boost sales.

Grocery stores can expect to see serious traffic, even more so than usual during this time of year, as many people are opting to host their own Super Bowl parties instead of going out to public places, like bars or restaurants. With money being tight for millions of Americans around the country, hosting parties while requiring guests to bring food and beverages is a much more cost-effective way to celebrate the Super Bowl for most.

During any football game, fans can expect to see scores of commercials touting refreshing and tasty alcoholic beverages. It’s no secret that drinking beer and/or liquor is a favorite pastime for many people. Millions of Americans suffer from Alcoholism, and millions more drink occasionally or are “social drinkers”. The Super Bowl offers many of these people an excuse to drink. That said, liquor stores, convenient stores, or any other place that sells alcohol can expect to see their stock fly off their shelves faster on Super Bowl weekend than any other time of year.

Hundreds of millions of dollars are expected to be spent in south Florida alone, most of which on Super Bowl weekend. However, businesses can expect increased traffic at least one week prior to the big game.

How can it work against you? Here are just some of the current trends in social networking sites:

Hiding From a Debt? They’ll Find You
Collection agents, not always known for their above-the-line practices, will often scour the internet in search of your contact information. Since many debtors will refuse phone calls or ignore written correspondence, they stand a good chance that active social media players will be online. If you are posting about the new outfit you bought or the great vacation you just took, you can bet they’ll step up their aggressive collection tactics since they know you have the money. While laws will not allow collection agents to contact you through your profile, some will still disguise themselves in order to secure good contact information for you. Some especially unethical agents will even sabotage you on your home page.

Need a Loan? Good Luck
Even creditors have been using social networking searches to find out what kind of risk you might be. Considering a personal loan or a mortgage? Banks and other lenders are getting very tight with their money and outside of your credit score they want to know what kind of person you are and what risk you might pose to defaulting on the loan. While there is no scientific formula for a lender to assess your Twitter account, they may be scared enough about what you say to refuse your loan.

Loose Lips? Lose Your Job
Potential employers can easily do searches on candidate names since social media profiles are often at the top of search engine results. Employers will be looking for negative comments about your current employer, coworkers, and other job-related activities. They can also look at the times you post to see how hard you are really working each day. If you have naughty pictures associated with your profile, they too can cost you a potential position in a company.

Gone Phishing – Took All Your Money
Since people often have no problem typing in a ton of personal information on their home page because they want everyone to know how well they are doing in life, scammers have made a happen of targeting social media users. It’s nice to let friends know who your grandma is but providing her last name will give scammers insight as to what your mother’s maiden name is. This is one of the top security questions people have to answers to gain access to their financial and personal accounts.

Ultimately it is up to consumers to use common sense when it comes to posting information that essentially the world can see. Protecting your information can sometimes be as easy as not providing any. Remember that while your friends can see and appreciate your updates, the whole world can be watching.

Called “school sores” because they affect mostly children, and spread rapidly in the close contact environment of school, they are more common in warmer temperatures where bacteria thrive. The infection is dangerous to new babies who haven’t developed their immune system.

What are the symptoms?

Pimples or blisters appear around the face or nose, on legs and arms, and sometimes the armpits or groin. They spread and burst, oozing a sticky, yellow liquid. Ugly scabs form, harden and fall off. If the infection is contained, the skin heals quickly and there are no ill effects.

If allowed to spread, the lymph glands can swell, a fever develops and the child generally feels unwell. It’s important that a doctor confirms the diagnosis. The most common treatment for impetigo is antibiotics, both oral and in a cream.

Stopping the spread

Hygiene and isolation will generally stop the infection. The sores and the oozing liquid teem with bacteria, so they must be bathed in an antibacterial solution and covered. The entire family must wash their hands regularly, cut fingernails short, and not share anything that could transfer the bacteria to others. The infected child’s clothing, towels and bedding must be washed separately in water containing an antibacterial solution.

Alternatives to Antibiotics

Impetigo is becoming resistant to antibiotics, so if your child has been correctly diagnosed, and the traditional treatments are not working, the following are some alternative remedies that have been successful:

• Wash the affected area with grapefruit seed extract several times a day

• Wash the affected area with plain Ivory soap then apply Campho-Phenique several times a day
• Mix together 1½ ozs Aloe gel, 12 drops of Lemon Grass oil, and 12 drops of Patchouli oil and apply to sores 3 times a day

• Apply tea tree and almond oil to the sores several times a day

Choose one of these remedies and try it for a couple of days, while continuing the hygiene techniques and dressings. If there is no improvement, you must return the child to your doctor for further assessment. While school sores generally heal in a few days, prolonged cases must be treated seriously.

