Entries by Debtmerica

Debtmerica Authors & Editorial Team

Debtmerica is known as an authority in the debt services industry and as a part of our commitment to this we publish a news journal covering topics in and around consumer spending, debt management, and other debt related news topics. Writers Harry Langenberg – “Chief Editor and Orchestrator” Harry is a Managing Partner at Debtmerica […]

FTC wins injunction, shutting down phony credit card debt consolidation operations

Three companies offering U.S. consumers assistance in consolidating their debt were effectively closed down Thursday by a federal court order enjoining them from practicing their deceptive telemarketing. The Federal Trade Commission said that the FBI, IRS, and Secret Service were also interested in the three companies, and while a criminal complaint has not yet been […]

Defense Department announces new initiative to provide debt counseling for service members

Military personnel in financial trouble could find it difficult to concentrate on their critically important duties, so the Defense Department recently announced several new programs to help service members consolidate debt and stay out of fiscal minefields. A program analyst for the Pentagon’s military community and family policy office, Marcus Beauregard, said that "anything that […]

Need for debt counseling could increase as U.S. credit card customers lose some caution

The demand for credit among American consumers is heading upwards, according to a FICO study released on Wednesday, but this could cause an uptick in credit card delinquencies going forward. Bankers surveyed by the research firm generally agreed that the combination of the slowly improvingeconomy and the effect of soon-to-be-implemented federal regulations would cause them […]

New rules for NYC collections agencies could let consumers consolidate debt in peace

While debt collectors are an important part of the consumer financial ecosystem, some agencies have been accused of threatening, harassing, and lying to consumers in pursuit of unpaid debts. The mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, recently announced tough new restrictions on those companies. Bloomberg said that "the measures we are announcing today will help […]

The Pros and Cons of Settling Debt Yourself

It’s possible for a consumer to imitate the methods of professional debt settlement companies and many people report success in negotiating a debt settlement for themselves. Initiation of negotiations can begin by calling the customer service department of the credit card company. In general, the credit card company will only deal with a consumer when […]

Interchange fee legislation could deal blow to credit card companies

An amendment to an omnibus financial regulation bill currently being considered in the U.S. Senate – which was recently approved by that chamber with 64 votes – will place strict caps on so-called interchange fees that credit card issuers charge merchants for processing payments made with debit or credit cards. According to financial news and […]

Credit card companies say indicators pointing to bright future

While the U.S. credit card market is still plagued by heightened levels of delinquency and above-average amounts of consumer debt, the major card issuers say that the trends are moving in a broadly positive direction, according to the Wall Street Journal. Keefe, Bruyette, and Woods analyst Sanjay Sakhrani told the Journal that "we are definitely […]