How to Find Accredited Debt Help Companies

December 13th, 2009 admin Money and Finance 0

credit card debtFinding reputed debt help company can be quite a difficult task. Especially with a lot of companies escalating up lately it can be difficult to select one that will provide you with the best services and help you come out of debt in an effective manner. This can be helped if you rely on some of the accredited sources and look out for companies that have a good reputation and are licensed. Here are some tips that can help you finding a good debt relief company.

Take the help of regulatory bodies such as the Association of Settlement Companies. There are certain rules that the companies have to follow and abide by to get affiliated to such associations. Most of these associations work along with the government to reduce the cases of fraud. This is one of the main reasons why the debt settlement companies are required to provide details about their licensing, affiliations and reputation on their website.

If your debt has mounted to more than $10,000, then rather than going in for a debt settlement company, you can go through a debt relief network. Taking the help of the debt relief network will help you select a company that is certified and provides authentic help to people suffering from debt. You can approach these networks without a hitch because their services are free of cost and you can be assured that your case will be referred to an authentic firm. However, you should still take precautionary steps from your side by confirming the licensing of the company that you are going to take the help of.

Recession Increased the Demand for Short Term Loans

October 26th, 2009 admin Money and Finance 0

Have you ever been troubled with tons of bills to pay even before the payday? Lots of people must be experiencing this type of problem but mostly, availing of short term payday loans can solve their problems. If you are facing financial difficultly availing of these types of loans will be very beneficial to you. You don’t need to pledge any valuable material to avail of the loan. Because they come in short term period, you can easily apply for one provided you have the following:

  1. You must be a regular employee of a reputable company.
  2. You must be a permanent resident of the country where you are residing.
  3. You must be 18 years old and above.
  4. You should have 2 valid ID’s.
  5. You must have a bank account to receive the money.

online payday loansThere are online sites that also offer short term assistance loan. You can easily find assistance online without exerting so much effort. This way, you will not have a hard time in looking for the company that will provide your needs. Through online inquiries, you will be able to compare every company you hit upon. There are hundreds of online cash assistance companies today; you don’t have to grab the opportunity of the first you stumble upon to. You also need to learn more about the company before engaging with any contract with them. It may be risky to give your information easily without knowing much about them.

An introduction to Credit Card!

September 4th, 2008 admin Money and Finance 0

cardCredit was first used in Assyria, Babylon and Egypt 3000 years ago. The bill of exchange – the forerunner of banknotes – was established in the 14th century. Debts were settled by one-third cash and two-thirds bill of exchange. Paper money followed only in the 17th century.

The first advertisement for credit was placed in 1730 by Christopher Thornton, who offered furniture that could be paid off weekly.

From the 18th century until the early part of the 20th, tallymen sold clothes in return for small weekly payments. They were called “tallymen” because they kept a record or tally of what people had bought on a wooden stick. One side of the stick was marked with notches to represent the amount of debt and the other side was a record of payments. In the 1920s, a shopper’s plate – a “buy now and pay later” system – was introduced in the USA. It could only be used in the shops which issued it.

In 1950, Diners Club and American Express launched their charge cards in the USA, the first “plastic money”. In 1951, Diners Club issued the first credit card to 200 customers who could use it at 27 restaurants in New York. But it was only until the establishment of standards for the magnetic strip in 1970 that the credit card became part of the information age.

Credit cards were first promoted to traveling salesmen (more common in that era) for use on the road.

By the early 1960s, more companies offered credit cards, advertising them as a time-saving device rather than a form of credit. American Express and MasterCard became huge successes overnight.

By the mid-’70s, the US Congress begin regulating the credit card industry by banning such practices as the mass mailing of active credit cards to those who had not requested them.

However, not all regulations have been as consumer friendly. In 1996, the US Supreme Court in Smiley vs. Citibank lifted restrictions on the amount of late penalty fees a credit card company could charge.

Deregulation has also allowed very high interest rates to be charged

The first use of magnetic stripes on cards was in the early 1960′s, when the London Transit Authority installed a magnetic stripe system.

San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit installed a paper based ticket the same size as the credit cards in the late 1960′s.

The word credit comes from Latin, meaning “trust”.

Cheques (checks) came into use in 1875.

In Bangladesh, the first credit card facility was started by ANZ Grindlay’s Bank.

As time demanded, all most all the private banks introduced credit cards in the market, some of them, are, Duch-Bangla Bank, Brac Bank, UCB and the very recently IFIC Bank launched its credit card with a tagline developed by its advertising agency ‘Get it hot’ at the lowest interest rate among the competitors.

Banking Tips

July 4th, 2008 admin Money and Finance 0

Some points to remember while writing a cheque:
Don’t let any one rush you in writing the cheque. Make sure the cheque is properly dated, and bears the current signature that you have recorded with the bank. Make the cheque crossed or account payee for definite receipt by the beneficiary. Always fill up the counter-foil of cheques for future reference and cross-checking with the statement of accounts.

Some points to remember while accepting a cheque:
Avoid cheques bearing signs of alteration, difference in amount and figure. Ensure that the signature matches with any ID the issuer is holding. Avoid bearer cheques, cheques not drawn on local banks by local payees, counter cheques-in other words cheques on which the name of the drawee and account number is not printed. Always avoid post-dated cheques.

Points to consult your bank representative or relationship manager for the better deals:
Ensure that you are availing the right products available at the bank. Find out if you are entitled to waiver on any service charges. Being a loyal, longstanding customer you may be entitled to a lower interest rate on loans or credit card. Therefore, it would be prudent to raise these queries with your Bank official.

Are all banks charging the same rate of service charge?
Not all banks are charging service fees at the same rate. It would be wise to take out your statements for the last year or so and add up the fees and penalties you paid for monthly account maintenance, ATMs, bounced checks, etc. Now compare your bank with three or four other banks. You may discover that you could earn or save by using another bank. Or, you may find that your own bank still offers a good value and that it is willing to make compromises to retain you as a customer.

How can you simplify banking?
You can simplify your life by making your bank (if the facility exist) automatically arrange some of your regular payments, such as your mortgage, health insurance premiums and utility bills. It can be an easy, economical alternative to writing and depositing a lot of checks each month.