Many in the news industry are holding their breath for good results. The New York Times Company has stated the new pay system would not affect the millions of occasional visitors to the website but would allow the company to cash in on the loyal visitors. The actual fundamentals of the plan have not been developed in full yet, including how much it would cost for the flat-rate fee. For many years, publishers have relied on support of digital advertising to support their online presence but since advertising is dramatically decreasing in the last two years, publishers are hoping to recoup more money from their regular readers than they would end up losing from advertisers.

NYTimes.com is the most popular newspaper website in the nation claiming more than 17 million readers a month just in the US according to the latest Nielsen poll. In addition to its fame, NYTimes.com is also a leader in revenue from advertising income. This fact means the company has more to lose if the move doesn’t work. “We can’t get this halfway right or three-quarters of the way right. We have to get this really, really right.”
Times Company chairman and publisher of the newspaper Arthur Sulzberger Jr. said in an interview.

Any site visitor will continue to have full access of the home page and be able to read individual articles through search engines including Google, Yahoo and Bing for free. Subsequent article clicks will be tracked toward the monthly limit. The Wall Street Journal and Newsday also charge for access to major sections of their Web sites as well as smaller outfit including The Financial Times, The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and The Albuquerque Journal currently. Many more online newspaper sites are expected to join in the process in 2010 and beyond.

Readers who have already sent in emails to the newspaper stating they would support the new fee-based browsing were already outnumbered by those consumers refusing to pay for visitation.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. announced plans on cutting over 11,000 employees at its Sam’s Club locations, their largest job cut ever. The move will affect mostly part-time employees who attempt to entice customers to purchase store items, such as food and electronics, by performing in-store demonstrations. The number of employee cuts represents roughly 10 percent of Sam’s Club’s workforce.

Wal-Mart Stores plans on outsourcing its in-store demonstrations to Shopper Events, an outside marketing company based in Rogers, AR in hopes of improving Sam’s Club’s sales.

Wal-Mart Stores has already closed 10 Sam’s Club locations in the last month, which has resulted in roughly 1500 losing their jobs. There are approximately 600 Sam’s Club warehouse locations across the United States.

Sam’s Club saw it’s revenue drop $11.55 billion last quarter, which is almost a 1 percent sales decrease, while Wal-mart stores saw a $61.81 billion increase, or 1.2 percent.

Eligible employees who have been cut will receive severance pay and benefits, and will also receive assistance to find employment at other Sam’s Club locations and Wal-Mart stores. Some employees who will be laid off might possibly find employment with Shopper Events.

To boost sales and productivity, Home Depot also plans on eliminating jobs. The company is ending three pilot programs, which will result in 1,000 employees being laid off. Home Depot will be closing a temporary hurricane recovery outlet in Waveland, MS; a clearance outlet in Austell, GA; and a small-format store in Wilson, NC. Cuts also include the consolidation of support staff in the human resources and finance divisions. The company said they have no plans to close any of the full-size retail stores.

Despite the cuts, the restructuring will actually create about 200 jobs in Atlanta, which is where most human resources administration will be handled.

Home Depot is the largest home-improvement retailer, and currently has 300,000 employees and 1,500 store locations. Last year, Home Depot cut 7,000 jobs and closed specialty stores across the United States, and has marked the third consecutive January in which the large chain has laid off employees.

This information suggests credit card issuers are feeling more confident about the economy. As a result, they are increasing credit offers to consumers. While this may be viewed as a good thing, we all need positive information regarding the economy-increased credit offers may not be the best solution to keep consumers on track. Most consumers have either voluntarily curbed their spending or were forced to cut back due to financial hardships in recent years. Regardless of the reason this new found appreciation for saving and living a more frugal lifestyle is one of the only benefits of the recession.

The question is whether or not consumers will continue paying close attention to their personal finances or will we quickly forget the lessons learned in recent years? The credit card companies are counting on consumers opening new accounts to offset revenue that may be lost as a result of the CARD Act. New regulations take hold on the 22nd of February and credit card companies are gearing up to find another way to balance their portfolios.

