Subject:

Consumer Credit and Debt

  • Blogs

    September 30, 2011

    Bank of America Debit Card Fee Hike Just the Beginning

    In case you hadn't heard, Bank of America announced that, beginning in 2012, it was going to begin charging $5 per month for account holders who used their debit cards for retail transactions. The move is in response to the federal government via the Dodd-Frank bank reform law putting a cap on so-ca ... More >>

  • Blogs

    July 13, 2011

    Thieves Suck: How to Protect Yourself When Your Stuff Is Stolen

    ​Sunday evening while I was out for a jog, my car was broken into and my purse was stolen. By some miracle of paranoia, I happened to have both my cell phone and wallet with me on the run, not for fear of them getting jacked, but because I'm always worried I might get lost, or need my ID if I ... More >>

  • Blogs

    July 13, 2011

    Christian Lopez, Overtaxed Yankee Fan, The Sequel (Where He Becomes A Charity)

    Christian Lopez: Now sponsored by the champagne of bottled beers​That's it, you win, Christian Lopez. I give up. You all remember, Christian Lopez, right? (It's only been like 24 hours since I last wrote about him. Please tell me you remember.) Just in case, Lopez was the ample Yankee fan wh ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 24, 2011

    Payday Lending: Texas Takes Teeny, Tiny Step to (Barely) Regulate

    Gary Elkins: State Rep, payday lender.​Payday lending, where lower-income, lesser-educated, financially strapped people get some instant cash but sometimes end up paying 500 percent interest, is an industry ripe for some regulating, you would think. But that's why you're not a member of the T ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 19, 2011

    Texas Publishes Their Social Security Numbers, Now Someone's Trying to Scam Them

    Just give 'em John Doe's number, he won't mind.​Attorney General Greg Abbott is warning any Texans whose Social Security numbers were inadvertently exposed by the state government to, ummm, not just hand out that info to anyone calling to try to "confirm" things. More than three million emplo ... More >>

  • Blogs

    June 21, 2010

    Fishers of Men: Pastor And Associates Get Prison Time For Fraud

    Go thou and defraudeth FEMA....​It was almost two years ago that we wrote about the Fishers of Men scandal, a church in southwest Houston whose pastor and associates were charged with various financial shenanigans.It sparked a comment war between defenders and accusers that lasted so long and got ... More >>

  • Blogs

    February 1, 2010

    As A Big Student-Loan Deadline Looms, Be Sure You're Using The Right Web Site

    ​Do you enjoy wasting hours when you're trying to meet a tight deadline to get federal aid for a college loan? Just log on to www.fafsa.com, and sign up for an ID, then spend hours getting material to answer all their questions. Ignore the many times an ad pops up, trying to sell you "professional ... More >>

  • News

    December 3, 2009

    Credit Repair

    Overwhelmed by debt? Hey, pay a company to get rid of it by saying it never really happened in the first place.

  • News

    October 29, 2009

    No Justice

    We've bailed out the banks. When do we go after the crooks behind our financial collapse?

  • Blogs

    October 29, 2009

    Two Pastors And A Deacon Admit That Their Church Was One Hell Of A Scam

    ​Some blog items never die.Almost a year ago we wrote about the fraud charges filed against officials of the Fishers of Men Worship Center in Houston. To this day, barely a week goes by without someone throwing up another comment on the case, either defending the officials or saying they got what ... More >>

  • Blogs

    July 21, 2009

    Moratorium Is Over, So Foreclosures Spike Locally

    Photo by Paul KnightHarris County is seeing the result of failed government efforts to fix the housing crisis by issuing 90-day moratoriums on foreclosures.July was the worst month for foreclosures in the county since the savings and loan debacle, just 73 properties short of the record month -- Octo ... More >>

  • News

    June 25, 2009

    ID Theft

    Someone gets your social, ruins your credit, upends your life. And gets away free and clear.

  • Music

    May 7, 2009

    Fake Problems

    Someone gets your social, ruins your credit, upends your life. And gets away free and clear.

  • Blogs

    May 6, 2009

    Dastardly Plan To Make Poor Put Money Into Banks Apparently Working

    The Bank on Houston program, founded by City Controller Annise Parker in conjunction with area banks, credit unions and nonprofit organizations, says it's boasted early success. In three months 10,264 new accounts were opened; the goal for the entire first year was 10,000.People putting their money ... More >>

  • News

    April 2, 2009

    Mortgage Papers and Foreclosure

    It's easy for a homeowner's payments to fall through the cracks.

