Regulators with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency began pressuring card issuers to raise minimum monthly payments. The new law for minimum payments went into effect at the end of 2005, and several credit card companies have already doubled their minimum monthly payments from 2% to 4%. If you are a homeowner, you may want to consider a debt consolidation loan through a mortgage refinance or home equity loan (second mortgage) because it will not only reduce your debt, but you also may get a 100% tax deduction on the interest you pay on your loan.

Government debt consolidation loans are loans offered through various government programs to pay off multiple loans. This enables an individual to take care of one single monthly payment compared to 3 or 4 payments to different creditors. This is the principle of debt consolidation. Debt consolidation also helps by lowering the interest rate by switching from unsecured debt to secured debt.

Debt consolidation is when you take one loan out that will pay off all your other loans or credit bills. When you go for a consolidation loan, you will need to put something of value up for collateral.

Bankruptcy and financial stress are at an all time high. In increasing numbers, people are turning to bill consolidation loans and debt management counseling for relief. Both debt consolidation and management provide valuable assistance. However, you need both for maximum results.

When selecting the best alternative for eliminating consumer debt, carefully weight the pros and cons of debt consolidation and debt negotiation.

Debt consolidation companies provide a valuable service, but it is an area of business that attracts many scam artists. Here are seven things to look for to make sure you find a reputable company.

Are your bills piling up on you lately? Are beginning to feel like there's nowhere for you to turn? Do you have more money going out every month then you have coming in? Have you seriously considered bankruptcy recently?

Did you know there are more than 400 Consumer Credit Counseling agencies operating in the US alone? The internet is literally flooded with ads from these organizations all claiming to be able to save you huge amounts on your unsecured credit. The question you have to ask is whether these agencies are able to deliver any real benefits to the average American consumer with debt issues. This article seeks to address this question.

Americans are plagued with an excess of 2.2 trillion dollars of credit card debt. Many of these debts we accrued during times of financial distress by the borrower.

Debt management helps you afford credit card payments, yet you can pay off the balances faster through lower interest rates. How can that be?

Are you in debt? Looking for debt relief? Have you decided to seek the advice of a credit counselor? If you've decided to seek the help of a credit counselor in your effort to get out of debt and help you negotiate with your creditors, there is some homework you're going to need to do before the credit counselor can help you.

What Debt Settlement companies do. How to find the good ones and avoid the bad ones.

Most of the time, a person will admit to having a problem dealing with his debts only when his creditors start calling him up for payments and his bills from the utilities and credit card companies begin to pile up. He will not admit to having a problem while he is still ahead and had an opportunity to reduce his debt obligations.

How can you tell if you have too much debt? You would think that it would be easy to tell. However, many consumers don't know that they are one step away from financial ruin due to their debt situation. Credit is a great thing, but if you use it unwisely it can ruin you.

If your holiday gift buying seems to have turned into a New Year's financial nightmare don't despair, there is a solution. The trick is keeping calm and then just figure out a sensible budget that can get you back on solid financial footing.

The time to pay up for last years holiday has come around again, but you may have came back from holiday only to find that there a few items on your credit statement that you don’t remember paying for. Here are some tips on the direction you should take if this occurs.

The only job that is worse then being a Bill collector on the Scumbag Scale is the Repo Man. Bill Collectors are like lawyer, they’re only lying when there lips are moving. If you’re talking to a bill collector you need to know your rights and the law. You also need to know what to do when the bill collector is true to his nature and lies like a rug to you. This is information you need to know!