Leadpile’s Blog

Every time you check out at a retail store, do you recognize the statement, “would you like to save 10% on today’s purchase?”

You are getting asked this at all your favorite retails stores, because they are looking to have you open a new store credit card.  This is something that is enticing you to potentially save some money on that current purchase.  Who doesn’t want to save money, so many consumers choose to accept the offer.  However, do you know when you answer “yes”, that is giving that company to pull your credit and potentially affecting your credit score?

Any time anyone applies for new credit it affects your credit and it also affects your overall outstanding bills you are now going to have to pay.  Are these things that you think of when making that split second decision to say, “yes I would like to save 10% with that new credit card?”  According to bankrate.com, there are some pros and cons to retail credit cards.

Pros
• Promotions, discounts and other perks.
• Helps build credit history.

Cons
• High interest rates.
• Low credit limits.
• Lowers your credit score.
• Another spending temptation.

Once consumers have these sorts of credit cards and all other types of credit cards, it creates a potential financial hardship if there is a life changing event (ie- job loss, pay reduction, loss of spouse etc) that could put a consumer in a tough situation. Debt consolidation and debt settlement companies are great services to look into if you are buried in the debt. Leadpile Lead Exchange works a lot with these lead types, and I have to say in recent months there has been a lot more activity in those verticals. This tells me that too many people said “yes I would like to save 10% on this purchase”. Think before getting that next new credit card!

How many of you read the fine print at the bottom of your credit card or loan applications? I know I don’t always do that, and I am learning that maybe we ALL need to pay closer attention to the fine print of agreements we sign. The reason we want to make sure and do this is with a practice called “universal default”. According to Bankrate.com, if you are late to ANYONE (lenders) you have the potential of having your interest rate adjust really high, potentially affecting your payment amounts, and maybe even affect your credit. Bankrate states that the complaints about this happening is increasing because more and more customers are feeling the affects of it. In years past some credit card companies and lenders would not implement this practice. However, with tougher times affecting all businesses, they are resorting to “old” practices such as universal default.
An example of this would be if you had a debt owed to creditor A, and you fell 30 days late on it. Creditor A could call up creditor B to inform them that you fell behind on their debt. Because of what creditor A said, creditor B (who you are currently paying on time) could increase the interest rate you are being charged. This is legal because of the tiny print in your creditor agreement where it talks about universal default. Basically it gives the creditors a right to adjust the interest rate on any of your creditors if you are 30 days or more late on another one. In years past this provision was in loan agreements, but not always enforced.
Word to the wise….. read all the fine print and ask lots of questions before doing any new loans or debts.
Leadile Lead Exchange can help those customers that maybe get in the situation where they get behind on their accounts, because of situations like this.

In recent months the debt vertical has become a very popular, yet challenging vertical to work with. Understanding reasons consumers have gotten into debt and the specifics that the lead buyers are looking for, has been something we have worked on to fully understand.
According to Bankrate.com there are 10 main reasons why consumers get buried in debt. Understanding more about debt allows consumers to be more educated and ultimately try and avoid these types of situations.

1. Reduced income, but same monthly expenses
2. Divorce
3. Poor money management
4. Underemployment
5. Gambling
6. Medical expenses
7. Not saving money or not saving enough money
8. No money communication skills
9. Spending money you don’t have yet
10. No understanding of money

These are all scenarios any consumer can be faced with, including myself. With the economy being very tough right now, many lead generation companies are focusing on the debt vertical. Fortunately, there are various types of debt help that the consumers can get, but most consumers do not know the difference between one another.
The main details that debt consolidation and debt settlement companies are looking for is the amount of unsecured debt. What is unsecured debt?
Unsecured debt is debt that is not secured by any collateral. For instance, credit card debt, medical bills, cell phone bills and other collection accounts. Most debt companies do not work with secured debt such as mortgages, tax debt, student loans and auto loans.
Leadpile Lead Exchange generates a lot of debt leads. Lead types such as debt consolidation, debt settlement, and credit repair are all types of leads we are generating that are there to assist the consumers with the debt/credit. We are connecting the consumers that need help, with those companies that can help them get out of debt.

According to a study released by Bankrate, Inc. in February 2008, 66% of Americans say debt is often the result of unfortunate circumstances beyond a person’s control, while 60% say it is usually the result of bad decisions. In addition, 64% of the people polled who carry debt admitted that debt is a cause of worry for them. While there is a difference between bad debt, and good debt, people have more debt than ever before. A combination of bad debt, and increasingly higher debt loads means more people will need of a debt consolidation or settlement solution than ever before. There is currently an open corridor opportunity for the debt consolidation or debt settlement company who can position themselves as the market leader.