Leadpile’s Blog

The auto makers have been in the news lately with the Toyota recall, and now some positive news from Ford. A couple negative years of profits seems to have come to an end with Ford Motor Company. MSNBC is reporting that Ford actually had a profit of 2.9billion dollars for 2009. That’s HUGE for an industry that has had so many struggles. Ford avoided bankruptcy, unlike it’s US competitors, so how did they squeeze out a profit for 2009? It seems that the Ford Credit division helped the overall bottom line.
One thing I hope continues to move in the right direction, and that is people continue to still look to purchase cars… and more importantly they go online!

How many consumers out there have a problem obtaining a credit card because their credit has been destroyed? The answer is there are a lot of people in this situation unfortunately, and we are trying to get those consumers connected with the proper company that can help them get on the road to improving their credit. Leadpile is proud to have partnered up with New Millennium Bank to help them with these consumers looking for a secured credit card. We are looking for publishers that can help us generate these leads for the New Millennium secured credit card offer. If you are a publisher and interested in driving traffic to this offer, we want to talk to you!

A year ago in New Hampshire payday and title loans were outlawed to “protect” consumers from the interest rates. This however did not completely stop all lenders from being able to offer additional types of short-term high interest loans to consumers.
Today the house will vote to amend the proposed bill which would put a 36% cap on annual interest rates, including some fees for any loan under $10,000. This would apply to loans and personal lines of credit. According to the Concord Monitor the vote is for a bill meant to close what some consider to be a loophole in the law. As there as been much controversy and disagreement regarding the bill which was originally discussed in the house two weeks ago with a recommendation that a bipartisan majority believed the bill to be overkill. The new proposed amendment to the bill would cap the interest rates at 36% while allowing additional membership fees, late fees and participation fees. These fees could only be charged one time and the banking commissioner would have the authority to determine what fees are fair.
Often time consumers with bad credit or in a time of need have no where else to turn for a quick loan and these lenders were filling the demand for these loans. If the loans were taken away, this would leave many people without other options. Hopefully, a decision can be agreed upon that not only has the consumers best interest in mind regarding the interest rates, but also in times of need and being able to access quick short term loans when necessary. Leadpile is watching what happens in NH………….

House prices have not been on the rise for six straight months in a row. Fourteen out of twenty metro areas saw an increase in homes from the month before. As of November, 2009 was up 3.4 percent from its lowest back in May, 2009. Phoenix (Arizona) and San Francisco (California) have had the highest month over month increase in their housing markets. Both New York and Chicago had the largest declines in the nation. One of the largest reasons for the increase was the first time home buyer tax credit. With the original end date for the tax credit being in November of 2009, there was a rush to purchase a new home (the tax credit ended up being extended to the spring of 2010). The tax credit was a huge incentive to purchase a home, and with the home prices in Arizona being so low, it makes sense that Arizona saw one of the highest increases in their housing markets.
One of the big questions is if the trend is going to continue to increase? Some economists believe that there is going to be another dip in the housing market because of the the high rate of unemployment and foreclosures. It is expected that we will see these results in the beginning of this year. It goes without saying that now is the time to buy. Depending on the area, people are seeing move in ready houses for as low as $50,000. That is less than a college education!
If you find that you are one of the many who are having trouble keeping your home you may want to consider a loan modification or debt consolidation. Leadpile is trying to do it’s part by matching up the consumers with lenders on a daily basis! Heck, we want the economy to be better too!

Opening a checking account with no required balance or no monthly service fees may be something that is soon going to be history. With the suffering economy, there has recently been lots of discussion and controversy surrounding overdraft transaction fees, as a new federal regulation is expected to eliminate them. To make up for these losses in revenue the banks are looking into adding additional fees to checking accounts to help fill the gap.
According to Bankrate.com effective July 1st overdraft coverage will be an opt-in service. “Banks that offer overdraft, or bounce, protection will send opt-in notices to customers explaining the service. Banks will not be allowed to charge a fee for paying an overdraft that occurs because of an ATM transaction or a one-time debit card transaction unless the customer agrees. The rule does not apply to overdrafts that occur through the use of checks or ACH transactions such as bill pay.”
Overdraft fees have affected millions of people during this hard time and often times can be looked at as making a hard situation harder. Here at LeadPile we connect consumers possibly needing help to avoid banking overdraft fees or late payments with payday loan lenders who can loan money for a period of time to get them through. We will keep an eye on any new developments with this and let you know when changes occur!

