An updated report has been rolled out protecting the privacy of consumers online.  Behavioral targeting is something a lot of website owners, search engines and other online advertisers do to determine certain information about consumers online activities.  This report was originally rolled out in November 2007, however there was a need to make some updates to the report.

One of the changes made allows websites owners to utilize consumers information for their own website marketing, however they can not share the consumer’s personal information for other gain.  According to DMNews, the report also discusses the potential benefits of behavioral advertising to consumers, such as the free online content that advertising tends to support, as well as the benefits of personalization.” So there is maybe some benefits to behavioral advertising?
The bottom line with this revised report is that the FTC is trying to make sure that consumers are protected while searching online. However, at this point the “leash” is very loose, and it appears the FTC is trying to let the online advertising industry handle this on their own. Furthermore, I am sure there will be some sort of intervention if consumer’s personal information continues to be violated.
Leadpile Lead Exchange believes in protecting consumers information in a way that those that are not supposed to have the consumers personal information do not. We generate thousands of leads per day, and are adamant on making sure we protect each and every one of those consumer’s private information.

Ask.com has closed a deal with Symantec (Norton software), where ask.com will provide the consumers a toolbar with search feature, displaying Ask results. So far, no matter how inovative Ask.com tools were, they couldn’t get a major market share in the Search space. With this new deal, it will become more interesting to watch their evolution. They seem to follow the same approach as Yahoo, when they signed a deal with McAfee.
The consumers will have the search tool integrated inside their toolbar, provided by Norton in their new release due Tuesday.

The new year is here and there still is a credit crisis that Americans are trying to figure out how they are going to get through. Many of my other posts talk about credit and ways to know your financial situation, therefore you know what you are getting into with any “new” loans etc. One way some get through these problems is with a payday loan/cash advance. Payday loans get a lot of negative publicity because many feel they are not an “appropriate” way to get out of a temporary situation. Each consumer has their own way of fixing their financial situation, but I thought this quote was pretty interesting in regards to payday loans (Payday Pundit).

How much debt a person has does not determine whether a payday loan is a good idea for them. If the loan enables them to repair their car so they don’t lose their job or saves them from eviction, then it’s a good idea even if they owe a million bucks. And it’s also a good idea even if it just saves them a few dollars in alternative fees that they would otherwise have to pay. People know their individual circumstances and are in a better position to know if a loan is good for them than the lender or any government formula put together by activists and politicians who want to pride themselves on how they are protecting us from ourselves.

Every loan is a gamble on the part of both lender and borrower, and nobody can ever guarantee that any loan can ever be repaid. If both the lender and the borrower mutually agree that the transaction is likely to further their interests, then who are you or any government agency to tell them that they can’t engage in it? If the lenders are tricking people into expecting one thing but delivering another that of course is deception which should be stopped, but apart from that, BUTT OUT, MAN!

If lenders have a responsibility to investigate the finances of people who apply for loans to make sure they can afford them then so do all other merchants and service providers. Is that the kind of society you want to live in? When you are the one who has to get government permission to purchase a product or service then you may feel differently about making politicians our parents instead of our servants.

The holidays are here and more and more of us are getting more and more in debt trying to prepare.  The unfortunate thing is many consumers were already in a bad situation with their debt, and now the holidays are going to add to the mess.  There are various options out there to help consumers with their debt situation. Debt consolidation, debt settlement and credit repair are a few services that help consumers with resolving their debt situation.

Debt Consolidation:  Working with a company that helps you consolidate all your credit cards into one payment.  A lot of companies can even work with the creditors to pause any future late charges or excess fees from being added to the current balance.

Debt Settlement: Working with a company that works with the creditors to get balance settlements.  A certain percentage of the total debt amount is paid, versus the whole amount and the balances continuing to get larger.

Credit Repair: Working with a company to help educate and direct you in the right direction regarding your credit.  There is a lot of information to know about your credit report and how to really optimize getting the most of your credit report.

According to Consumers Affairs, here are some things that determine if you need help with your debt:

In the midst of banks going under and consumers struggling to survive, another bank transaction has happened. According to consumer affairs, Capitol One has purchased Chevy Chase Bank. Chevy Chase bank has a large presence in New York, New Jersey, Texas and Louisiana.

