Predatory Economy: Debit Card Overdraft Fees
Yet another way the banks have found to prey on people struggling in this economy: Banks and credit unions have long pitched debit cards as a convenient and prudent way to buy. But a growing number are...
View ArticleReturn of the Job-Search Fraudsters
Remember this story? Frightened people who’ve lost their jobs pay thousands of dollars to job search firms making big promises and delivering nothing. The Arthur Group, a company that the New York...
View ArticlePredatory Economy: “Free” Credit Reports
At risk of making you mad at me because you get the jingle stuck in your head, you know those Free Credit Report ads? Obviously they’re not buying all that advertising time to give you something that...
View ArticleCredit Card Contortions
With Congress in the process of making it more difficult for credit card companies to totally fleece cardholders, the credit card companies are shifting their profit model slightly. Where it has been...
View ArticleDoubly Unfree Credit Report
Now, Free Credit Report was never really free, in the sense that getting your “free” credit report signed you up for an ongoing monthly service that was definitely not free. But now even the part that...
View ArticleA New Breed of Debtors Prison
Read this while I catch my breath: It’s not a crime to owe money, and debtors’ prisons were abolished in the United States in the 19th century. But people are routinely being thrown in jail for failing...
View ArticleSo Much for the Conventional Wisdom
We keep hearing that when the economy begins to turn around, businesses will start to hire. Well, it ain’t necessarily so: Motorcycle sales are falling in 2010, as they have for each of the last three...
View ArticleDebt collection horror stories
During the economic downturn, and knowing that no one is really paying much attention, some debt collection agencies are breaking the law. They’re threatening and harassing the folks who have the debt...
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