The good news is that there are many ways you can proactively and effectively protect yourself against credit card fraud:

-If your credit card has been lost or stolen, report it immediately to the card issuer. You are not obligated to pay for unauthorized charges once you report the loss.

-Sign new cards immediately once they arrive in the mail. Once you receive them, carry them in a separate case from your wallet.

-Notify credit card companies if you are about to move, either temporarily or permanently.

-Never offer your account number over the phone unless you’re dealing with a reputable and legitimate company. If you have any question about a company, contact the Better Business Bureau (http://www.bbb.com ).

-Don’t let your credit card out of your sight-not even for a minute-when you’re using it. It only takes ten seconds for someone to covertly write down your account number and name.

-Things to destroy: Carbon copies and incorrect receipts. Things to keep in a safe place: A record of account numbers and legitimate receipts for comparison to billing statements.

-Don’t sign blank credit card receipts. Draw a line through blank portions of the receipt where bogus charges can be added.

Above all, don’t forget to use common sense when you’re dealing with your credit card. Don’t lend your card to anybody. Don’t carry around cards you rarely use. And never, ever write your account number where someone can see it?not even on an envelope! You CAN prevent credit card fraud from happening to you and your loved ones by following these simple practices.

For more information on credit card fraud and other credit issues, please visit http://www.informedcredit.com

Beth West has an extensive background in marketing and public relations, serving in management positions in both the hospitality and software industries. Currently acting as the Director of Marketing for InformedCredit, Beth is also trying to launch a freelance writing business.

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Home equity loans are increasingly popular these days, and many people with large amounts of equity in their homes are borrowing against it and using the money for home improvements, dream vacations or other luxury items. Others are simply cashing out and moving elsewhere. While prices on both coasts are rising at a breathtaking rate, price increases in most of the country are still more modest. A homeowner in California who bought a home five years ago for $200,000 may have a home worth $500,000 today. If that homeowner were to sell that home and move to Texas, or Iowa or even parts of Florida, he or she could buy a comparable or even larger home, pay cash, and probably keep a healthy profit to invest. For most Americans, the equity in their home is their single largest asset. Examining that equity to see if it can be used more wisely would be a sound move, particularly as real estate experts warn of a housing "bubble" that may soon reduce prices to more realistic levels. Should this "correction" in the market take place, homeowner equity could be seriously reduced.

Obviously, selling a home and moving just to pocket the equity is not something that suits everyone. While it may make sense from a financial standpoint, it will mean finding a new employer, finding a new home, finding new friends and moving children to new schools and friends. Anyone considering such a move would be well advised to carefully consider all of the ramifications of simply picking up and moving. On the other hand, the opportunity to extract several hundred thousand dollars in cash from a home is a rare one, and investing it wisely could go a long way towards financing a better lifestyle or a more comfortable retirement. Homeowners should be aware that there might be capital gains taxes to be paid on the sale of a home. Those considering selling their home to extract their equity would probably benefit from a consultation with a financial advisor.

©Copyright 2005 by Retro Marketing.

Charles Essmeier is the owner of Retro Marketing, a firm devoted to informational Websites, including End-Your-Debt.com, a Website devoted to debt consolidation information and HomeEquityHelp.net, a site devoted to information on home equity loans.

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As the name implies, an unsecured loan does not require the borrower to put up any security against it. An unsecured loan is a personal loan where the lender has no claim on a homeowner’s property should they fail to repay. Instead, the lender is relying solely on the ability of a borrower to meet their loan borrowing repayments.

People who opt for unsecured loans are usually those who aren’t in a position to offer collateral or those with adverse credit records, county court judgments, mortgage arrears or debt issues.

By their very nature, unsecured loans involve the lender taking more risk ? for which the interest rate is increased. However, while a bad credit history will not necessarily bar you from an unsecured loan the interest rates will reflect the lender’s increased risk.

The risk will be reflected, too, in the lender’s tolerance of late payments. Without any collateral, the lender will be quicker to take legal action to recover missed instalments ? and in such cases, the lender will usually demand repayment of the full amount borrowed plus interest plus legal costs incurred. In such cases, court proceedings could lead to your home being sold to raise the money.

The amount you are able to borrow can start from as little as £500 and go up to £25,000. Because you not securing the money you are borrowing, lenders tend to limit the value of unsecured loans to £25,000. The repayment period will range from anywhere between six months and ten years.

Most lenders give you the option of paying the loan back within between six months and ten years. It’s your decision how much or how little time you need to pay back the loan in full but you should try not to stretch yourself too much as the last thing you want is to default on repayments.

Despite this, try to pay back enough each month so that the loan doesn’t drag on for years and years, as this will mean you are paying back more interest, and therefore the loan will ultimately cost you more. You need to find a balance between what you can afford each month.

