Mary Tomkins is a freelance writer located in Spartanburg, SC, with emphasis on economic news and research on the financial industry.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) testified today to the U.S. House Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit of the Committee on Financial Services that the agency has completed most of the consumer credit protection…
New claims for jobless benefits showed slight improvement for the week ending March 13, the Department of Labor reported on Thursday in its weekly report. There were 457,000 new claims last week, down 5,000 from…
Vacations are time to bond, have fun with your family and friends, see new sites, and take a breather from real life. But the financial woes of the past couple of years have really got…
This article is the second in a two-part series. Camping is a great alternative for the budget-conscious family vacation! Other benefits to camping compared to traditional flying/lodging/dining vacations: You travel with your own stuff, instead…
The U.S. Census Bureau announced on Friday that advanced estimates of February retail trade sales were $355.5 billion. This is an increase of .3% from the previous month after a .1% rebound in January, and…
The over-the-month unemployment rate for January rose in 30 states, fell in 9 states, and remained the same in 11 states, according to a report released Wednesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Over…
Since 2006, Lifelock Inc. ads have claimed that it could prevent identity theft for consumers willing to sign up for its $10-a-month service. The company even went so far as to put the CEO’s social…
In the next stage of implementing the credit card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 (CARD Act), the Federal Reserve Board on Wednesday proposed new rules to cut cardholder’s late fees and interest rates.…
The unemployment situation changed very little with 14.9 million unemployed persons in February, and the unemployment rate held steady at 9.7%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. Non-farm payroll employment fell by 36,000…
The Internal Revenue service sent out an announcement on Monday to inform taxpayers that more than $1.3 billion in tax refunds are due to nearly 1.4 million people who did not file a 2006 tax…