Something from Clark Howard, a national radio host and consumer advocate, that I came across today. It is called a credit freeze. Basically, you freeze your credit report. This way, if someone steals your identity, they still cannot do anything…
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Allstate Barred in Florida
WOW! Okay, I get that businesses make business decisions based on what they think will happen in the future. (Exhibit A: Ford and the Pinto) But, Allstate has taken bad business decisions to a whole new level. First, it refused…
California Debt Blog: New Bills to Help California Borrowers?
The California legislature is considering a handful of bills designed to help California borrowers. The bills fall into two categories – those that help people who already are in trouble and those that will prevent the current situation from happening…
New Article on Filing a Claim
The Sacramento Bee wrote a story yesterday about the true price of filing an insurance claim. The story, which can be found here, quotes yours truly. The Bee had readers write in with questions about filing a homeowners insurance claim….
California Debt Blog: Housing scams on the rise
Buyer beware, we all know. But, now it shoud be seller beware. And, on top of that, mortgagor beware. The FBI is reporting a significant increase in the number of housing scams. The types of scams being reported involve false…
Adjusters and their new (old) tactic
Amazing new tactic from the insurance industry. Okay, it is not new, but it was dead for a while. So, amazing revival tactic from the insurance industry: talking you out of an attorney. Here is how it works. You are…
Auto Claim Tips
Just a quick hit here. United Policyholders, one of the best groups for policyholder rights, has just released its latest version of What’s UP – its newsletter. It includes my article on auto claim tips. Give it a quick read…
California Debt Blog: It is so bad even the IRS may owe money
WOW! Debt collection practices are so bad that the IRS may owe people an apology – and $1,000. The Washington Post is reporting that the Taxpayer Advocate thinks the IRS should get rid of private debt collection. According to the…
Some advice for Northern Californians
Those of you in Northern California remember this past weekend. For those of you who were not here, you may have seen it on the news. Over 2″ of rain in one day in Sacramento. Wind gusts over 60 mph….
California Debt Blog: Your Credit Score is Changing
Fair Isaac Corp., the people who bring you your FICO score, are now rolling out FICO 08. The new system will result in changed scores for many people. Some might go up, and some will go down. According to Yahoo,…