Thursday, March 21, 2013

How to Detect Mortgage Relief Fraud


By Sarah Parr

Mortgage relief scam artists know how to give homeowners who are behind on their mortgage payments courage and hope by providing them false promises. They prey on consumer need by promising guaranteed results on loan modifications or foreclosure rescue services, all while charging hefty fees. Mortgage relief scam artists know exactly which areas to target for clients, and reach out to people through traditional advertising methods. Many homeowners fall for this type of scam, and end up in worse financial shape than they were in before they sought out help from a third party.

Mortgage relief scams have increased in recent years, and they have appeared in various forms. Here are three general schemes fraudsters use when trying to scam a desperate homeowner.

Companies pretending to be legitimate

A shady company offering mortgage relief will go out of its way to appear as professional as possible. A scam artist may act as a member of a legitimate organization licensed by, or associated with, the government and claim that a homeowner qualifies for a specific government program that aids in foreclosure-rescue or loan modifications. The New York Times reports that another common scam is non-attorneys posing as attorneys and offering loan modification services. Law firms that only offer loan modification services and nothing else should raise suspicion because law firms usually provide more than one service. Some law firms even pose as non-profit groups, or offer unhelpful loan workouts or forensic loan audits.

Expensive services with little results

Some companies will scam clients by charging them to qualify for specific government programs meant to aid in mortgage relief or to access government agency-licensed housing counseling when both are technically free. When an organization asks for thousands of dollars upfront for access to the latest government program or a recent mortgage settlement, it could be a sham. Homeowners should also look out for companies that may want the homeowner to pay the monthly mortgage to them and not to the lender without notifying the lender first.

Mortgage relief scam artists will guarantee that they can definitely get the lender or loan servicer to modify a loan. The fact is, an effective foreclosure defense or loan modification is never guaranteed, and access to certain government programs is only definite for some borrowers. Lenders can determine which specific programs will work for a particular homeowner.


"Sarah Parr is a writer from Central Florida who blogs about Orlando foreclosure defense and issues pertaining to the housing industry."

Friday, December 10, 2010

Ways to Ensure You Pay Low Interest Rates on Your Home Loan

The purchase of a new or used home is generally a very exciting one, especially for individuals and couples that are first-time buyers. It is also a purchase that can become frustrating and overwhelming for those that are not familiar with steps that should be taken to ensure they receive the lowest possible interest rates.
The overall amount that you plan to borrow against a home is one of the biggest factors that go into the process of figuring the rate of interest you will be responsible for. However, there are a few steps that you can take to ensure you pay low interest rates on your home loan.
The amount of money that you plan to use as a down payment can help a great deal in the way of reducing rates of interest. The larger amount used as a down payment, the lower the amount of interest that will be applied to the home loan. The specific type of loan that you secure is another major factor that determines the rate of interest on home loans.
A secured home loan is one that allows individuals and families to place collateral down on the loan, resulting in benefits for both the lender and the borrower. As collateral generally used is the home a person is borrowing funds against, it assures the lending firm that in the event the borrower defaults on the loan, they can then assume ownership of the home. For the borrower, it means that they are able to take advantage of a much lower rate of interest on the home loan they secure.
An unsecured home loan does not give homeowners the option of using their home as a form of collateral on a mortgage loan. Because of the fact that it results in a higher risk for the lending firm, people using this type of home loan can expect to pay higher interest rates.
If you are left with no other option than choosing an unsecured home loan to purchase the house of your dreams, there is still another option that can help decrease interest rates you are offered. Although opting for a home loan that has a much shorter term to repay the loan does result in a higher monthly payment, it is an option that can greatly decrease the overall amount of interest that you end up paying. Longer terms do mean a much lower monthly house payment, but it is also an option that will add more interest to the balance of your home loan.

Tips to Help You Obtain Low Rates of Interest on Auto Loans

There is much more to applying for a car loan than merely walking into the first bank you see and filling out an application. Several other factors are involved and should always be taken into consideration before an individual tries to secure a car loan.
There are several types of lending institutions that offer loans for new and used cars, which include credit unions, banks and other types of lending companies. One of the biggest differences that you will find is that many of these lending firms offer rates of interest that can vary a great deal from one to the next. For this reason, it is very important to browse around and make comparisons between several different lenders before deciding where you should apply for a car loan. You may be pleasantly surprised at how much money a person can save, just by sticking to this one simple step.
The condition of your credit history is another factor that will be used to determine the rate of interest that you'll end up paying on a car loan. A person with an excellent credit score can secure car loans with much lower rates of interest, than those that are obtained from people with a poor credit history. In the event that the report is in very poor condition, it may be like pulling teeth trying to find a dealership that will even approve a car loan.
If your credit score leaves a little to be desired, it could be well worth the effort to find the problems causing black marks on your credit and correct them. In many cases, individuals have been able to raise their credit score significantly just from correcting errors that were found on their credit report. Once errors have been corrected, it is time to start paying off debt. If the debts staring back at you are overwhelming, just take it one step at a time. Find debts on your credit report that have the lowest balances and begin paying on them first. Before you know it, you will be wiping black marks of bad credit completely off of your credit report.
Another factor that can cause the rates of interest to climb higher on car loans is the amount of money you choose to put down on the vehicle. If the interest rates you are being offered are too high, you may want to consider placing a higher down payment on the loan.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Insider Guide and Tips to Visa Cards And Cards from Capital One

Credit cards are part of this system of paying for things named after the little plastic card given to the beneficiaries of the payment system. It gives permission to its owner to pay for goods as well as services because of the owner's promise to pay for these goods and services from some establishments. Credit cards began being used in the US in the year 1930s ; their benefit was well known by the 1950s. They are honored by business establishments ranging from oil companies, retail superstores as well as chain shops to eateries, hotels, airlines, car rental agencies as well as banks.