  • Blogs

    March 24, 2009

    Miss Pop Rocks Still Does Not Have a Cell Phone

    Photo by aussiegallI do not have a cell phone. A few years ago, this made me sort of an odd duck at parties. Now, not having a cell phone means I'm positively a relic if not a true freak of nature deserving of shunning by the community. Everyone has a cell phone: my 77-year-old mother-in-law, my ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 20, 2008

    Be Thou Fishers Of Men, Or Scammers Of Government

    There's no scam like a religious scam. And there's no religious scam like one where the church involved has a really churchy name, like Fishers of Men. And that's what we have (allegedly) in Houston -- the US Attorney's office has indicted the heads of Fishers of Men for skimming millions in fa ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 10, 2008

    Freddie Mac Helps Out Bankers (And A Couple Of Home Owners)

    There's no scam like a religious scam. And there's no religious scam like one where the church involved has a really churchy name, like Fishers of Men. And that's what we have (allegedly) in Houston -- the US Attorney's office has indicted the heads of Fishers of Men for skimming millions in fa ... More >>

  • Blogs

    September 15, 2008

    Silver Lining Huh?

    There's no scam like a religious scam. And there's no religious scam like one where the church involved has a really churchy name, like Fishers of Men. And that's what we have (allegedly) in Houston -- the US Attorney's office has indicted the heads of Fishers of Men for skimming millions in fa ... More >>

  • Calendar

    July 24, 2008

    Marilyn Logan

    “The Money Lady” reads from I Can’t Afford to Marry You

  • News

    May 15, 2008

    College Immaterial for High School Students in Vocational Training

    Good paying jobs, no huge loan burdens, exciting course work — the new vo-tech attracts more and more hi-tech students

  • Blogs

    September 24, 2007

    Countdown to the 2007 Houston Press Best of Houston® Issue

    Good paying jobs, no huge loan burdens, exciting course work — the new vo-tech attracts more and more hi-tech students

  • News

    May 17, 2007

    In the Sub-Prime of Life

    Homeowners complain that Litton Loan is quicker to foreclose than it needs to be

  • News

    February 9, 2006

    Letters to the Editor

    Homeowners complain that Litton Loan is quicker to foreclose than it needs to be

  • News

    January 26, 2006

    Costly Advances

    Payday lenders take care of you till your check comes in, and for a long time after

  • News

    January 26, 2006

    Eaten Alive

    Rent-to-own stores, pawnshops, payday lenders -- it's hope for sale, with interest

  • News

    September 2, 2004

    The Specialist

    Scott Wizig's bread and butter is first-time home buyers with bad credit. He says he's making dreams come true, but many say dealing with him has been a nightmare.

  • News

    March 20, 2003

    College Credit

    Shopping spree for your first apartment: $2,500
    Spring break in Cabo: $1,000
    Avoiding college credit card debt: priceless

  • Best of Houston

    September 26, 2002

    Best Source of Free Stock Information

    Business Radio, KIKK/650 AM

  • Best of Houston

    September 21, 2000
  • News

    January 27, 2000

    Oil Giant's Policy Fuels Gays' Protest

    Activists rally ExxonMobil for recognition of same-sex-partner benefits

  • News

    October 28, 1999

    Placed in the Discard Pile

    About to be booted from the Fourth Ward, poor people are being told they are too poor to qualify for public housing in Houston

  • News

    August 27, 1998

    Easy Money

    Is a state rep taking Houston's poor for a ride on the law of the lend?

  • News

    March 28, 1996

    Victor's Big Adventure

    He's a nice guy. He drives a pickup truck. But what would Victor Morales do in the U.S. Senate? He'll get back to you on that one.

  • News

    January 18, 1996

    A Few Problems of His Own

    He's a nice guy. He drives a pickup truck. But what would Victor Morales do in the U.S. Senate? He'll get back to you on that one.

  • News

    December 28, 1995

    Lil' Stevie's Year in Review

    He's a nice guy. He drives a pickup truck. But what would Victor Morales do in the U.S. Senate? He'll get back to you on that one.

  • News

    October 6, 1994

    Art of the Mortgage

    MFA's one-of-a-kind home loan program

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