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Emotional Stress From Debt May Hurt You Financially

Natasha Aronov — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 21:14:39 +0000

Paying off your debt can be one of the most rewarding and experiences and bring a feeling of relief. Often times if you have multiple sources of debt, there is one that bothers you more than the others do even if the payoff amount or interest not as high.

According to CreditCards.com not all debts carry the same psychological weight on people. Debt amounts that are linked with negative events such as divorce, fraud or medical can often times bring stress to a person. Even as this might bring emotional relief, it can be financially more beneficial to pay off the higher interest rate first.

Emotional attachment to debt does not always equal importance of repayment order. Looking at all of your debt amounts and weighing the cost of the interest and long term effects on your credit is a smart way to determine what should be priority in paying down first.

Debt settlement and debt consolidation are both options for consumers looking for debt relief options. Through Internet generation and live transfers LeadPile helps consumers in need of help find companies that are able to offer assistance in consolidating or lowering debt.

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Positive Changes For Consumers In Debt!

Natasha Aronov — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 08:00:17 +0000

Changes to fees and terms may be positive for many consumers struggling to pay their bills! New rules obtaining to overdraft protection requires consumers to specifically request it, rather than being automatically enrolled in it. According to the Credit CARD Act, should the consumer enroll for overdraft protection, fees can only be applied once during a billing cycle and the card company must notify the consumer of the amount. These new overdraft rules only apply to debit cards, not checks or electronic transfers.
Consumers now are given 21 days to send credit card payments in, rather than only 14, and if changes are made to terms, 45 days notice must be given instead of 15. This change does not apply to reducing your credit limit, the credit card company can do this at any time without any warning!
One new change might be scary for many consumers to see, but after the initial shock sets in, the overall perspective will hopefully ultimately help consumers in the long run. Effective starting February 22, credit card bills must make it clear how long it will take the consumers to pay off the balance, and how much interest will be paid if the minimum amount is all that is paid each month.
While there is no current cap placed on increasing interest rates, credit card companies are required to give customers 45 days notice on changes and may not raise the current interest rate on customers existing debt unless payment is more than 60 days late on payment. Additional help to consumers trying to pay off debt, additional fees for paying over the phone, electronic transfer, or mail are no longer allowed and universal default for existing credit card balances may no longer be practiced. The Credit CARD Act has now made is more difficult for college students to obtain credit cards, someone under 21 may not be offered a credit card without a co-signer or proof of proper income.
LeadPile matches consumers in debt with Debt Consolidation, Debt Settlement and Bankruptcy companies daily. Debt is a huge source of stress for many people, hopefully the new Credit CARD Act will help get people back on track and become more aware of their own debt, and make plans to get things paid off!

Good News For The Arizona Economy

Natasha Aronov — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 03:42:42 +0000

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!

The Dreaded Holiday Credit Card Bill

Natasha Aronov — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 02:45:47 +0000

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.

Is Debt Consolidation Right For You?

Natasha Aronov — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 03:48:21 +0000

With the amount of debt continuing to rise, you may have thought about debt consolidation as one of your options. Just like anything, it is always good to do a little research before jumping into a big decision. For someone who only has a few hundred dollars in debt, consolidation may not be the best options. There are costs that are associated with the actual consolidation process, and it can actually put you more in debt.
For someone who is thousands of dollars in debt, consolidation could be the perfect solution to your problem. Debt consolidation will combine all your debt into one large lump sum with only one payment being made, usually per month. This one payment will also be lower than what your normals bills would have been, and it will also have a lower interest rate.
One helpful tip is to make sure that you find a trusted lender. Since you are already in debt, you do not want to find your self getting ripped off on top if it. Leadpile wants to make sure that all consumer use a trusted debt company, so do your research first!. So, if you think that you are a good candidate for debt consolidation, don’t wait and get further into debt, start consolidating today!

LeadPile Announces 61 Lead Verticals Served in past 30 Days

Eugen Ilie — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:36:25 +0000

*Phoenix June 30th, 2009* — LeadPile, The World’s Largest Online Exclusive Lead Exchange announced today record results for its [MicroClick Form](http://www.microclick.com) in June, 2009. LeadPile reports a record number of Lead Verticals being served by its MicroClick Form with Lead Sellers producing leads in 61 different verticals in the month of June. This makes the LeadPile MicroClick Form the most widely used Multi Vertical Lead Generation Form in the lead Marketplace and Lead Exchange Industry.

LeadPile’s Centralized Online Exclusive Lead Marketplace supports thousands of affiliates that use the exchange to sell to suitable lead buyers. By using the LeadPile MicroClick Form, Affiliates can focus on driving traffic to their pages and not on managing lead buyer relationships. Over 90% of LeadPile’s active affiliates are currently using the MicroClick form, offloading the responsibility for lead collection, management, technology infrastructure, and quality control to LeadPile.

