CFPB: A No-Cost Way to Prepare Your Credit for a Big Purchase
Thinking about buying a house, car, or other big ticket item, and know you’ll be using credit? Before making a big purchase, your first step should be to take a look at all of your finances. Check out these five steps to prepare your finances that won’t cost you a penny. 1. Take advantage of…
CFPB: Need Help with Your Credit Card Debt? Start with Your Credit Card Company!
If you’re struggling to keep up with credit card bills, you’re not alone. According to a 2017 Bureau report, from 2015 to 2017 overall credit card debt increased by 13 percent, while people with very low credit scores saw their debt rise by 22 percent. Even if you’ve hit a rough spot, lost your job, are dealing…
CFPB: Get Money Smart about Money Smart Week
During Financial Literacy Month in April, the CFPB joins the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank in celebrating Money Smart Week (March 30-April 6). This event is a great opportunity to teach consumers how to be smarter with their money. Various Money Smart Week activities—like free financial education classes and seminars—are offered by local and regional organizations…
CFPB: Get Your Credit on Track with New CFPB Booklet
Today the Bureau is releasing “Want credit to work for you?” the newest addition to the Your Money, Your Goals suite of financial empowerment tools. The third in a series released by the Bureau, this booklet provides eight tools to help consumers through the various stages of building credit, maintaining good credit, and fixing credit if it…
CFPB: This Tax Season, Protect Yourself from IRS Imposter Scams
An IRS imposter scam is when someone contacts you pretending to be from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). They falsely say that you owe taxes and must pay them immediately or face serious penalties. Maybe you receive a call from someone claiming to be an auditor and orders you to pay money immediately for a…
FDIC: Consumers Encouraged to Set Financial Goals and Learn More about Options for Saving
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) encourages consumers to use America Saves Week as an opportunity to evaluate their short- and long-term financial goals and learn more about how banks can help achieve them. “During America Saves Week, the FDIC encourages consumers to expand their financial knowledge, set clear savings goals and strong savings habits,…
CFPB: Make a Plan to Save Some of Your Tax Refund
Making a plan to save at tax time The start of the New Year means its tax season again. As you gather your tax records and prepare to file, why not use this annual responsibility to take another step towards building financial security for yourself or your family? For many Americans, a tax refund is…
CFPB: New Credit Monitoring, Medical Debit Restrictions and Mortgage Protections for Servicemembers and Veterans
Free credit monitoring, medical debt credit reporting restrictions, and mortgage protections for those recently back from active duty In May 2018, new protections for servicemembers and veterans were signed into law . The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Bureau previously highlighted the new federal law that went into effect on September 21, 2018 requiring…
CFPB: Common Errors People Find on Their Credit Report and How to Get Them Fixed
According to a study conducted by the Federal Trade Commission, one in five people have an error on at least one of their credit reports. Errors on your credit reports can lower your credit score, which could hurt your ability to get new lines of credit or make the terms of credit more expensive. Ultimately,…
CFPB: Latest List of Consumer Reporting Companies Published
You may know that your credit record affects your ability to get an affordable loan, a job, an apartment, or many other essentials of daily life. But, do you know where and how to actually request your credit report and what you can do once you order your consumer reports? Over the past few years,…