With the holidays finally over and a week into January, it is about time that we get that one last present from the credit card company. What might that present be you ask? A nice fat bill. Whether you did your holiday shopping in the stores or at the comfort of your home online, so many of us just go swipe, swipe, swipe all season long. It really is the the fastest and most convenient way to make a purchase. Sometimes you do not even realize how much you have racked up until it is all down on paper. More times then not, individuals will not be able to pay off the whole bill in one lump sum by the time that the bill is due.
Below are some helpful suggestion for when you realize you have bit off more than you can chew:

1. Use credit cards that offer cash back for purchases – You can put the money you get back towards your credit card bill.
2. Know your interest rate and try to use the card with the lowest interest rate.
3. Do not just pay the minimum balance due – Often that minimum payment will only cover the interest that was charged that month.
4. Get a balance transfer – transfer to a card that offers you a lower interest rate/reward programs.
5. Create a feasible payment plan and stick to it.

In some instances where you find that you are getting into too much debt, try to not feel overwhelmed and that there is no way of getting out of it. There are several options out there to get you back on your feet. For example, debt consolidation or debt settlement might be the perfect solution. Everyday at LeadPile we are matching consumers to debt professionals who are there to help you get the professional advice that you may need. Maybe consider getting help if none of the above options really worked out for you.

As of January 1st 2010, a new payday lending law was imposed in Washington. “The new law limits the size of a payday loan to 30 percent of a person’s monthly income, or $700, whichever is less. It also bars people from having multiple loans from different lenders, limits the number of loans a person can take out to eight per 12 months, and sets up a database to track the number of loans taken out by people.” This will be something that lenders will now have to pay attention to.
Leadpile will be watching the status of Washington and payday loans, because we work with publishers nationwide, and we will be interested in any legal changes that happen in this particular state.

In the current state of the housing market and economy, there are many homes being sold or auctioned for well below the value they would have been sold at 3, 4 or even 5 years ago. During the housing boom, prior to the poor economic state, large amounts of people attempted to make money by buying and then quickly selling new houses and condos. That kind of flipping came to a halt as the economy started to fall, and now the flipping is being fueled by bargains at foreclosure auctions.
According to msn.com, there are many risks with purchasing auctioned homes, as buyers often times have to make quick buying decisions without being able to inspect the house prior to purchasing. When purchasing these homes, bidders need to keep in mind the house may need repairs. Purchasing homes from auctions is a gamble in the fact that you win some, and you will loose some. Hopefully, the economy will continue to recover, and buying will continue to be something that is possible for everyone!

Holiday shopping has entered into “crunch time” as Christmas is just hours away. Many stores this season have offered exceptional discounts and incentives for shopping with them and it hasn’t stopped yet!
Stores such as most Walgreens locations will be open until midnight Christmas Eve with a large percentage of them staying open all night, and even staying open on Christmas with hours of 9am-6pm. Walgreens, as well as stores like 7-Eleven, Borders, Toy R US, Target and CVS will be open extended hours with selections of items such as iTunes gift cards, prepaid cell phones and online game gift cards.
According to yahoo! even Christmas Day is not too late to send gifts via email! Stores such as Victoria’s Secret says you can order a gift certificate online until 3pm that day and it will be delivered via email by the end of the day. Macys.com also offers the option to purchase e-gift cards until 1pm on December 24th and guarantees delivery.
It’s hard to believe that it’s already Christmas time once again! Hopefully you have all of your holiday shopping done and will not have to “take advantage” of the late holiday shopping hours tonight!
Happy Holidays from the whole Leadpile Team!!

It seems that we have a new winner on the highest credit card interest rate to potentially charge a consumer…….. 79.9%! It appears that First Premier Bank has a credit card available to subprime consumers, however the potential interest rate can exceed 79%. It seems that there are fees being charged to the consumer that were more than the allowed balance (first year fees of $256 and the maximum line of credit is $250).
Does this mean that since there are a lot more credit challenged people these days, that this sort of credit card is going to be their only option? On the other hand if someone is not able to get any money elsewhere and really needs to start establishing their credit, then this could be their only option. I am sure giving out money to those that can not get credit anywhere else is a risk in itself to First Premier Bank, and charging higher than normal interest rate is something that have to do, but really 79+%? I think having a credit card interest rate this high, just seems a little excessive. Pat on the back to those that are willing to lend and give money to those that can not get credit elsewhere, but can’t you be a little nicer than 79.9%?

Recent news with Leadpile and the payday loan industry was that we entered the Canadian cash advance space, and now we are excited to announce we are now going to be working with Canadian auto finance leads. Just like the US auto industry, this appears to be the time when the Canadian auto finance industry starts taking a turn for the better. People need cars whether they are in Canada or the US, and we are looking to match them with dealers.
We are seeking new publishers to generate this lead type and also additional buyers that are working in Canadian auto leads. If this is something that you are looking at doing, please contact us!!!

The government of Ontario is expected to announce on Tuesday a set amount that payday lenders can charge per loan. Globeinvestor.com is reporting that a new rule setting a maximum of $21 in charges per $100 borrowed will take effect soon. This new rule will be in addition to the rule requiring the lenders to be licensed.
This new rule set to go into effect tomorrow will cause major changes in the Ontario payday industry possibly causing some lenders to go out of business.
The LeadPile team will be watching this closely and will keep you posted on any updates or changes!