Mary Tomkins is a freelance writer located in Spartanburg, SC, with emphasis on economic news and research on the financial industry.
Identity theft remains the number one consumer complaint for the tenth year in a row, according to the Consumer Sentinal Network (CSN) report released on Wednesday by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC, the… Identity Theft Still Top Consumer Complaint
Fewer consumers applied for new residential mortgages and refinancing last week, according to a weekly survey released on Wednesday by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). For the week ending February 19, the index used to… Mortgage Application Volume Down Last Week
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) announced on Wednesday that they’ve proposed a new forbearance program to help qualified homeowners who lose their jobs. The program would allow homeowners to stay in their homes and pay… MBA Proposes Forbearance Program to Help Unemployed Homeowners
Most consumers are aware that they have access to a free credit report from all three major credit reporting bureaus each and every year, entitled by federal law. But sometimes that’s just where the confusion… "Free Credit Reports" Rule Amended to End Consumer Confusion
Beginning today, consumers are now protected against many tricky credit card practices that once caused confusion for cardholders. The new rules are part of the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure (CARD) Act of 2009.… CARD Act Rules go into Effect Today
More than one out of every nine home loans in the U.S. is delinquent, according to a report released by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) on Friday. The rate of residential mortgage delinquencies fell in… More Than One in Nine U.S. Mortgages Delinquent
The number of people filing for unemployment benefits for the first time unexpectedly rose last week, the Department of Labor reported on Thursday. For the week ending February 13, 473,000 initial claims were filed, up… Initial Jobless Claims Unexpectedly Rise
Existing home sales were strong across most states during the fourth quarter of 2009 with many metro areas showing price increases from a year earlier, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported on Thursday. Fourth… Fourth Quarter Home Sales Strong
If you’re thinking about buying a vehicle, there are a quite a few things to consider before settling on the car you’re going to drive home. But the first thing to think about is how… First Step to Buying a Vehicle – Financing
The unemployment rate fell in January from 10% to 9.7% in January, and the number of unemployed people fell to 14.8 million in January, the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics (BLS) reported on Friday. However,… Unemployment Falls to 9.7% in January