Credit Services and Intermediation

Capital One Bank AGVENTURE

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 >>

Texas Drivers Are Dumb, If You Don't Ask The Right Questions

Borat would ace the driving portion​In case you needed empirical evidence that Texas has some of the worst drivers in  the country, look no further than the GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test: The Lone Star state ranked an unimpressive 35th, falling ten spots from last year and 18 from 2008 ... More >>

Buxton, Small Sounds

Borat would ace the driving portion​In case you needed empirical evidence that Texas has some of the worst drivers in  the country, look no further than the GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test: The Lone Star state ranked an unimpressive 35th, falling ten spots from last year and 18 from 2008 ... More >>

No Justice

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

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 >>

Mortgage Papers and Foreclosure

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

At Least A Little Payback Against A-Hole Debt Collectors

If you've ever been harassed by a debt collector, deserved or not, Texas AG Greg Abbott has just stood up for you (As Joe Biden might put it, since Abbott's in a wheelchair).Abbott's office announced a settlement this morning against NCO Financial Systems, one of the world's biggest debt-collection ... More >>

More Hi-Def Channels, More Getaways

If you've ever been harassed by a debt collector, deserved or not, Texas AG Greg Abbott has just stood up for you (As Joe Biden might put it, since Abbott's in a wheelchair).Abbott's office announced a settlement this morning against NCO Financial Systems, one of the world's biggest debt-collection ... More >>

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

If you've ever been harassed by a debt collector, deserved or not, Texas AG Greg Abbott has just stood up for you (As Joe Biden might put it, since Abbott's in a wheelchair).Abbott's office announced a settlement this morning against NCO Financial Systems, one of the world's biggest debt-collection ... More >>

Cleaning Up Foreclosed Homes After the Mortgage Crisis

Junk haulers expand their business in the wake of evictees leaving behind houses in terrible condition

Litton Loan Litigants Granted Class Status (say that five times fast)

Junk haulers expand their business in the wake of evictees leaving behind houses in terrible condition

In the Sub-Prime of Life

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

Costly Advances

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

La Mordita

Check cashers and furniture rental companies take a big chunk out of post-hurricane FEMA checks

Eaten Alive

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