US Finance World

August was the month of H1N1 in the Ramirez household. Father, Maurice A. Ramirez, M.D. was the first to come down with the virus. He wasn’t entirely surprised. With his work as a pandemic preparedness consultant, Dr. Ramirez had come in close contact with contagious patients as part of his assignments with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Homeland Security. For nearly a week, Dr. Ramirez spent his days and nights in bed trying to get over his illness. At times, his temperature reached 104 degrees fahrenheit.

He was only the first person in his household to get sick. Soon after he’d recovered, his high school aged son picked up a strain at school. And then the pattern repeated. After a week of illness his son returned to school, then another member of the family, Dr. Ramirez’s daughter was sent home from college because she tested H1N1 positive. While

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Mortgage holders could benefit from long-term low rates. The nation’s mortgage borrowers stand to benefit from a continuation of the low interest rate environment, if a financial expert’s forecast proves correct.

According to an economist at the Centre for Economic and Business Research (CEBR), the Bank of England (BoE) will not raise its base rate until 2011 at the earliest.

BoE policymakers also announced today (October 8th) that they would maintain rates at 0.5%, an all-time low in the institution’s 300-year-plus history, until next month.

Keeping rates low helps to boost cashflow in the economy, potentially resulting in lower mortgage and loan APRs.

This is due to the fact that UK financial institutions borrow from the BoE at the base rate.

With many analysts suggesting that the economy has returned to growth following the recession, the BoE might be expected to raise rates over the months to come.

However, CEBR economist Benjamin Williamson pointed out that the UK’s recovery might prove fragile, lessening the likelihood of future increases. Read more…

The results of a study released this week demonstrate some trends in consumer lending that show a correlation between race and loan approvals. The study examined the number of loan applications that were denied for both new mortgages and refinanced mortgages in 2007 and 2008. Although there has historically been a gap between people of different races when it comes to loan approvals, the number of denials for minorities appears to be widening. It’s a disturbing trend that has minorities concerned and has lenders examining their loan approval process.

Let’s examine the trends for some of the races that were exposed in this study.

- Caucasians: Caucasians have historically been approved for the highest percentage of loans of all racial demographics and that trend has continued as the housing bubble has burst. For

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The first wave of new credit card regulations under the CARD Act took effect recently, but consumers have been feeling the effects for months. Most card issuers made changes to customer accounts in advance of the new provisions, which, among other things, require lenders to give cardholders at least 45 days’ notice of new terms and conditions. Many Americans saw their credit lines and interest rates change as lenders rebalanced their portfolios before the new laws phase in.

The spirit of the law intended to keep consumers informed about changes to their credit card accounts. However, some banks have interpreted these regulations to justify cutting loose loyal, creditworthy customers for the sake of arbitrary accounting efficiency. In a shocking trend, some lenders have started canceling cards completely, then mailing out closure notices. Some consum

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Getting out of debt is not easy especially if you have several accounts you need to make payments for. This is one of the reasons most people turn to debt consolidation as a solution because it allows you to make a single payment for all your debts and the interest rates are lower.

When you decide this is the way you want to deal with your debts, you have to select a debt consolidation service to work with. It is important to note that while companies involved in consolidation services follow the same guidelines, the fees and quality they offer vary.

A company that offers you good rated services will help you understand the situation you are in, improve your financial situation and has the ability to sort out your debts. Select a service that has a great track record by making enquiries from family and friends who have used the service. Online forums are also a great source of information when you want to find a service that is well rated.

A credible company will offer you answers to all the questions you ask with a lot of concern and care.

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