In an era of high unemployment and personal debt loads, it may trouble some people to learn that having a significant personal debt burden might decrease a person’s odds of getting security clearance for some government jobs and regular employment at others. Here’s a look at how debt and employment are linked and what you [...]
Tags: Debt, Debt Cost
Posted September 13, 2010 by Amelie Hampton under Bankruptcy Articles
The New York Times recently ran a piece on the potential for our country’s high foreclosure rates to cause trouble on election day this fall. Basically, the problem is that most states tie voter registration and eligibility to a residence and people whose homes have been foreclosed may not be able to prove where they [...]
Tags: Foreclosure Rates, High Foreclosure, High Foreclosure Rates, Rates
Posted September 9, 2010 by Amelie Hampton under Bankruptcy Articles
Despite legislation designed to protect identity theft victims, some surveys have found that bankruptcy filers still sometimes list identity theft as one of the reasons they had to file for bankruptcy protection. And it’s no wonder: being the victim of identity theft can be frustrating and seriously damaging to your finances and credit history. Identity [...]
Tags: Identity Theft, Theft
Posted September 4, 2010 by Amelie Hampton under Bankruptcy Articles
A study published in the American Bankruptcy Institute Law Review found that the cost of filing for personal bankruptcy has gone up since the passage of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act (BAPCPA) of 2005, as discussed in a recent article in the Wall Street Journal. Here’s a look at some highlights from [...]
Tags: Bankruptcy, Bankruptcy Costlier
Posted August 31, 2010 by Amelie Hampton under Bankruptcy Articles
There’s been a fair amount of discussion lately about the ups and down of credit card balance transfers and whether they’re effective debt-elimination tools, particularly in light of some of the changes taking place thanks to the Credit CARD Act. Here’s a look at the basics of understanding balance transfers and determining whether one might [...]
Tags: Balance Transfer, Transfer
Posted August 26, 2010 by Amelie Hampton under Bankruptcy Articles
Personal bankruptcy filings for the year ended June 30, 2010 surged to a five year high, hitting 1.57 million, a 20% increase from the prior year. Furthermore, in the period between April and June, there were 422,061 bankruptcy filings, a 9% increase from the 388,148 in the previous quarter, and up 11% from 381,073 a [...]
Tags: Five Year, Five Year High, High, Year High
Posted August 22, 2010 by Amelie Hampton under Bankruptcy Articles
As the unemployment rate continues to rise, scammers are seeking to take advantage of unemployed Americans’ compromised financial position. According a report on MarketWatch, rising unemployment typically leads to a rise in the number of active scam artists. Today, as countless unemployed Americans experience financial insecurity, they become more and more vulnerable to false promises [...]
Tags: Unemployed
Posted August 18, 2010 by Amelie Hampton under Bankruptcy Articles
So many consumers have complained about debt settlement companies that the federal government has finally taken some action. Yesterday, the Federal Trade Commission announced a new restriction on debt settlement companies which is designed to address the growing nationwide problem of so-called debt relief companies making outlandish promises of success, but ultimately failing to do [...]
Tags: Commission, Federal Trade, Federal Trade Commission, Trade Commission
Posted August 13, 2010 by Amelie Hampton under Bankruptcy Articles
As you probably already know, having “good credit” can help you get favorable interest rates on loans and may even make you look like a good candidate for a job or an apartment rental. But how can a person achieve the abstraction of “good credit?” There are a few ways. Here’s a look at one: [...]
Tags: Credit, Credit Limit
Posted August 9, 2010 by Amelie Hampton under Bankruptcy Articles