Is the Subprime Market Another S&L-Style Bailout Waiting to Happen?

This article from Richard Benson, a finance industry executive, seems to suggest “maybe.” (Link via PrudentBear).
Benson likens the coming debacle to the RMS Titanic smashing into the dreaded iceberg almost 95 years ago. Salient quotes:
we have been watching this iceberg for three years now, and investing accordingly. Anyone aware of the fraud [...]

NCPW: Links to Help You Protect Yourself

National Consumer Protection Week is a good time to bookmark some helpful links to help you protect yourself and your family from fraud, unfair practices, and deception in the consumer context.

Consumer Action Website: the online version of the Consumer Action Handbook.
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation:The FDIC sponsors several consumer protection related projects; read about them [...]

Go Directly to Jail?

Over at the Bankruptcy Law Network, a group blog in which I participate with some very smart consumer bankruptcy attorneys all over the country, I’ve just posted about debtors who are told by collection agencies that if they file for bankruptcy they’re somehow committing a crime. It never ceases to amaze me - the depths [...]

NCPW: Learn More About Payday Lending

Payday lending is in the news quite a bit lately. I’ve written about these kinds of loans before on this blog, but now, during National Consumer Protection Week, it’s a good time to revisit the issue.
The theme for NCPW this year is “Read Up and Reach Out” and in that vein, I’ve discovered one [...]

Credit Card Disclosure System Broken?

The American Bankruptcy Institute (disclosure: I am a member) discussed the recent Senate Committee hearings on the credit card industry in its weekly e-newsletter. The following sums up the hearing and what occurred there:

Chairman Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.), in the first of a series of Senate Banking Committee oversight hearings to address credit card industry [...]

National Consumer Protection Week

This week - February 4 - 10, 2007 - has been deemed National Consumer Protection Week. This year’s theme - Read Up and Reach Out - is designed to encourage consumers to get educated about the issues affecting their rights and continued well-being. Education can help you avoid a scam, protect your hard-earned money, know [...]

How Three SC Cities Fare in List of Top 100 Cities’ Foreclosure Rates Across Nation

According to the latest figures on foreclosures (for the 3rd quarter in 2006), SC cities did pretty well compared to the 100 largest municipal areas in the country as a whole. While the cities with the top 3 highest foreclosure rates (Detroit, Ft. Lauderdale, and Denver) saw jumps in their foreclosure rates in the 80% [...]