Other Consumer Law

Don't assume that your utility company has automated technology for monitoring the status of its lines, poles and lights. Likewise, it is not a safe bet that the company patrols its coverage area...

Your credit score is calculated using the information reflected in your credit report. If you have good debt management skills and review your credit report regularly for errors, your credit score...

It is now considered mandatory for a creditor to check a debtor's credit report before extending him any new line of credit. Many consumers do not realize, however, that their credit history is...

Medicaid is a health insurance program that receives funding from both the state and federal governments for the purpose of ensuring that low-income disabled individuals, children and families...

Energy efficiency is a top priority for many homeowners today. So is saving money. So when the United States government announces that it is continuing its program of offering a tax credit for...

Young people who are just beginning to establish credit have a difficult time since they have no credit history to help build scores. Some loan types will accept alternative credit sources in...

As a health care provider you not only confront the challenges of healing patients but those associated with getting paid for your services as well. Even patients with health insurance oftentimes...

While many people attempt to deal with credit card debt without outside assistance, there are times when a lawyer can be your only hope. Credit card companies may lower your credit line or raise...

If your address is part of a real estate agent's farm--that is, the area that the salesperson is targeting for business--as often as once a week, you open your mail box and find another real...

Considering paying off debt of a family member or a friend is not a course to be taken lightly. Taking on debt of another individual places an additional burden on your own finances. Moreover, by...

A common collection technique utilized by creditors is placing a levy on a consumer's checking account. Such a levy attaches to a checking account with no prior notice to a consumer and repeats...

Financial institutions and companies define unclaimed property as accounts where there has been no activity for a year or more. Unclaimed property can be savings or checking accounts, stocks,...

The Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO) calculates people's credit worthiness, and their scores are used by most financial institutions in determining whether a person should be granted credit. It is...

A credit report contains a detailed summary of an individual's credit worthiness as reflected through his past and present borrowing and repaying history, payment history, and any filed...

Even a minor medical procedure or treatment potentially results in a significant amount in bills. Dealing with the wave of medical bills that follow a treatment or procedure can be enough to swamp...

One of the largest auction and online stores in the world is eBay, but the website is not without its faults. There are many complaints registered by buyers and sellers on the site, including...

A credit report contains information about a person's financial background, such as a history of their borrowing, a history of their residential addresses, their employment history, and a history...

The Fair Housing Act outlines regulations for equal-opportunity housing for people of protected classes. Tenants are given civil rights relating to dwellings under the federal law.

In May 2009, President Barack Obama signed into law the Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights Act, giving Americans new protections from some old credit-card company practices. Because the American...

The Payday Loan Reform Act amends the Truth in Lending Act by establishing "payday loan disclosure requirements" and creating "protections for consumers."

Deception and illegal practices aren't uncommon in debt collection and credit reporting, which is why such practices are addressed in the Federal Trade Commission Act. The act, enforced by the...

Your credit report contains personal information about you that affects whether you can get credit, a loan, your interest rate on a loan, an apartment, a mortgage, a job, insurance, utilities or a...

According to EcoCycle.org, an average person spends eight months of their life taking care of junk mail. Instead of wasting time with all of it, try sending it back to the company it came from....

Credit card debt becomes uncollectible when the liabilities of a person who has a defaulted credit card account exceed his assets and ability to pay. Usually, this determination is made after a...

During tough economic times, debt collectors are generally more aggressive than ever in their efforts to collect debt from consumers. However, many debt collectors violate consumers' rights under...

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), regulated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), gives individuals the right to sue companies and individuals that cause false information to be placed on a...

As the beneficiary of a promissory note, be prepared to enforce the contract when the payment obligation is due. In some cases, an individual with an outstanding obligation through a promissory...

It is easy for individuals to check their own credit scores, but it can also be necessary to check the credit score of someone else, such as someone who wants to buy a car on a loan. The process...

Credit card debt is a major problem for victims of the Great Recession. While there is no magic formula for paying off your credit cards, know your consumer rights.

Trust between an employer and an employee is vital to sustaining any professional relationship, even prior to selecting a candidate. Applicants to any job can provide false or exaggerated...

Juggling your debts is a challenge. If you are contacted by a debt collection attorney regarding your bills, the matter of dealing with your creditors goes to a new level. Once an attorney is...

The costs of health care and medical treatment significantly impact a patient's budget in a very short amount of time. If you underwent medical treatment of some type, you may find yourself facing...

Home warranty contracts are often included in home sales to provide incentive to close the deal. These contracts typically cover items that need repair or replacement that would not be covered by...

The consequences for defaulting on a student loan can be overwhelming. Indeed, if you do not make the payments you promised, the consequences can be harsh. According to the Legal Services Web...

A credit report is a summary of a person's financial history. A credit report typically contains information, such as all past and present debts, bankruptcies, payment histories, current and past...

A credit report is a document containing an individual's credit history as well as information such as an individual's past and current address, credit score, and past and current employers. A...

For well-taken photographs, you may be worried about others reproducing it for resale or profit. To prevent your photograph being used without your permission, you should consider securing it and...

Your landlord has not paid the mortgage and now your home is in foreclosure. You are being evicted through no fault of your own.

A security freeze is an action taken by a person that prevents credit reporting agencies from allowing others to access his credit file. One of the advantages of placing a security freeze on your...

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) provides a statute of limitations for various credit-reporting incidents. Both creditors and debtors have a limited amount of time in which to file a...

The mortgage industry continues to raise its credit standards in acceptance of loans to fund. Lenders do this to prevent foreclosures, and to keep their doors open for business. Although credit...

It's far from unusual to have some type of complaint or issue with your cell phone provider at some point. Ideally, you should be able to work the issue out with your cell phone carrier, but if...

Receiving a notice that you are being sued by one of your creditors causes most people a great deal of anxiety. Luckily, being sued by a creditor can be defended against even without contracting...

Debt can be a harsh mistress. If you find yourself with more credit card debt than you can handle, what are your rights under U.S. law? What limits are placed on debt collectors?

More than half the states in the United States set no limits to credit card interest rates. Although new federal laws help credit card customers by limiting interest rate hikes on existing...

A criminal background check has become standard practice in many situations, from businesses conducting pre-employment screening to individuals checking out a new love interest. The digitization...

Your credit report contains information on how you have managed your debts in the past. The duration that the information remains on your report depends on the type of record.

Canceling a gym membership can be complicated, especially if a long-term contract is involved. If you want to cancel a Fitness First membership, carefully review the contract. Getting out of a...

The U.S. federal government began giving out Social Security numbers in the 1930s as a way to keep track of individual Social Security accounts. Today it is also used as a way to verify identity....