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| Beyond Overdraft Fees: 5 Bank Traps to Avoid |
| Two of the country’s largest banks are overhauling their overdraft programs, touting simpler terms and stronger consumer protections. But the days of the $35 charge on the $3 latte are far from over. |
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| Banks Win Round One in Fight |
| Top Democrats drop provision to let proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency establish 'plain vanilla' products. Business says thanks but still wants bill dead. |
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| It's Official: America Loves Online Banking |
| Americans may not always love their bank, but online banking is the most popular form of banking, according to a new survey by the American Bankers Association. |
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| The $38 Cup of Coffee? |
| Consider this case: a man miscalculates how much money is in his checking account, uses it seven times in a day with no single charge more than $12 and ends up charged with $234 in overdraft fees. Welcome to the dangers of debit cards. |
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| A Pack of Gum a Day Keeps ATM Fees Away |
| Do you find yourself a bit disgusted by the amount you spend on ATM fees every month? I know I can't stand to pay $2-$3 just to get to my money, but I'm a huge cheapskate. So I'll let you in on my favorite way to avoid ATM fees. |
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| Loan Made to Help or Exploit Laid-Off College Grads |
| The combination of soaring student debt loads and a tough job market has a lot of companies and colleges looking to help students who are struggling financially. |
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| Using a Lending Club to Consolidate Debt |
| Peer-to-Peer lending is everywhere these days. Still, borrowing money from your peers is a new experience for most of us, and for many people new things are daunting -- which makes this borrower's look at peer-to peer-lending by Matt Jabs at Debt Free Adventure all incredibly useful. |
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| The Inside Story on Loans from LendingTree |
| WalletPop's Lan Nguyen chats with Nicole Hall, editor in chief of LendingTree.com, on what you need to know before you approach a lender on any loan, from a mortgage to a car loan. |
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| Payday Lenders Keep You in Debt! |
| Payday lenders target low-income families as they know they have few other options to borrow money. In 30 of the states, lenders have convinced lawmakers to allow them to charge triple-digit interest rates because of the heavy demand. |
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| P2P Lender Prosper is Back |
| After a nine-month hiatus, peer-to-peer lender Prosper.com is back with a new and improved lending service. Thanks to its recent SEC registration the improved Prosper.com is now available to borrowers in 46 states and lenders in 14, with plans to expand nationwide in the near future. |
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| What Will Happen When Mortgage Rates Spike? |
| Last week, the Federal Reserve announced that it would be winding down its $1.25 trillion effort to purchase mortgage-backed securities later this year -- ending a program that has been instrumental in driving mortgage rates to record lows, which helps make homes more affordable with lower monthly payments. What does this mean for you? |
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| Buying a Home Without a FICO Score |
| Nearly every personal finance guru in America will tell you that it's important to build and maintain a high FICO score -- and that good credit is a sign of financial prudence and responsibility. Lenders will reward you for that responsibility with a lower interest rate loan. |
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| A Mortgage Modification Will Crush Your Credit Score |
| President Obama's Making Home Affordable mortgage modification plan is getting quite a bit of press lately, most of it focusing on how it can help borrowers who are having trouble with their payments. But here's one downside to having your mortgage modified: |
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| First-Time Buyer Tax Credit Can Be Used as a Down Payment |
| The Federal Housing Administration is going to permit its lenders to allow home buyers to use the $8,000 tax credit as a down payment. Here's what this means: |
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| More Americans are Behind on their Mortgage Payments |
| Now that one in eight people are behind on their mortgages, the "it's not so bad" crowd seems to have quieted down a bit. But here's the reason that we should relax: |
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| The Credit Crunch, Vol. 1: Five Useful Links |
| b• /ba href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/06/your-money/06prepay.html?_r=1hp""Prepaid, but Not Prepared for Debit Card Fees"/a: iThe New York Times/ibr
b• /ba href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125460186641062021.html""Credit Cardholder’s Bill Of Rights: Sooner Would Be Better"/a: iThe Wall Street Journal/ibr
b• /ba href="http://masteryourcard.com/blog/2009/10/02/investigating-old-or-inaccurate-addresses-on-your-credit-report-and-why-you-should/""Investigating Old or Inaccurate Addresses on Your Credit Report and Why You Should"/a: MasterYourCard.combr
b• /ba href="http://www.nodebtplan.net/2009/09/29/how-to-improve-your-credit-score-when-paying-down-debt/""How to Improve Your Credit Score When Paying Down Debt"/a: NoDebtPlan.netbr
b• /ba href="http://www.smh.com.au/news/business/money/gen-y-faces-credit-hurdles/2009/09/29/1253989911323.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1""Gen Y Faces Credit Hurdles"/a: iThe Sydney Morning Herald/i |
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| Send Cash on Facebook With Facecard |
| A new Facebook app from Facecard.com, a prepaid credit card company that caters mainly to parents of teens, could put the hurt on PayPal and on Facebook's million dollar virtual gift industry! Find out more. |
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| Ask the Dolans: How Can I Improve My Credit If I Don't Have a Credit Card? |
| Your credit score is more important than ever. But how can you make sure you have good credit when you don't use credit cards? Personal finance experts Ken and Daria Dolan help a WalletPop reader facing this dilemma. |
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| AmEx Dumps Gift-Card Fees |
| Although the credit-card regulations passed by Congress earlier this year don't go into effect until 2010, one major issuer is eliminating a monthly fee on its gift cards right now. |
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| New Measures to Protect Kids From Debt |
| Signing up for a credit card is about to become a lot harder on campus.
Underclassmen once bombarded by offers of easy credit and free T-shirts may find themselves a little less popular among credit-card marketers, as a new law designed to curb the fees and penalties that credit-card companies charge consumers goes into effect. |
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| Google Knows Your Credit Score |
| The search giant has found yet another new and potentially lucrative way of segmenting customers for its advertisers. It's targeting users by their FICO scores. |
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| Don't be Fooled by Discover's 'Cash Over' |
| Discover claims that Cash Over is a great way to avoid ATM transaction fees and combine two trips without any surprises. But for most credit card users, this is almost as bad as using your credit card for a cash advance. |
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