Existing home sales jumped 10% in September, signalling the beginning of a housing recovery, the National Association of Realtors reported on Monday. The rate of sales, which includes single-family homes, townhomes, condos, and co-ops, was at an annual pace of 4.53 million homes in September after a downwardly revised rate of 4.12 million homes in August.Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said, “A housing recovery is taking place but will be choppy at times depending on the...
It always feels good to save a buck or two, but some financial habits can end up costing more in the long run. Here’s a look at some habits commonly though of as budget-conscious that can sabotage your money-saving strategy:Clipping couponsThis takes time and effort, adds to paper clutter, and can easily cause you to spend more money than you normally would have without the coupon. The only brands that even offer coupons are the highly-advertised...
It’s an unfortunate situation when one doesn’t answer their own phone because they know it’s a debt collector calling.But if you have found yourself in this predicament, it helps to know your rights as a consumer.Consumer rights are protected under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), a set of laws that creditors, collection agencies, lawyers who collect debts regularly, and other debt collectors must abide by when attempting to collect a debt.These laws won’t get...
One of the nation’s largest debt collection companies has agreed to pay $1.75 million to settle charges by the Federal Trade Commission that the company used unethical practices to collect debts, the agency reported on Thursday.The settlement, which is not an indication that the company broke the law or has been found guilty of wrongdoing, is the second largest civil penalty obtained by the FTC in a debt collection case.The FTC alleged that Allied Interstate, Inc.,...
Banking online is a wonderfully convenient way to manage your finances and gives you access to your account any day, any time, and in any location where you have access to the internet. Doing your banking online allows you to pay your bills, transfer money to the babysitter or your kid while away at college. This can save the cost and time involved with buying checks and stamps, and has the potential to reduce your paper...
A health care fraud racket suspected of pilfering more than $163 million from the Medicare system has been busted up by the Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigations in a multi-agency investigation, the agency reported on Wednesday.The defendants include 73 members and associates of an Armenian-American organized crime enterprise across five states - California, Georgia, New Mexico, New York, and Ohio.“The emergence of international organized crime in domestic health care fraud schemes signals a...
The mortgage mess that started with bad paperwork to put people into homes looks to be continuing in the same manner, only this time it’s to get many of those very same people out of their homes.Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller is leading the investigation into reports that some of the largest mortgage servicers in the country engaged in practices that violated the law, specifically, using “robo-signers” to authorize thousands of foreclosure documents, and falsifying notary...
Just a reminder to taxpayers who requested an extension for the 2009 tax year - the October 15th due date is just around the corner. It’s also a crucial due date for thousands of small nonprofit organizations at risk of losing their tax-exempt status because they have not filed the required forms in the last three years, the Internal Revenue Service pointed out in a statement.“The October 15 deadline is particularly important this year because it’s...
Self-employment is a dream for many workers, and now maybe even more than ever after public disillusionment with the job market. A quick online search for self-employment will lead to endless work-at-home opportunities. But for the vast majority of these offers, the advertiser has indeed found a way to make thousands or even millions of dollars from home - by ripping off unsuspecting people desperate to make a better life for themselves. It could be a...
The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 9.6% and approximately 14.8 million people were unemployed in September, the Labor Department reported on Friday. Non-farm employment dropped by 95,000 in September after a loss of 159,000 in government employment and an addition of 64,000 in private-sector positions. The steep decline in government jobs reflected the end of temporary Census 2010 positions as well as job losses in local government. Among the major worker groups as defined by the...