An advantage of taking out an unsecured loan is that your application can be processed a lot quicker as there is no collateral to be valued.

A disadvantage is that it is harder to get approval for an unsecured loan. With no security on offer the lender must be more cautious.

An unsecured loan can be used for almost anything - a relaxing holiday, a new car, a wedding, debt consolidation or home improvements. Whatever you need it for there are a few things to consider before applying for an unsecured loan.

With an unsecured loan, you’re not borrowing against the value of your house. You will usually be offered an interest rate based on your circumstances and the amount you want to borrow. This means that the ‘typical’ interest advertised might not be the rate you are offered - your rate will depend on your credit rating.

You should usually borrow as little as possible, and draw up a budget plan to determine how much you need. An unsecured loan might not offer a particularly high amount, so if you’re a homeowner and need to borrow more, you could look into secured loans. It might be tempting to borrow more than you need, but don’t forget you have to pay it back!

Your unsecured loan term should be as short as possible. Use your budget plan to work out how much you can afford in monthly repayments and base your loan term on this.

You may freely reprint this article provided the author’s biography remains intact:

John Mussi is the founder of Direct Online Loans who help UK homeowners find the best available loans via the http://www.directonlineloans.co.uk website.

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If you have the slightest suspicion that someone has gained access to your personal information, acting quickly is a must. First of all, you should get in touch with the fraud department of the credit bureau where you have your accounts and request them to initiate a credit alert on your accounts. This way the creditors are obligated to contact you before taking any actions regarding your accounts. At the same time you should close the accounts you believe that are corrupted. The second step would be filing a police report and keeping a copy of it so to have a proof of the crime.

It is difficult dealing with an identity theft and most of all is difficult to repair what others have messed up for you. We cannot completely prevent identity theft, but we can take some simple precautions to minimize the risks. The most important thing to do is to pay attention to your bank statements: they should arrive in time and you should check them very carefully. Your bank statement should always arrive almost at the same date every month. If you don’t get your statement one month this could mean that someone has changed your billing address to prevent you from discovering any unauthorized activity in your account. Also, you must check every statement as you get it and be sure that you have made all the purchases recorded on it.

Another simple precaution for preventing identity theft is to be careful with your personal papers. Never carry all of them with you as it is not safe. If you don’t need your Social Security card, birth certificate, passport, etc., leave them home in a secured place and carry them with you only when you need them for some reason. Also, you should be careful with your mail as it often contains personal information. Either put a lock on your mailbox or have your mail delivered to a post office box.

Nowadays, purchases made over the internet are very common and some thieves have turned their attention to this domain. The way to protect your personal information when shopping online is to never release them unless you are using a secure browser. If you don’t have a secured browser or the website you’re visiting is not secured, place your order by phone or email. Also, for the websites that require a password or a personal identification number (PIN) don’t use common names or dates as anyone can guess them, but create your own password or PIN made of numbers and letters.

These precautions do not really guaranty that you’ll not be an identity theft victim but they will surely minimize the chances that you’ll become one. Being careful with your personal information should not be a hustle but a routine. This way you can be sure you’ll not spend months or years and lots of money to restore your credit record and your name after thieves have messed it up. Precaution is the name of the game.

This article has been provided courtesy of CreditorWeb. CreditorWeb offers great credit card articles available for reprint and other tools to help you find the right credit card. You can also use our credit card comparison tool to easily compare credit card offers from multiple issuers.

This and other fine credit card articles are provided by Creditor Web.

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Agreeing to the terms of your home loan is no small matter. It is important to understand every word of the contract and terms to which you are agreeing. Although it may be easy to ignore terms you don’t understand now, you may be haunted by what you did not know when you are ready to sell or refinance.

Eliminate the mystery by taking the time to familiarize yourself with the terms that are common among lenders. Following are explanations of some of the most common terms used in the home loan process. Also, don’t be afraid to call on the expertise of your credit union representative. They are happy to answer any questions that you have.

Adjustable Rate Mortgage: The amount of interest the lender charges on your principal varies. ARM’s generally carry provisions for minimum and maximum interest rates. If you choose an adjustable rate mortgage, you can expect to make higher payments when interest rates move closer to the maximum and lower payments when rates hover nearer the minimum.

Annual Percentage Rate: The extension of credit is a privilege, but it is not free. The annual percentage rate of your loan gives you a picture of the annual cost of the credit that had been extended to you. You will find your annual percentage rate outlined in your initial contract, and on your monthly statements.

Appraisal: A trained professional will evaluate your home to determine its value. The estimated figure is derived from a combination of factors including market conditions and the property itself.

Closing Costs: These are costs, such as points, taxes and title insurance that must be paid at closing. These costs are not included in the cost of the home and are paid separately. Depending on your situation, there are a few lenders that may be able to extend you a loan that includes the amount of purchase and the closing costs.

