Many employment companies are reporting record numbers of people seeking help in finding work.  The lines at the unemployment offices are growing steadily each day.  Many reports on the news and in the papers appear each day about a company laying people off work or even shutting down due to the economy.

Just drive around the Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati area and you can see the results of the economic slowdown.  Many home have for sale signs in them, businesses are closed or have going out of business signs on them.  Even though the signs are gloomy about the economic conditions, several industries are still experiencing growth and need employees.

With many jobs in Northern Kentucky being sought after, how can you find the good jobs and the higher paying jobs too?  Searching the Classifieds section in the newspaper is a good starting point.  You can also find jobs through websites such as Monster.com and the nice part is it will let you search and classify that you want to stay in a particular area.  This is great if you don’t, or can’t move away for another job.

Other resources are willing to help you find a job too.  Places like Labor Ready can be a great resource to help you with temporary employment until you find another job.  Sometimes, their placements can lead to full time jobs also.

With lots of local resources and online resources to help you find a job, it just takes some time and persistance to find the best job for you.  If you do happen to lose your job, keep an even head about you and you will find a job in the Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati area to suit your skills.

With the recent opening of the Northern Kentucky University / Bank of Kentucky Center, many more concerts and shows are occurring in this area.  The Northern Kentucky Convention Center is also a popular place and with the Cincinnati Convention Center and Underground Railroad Museum drawing conventions and conferences, hotels and motels in the Northern Kentucky area experience a boost in tourism dollars.

One of the reasons that there are so many hotels being built, especially in the Florence area and places south, is due to the upcoming 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games that are coming to the Kentucky Horse Park in 2010.  This is the first time this event has been held outside of Europe and with crowds expected to range from 500,000 to 1 million people coming in for this event, it will have a huge need for resources for those visitors.  Hotels, restaurants, rental cars and more will be in short supply next year.

Recently there have been 3 new hotels built in just the Florence area, with at least 2 more still under construction right now.  This is a growing area still even with the poor economic conditions.  With the commercial growth in the area, more jobs in Northern Kentucky can be expected and finding work should become easier.

There are still a wealth of hotels and motels in the Northern Kentucky area right now.  With recent renovations and purchases by large brand name hotels, many of the older hotels are receiving makeovers just in time for the busy summer months and tourist season.  The Hilton on Turfway, Radisson and many more hotels are upgrading their rooms and services to better fit and compete with each other for customers.  If you are looking for a good deal on a hotel room in the Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati area, just call around or visit one of the many online hotel and travel companies for great rates.

Today is a new day and it seems that General Growth Properties, which also owns the Kenwood Mall, is heading quickly for bankruptcy. With close to a reported $4 Billion in debt that they can’t pay, bankruptcy might be the only way for General Growth Properties to seek protection.

So, what would this mean for the Florence Mall as we are heading into this busy Christmas season? Probably not much right now. Even if General Growth Properties files for bankruptcy protection, it will be business as usual at the Florence Mall. You might not notice any new stores opening any time soon until the bankruptcy proceedings are well underway, but they doors will remain open for now.

General Growth Properties is a real estate investment trust with over 200 properties nationwide. They own properties in Hawaii, Chicago and Las Vegas, just to name a few other locations. They are the nations second largest owner and operator of mall’s also.

The Northern Kentucky real estate market is really a buyers market right now.  In order to find the best deals that are out there however, do you really need a real estate agent or can you just use the Northern Kentucky MLS service?

If you take an afternoon and drive around the Northern Kentucky area, in just about every neighborhood that you visit you will find plenty of homes for sale.  The homes for sale in the Northern Kentucky area are almost split evenly between those listed with real estate agents and the homes that are listed for sale by owner.

Why?

With the national real estate market in turmoil and foreclosures at an all time high, the housing boom that we enjoyed for several years has come crashing down.  One reason for the number of homes that are in foreclosure in the Northern Kentucky area is because of the large amount of “transient” families that are in the area.  With so many employers moving and transferring employees so often, people aren’t buying homes like they used to.  Plus, the values of used homes are almost in line with what you can purchase a new home for.

However, while most people are thinking and seeing the number of for sale signs as an indication to the number of homes that aren’t selling, just looking at the number of home sales each week in the paper will reveal that the real estate agents in the Northern Kentucky area are busy.

Is it better to use a real estate agent or try searching for your next home on your own?  That is a question that is up to you to truly decide.  However, with so many homeowners facing foreclosure or just being behind on payments and ready to sell, you might be able to work out a really good deal on a home.  If you are looking to buy a great home at a low price, you can often times work out a deal with the current homeowner and find a good real estate lawyer or mortgage attorney to finish the deal.