Astoundingly, LeadPile’s MicroClick form has been used to produce leads as diversified as Tax Debt Relief, Home Improvements, Business Loans, Health Insurance, Equipment Leasing, Credit Card Processing, Cash For Gold and more.

Andrew Jacob, CEO of LeadPile says, “The LeadPile MicroClick Form allows us to handle leads across multiple verticals, including payday, starter credit, debt consolidation, credit repair, bankruptcy, auto financing, and homeowner. While the majority of leads currently being exchanged in the Marketplace are in the Financial sector, the fact that Lead Sellers are using the MicroClick form to produce leads in over 60 verticals is very rewarding for our team.

Jacob adds, “I would like to personally thank our existing Lead Buyers and Leads Sellers for their business, and it is our promise to everything we possible can to help them in their efforts by continuing to provide the type of technology infrastructure and transparency that they have come to both expect, and deserve, from LeadPile.

About LeadPile:

LeadPile (“LeadPile” or the “Company”) is the premier Lead Exchange, providing a central marketplace for the buying and selling of targeted consumers or “leads.” The Company’s system sits between lead buyers and sellers allowing them to conduct business in an efficient, exchange-driven environment providing value to both parties. The Company’s MicroClick form allows high traffic affiliates to merely place LeadPile-generated code on their pages in order to immediately produce leads. These leads are directly routed to the exchange for sale, thus the system allows affiliates to generate leads without creating a backend management system or managing lead buyer relationships. To read more, please visit http://www.LeadPile.com

Phoenix June 30th, 2009 — LeadPile, The World’s Largest Online Exclusive Lead Exchange announced today record results for its MicroClick Form (http://www.microclick.com) in June, 2009. LeadPile reports a record number of Lead Verticals being served by its MicroClick Form with Lead Sellers producing leads in 61 different verticals in the month of June. This makes the LeadPile MicroClick Form the most widely used Multi Vertical Lead Generation Form in the lead Marketplace and Lead Exchange Industry.

To read more, please visit http://www.LeadPile.com/

Credit Card Bubble About To Burst?

Mari Woods Holt — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:29:43 +0000

Credit cards are a way of life for most Americans. According to Time.com, in the last 10 years credit card balances have gone up 75%, yet consumer’s wages have gone up only 4%. Increased balances and the number of credit cards consumers have, has allowed credit card companies to reap the rewards for years. These credit card companies have always survived in tough economic times because they were able to generate lots of revenue from things such as late fees, however more and more consumers are now facing charge off. The charge off rate for default consumers is expected to reach 10%, which is double what the rate has been for the past 10 years. If there are more charge offs, that means credit card companies will be in the RED, because defaults/charge offs will far surpass the revenue they are bringing in from things such as late fees. So, what does that mean will happen?
In the case of American Express, they just became a bank holding company in order to receive some low cost funds and a piece of the $700 billion bailout. In the case of Citigroup, they layed off 10,000 employees and will begin imposing higher interest rates on it’s 54 billion cardholders. With other credit card issuers, there is bound to be some increased interest rates passed down to the cardholders and increased fees. The only way to really avoid the effects of these credit card issuer’s hardships, is for consumers to manage their money better where they avoid any additional late fees and also look at not incorporating any new debt. The only option I can see is looking at debt consolidation or debt settlement to avoid getting in a deeper hole. Leadpile Lead Exchange generates a lot of debt leads where consumers need help and need help now. Hopefully, they can ride the wave before any sort of credit card “bubble” bursts and they are affected in an even worse way.

Consolidation Of Banks = Higher Fees?

Mari Woods Holt — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:22:48 +0000

With today’s news about Wachovia Bank being purchased by Citigroup, this leaves pretty much 3-4 major banks out there now. For instance, there is Wells Fargo Bank, Citigroup, JP Morgan Chase, and Bank of America. According to Business Week, this could mean the cost of taking care of your money, or getting new loans could cost consumers more money. “The larger the bank is, theoretically the more power they have to set pricing and other policies,” said Nancy Atkinson, senior analyst at Aite Group, a financial services research firm. “I expect we’ll start to see free checking accounts start to disappear, and rates on overdrafts could go up. Savings rates could drop, Business Week says.” Also, things such as customer service and answering questions, could be a little hard to get taken care of with these new consolidation of banks. Therefore, those that are maybe wondering how this bank consolidation affected them… maybe soon will see.
Will all these changes cause industries such as payday loans to become more popular, because consumers getting loans with their banks won’t happen as easily? Time will tell how this will affect Leadpile Lead Exchange and the types of leads we are bringing in.