debtcollection

When times are hard, fraud often gets worse. Americans are under great financial pressure, and there is no shortage of criminals waiting to take advantage of it. 24/7 Wall St. examined the 10 states that had the most per-capita fraud complaints.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is pumping up its budget for 2013, in part because it will start regulating large debt collectors and credit reporting companies, two sectors of that have heretofore had little federal oversight.

Far too many customers aren't paying their phone bills on time, if you ask the phone companies. Three of the top four submitters to third-party collection agencies are major telephone carriers. And the reasons why should come as no surprise.

This is International Fraud Awareness Week, when various companies and nonprofit organizations work to educate people about how to avoid becoming victims of financial fraud. And we need the help: Last year, American consumers lost more than $1.7 billion to financial scams.

With so many Americans in dire financial straits these days, it's no wonder that advertisers of "settle your debt" services for debt management have found an eager audience. These companies promise to slash your debt by thousands, even tens of thousands of dollars. But is it too good to be true?...

While some are declaring that the recession is over, the good news has not trickled down to my pocketbook. My husband and I are looking closely at all our expenses to cut our overhead. Our wages have decreased in the last year, mostly due to the slow down in my business, but costs have continued to...

With more than $40,000 in credit card debt and more than 20 credit cards to her name, Diana Ryan didn't think she had a problem -- even though her husband had no idea just how many pieces of plastic she had tucked in her wallet. "It sounds cliche," Ryan says, "but I thought I could stop at any...

How often have you gotten a robocall or other annoying call from a debt collection agency for a debt you never incurred? I get them regularly because someone who had my telephone number before me didn't pay her bills. Some of them just won't believe I'm telling them the truth that I'm not that...

Being in debt is challenging enough before you add the pressure of the debt collector.The nature of business doesn't lend itself to friendliness -- although they could give it a try once in a while. With so many people unemployed and the economy still gasping, more and more people are having to...

Forget knives and handguns, slingshots and the atom bomb; the world's most dangerous weapon is still the human libido. As far back as Homer's Odyssey and the Old Testament, lust was the go-to weapon when arrows and armies failed. Even today, Sirens can still draw men to wreck their boats and...