Whether you go with a real estate agent or use a real estate or mortgage attorney, you can find a good deal in this market on your next home.  Searching the Northern Kentucky MLS will provide a good idea of the home prices and amenities in the areas you are wanting to learn more about.

With so many people still moving into the areas of Northern Kentucky that are still years behind in roads and other infrastructure, your car insurance is likely to be a large part of your concerns.  If you are in an accident, what is covered?  Does Kentucky’s no fault law affect your rights or car insurance coverage?

Is your car insurance good enough?

Often times you don’t think about needing your car insurance until you have an accident.  But what are you paying for and is it enough?  One of the most important aspects of a good car insurance policy is to make sure that you and the other driver are covered in cases of injury.  Your auto insurance policy is the first line of defense against large hospital bills in case you, or the other driver, are injured.

Another key aspect is the replacement costs associated with your car.  Does your car insurance provide enough coverage to pay off the full loan of the car, or just the anticipated value of your car?  What happens if you owe more than what your car is worth?  Guess who pays that balance?  You do.

There are so many different car insurance companies and brokers in the Northern Kentucky area that you don’t have to look very far or wait long to get ahold of a car insurance agent.  It is highly recommended that you talk and get car insurance quotes from several different agents before you decide on which car insurance policy is right for you and your family.

With so many banks competing for your money, which bank is the best? Are credit unions better than traditional banks? Is a national banking company like US Bank better than a smaller regional bank like The Bank of Kentucky?

One of the biggest questions you will want to consider when choosing a bank in Northern Kentucky is the banks policy on ATM usage. While this might not seem important, unless you don’t travel around the Cincinnati area much or your bank is on every street corner, ATM charges can be expensive if you rely upon using an ATM.

Another consideration is minimum balances. Most banks in Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati for that matter are really good with minimum fees for personal accounts. Most banks offer some type of checking or savings account with no monthly minimums that must be maintained, or low fees for a no balance account.

With so many banks competing for your money in Northern Kentucky you can easily find the right bank that will fit your lifestyle and needs. Many banks are also competing for your business as well. If you find a good bank that you like a feature, try competing with another bank and see if they will match it or do better. Almost like bargain shopping for a bank!

If you are wanting a good roofing repair company in the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area, you need to make sure that the company is a good and reputable local company.  Many roofing scammers will come to your home that are from out of state and may not be licensed to provide contract services in your city.

You will also want to ensure that the roofing repair company is insured and/or bonded against damage or claims.  This will cover damage that they might cause due to an accident or injury of one of their employees.

Some roofing companies will give you a word of mouth contract.  You need a written contract that explains everything in detail.  Who is responsible for taking the shingles away?  What are all of the charges?  How long will it take?  What about a warranty or guarantee of their work?

These are just a few of the questions you should ask before hiring a roofing repair company in the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area.  With the vast amount of storm damage, it won’t be long before the scam artist are stealing money from people by promising to provide a service that they don’t.

Don’t be a roofing repair scam victim.  Stick with a reputable local roofing contractor for your roof repairs.

The remnants of Ike began blowing into the Tri-State area around noon on Sunday with the full force of the winds hitting by 2 p.m. Numerous reports of trees into homes, electric wires and cable lines down and traffic lights not working had been reported. The phone lines at Duke Energy and Insight Cable just had a steady busy signal well into the night.

Numerous large trees are also down throughout most of Northern Kentucky. Duke Energy and local Fire departments are urging people to use caution around the downed trees due to electric lines also being down. It is impossible to visually tell if a power line that is down still has power to it.

Representatives are also warning people to be on the lookout for scam artist that promise to clean up storm damage or repair your roof at cheap prices. The scammers are usually wanting to be paid up front in order to buy materials to do the job. They work they usually do is also not quality work that will last. The best advice if you have trees down or home damage is to check with you insurance agent about what might be covered.

Duke Energy is expecting full power restoration within the next 3 days. Police are also urging motorists to use caution and reminding drivers that if they come to a traffic light that is not functioning, it is to be treated as a four way stop.

I’m sure you have heard or seen the ads, and you have surely you’ve seen the storefronts. Walk or drive down any street in Kentucky, from the small rural towns to Louisville and Lexington and there they are: payday lenders.

Kentucky has over 650 payday loan lenders, also known as check advance or fast cash shops. Due to a combination of bad legislative policies and legal loopholes, both the payday loan companies and the dollars they lend are increasing each day.