     I think the oddest thing about another bank merger happening is, that I am not sure how many more of these mergers can really happen?  What other banks are out there anymore?  Also, I am not sure about your area of the country, but there are other “new” bank branches showing up on intersections all over my city.  I thought banks had no money?  How are they building all these new locations around our towns?  Maybe Leadpile Lead Exchange should start generating leads of businesses wanting to open a new bank…. no I don’t think so.

On a serious note, it is just a little odd to me to have so many banks either going down or being purchased, to then see new banks opening up in our cities. Are they going to be able to lend to all these consumers who are not qualifying at these other “struggling” banks?  I hope so because people need help right now!

Help with repairing your credit is something pretty much everyone could use a little assistance on. With a tough economy, Americans are needing to worry about more important things like paying their next electric bill. However, when that time comes where they have the ability to get help, credit repair is a great option to look at. Credit repair assistance can be a very informative service, that once you learn what makes up your credit report, you will be able to use the valuable information in the future.
Leadpile Lead Exchange is currently generating a large volume of credit repair leads. These consumers need the help now and are looking for someone to provide that service. Knowledge is power when it comes to your credit report, unfortunately not everyone is in a position to have great credit. Knowing we have a large demand for this lead type, and the large amount of consumers wanting assistance, Leadpile has rolled out some text links/landing sites for lead sellers to use.

www.countrywidecreditfix.com
www.creditfixnationwide.com
www.mycreditjump.com
www.personalcreditassist.com
www.uscreditfix123.com

If you are currently not working with Leadpile to purchase or sell credit repair leads, I recommend it!

Remember those days when you could pick out all the items you want, and then pay for them each week at your local store?  Okay, maybe not everyone did that, but I remember doing this sort of thing when wanting to buy some “big” ticket items.  Those days seem to be back.  Sears announced it is rolling out layaway!  You shop for what you want and then make a small down payment, then you are done.  Layaway is not a common thing these days, however with the economy retailers are doing whatever it is they can do to get consumers in their stores for the holidays

What happened to layaway and why did it pretty much disappear?  According to creditcards.com, the rise in credit cards being issued erased the high demand for layaway.  Now with consumers having maxed out credit cards, delinquent mortgages, and jobs disappearing, retailers are trying to come up with ideas on how to get that limited amount of consumers in THEIR stores.  Other stores that I found offer layaway are:  Burlington Coat Factory, TJ Maxx, and also take a look at elayaway.com, because this website offers a layaway service.
So, why would Leadpile Lead Exchange be writing about “layaway”? As I have stated in previous posts, we see consumers that are in all sorts of financial situations. Seeing stories such as retailers rolling out an old idea in this tough economy, gives me optimism that there is possibly some light at the end of the tunnel. Every little piece will help those consumers and the economy get headed in the right direction!

With tough times even in the internet business world, businesses must find effective ways to generate new business. Companies need to see results from their money spent on advertising, so many choose to invest in lead generation.
Businesses could spend an infinite amount of money on PPC and not know what the result could be. Businesses could spend undefined amounts of money on hiring someone to do SEO.
Businesses could purchase “lists” and cross your fingers there will be a response rate that is acceptable.
OR
Businesses can look at lead generation (CPL), where each lead you purchase is a defined person who is interested in their product. There are various ways lead generation companies are generating leads. For example, leads can be generated from things such as surveys or incentives. However, these are not always going to be as targeted of leads, because consumers could be looking at it like what is in it for them? Unlike some other lead generation companies, Leadpile Lead Exchange is working with ONLY consumers who are opting in for a particular product of service. This end result means a lot more targeted consumer,  and a much bigger chance the lead will convert to an actual sale.  What should businesses choose?
Marketing dollars are down, so this requires a strict focus on making the most out of what you spend on marketing. Businesses can’t afford to pay for random non targeted ads, unopened e-mails or wasted clicks. CPL pricing models allow businesses to get returns on every advertising dollar they spend.  Tough times are not just affecting consumers, it is affecting businesses all over the world.  Businesses are fighting over every last potential sale because they are becoming far and few between!

