Just when we thought the auto industry was headed in the right direction, a recall happens with Toyota…. then another recall.. then another recall with Honda. I don’t know about you but this is scary for the auto (finance) industry that we very much work in. Going to a dealership was like going to a ghost town, and then things finally started getting better. This shake up with Toyota, and now Honda, could not have come at a worse time. The struggling auto industry was finally heading in the right direction, and then this all happens. The ironic thing about the recent recalls is the fact that the two companies now in the news were the ones that stayed out of the negative lime-light in the last few years. Kudos I guess to our nation’s automakers for already having gone through the “bad” part of the auto industry hiccups, but gosh when is the auto industry going to get a break? Let’s all keep our fingers crossed that the auto industry keeps moving forward, not backwards!

Leadpile is excited to roll out a brand new exclusive offer with Broadview Security. We are looking for publishers that can drive traffic to our offer-nationwidehomesafe.com. This offer helps to bring together those consumers that are looking to help keep their homes safe and secure. The typical consumer that this is great for a security system is someone that maybe just purchased a home, a family that has welcomed a new addition, or simply anyone that is looking for a great way to keep their things safe. If you are a publisher that is interested in working with Leadpile to help bring together consumers looking for a security system, reach out to us and get started NOW!

As if consumers do not have enough financial stress to worry about, the credit card companies are decreasing credit limits and increasing annual percentage rates. Due to the high number of people without jobs and suffering financial hardship, the credit card companies have had billions of dollars worth of losses. To attempt to fill in the gap, the card companies are making changes effecting card holders who are behind in payments in addition to card holders who have always paid their bills on time and have a perfect history. Credit cards have in the past always been issued to people with an interest rate and credit limit based on their specific risk to default.
With the economy in the state that is has been and many people with additional debt, consumers have been forced to use their credit limits, now faced with paying off balances with interest rates that have doubled or tripled.
According to msnbc.com we are entering a new “era” for credit cards. Previously as many of us experienced, credit card offers would appear daily in your mailbox, each with enormous credit limits and interest rates that were so competitive that it made applying for the card hard to resist. Many people who “couldn’t resist” are now paying for it with the increase in interest.
Possible changes in the near future…The new Credit Card Bill of Rights. The American Bankers association has stated that the new law will limit the amount of credit that is available and it will come attached to a higher price tag. In theory, consumers will have a better idea of long term costs and terms with the new law and will allow them to make more educated decisions.
LeadPile currently helps match consumers with unsecured debt such as credit card debt with debt settlement and debt consolidation companies, but what will change in the future of credit card debt if there is a “credit card bill of rights” that gets passed? Will it really affect anything? Who will feel it the most?

Facebook is saying goodbye to banner ads supplied by Microsoft, and HELLO to more targeted ads. Internews.com reports, “Facebook, which counts nearly 400 million users, said its own display ads feature interactive aspects and can target viewers based on their personal information, making them better suited to its social networking service than Microsoft’s standard Web banner ads. Ad formats that feature social actions perform better and provide a better user experience since they are more consistent with the look and feel of Facebook,” the company said in a statement. This combination of targeting and social relevance is the primary driver behind the shift in strategy.”
This change will probably not affect Microcsoft, but it brings up a good question on taking control over your page and what the user experiences. Facebook is obviously concerned with the experience the consumer goes through, versus a deal they have with Microsoft. Is this something of the future where companies really pay attention to the consumer experience versus making the most money on the ads they choose to display? Leadpile has an ability to supply banner ads for it’s publishers, however a website owner caring about the consumer experience is something we are very much concerned with also. Consumer experience or make more money????? What is the answer you believe is right?

Watching the Super Bowl has become not only about the game, but also about the high dollar commercials that run during the game. These 15, 30, and 60-second time slots continue to go up in price and are now worth millions. In the past 43 Super Bowl games many different ads have run featuring celebrities, but many that stick out, and that have stuck with the company for years, are ads featuring animals.

According to msnbc.com 10 of the most memorable animal pitchmen have been:

Nissan pigeons – first appearance 1997, life expectancy 1 year.

Tabasco mosquito – first appearance 1998, life expectance 23 seconds.

The Pets.com sock puppet dog – first appearance 2000, life expectancy: 9 months.

Budweiser lizards – first appearance 1998, life expectancy 4 years.

The Mountain Dew cheetah – first appearance 1999, life expectancy 1 year.

Budweiser Dalmatians – first appearance 1999, life expectancy 10 years & counting.

The E* Trade money – first appearance 2000, life expectancy 2 years.

The Budweiser frogs – first appearance 1995, life expectancy 7 years.

Spuds MacKenzie – first appearance 1987, life expectancy 3 years.

The Budweiser Clydesdales – first appearance 1986, life expectancy 23 years & counting.

Will we have a memorable one this year? Let’s all tune in and see……… AND to watch the game!

As a follow up to our past entries regarding the payday loan industry in Arizona, the bill that would allow lenders to continue offering payday loans has been delayed.

According the azcentral.com the bill was pulled out of a hearing agenda recently. Republican Rep. Andy Tobin supporting the bill said that currently it does not have enough support, but vowed that more support would be gathered and the bill would be brought back.

Currently payday lenders are operating under a temporary exemption from Arizona’s 36% cap on annual interest rates. This exemption is set to expire on June 30th.

In the age of the internet, trying to figure out who goes online more can be a tricky question at times. However, it seems each era of people has their own “area of interest” with the internet.
4/5 of young adults between the ages of 18 and 29 are wireless internet users, while many of them are using their laptops, some are using their cell phones and other mobile devices to access the internet. The internet is everywhere and it appears it is a way of life for most young adults.
On another note it seems that 63 percent of 30-to-49-year-olds, and 34 percent of those age 50 and older use wireless connections for the Internet. Bottom line is we all use the internet as if it was something we can not live without. What will be the next generations “must have” if the internet is now already a must have? Is there something else technologically that will roll out what young adults HAVE to have? Is there a point where parents need to control how much their children are actually on the internet, and more specifically their cell phones? What about all the other things like the ipad, iphones, social networking, texting… what is next in the technology world and what parents have to “control”?

A new payday loan law has taken effect today in South Carolina. This new law was passed with the intent to protect consumers, however it seems that it actually has an ability to hurt consumers that already have an outstanding payday loan. A local SC news channel is reporting, “The new law limits consumers to just one payday loan at a time. It sets up a statewide database, starting Feb. 1, to keep track of all payday loans to prevent anyone from having more than one. But the database will not include past payday loans that are outstanding as of Feb. 1.” So will something like this prevent lenders from staying in the state of SC? Hopefully not.. because people in SC I am sure still need payday loans even though a new law was passed.