Default: Failure to repay your mortgage loan according to the terms set forth in the loan contract.

Equity: This term is used in reference to the value in your home above the total amount of liens against your home.

Escrow: Your lender may hold money from each payment. This money is collected to satisfy expenses of home ownership such as taxes and insurance. If you have an escrow account your mortgage company will pay tax and insurance payments as they come due.

Fixed Rate Mortgage: Unlike an adjustable rate mortgage, a fixed rate mortgage maintains constant interest rates throughout the life of the loan.

Good Faith Estimate: Potential lenders may provide written documentation of anticipated costs and fees for your mortgage. This document is called a good faith estimate. It will give you an idea of how much you can expect to spend to secure a mortgage.

Mortgage: Your mortgage is the amount of the loan you secured to purchase your home, minus the down payment. Your home serves as collateral and is considered a guarantee for the loan.

Points: Each point represents one percent of the amount of your mortgage loan. Two points on a $100,000.00 mortgage loan equals $2,000.00.

Of course, there are a number of other terms that you will encounter during the loan process. Make sure you fully understand every word of your contract before you sign on the dotted line.

Nicole Soltau President and Founder http://CreditUnionRate.com/ The Leading Online Credit Union Directory

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Personal secured loans are loans that are offered to individuals rather than businesses.

Rates for a personal secured loan will be way lower than for other loan products so it makes good financial sense for many of us over the term of our borrowings. It can, in other words, significantly cut our costs.

Whenever we take out a secured loan we give a guarantee to the lender we choose that we are willing to repay our debt. This isn’t just a question of signing an agreement and promising to do our best. We put our personal property behind our agreement. So, if we stop making repayments on our secured loan, the lender can simply take its money from our secured property. This, as you might imagine, makes us much less of a risk - so that’s why we get such good interest rates!

What you have to ask yourself is how likely this is to happen to you. Chances are it won’t. But, you have a couple of points to consider before taking out these types of personal loans to make sure you protect yourself and your property.

Firstly, you should never borrow so much cash that your repayments in themselves are beyond your personal income. Do this and, to be honest, you’re asking for trouble from the word go. If you’re unsure at how your finances will cope with the loan you need then talk to a secured personal loans specialist to get some advice.

Secondly, you should think about taking out some kind of payment protection insurance policy for your secured loan. Things can happen that stop us making repayments and managing our finances - with this sort of plan behind you you’ll have no problems. It will, under certain circumstances, simply take over your repayments for you for a while.

- A Personal secured loan is far easier to obtain than unsecured loans. The added security that this type of loan gives the lender means that even those with a less than perfect credit history can get hold of a Personal secured loan with relative ease.

- A Personal secured loan is often offered with more favourable terms than other types of loans. With Personal secured loans it is also far more likely that you will be able to borrow a larger amount of money and pay it back over a longer period of time.

- A Personal secured loan can help you to free up equity that would otherwise remain dormant in your property, letting you make use of capital that would otherwise remain unobtainable.

- The interest rates on Personal secured loans are often considerably lower than those offered on unsecured loans.

- A Personal secured loan will enable you to get your hands on money that would otherwise take a long time to save up, allowing you the freedom to spend it on whatever you want.

- A Personal secured loan can be used for any purpose such as; paying off debts, making home improvements, buying a new car, luxury holiday or anything you choose!

There are two main things you should look out for with personal secured loans. First of all you should always deal with a reputable lender that makes the whole loans process as easy as possible for you.

Then you need to take a long and hard look at costs. A loan is, at the end of the day, just a loan. You borrow a certain amount and then pay back more to make it worthwhile to the lender to give you the cash in the first place. The lower your interest rate, therefore, the less ‘extra’ cash you’ll pay back.

You may freely reprint this article provided the author’s biography remains intact:

John Mussi is the founder of Direct Online Loans who help UK homeowners find the best available loans via the http://www.directonlineloans.co.uk website.

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Why and when would you need a mortgage loan? If you’re going to enter into a real estate purchase transaction (land, residence, or commercial) and you don’t have the funds available then chances are you’ll need a mortgage loan. In times when mortgage rates are low and return on your investments are high; you might consider a mortgage loan to pull the equity from your home to invest. If you’re paying a higher mortgage rate than what’s available on the market you might consider using a new mortgage loan to pay off your old mortgage loan therefore lowering the amount of time to pay off your home or lower your monthly mortgage payment. Maybe you need to take cash out of your home for reasons that are nobody else’s business a new mortgage loan would be a great tool for accomplishing this.

How do you obtain a mortgage loan? This used to be a relatively difficult process but with today’s technology is has become a pretty simple process. First find a mortgage consultant or lender that you’re comfortable with (you might need to talk to two or three); that particular individual should be able to step you through the process of obtaining a mortgage loan without to much difficulty. The most difficult part of this is finding the type of mortgage loan that makes sense to you as there are several types available, read the fine print and make sure the mortgage loan you pick is right for your wants and needs.

