escrow account

Next month, debt settlement firms will no longer be able to collect advance fees from consumers seeking to escape their credit card debts. In the meantime, unlucky debtors are reporting losses as the firms begin to go belly up, taking their fees and deposits with them.

Every year in July, my bank account suddenly goes wonky as a few annual fees hit it. (One, for hosting a web site, and the other for Amazon Prime membership.) I'm barely able to recover before I'm charged my water bill (about $250 every three months) and have to pony up my portion of the...