Finance Globe

Consumers with an auto loan already know that the vehicle can be repossessed if you don’t abide by the terms of the loan. You’ll never have to worry about this happening as long as you keep paying the monthly installment on time and abide by other terms of the loan, such as - in some states - keeping the lender-required insurance coverage up-to-date. But sometimes things don’t go as planned. Job loss, medical bills, or other...

A bogus sweepstakes that duped consumers into paying a “processing fee” to collect “prize money” has been halted by a federal judge at the request of the Federal Trade Commission, the agency reported on Wednesday. According to FTC allegations, the company sometimes posed as a government agency, and used tricky language and official-looking documents and seals to fool consumers into paying $20 to collect a fake multi-million dollar sweepstakes prize. According to the FTC’s complaint, the...

Retail sales in November were better than analysts had expected, as American consumers loosen up the purse strings in preparation for the holiday season.November sales increased by .8% from the previous month, and increased by 7.7% since last year in November 2009, the Commerce Department reported today in Washington.November’s increase follows a revised increase of 1.7% in October. October’s big jump in retail sales was partly due to a large increase in auto sales, which slacked...

Coming to realize that you can longer afford your car payment can be a very stressful time for anyone. And if you absolutely need a vehicle to get to work or school, or because you live outside of a public transit route, then losing your car to repossession can cause trouble that goes beyond long-lasting credit problems. When people start having a hard time with their car payment, many tend to think it’s all over and...

Organizations that prey on consumers who have been hurt by the economic downturn are the target of an ongoing crackdown by the Federal Trade Commission.The FTC announced today that it halted the operations of Florida-based robocallers that allegedly promised to lower consumers’ credit card interest rate, but did nothing to fulfill their claims.According to the FTC’s complaint, JPM Accelerated Services allegedly made thousands of illegal pre-recorded robocalls to credit card holders, identifying themselves only as “card...

Many financially distressed consumers have found themselves in a bad situation over the past couple of years. It’s the sign of the times.But consumers troubled with debt should know that the only way to get ahead of their finances is to spend less than they make, and pay their bills and credit accounts diligently.“Credit repair” agencies often prey on consumers who are financially distressed and loaded down with debt, promising that an easy enrollment in one...

A new program aims to increase financial literacy for low to moderate-income students and help to encourage savings.In a joint statement by the Department of Education, the Federal Deposits Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), the three agencies on Tuesday announced a new agreement to help educate millions of students on financial matters.The agencies will work together to facilitate partnerships among schools, financial institutions, federal grantees and other stakeholders to provide effective...

In an effort to educate homeowners on the energy-efficiency of their residences, Vice President Joe Biden and Energy Secretary Steven Chu have launched the Home Energy Score pilot program.“The Home Energy Score will help make energy efficiency easy and accessible to America's families by providing them with straightforward and reliable information about their homes' energy performance and specific, cost-effective energy efficiency improvements that will save them money on their monthly energy bills," said Secretary Chu.Here’s how...

Home prices over the past year have remained relatively unchanged over the past year, even though the pace of sales has sharply declined since the ending of the home buyer’s tax credit, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported on Thursday.The national median existing single-family home price of $177,900 in the third quarter was just 0.2% lower than the median price of $178,200 in the same quarter of 2009.But while the national median home price has...

Sometimes the situation calls for us to take what we can get when we need it. And sometimes that means getting a car loan for less than the best deal around. If that’s the case, have you considered refinancing your auto loan? Refinancing your car loan save you big money on the monthly payment as well as the total interest charges over the life of the loan. Refinancing an auto loan is much like refinancing a...