In the Consumer Reports June 2011 issue, the article “House of Cards” gives some disquieting information about the outdated security technology employed by American credit card issuers. Three pieces of almost shocking information are:
- Information necessary to complete a transaction stored on American-issued credit cards is virtually unprotected.
- Technology for higher level credit card security exists and is used extensively throughout Europe and Canada
- In general, US credit card issuers have no plans to switch to the enhanced technology in the immediate foreseeable future.
It is surprising and perhaps even shocking that our country, which is a world leader in so many areas, is classed with unindustrialized nations in Africa when it comes to levels of security associated with debit and credit cards.
By 2012, one would be hard-pressed to successfully use a credit card issued in America at a bank in Europe, and they will not be accepted in China by 2015. Tha
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The American Express Points for Charity promotion is offering 10,000 bonus points for charity and 10,000 bonus points for yourself when you apply for a new America Express card.
You can also earn 10,000 points in referral rewards (5,000 for you plus 5,000 for charity) when you refer new members to apply for American Express cards.
Apply for select American Express cards to get 10,000 Membership Rewards bonus points for charity, plus earn 10,000 bonus points for yourself when you reach the spending threshold of the card that you select.
Simply provide your email address on the application and within 6 to 8 weeks after approval, you’ll receive an email explaining how to redeem 10,000 Membership Rewards bonus points to donate to your choice of over 1 million U.S. c
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When you have growing debt problems, using bill consolidation can be very effective. The major attraction of this option is its convenience. A borrower does not need to pay creditors variable interest rates and look at dates. You only need to register and be approved for a consolidation loan and all payments will be slimmed into one monthly payment, with renegotiated interest rates and longer periods of time to pay.
While consolidation option may seem attractive at first sight, as so many people are currently struggling with financial issues, it is always best to do your homework before signing any agreement.
When you look for plans of bill consolidation you should check the following characteristics: deadline for payment, lower monthly payments to make and a reliable company to pay. Also you need to check if your house or other property will be used as collateral.
The interest rate should be lower than the total interest that is paid to other liabilities. Read more…
Foreclosures declined in more than 84 percent of the US metro areas during the first half of this year, but that wasn’t the case in the Kingsport-Bristol or Johnson City Metropolitan Statistical Areas.
According to RealtyTrac’s mid-year report, foreclosures filings increased in Kingsport-Bristol and Johnson City when compared to the last six months of 2010. A comparison with first six months of 2010 show filings increased in Kingsport-Bristol and declined in Johnson City.
During the first half of this year there were 419 filings in Kingsport-Bristol and 286 in the Johnson City MSA. Sullivan and Washington counties accounted for 74 percent of all foreclosure filings in the seven counties that make up the two MSAs.
Sullivan is the only county in the region that had more foreclosure filing during the first half of this year than during the same period last.
The bulk of Sullivan County’s increase came during filing spikes in January and May. Read more…
A new report from RealtyTrac revealed that foreclosures declined in more than 84 percent of U.S. metro areas during the first half of the year. However, as RealtyTrac has repeated numerous times over the past year, the drop in foreclosures does not necessarily mean the housing market as a whole is turning around.
Foreclosure Pipeline Still Clogged
While the number of foreclosure procedures initiated dropped in 84 percent of U.S. me
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