A payday loan company works like this. Payday lenders make small cash “advances” in exchange for holding personal checks for future deposit, usually the borrower’s next payday. But since a two week “loan” with $17 finance charges per $100 lent would violate Kentuckys law, the practice is considered instead as a “deferred deposit transaction.”

The payday loan industry is full of such term twisting. It offers “convenient check cashing,” “emergency cash flow” and a “smart alternative to bouncing checks and credit card late fees” for people “who are denied access to credit by traditional lenders.”

You would recognize these loans by their names you have heard. Payday loans, cash advance loans, no credit check cash loans, check cashing services and more. With so many names and an ever changing list of them, no wonder so many people can’t figure out they are dealing with predatory lenders.

But consider these facts provided by the Center for Responsible Lending in Durham, NC:

• Payday loans cost triple-digit interest rates, typically 390 to 780 percent annually.
• Payday loan interest rates are on average 400 percent higher than credit card interest rates.
• The average borrower takes eight to 13 loans out from a single lender and a total of 14 to 22 loans out each year.
• Payday lenders make $40 billion in loans and collect $6 billion in finance charges from borrowers each year in the U.S.
• Payday loans cost American families $3.4 billion every year.

To qualify for a payday loan, all a borrower needs is a bank account and a source of income or benefits. This is why the industry is so visible around places where the military and people on (or transitioning off of) government assistance live. The ability to repay the loan is not assessed through a credit check, as with bank loans.

Instead, payday lenders require consumers to write checks without funds on deposit. Two weeks later, the borrower is still short on cash, and visits another payday lender to float the first loan (aka “loan flipping”).

Conveniently, payday lenders can acquire multiple licenses for “different” companies within the same state. In effect, a borrower can wrack up hundreds of dollars of fees to extend the term of the loan without ever paying off the principle. This is the debt trap.

Payday lending is not growing because of increased consumer demand, but because payday lenders get their steady customers to take out more loans.

Ninety-one percent of payday loan borrowers take out more than five payday loans a year, and one Kentucky payday lender reports that 70 percent of his company’s loans are paid back via another payday loan.

A single loan for the first-time borrower to cover surgery, bridge the gap between jobs, or buy Christmas presents quickly turns into a merry-go-round of additional loans and hundreds of dollars in fees each month.

Meanwhile, the lender has it made, and here’s how: with little risk or investment (a pledge of a $50,000 CD, according to the Kentucky statute) a computer and a couple of desks, the business is born.

In a three-month period, the shop develops a user group of 200 customers. This modest customer base generates $18,000 per month on an average check size of $250. And the payday lender nets from $12,000 to $14,000 per month in operating profit.

A Georgia law passed in 2004 prescribes harsh felony penalties for lenders who make loans of $3,000 or less in violation of existing lending and consumer protection laws.

The law caps interest rates of small consumer loans at 60 percent per year, the state’s small-loan usury rate. Other states have capped overdraft and bounced check fees to prevent outrageous effective interest rates.

There are alternatives to payday lending, including credit counseling, debt consolidation loans, employer based payroll advance programs, and assisting the un-banked in starting direct deposit accounts at community development credit unions.

Within a few months after a new member joins, most credit unions will write small loans to members who direct deposit their checks.

Kentucky has laws that are supposed to protect consumers. We need to make these laws stronger. The state cannot afford to allow cash strapped people to get sucked into a whirlpool of deeper and deeper debt. Tougher legislation is the guardrail needed to keep the unwary from going over the edge.

The Kentucky Housing Corporation has started the “Keep My Kentucky Home” program that is available to qualified homeowners.

The Kentucky Homeownership Protection Center provides a centralized location for information on public services to assist Kentuckians in keeping their homes. Homeowners can find information on the foreclosure process, utility assistance and home repair assistance to make smart choices and avoid losing their homes.

If you are currently delinquent on your home loan, in danger of becoming delinquent or are just starting to have financial problems that may affect your ability to pay your mortgage, do not risk losing your home.

This program offers tips and assistance with topics suck as credit rating issues, tax questions, repairs and utilities.

Protecting homeowners and assisting those at risk of foreclosure in Kentucky is vital to the economic well being of both the State and local governments. If a home is foreclosed upon that means no tax income for the local and state government. In addition, vacant homes breed increased crime and devalue neighboring properties.

You can learn more about the Protect My Kentucky Home program and what the service offers to prevent foreclosure in Kentucky.