Consumers are warned that the credit card offers arriving in the mail today are different from the offers extended a few years ago. Do not look for 0% interest introductory offers or other perks which were common prior to the recession. Just because the credit card issuer is willing to extend more credit in the recovering economy, they do so at a price. Credit offers today will come with higher APR’s and annual fees are expected to return.

It seems the rules have changed but the game remains the same. Credit card companies rely on account holders who run up a balance only to spend years paying the minimum payment in a fruitless effort to repay their debt. Consumers who have excellent credit have their choice of credit cards and do not rely on direct solicitation to obtain credit. By increasing their direct mailing they target the very same group of consumers who they wanted to avoid during the recession, individuals who more than likely cannot afford to use a credit card.

Hopefully we have all learned a valuable lesson in recent years. Credit cards can be a valuable tool when used responsibly. When managed improperly the effects on your personal finances can be devastating. The economy may be on the road to recovery but millions of American consumers have a longer road ahead to fix their finances. Before jumping on an offer for credit (which is tempting if you are struggling financially) remember that adding new debt will hinder your efforts to achieve financial freedom.

The concept is BlueHippo is simple: consumer who can’t get financing elsewhere for computer technology agree to make weekly or monthly payments toward the purchase of a computer, usually through automated payments directly from their bank account. Consumers were required to make a number of payments before receiving their computers and then financing the rest of the balance. The computers are typically priced much higher than comparable computers at other retail outlets but are touted as a way for those with bad credit to still purchase the latest technology.

However, after many consumers had faithfully made their payments, BlueHippo failed to deliver anything. Those consumers that were lucky enough to actually receive the products they financed often received outdated software or machines. Other consumer complaints included continued the inability to contact customer service representatives at the company. BlueHippo is also accused of failing to disclose consequences of the layaway plan until after consumers signed the agreement. These consequences were often severe, including default payments. When many consumers stopped paying their monthly payments due to the inability to speak with the company directly, BlueHippo claimed consumers defaulted on their contract. The consequence of that default allowed BlueHippo to increase interest rates by 24%, or the highest interest rate allowed by law.  Other consumers have filed complaints alleging that Blue Hippo advertised a variety of free products but also failed to deliver them to consumers. These ‘extras’ included printers, televisions, video gaming systems, and computer software.

BlueHippo is now in bankruptcy. The most recent lawsuit in Texas contends that BlueHippo was never registered in the state to conduct business. The state alleges that BlueHippo also targeted Texans with poor credit and limited financial resources to get a computer elsewhere with a promise of guaranteed financing approval for the layaway plan. The Texas Attorney General is now working with the Chapter 7 trustee to help recovery costs for consumer restitution as well as asking for civil penalties of up to $20,000 per each violation of Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

SSRI antidepressants are the most commonly prescribed and include Zoloft, Celexa, Prozac, Paxil and Lexapro. Researchers are concerned that other drugs that affect the serotonin levels might also cause the same issues in breastfeeding moms.

The study was small, looking at only 431 moms with only eight or 2% of them on the medication in question. Those conducting the study followed moms from birth through the first few days post partum, until their milk came in. Delayed lactation was determined when the lactating mom had not yet had plentiful milk production three days or 72 hours after given birth.

The eight moms who were on the antidepressant averaged 86 hours before viable milk production was achieved. While this is not ideal, these women were all able to breastfeed successfully even with delayed lactation.

Researchers agree that more studies will need to be done to determine if this is common in women on antidepressants. Even so, it does raise some red flags and lactation specialists are concerned that the delay could cause mothers, especially those without support, difficulty with breastfeeding. Even though women in this particular study were not affected, success and failure is often determined by how quickly the moms milk comes in. With delayed lactation many women quit prematurely thinking they cannot breast feed.

It is of course best for pregnant and lactating women to try other means before antidepressants. There are some alternative methods that have been shown to be successful in some women. On the flip side, for many women, depression can be severe during the last trimester and right after giving birth and medication many times is critical. These women should not be afraid to take SSRI drugs, but should be given extra support if they are. It is important that they be made aware that a possible side effect of the medication is delayed lactation. If they are aware and know they will need to stick with it a little longer before they establish their milk supply, it will hopefully be enough for them to be able to successfully breastfeed their babies.