US Finance World

Two pieces of data on U.S. vacancy rates (one commercial, one residential) show in unequivocal terms that house prices are going to continue lower, while the more-recent collapse in commercial real estate will continue to accelerate.

The U.S. vacancy rates for rental apartments has just hit its highest rate in 23 years – and is set to continue moving higher with new construction vastly outpacing sales. This guarantees that rent prices will drop (especially in an environment of rising unemployment and falling wages). It is equally certain that falling rent prices will translate into falling prices for U.S. residential real estate.

Falling rent prices make buying a home relatively more expensive (not to mention the risk of defaulting on a mortgage should the buyer lose his employment). This will continue to put downward pressure on U.S. h

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When it comes to seeking and finding the perfect debt consolidation plan for people who have poor credit there are a few facts about debt consolidation services you need to understand. For example a debt consolidation service is meant to help a person out of debt, meaning you need to be in debt to qualify for a debt resolution option such as debt consolidation services.

How does a debt consolidation company help my credit?

A debt consolidation service, accepts applicants with more than one loan or debt which are piling onto of each other building up collected interest rates, late fees, and hidden fees. The company will make an appointment with this potential loan claimer, and discuss the total amount of debts the customer would like to pay off, typically this is all debt.

A consolidation service will take all these multiple companies which are building up additional extra fees onto of your original debt; they will create a total amount of money which is needed to be paid to whip your slate clean.

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HSBC has moved to standardise its credit card fees. Some credit card charges are to be increased as HSBC moves to standardise its services.

First Direct and M&S Money, both owned by the bank, have both announced modifications to their credit card deals, the Daily Mail reported.

The newspaper suggested that the fee changes and the introduction of the EU Payment Services Directive (PSD) on November 1st were connected.

PSD is an attempt by European lawmakers to standardise the rules governing payment firms across member states.

Included in the regulations is a requirement for credit card providers to make their contracts easier for customers to understand.

News of the fee changes is being contained in providers’ messages notifying customers of the upcoming PSD.

However, a spokesman for HSBC, the owner of First Direct and M&S Money, told the newspaper that the changes were not connected with introduction of the new laws.

“Cost pressures on the cards business” and the need to standardise the “competitive status” of the different brands owned by HSBC were instead cited as factors behind the decision.

M&S Money increased its foreign exchange fee for customers using their credit cards abroad from 2.75% to 2.99% on October 1st.

Balance transfer fees were also raised from 2.5% to 2.9%.

Meanwhile, First Direct is to increase its cash advance fee from 2.5% to 2.99% and its balance transfer fee from 2.5% to 2.99% on November 1st. Read more…

Swine flu is being billed as a potential killer this winter, but health officials still tell us the best public defense is washing our hands. Everyone should get H1N1 flu shots, the feds say, yet media reports warn there may not be enough vaccine. Some suggest the seasonal flu shot actually increases the chances of getting swine flu, while others say it reduces the chances. Confused? Scared? If so, you’re not alone.

With this in mind, DailyFinance looked into some of the concerns and realities surrounding the virus and how best we can protect ourselves. Here’s what we found out:

Concern: H1N1 vaccine won’t be available for a long time.

Reality: It’s already here. The first doses of swine flu vaccine arrived Monday.

Concern: There won’t be enough H1N1 vaccine for everyone in time for flu season.

Reality: Of the 250 million doses of vaccine in both spray and injectable forms ordered, 600,000 doses of nasal FluMist were being shipped this past week. Read more…

Wouldn’t we all like to be debt free? You can use your freelance writing on Bukisa to become debt free. You can also make use of the vast financial knowledge and expertise provided in Bukisa’s articles to help you manage your money and become debt free.

As you write for Bukisa and begin to earn that extra income, put to use these tips:

Make yourself a budget. List all of your expenses including your house payment/rent, utilities, groceries, gas, clothes and all other monthly recurring bills. If you have bills that you only pay quarterly or twice a year, make sure to include those. Add up all of your bills and subtract them from your monthly income. This will show you what money you have to work with. If you don’t like what you see, cut out some of those expenses such as the $6 Latte’ every morning, or the Dunkin’ Donuts.

Stop using your credit cards. Hack them up and toss them in the trash.

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