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Low Pay, Inc. Charged with Deceptive Marketing

November 16th, 2009 by Joshua Heckathorn

[caption id="attachment_1019" align="alignleft" width="90" caption=" "]Low Pay, Inc. Charged with Deceptive MarketingPhoto by HikingArtist.com[/caption]

How can a company find customers willing to pay almost $400 in fees for a credit card that will only finance 30% of purchases from a single catalog? It's hard to imagine, but the FTC seems to have caught one dead in its tracks.

According to a press release issued on November 3rd, a formal complaint was issued in federal court alleging that Low Pay, Inc. used deceptive mailers to market its card to consumers with credit problems, charging them hundreds of dollars in up-front fees and often reneging on its refund policy. In response, Low Pay has apparently agreed to pull the plug on its questionable practices while they battle it out with the FTC.

The actual complaint explains in more detail how the FTC believes Low Pay pulled this whole thing off. Here's what was allegedly going down:

Signs of Life in the Credit Card Industry?

September 20th, 2009 by Joshua Heckathorn

[/caption] While most mailboxes are enjoying a respite from the daily deluge of credit card offers, major credit issuers are clearly still interested in dropping big bucks to pursue one type of consumer - those with top-notch credit and big-time spending habits. I've seen ads everywhere lately for premium credit cards, such as the new Visa Black or Chase Sapphire card, and it's no secret their marketers are hitting mailboxes around the country pretty hard as well. According to a recent press release from Comperemedia, a firm that tracks direct marketing strategies, credit card issuers continued last year's trend into the 2nd quarter of 2009 by cutting their direct mail offers to consumers "as a whole by 8%." However, of the offers that were delivered, they also sent "28% more offers for premium cards than they did the quarter before."

"Stuck at Stupid"

July 21st, 2009 by Joshua Heckathorn

A friend of mine recently sent me the following quote by Lou S. Barnes, an owner of a Colorado mortgage bank named Boulder West Financial Services.

It gave me a good chuckle, so for those of you that haven't already come across his remarks elsewhere, I thought I would share what Mr. Barnes had to say about the current home lending environment.

New Rules Restrict Credit for Students

June 10th, 2009 by Joshua Heckathorn

You can buy cigarettes, porn, lotto tickets, and even a gun when you turn 18. Of course, you can vote and join the military without parental consent as well. But according to new rules recently signed into law by President Obama, you're not responsible enough to use a credit card without getting mommy or daddy's signature first.

Credit Card Bill Heads to Obama's Desk

May 21st, 2009 by Joshua Heckathorn

Consumers rejoice! Congress swiftly passed the Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights Act yesterday, and it's already headed to Obama for his final approval.

In fact, the President is expected to sign the bill into law by early next week, even if it does include a completely unrelated provision that allows individuals to bring concealed weapons into wildlife refuges and national parks. It's funny how our government works sometimes, isn't it? Of course, it doesn't seem like even a controversial gun proposal is enough to stop such a popular piece of legislation from getting signed into law. Chances of anything thwarting the bill's success at this point are slim to none.

Fed Says Fewer Banks Tighten Credit

May 6th, 2009 by Joshua Heckathorn

Is the worst of the credit crunch behind us? According to an April study conducted by the Fed, which surveyed more than 75 domestic and foreign banks regarding their lending practices to businesses and consumers, there are some leading indicators that credit markets are beginning to loosen.

Suze Orman Changes Her Mind

April 7th, 2009 by Joshua Heckathorn

The Queen of Personal Finance or Ugly Vests, whichever you prefer, recently shocked followers when she announced on the Oprah Show that it's time for some people to finally give up on paying down nasty credit card debt and stash their cash instead. What? I'm sorry Suze, but you really blew it with this one. Paying the minimum balance on credit cards is now and always has been a poor financial decision.

Fannie and Freddie Twist the Knife in Our Backs

February 17th, 2009 by Joshua Heckathorn

Operating under federal control and still burning through cash like it's going out of style, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have decided it's the perfect time to twist the knife in our backs and make it even more costly to get a home loan in this horrific lending environment. Effective April 1st, the dynamic duo plan to implement a new set of mandatory loan fees based on tighter down-payment and credit scoring rules.

Perfect timing guys! Just what our economy needs to pull itself out of this seemingly never-ending slump. And while I can understand their desperate need for additional revenue-generating fees, it just doesn't make any sense to penalize future buyers that come to the table with solid credit scores and sizable down payments for the sins of the past. That's not going to improve the situation for anyone but Fannie and Freddie.

Experian Ends Partnership with Fair Isaac

February 9th, 2009 by Joshua Heckathorn

Unless Experian and Fair Isaac can figure out a way to reignite the fire in their marriage before Valentine's Day, we will no longer have the ability to access FICO scores based on Experian data. Creditnet.com received notice last week that Experian sent a termination letter to Fair Isaac in mid January that will apparently end the rocky relationship between the credit bureau and the developer of the 800-pound gorilla of credit scores. Equifax and TransUnion FICO scores will still be available at www.myfico.com; however, Experian FICO scores will no longer be accessible from myFICO or anywhere else for that matter.

2009 Brings a New FICO Score

January 2nd, 2009 by Joshua Heckathorn

Not only has the credit crunch made it more difficult to obtain practically all types of credit, but Fair Isaac, developer of the well-known FICO score, has also announced the biggest change to their credit scoring model since 1989. So, prepare yourself now, because it will be more important than ever in 2009 to understand how everyday financial decisions will affect your credit score.

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