A lot of consumer advocates say you shouldn't put your home at stake, and that's advice worth considering. But using your home gives you access to credit that's cheaper than other sources. |
A lot of people get a home equity loan and do it on their own, short of going to a credit counseling agency. You can consolidate your credit card debt and have a lower monthly payment that will maybe get you through a squeeze. |
Any change in rates on home equity lines is directly related to the actions of the Fed. On average, their rates are 1 percent over the prime rate, but some banks even offer home equity lines at the prime. Home equity lines are probably the cheapest way that homeowners can currently borrow money. |
Bank loans have pretty attractive interest rates these days. Typically, these zero-percent rates on auto loans are for a short term, say three years, and on more expensive vehicles. People end up buying the car, but use a bank loan to do so. Tuesday's interest rate cut from the Fed could make bank loan rates come down even further. |
Banking was never free because consumers were not getting a market rate on their savings and were paying a lot more for loans. |
Bankruptcies are very serious issues that can often be avoided by seeking help from a professional debt counseling service that will intervene with creditors. |
Banks have various sources of earnings. If a bank is large enough to have international operations, it has evolved enough diversification to counteract those losses. |
Generally, they're very eager to resolve issues with their customers, to make accommodations to retain the customer. It's much easier to retain a customer than to find a new customer. |
Give some careful thought to how much money you can have in that account. With yields as low as they are, it might not be your best option. |
I don't accept the charge that banks have just removed all barriers and are going full blast to send cards to anybody. There is actually evidence that banks have tightened [their requirements] in some ways. |
I think our main concern is in calling for some type of federal policy that affects the issuance of credit cards or any credit to consumers. This is a very competitive business and it does provide a great amount of convenience to consumers. Any effort to curb that would affect a lot of lower income consumers disproportionately. |
If you don't trust yourself with that much credit, you should ask that the limit be reduced. |
Not every place right off the bat will offer you a good rate. One company may offer you 15 percent. Another may offer you 11 percent. |
People have to think realistically, and I think the economy is pretty sobering right now, and people should consider their financial moves very soberly. Part of that is getting in less debt. |
Small banks come out with an edge on pricing, but what is not measured is the convenience factor. |