Joshua Heckathorn

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Joshua Heckathorn

Joshua Heckathorn is a credit expert and has been featured on CNNMoney, FOX Business, Yahoo Finance, The Street, and many other national publications during the past twenty years.  He received a Bachelor of Science in Management (Finance) from Brigham Young University's Marriott School of Business and earned his MBA from Seattle University.

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Recent Blogs

AMEX Reigns Again in Customer Satisfaction

August 26th, 2010 by Joshua Heckathorn

 For the fourth year in a row, American Express has topped the charts in the 2010 J.D. Power and Associates U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study. Released last week, the study indicates that AmEx received a customer service ranking of 769 on a 1,000 point scale, which was 12 points higher than the runner up—Discover Card. In addition, AmEx was the only credit issuer to receive five out of five J.D. Power.com Power Circles. Bringing up the rear for the ten major credit issuers analyzed in the study was HSBC, which received a ranking a 686 and just two out of five power circles.

Third Phase of Credit CARD Act Finally Arrives

August 19th, 2010 by Joshua Heckathorn

[caption id="attachment_1624" align="alignleft" width="243" caption=" "]Photo by Andres Rueda[/caption]

Has it not felt like an eternity since President Obama first signed the Credit CARD Act into law? Here we are almost 15 months after the stroke of his pen, and we're still waiting for the final round of new credit card rules to take effect.

Fortunately, we don't have to wait much longer. Beginning August 22nd, here are five of the final key changes you should expect to see from your credit card companies:

Mortgage or Credit Card: Which Would You Pay First?

August 13th, 2010 by Joshua Heckathorn

[caption id="attachment_1606" align="alignleft" width="300" caption=" "]Photo by Respres[/caption]

A recent TransUnion study found that the percentage of Americans behind on their mortgage but current on their credit cards increased nearly 55 percent between early 2008 and the third quarter of 2009.

And while the amount of consumers we're talking about is still relatively small (6.6%), I find the overall trend to be quite compelling. Clearly, consumers are beginning to think differently about the priority of their debts.

How to Close Credit Cards for Deceased Relatives

August 6th, 2010 by Joshua Heckathorn

When a loved one passes away, the last thing on your mind is their credit card bills. However, in order to protect the deceased's estate from additional charges, fees, or even identity theft, it's important to remember that your loved one's credit cards will remain open and active until you take the following three steps.

Ask Creditnet: How In-Store Financing Can Hurt Your Credit Scores

July 28th, 2010 by Joshua Heckathorn

 Dear Creditnet: I'm currently in the market for a new TV and Best Buy is offering 0% financing for three years. My question is when you open an account like this, how big of a hit does your FICO score usually take and how long will it take to rebound? I could easily pay cash for the TV up front, but the "finance" person in me says it's free money—why not take the terms?

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