What is a charge-off? A "charge-off" is a balance owed that has been deemed a "loss" for accounting purposes in the creditor's financial statements. Consumers. For consumer debt, government regulations REQUIRE a charge-off on an account after a specific period of delinquency. This ...

It seems the banks are still reducing their credit lines, into the first half of 2010. This means it will continue to be a challenge to get credit, whether your credit history is perfect or not. In fact, now may be ...

There are businesses that offer to help solve your debt problems. While it may seem to be a reasonable solution for unmanageable bills, be careful. First, check with the web, look at forums, do a search with the business name ...

Look at where I started. There were 6 credit cards. The balances were Providian at $1925, 3 Capital One cards at $300 each, one from First Premier Bank for $300, and one with Household Bank for $500. Capital One is terrible. ...

Getting Credit. Credit scores have become the defacto standard of getting credit today. There was a time when credit was extended on the basis of personal relationships, your local bank, or reputation in the community. Today, with the advent of multinational ...

What We See Today. A good credit score. What does that mean? For many, it symbolizes respectability and prestige. This is one of the most successful marketing lies of the financial industry. It only matters when you need to borrow from ...

Spotting Fraudulent Activity. There has been some success in limiting payment card fraud by the payment card issuers. They used sophisticated computer software to identify fraudulent transactions. An indicator are transactions inconsistent with a customer’s past behavior. Inconsistent, or out-of-character, transactions could include spending originating in another country on ...