There can be found all forms of credit cards these days, some used in a single kind of store while others are general-usage cards which can be used in many establishments. The issuer grants a credit line to the consumer from which they can borrow to give to a merchant and even as a cash in advance to the user of the card. Credit card from banks are wide-ranging cards, and establishments all over now recognize the cards in such ways that it's really anticipated that credit cards could or would sooner or late destroy the motive for holding cash.

Cards by Visa:

Bank of America was actually the 1st bank to use electronics to cope with its records, and around 1961 the bank had computerized all functions. By the year 1958 the bank started the BankAmericard that was put on to be sold in the year 1970 and afterwards renamed Visa. This Visa Inc., or Visa International Service Association (VISA), is nowadays a cosmopolitan organization based in San Francisco, CA, The US, which operates what happens to be the world's chief retail electronic payment network, coordinating payments between financial institutions, merchants, consumers, businesses and even government organizations.

Capital One Type of Credit Cards:

Perceive Capital One as a kind of ‘diversified financial establishment that allows for several financial products and also services to clients, business possessors, and even commercial clients. Capital One Financial Corp, or COF, as it's fondly called some of the time, is a McLean, Virgina-headquartered United States of America bank holding company particularizing in credit cards, mortgage loans, car loans, banking, as well as savings products. This mega establishment assisted to open up the mass promo of credit cards just around 1990s. Also it is right now fourth in the line of very big customers of the United States of America Postal Service, and 8th on that of biggest deposit listings in America.

Opposition in the credit card institution got serious in the year 1985, and the industry commanded by Visa’s way beyond 80 million cards and also MasterCard’s way over sixty million cards all around the United States gained a much-anticipated new entry. Visa made an Initial Public Offering 2 years back in 2008, but before then it was operated as a cooperative of a lot of financial firms issuing and also marketing products including credit and even debit cards. Capital One on the other hand functions outside of the credit card market, and allows for several cards that all have low limits tenable for multiple over-limit and even late payment fees.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Asset Search Can Help You Learn More About Someone

Background searches are becoming more acceptable and it is very common to check out more about a person. There are many ways you can obtain a background check on a person and an asset search can take this one step further. If you are looking to protect your financial integrity, you may want to find out about assets that may affect your future.


You may be dating someone and want to learn more about their history and future potential. If you are not comfortable asking them about their assets, or you think they are not being honest with you, an asset search may be appropriate. You will then discover if there is more at stake then you originally thought. If you provide a company with basic information you should see results very quickly.


Some people hide assets for an array of reasons and even if you think you can trust someone; you may want to conduct this asset search to make sure that you know what is going on in the financial life of someone else. You may be thinking about taking a business adventure with someone and this is a good time to do a background search. This may help you to decide if you want to take this business goal to the next step, or if you want to back out.
If you are going through a divorce you will want to use an asset search to see if your spouse is hiding anything that could be worth money from you. If your spouse has made purchases in the marriage that you are unaware of, you may be entitled to more in a settlement and this should be conducted before your divorce takes place. You may find that you can gain a lot if you find hidden assets and this may help you to move on with your life.


An asset search can be performed on anyone and you may have a variety of reasons for needing this type of information. You should be prepared to provide some basic information about the person you want to know more about and then you will have this information in no time. An asset search will not provide you with the results of transferred assets and this is something you may want to learn more about by contacting your lawyer.

An asset search is a great way to find out about the financial situation of someone. There are many reasons for conducting this type of search and it may even benefit you financially.

For assistance in performing an Asset Search Investigation contact Ed Opperman Pres of Opperman Investigations Inc through his web site http://www.emailrevealer.com/

EmailRevealer.com FAQ

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Quick Ways to Increase your FICO

Focus on the negative remarks with your FICO score. These are the main areas where your score could be higher.

Don't open accounts for the purpose of providing a better credit picture – it won't raise your FICO score it may even lower your score.

Pay all your bills on time. Delinquent payments, even if only a few days late, and collections will have a negative affect on your FICO score.


If you are having trouble making ends meet, contact your creditors or see a legitimate credit counselor. This will not improve your FICO score immediately, but if you can begin to manage your credit and pay on time, your score should increase over time. And seeking assistance from a credit counseling service will not hurt your FICO score.

Keep balances low on credit cards and other "revolving credit". High outstanding credit card debt can negatively impact your FICO score.

Pay off debt rather than move it around from one credit card to another. The most effective way to increase your FICO score in this area is by paying down your total revolving debt.

If you have had problems in the past, re-establish your credit history by opening new accounts responsibly and paying them on time.

Keep balances well under the credit limit.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Adding Seasoned Trade lines

Did you know that you could drastically increase your FICO score just by adding seasoned trade lines?
A seasoned trade line is a line of credit that the borrower has held open in good standing for a long period of time, typically at least 2 years. A controversial practice involving seasoned trade lines, sometimes called piggybacking, uses a creditworthy borrower's accounts to improve the credit rating of an unrelated third party.
The creditworthy borrower adds the third party as an authorized user of his lines of credit, but does not actually provide the third party with materials (credit cards, account numbers, etc.) that would permit the third party to make charges against that account. The benefit to the third party is an improvement in their personal credit rating—they now appear to have a long and favorable credit history, and their FICO Score increases. This makes the third party look like a better credit risk, and improves the third party's access to new credit. If the third party is dealing with a lender who uses risk based pricing, then their artificially inflated credit score may translate into a substantially lower imterest rate.
Unfortunately the large credit companies have caught on and it's not as an effective technique as it once was.
But one thang thats still works wonders on your FICO is Purchasing a High Credit Limit.

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