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Featured Debt Articles

Debt Consolidation Service In Birmingham
Jane was a fun loving girl from Birmingham, you could say she lived for today. She wanted all the latest fashions and gadgets and certianly was not afraid to use her credit card to pay for them. She had a weird philosophy on life. For some reason she ...

How to Cut Credit Card Debt
Most Americans have too much credit card debt. Duh, we've all heard that before, right? Only now its gotten a bit personal... right again? You personally have too much credit card debt and its about to drive you crazy. Well there IS hope so don't ...

How To Get Out Of Debt In 10 Steps
Over the years I've evaluated many debt elimination systems. The best one I've ever seen is also one of the simplest. So let me introduce you to... The Best Iron-Clad, No-Holds-Barred, Fool-Proof, No-Fine-Print, Debt Elimination System Ever Developed - ...




4 Tips To Hiring A Better Debt Management Firm
 
Individuals in debt who wish to make use of the services of a debt management firm should do research before committing themselves. An unscrupulous debt management firm can harm a debtor's interests in many ways, so make sure to keep the following 4 things in mind before hiring a debt management firm:

1. Avoid any agency that calls you by phone or sends you spam: Most debt management firms advertise in the yellow pages or on the Web, but do not over-aggressively solicit clients. Therefore, there is a good chance any company which does so is not on the level. Debt management companies that follow a cold calling policy or send unsolicited emails will usually not be able to provide any solid references. Most of these companies do not even keep a reserve fund, which serves as a guarantee for the debtor that his creditors will be paid.

2. Non-profit agencies do not necessarily offer better service: First, not all non-profit debt management firms offer their services free; some firms charge up to 15% of the debt amount. Being a non-profit organization does not make a debt management firm a better and more efficient service provider than those that charge for the services. In fact, companies charging for their service are under an obligation to free their clients of debt as efficiently as possible because they are making a profit from their work and their profitability is directly linked to their credibility and reputation in the market.

3. Never part with credit card information on the phone: A reputed and honest debt management firm will never ask you to provide your credit card number or bank information on the phone. This is because they understand that callers can be impersonated; moreover, the increase in online frauds is reason enough for individuals in debt to be extra cautious when checking out debt management firms. Debt management companies that are acting in good faith will never ask a prospect or an existing client to part with sensitive information of any kind over the phone.

4. Don't believe anyone who offers a deal that's too good to be true - it probably is: Often debtors come across debt management deals that promise to reduce their debt by half in short time. This rarely happens; however, the debtor does end up paying high fees and a substantial upfront amount to the debt management company. Such companies also discourage debtors from communicating with their lenders; this is never a good idea and invariably leads to a negative impact on the debtor's credit rating. If a debt reduction company promises to offer more than some interest reduction and counseling on getting out of debt and staying debt free, the claim should ideally not be taken at face value.






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Debt News


Washington Post

Shares Rebound as Concern on Portugal Debt Subsides
New York Times (blog)
Indexes on Wall Street resumed their rally Wednesday after a successful auction of Portuguese government debt eased concerns about Europe's financial system ...
Stocks resume rally as European debt worries easeThe Associated Press
German Bunds Decline as Stocks Gain After Portugal's Debt SaleBusinessWeek
Europe's Fragile BanksBloomberg
Philadelphia Inquirer -USA Today
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The Market Oracle


GenOn Plans Acquisition Debt at `Crest of Wave' in Sales: New Issue Alert
Bloomberg
“We've seen the crest of the wave here over the last couple of days,” said Andrew Karp, head of investment-grade debt syndicate for the Americas at Bank of ...
Energy Bonds Outperform as BP Shrugs Off Junk-Debt Stigma: Credit MarketsBloomberg
CREDIT MARKETS: High-Grade Market Expects 2nd Straight $15B DayWall Street Journal

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Commodity Surge (blog)

Fitch Upgrades Lubrizol to 'BBB+'; Outlook Stable
Trading Markets (press release)
Driven by more than $600 million debt reduction and by margin and profit improvements, gross balance sheet debt to LTM operating EBITDA decreased to a ...
Fitch Expects to Rate Unum Group's New Senior Debt Issue 'BBB'; Outlook StableMarketWatch (press release)
Fitch Affirms OI's IDR at 'BB'; Rates Unsec. Debt Offering 'BB+'MarketWatch (press release)
Fitch Rates HP's Senior Unsecured Note Offering 'A+'; Outlook StableMarketWatch (press release)
MarketWatch (press release) -BusinessWeek -Bizjournals.com
all 356 news articles »

Ireland Leads Jump in Sovereign Debt Risk on Bank Funding Woes
Bloomberg
The cost of insuring financial company debt also fell with the Markit iTraxx Financial Index of swaps on 25 banks and insurers falling 2.5 basis points to ...
US Company Credit Risk Index Falls as Europe Crisis Bets EaseBusinessWeek
US Corporate Credit Risk Index Falls as Bets Ease on Europe Debt CrisisBloomberg

all 13 news articles »