Citigroup announced it is going to be helping some of it’s mortgage customers from going into foreclosure.  According to NPR News, Citi will be lowering mortgage payments on more than 100,000 people who have not yet fallen behind. They said they are looking at getting some sort of similar assistance to those people whose loan they service, but do not own. Other major lenders are also rolling out assistance programs to it’s customers to help try and help control more foreclosures from happening.  Some mortgage customers who are paying their mortgage on time, say what can Citi do for them for being a “good” paying customer?  This is a legitimate question, however at this point if Citi lets more people go in foreclosure, then this will hurt our home values and economy EVEN MORE!  We don’t want that.

My question is why did it take this long to roll something out like this? Shouldn’t this have been something the major lenders offered before we got to this point?  Some are still asking who is to blame for all this hardship in our economy and mortgage industry, however at this point it might be best to just get the economy headed in the right direction first. Wasting time on trying to place blame is something that Americans need to avoid, and instead focus on how we can get the economy headed in the right direction. Citi and these other mortgage companies, I do commend for helping to start getting the ball rolling!

Leadpile Lead Exchange comes across all sorts of consumers is all sorts of financial situations every day.  However, the number of people submitting requests for foreclosure, loan modification, debt consolidation are increasing dramatically.  These consumers need help and we are going to help in any way we can, just like Citi and these other mortgage companies are trying to do.  Everyone contributing to this resolution, will help us ALL get headed in the right direction.

Did you hear?  The Fed cut a key interest rate today to 1%.  This is the second time in 3 weeks that the feds have done this.  So how is it going to affect the average consumer?   The immediate answer is there is not going to be an immediate affect on consumers.  However, there is some potential to see this benefit you in some way (maybe indirectly or down the road).

The problem is not necessarily that the rates are too high, however a lot of the issue is consumers who just don’t know if they can pay back the loan.  This is a concern of the consumer and also for the lenders. At some point or another money has to start flowing through to consumers for loans and lenders have to lend it. Where does the waterfall effect begin so the economy can start heading in the right direction? I am not sure anyone knows the answer, but in the meantime Leadpile Lead Exchange will generate those leads of people looking for various financial assistance.
Stay tuned……………..

Time is running out for consumers to read up on all the popositions being presented to them on the November 4th ballet. One thing that is being voted on in the states of Ohio and Arizona, is in regards to payday loans.  How much does everyone really understand about payday loans?  One myth I thought very important to point out:

Myth:  Payday lenders hide fees and mislead consumers.

Fact:  Just like any other service or loan you obtain, there is a cost to do get that loan or service.  In addition, any payday loan you take out there will be a cost to taking out the loan.  According to the CFSA website, “The cost of a payday advance is fully disclosed to customers on signs in the stores and in disclosure agreements. Moreover, in accordance with the Truth in Lending Act (TILA), the terms of the loan are clearly outlined in the lending agreement. Payday advances involve single, flat fees and there are no hidden charges, balloon payments or accruing interest. CFSA members also provide an educational brochure emphasizing responsible use of the product and offer a free right of rescission should the customer change their mind.”

CFSA also went on to say that in a recent survey 96% of the people were aware of the fees associated with taking out the payday loan.  Just like with any other loan, there are documents presented to the consumer with all the fees of doing the loan in black and white.  Are people sometimes just so anxious to get a loan, that they do not take the time to read the documents they are signing?

Leadpile Lead Exchange wants consumers to read everything before agreeing to take out a payday loan, or any other loan.  Knowledge is power!

In recent news, GMAC announced it would only offer auto loans to consumers with a credit score of 700+. According to Reuters.com, GMAC is only wanting to extend credit to those with good credit, and is also saying it will be doing more shorter term loans. This is in direct response to the economy and what is happening to the auto industry. GMAC expects these changes to remain in place until the economy stabilizes. In addition to these changes that are affecting consumers, GMAC says, “it has increased the rate it charges car dealers for providing standard auto financing by 75 basis points.” Therefore, this is not only affecting the consumer who is getting the car, but also those that are selling the cars.
Leadpile Lead Exchange works a lot with auto finance and car purchase leads. Situations like this, in the lending world, are going to affect the average “joe” who buys a car. This is where the auto finance lead type could become more demanded because generally you are talking about consumers that don’t have the perfect credit like GMAC is wanting. These consumers still need funding and there are still options out there for them, even though their credit is not “perfect”. Those dealers being affected by the GMAC decision should look at joining our lead exchange. We have the ability to connect you with consumers that are looking for a car and want it now.