Author Marc Sisk; Marc has been originating all types of mortgage loans since 1998. His web site’s title is Mortgage Calculator | Refinancing Home Loan | Mortgage Lender. By being an affiliate branch of a large mortgage lender Marc is able to originate mortgage loans in most of the United States, visit his web page to see if we’re licensed in your state.

This article may be reprinted or reused please email me a link to the posted page of this article.

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A positive attitude is the most important factor in reaching your financial goals. If you continually have negative thoughts about your ability to plan for your future, you are most likely going to fail in your efforts. A good attitude and the desire to succeed in developing a proper budget and secure financial future will go a long way in helping you reach your goals. It is important to keep your long-term goals in mind and have a positive attitude about what it will take to reach those goals. In planning for your financial future, there is usually no instant gratification, but rather a long-range plan that will allow you to realize your financial dreams over time.

In planning for your financial future, you should identify your motivating factors. Ridding yourself of debts and attempting to appease family members are generally not motivating enough to keep you on the right path. Planning for your future involves developing a long-term plan that leads you to the desired location. Figure out what you want to achieve and stick with your plan. Financial planning is about securing your future, not gaining immediate financial rewards.

Financial planning is the most important thing you can do to provide security for yourself and your family over the long term. Start planning now by making a sensible, maintainable plan and your reward will be a stable, secure financial future.

Ken Austin is the webmaster at http://www.hazeydee.com and http://creditrelief.kraustin.com

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While the exact formula is a secret, there are a few things you can do that will undoubtedly improve your score:

Pay off a home equity line of credit. These loans, which allow you to borrow more than once against your home’s equity, are considered revolving credit, much like a credit card. Pay it down or pay it off; either should help your score.

Check your credit report regularly; you are entitled to a free copy of your credit report once a year. By looking over your credit report, you can make sure that debts you have paid on time are shown on the report, such as student loans, or auto loans that have been paid in full. You can also make sure that your credit limits on your credit cards are reported correctly. Lenders look at the ratio of debt to available credit, and if your reported credit limit is low, it could make it appear as though you are nearly at your credit limit.

Check for duplicate information on your credit report. If your mortgage has been sold to another firm, make sure that your report doesn’t show your mortgage twice.

Keep balances on credit cards and other revolving accounts low. You do not want to be seen owing too much money to too many different lenders.

Don’t have too many open credit accounts. Ten Visa cards will not help your credit rating. Try to keep a maximum of three revolving credit accounts.

By checking your credit report regularly, and by eliminating unusual entries, you should be able to increase your credit score. And with credit, every little bit helps.

©Copyright 2005 by Retro Marketing. Charles Essmeier is the owner of Retro Marketing, a firm devoted to informational Websites, including http://www.End-Your-Debt.com/ and http://www.HomeEquityHelp.net/

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There are more different types of mortgages available to home buyers than ever before, and one that is growing in popularity is the interest-only mortgage. With an interest-only mortgage, the buyer pays no principal for the first few years of payments. The period of time varies, and is typically anywhere from one to five years. At that time, the principal is added to the mortgage payments and the amount of the payment increases. By keeping the payments lower for the first few years of the mortgage, the interest-only mortgage allows buyers to obtain a more expensive home than they otherwise might. The buyer’s income will probably increase over time, making it possible to afford the higher payments that will come when the principal is finally added to the payments.

The downside to an interest-only mortgage is that no equity accrues in the home if the buyer isn’t paying any principal. For many Americans, the equity in their home is their single largest financial asset, so taking out a mortgage that doesn’t build equity would seem to be a bad idea. Equity has long been used as a last resort source of funding for emergencies. And yet, with the price of homes rising so quickly these days, many buyers don’t seem to care. Equity can be built two ways ? either through paying down the principal or by an increase in the market value of the home. If the value of your home increases, so does your equity, even if you are only paying interest on the mortgage. This is great, so long as home prices continue to increase. But what if prices fall?

There are potential problems with interest-only financing. Interest-only mortgages have variable interest rates. If interest rates rise, mortgage payments will increase. If payments increase beyond the level of affordability, homeowners could be forced to sell their homes. This could lead to a glut in the housing market, causing prices to fall. Owners wishing to sell could find that they owe more money than their home is worth and that they have no equity.

The interest-only mortgage is a useful tool to help people buy a home they otherwise might not be able to afford. Prospective home buyers should consider whether taking out such a mortgage is a good idea, or whether they might be better off buying a less expensive home.

©Copyright 2005 by Retro Marketing. Charles Essmeier is the owner of Retro Marketing, a firm devoted to informational Websites, including End-Your-Debt.com, a Website devoted to debt consolidation information and HomeEquityHelp.net, a site devoted to information on home equity loans.

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