The downturn of the economy has left many people with high credit card balances and not many options. Payday loans have been and will continue to be a great source of necessary and quickly needed funds for a large number of consumers however don’t always offer the larger amount loans or longer payment terms that personal loans once offered. Prior to the economy taking a downward turn and home-equity loans becoming the popular choice personal loans were the main option for many people.

Recently, as the demand to borrow money has become necessary for many, personal loans have been in demand and the supply is starting to make a comeback. Personal loans, can offer the longer terms and higher borrowing amounts than payday is typically able to and offers a much better option and interest rate than credit cards do.

Recently, according to CBS MoneyWatch, banks including Wells Fargo, Discover Financial, Citi and CapitalOne are all currently offering personal loans.

Wells Fargo – loaning $3,000 – $10,000 for lengths as long as five years
Citi – $300 – $7.500
Discover Financial – lending up to $25,000

A recent study indicated that the use of at least three social media options in email marketing campaigns lead to a 55% higher click-through rate.  The interesting thing is that only about half of email marketers are adding some sort of social element to their email campaigns.

The real ROI comes in the shared messages of these type of campaigns. Messages that included a sharing option generated 30% higher click-throughs than emails without the social sharing links.  Three or more generated 55% higher click-throughs.  Twitter alone showed a 40% higher CTR than without a sharing link.  Twitter appears to be the most popular option at 67.2% of all social emails with Facebook coming in a close second at 62.7%.

Think about it, you send an email to a million users in your email list.  If 55% of the users that click through your message and share it with their 130+ friends on Facebook or followers on Twitter, imagine how much ROI you are getting on that email campaign without any additional cost!  Folks, time to start A/B testing!

June 30th is the date that the Payday loan industry in Arizona will have to fight to survive past. The industry has many advocacy groups and local businesses supporting a bill that would allow the short-term loan companies to continue operating. Supporters of the bill believe that this economy has shown short-term smaller loans are necessary and not easily available from banks or credit unions; the lower dollar amount loans are helping a lower income or “fallen on hard times” part of the population.

In recent weeks, there have been talks on the largest debate surrounding the Payday industry, the interest rates. The interest rates are currently under a temporary exemption from the 36 percent, charging $17.65 per $100 borrowed for a 2 week loan; this exemption would expire on June 30th. The Payday loan lenders would possibly not generate enough revenue to cover overhead costs if capped at 36%, however this is the number that Representatives from the minority House Democrats would like to hold them to…

As these discussions continue and the debate grows, LeadPile will continue to keep you updated!

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!

It is once again that time of year to start thinking about getting your taxes done. Uncle Sam is ready to collect his money, unless you are one of the lucky ones and expecting a return. Whether or not you owe or are owed money, there are both pros and cons to filing your taxes early.
The IRS officially starts accepting returns as early January and gives you the choice to file as soon as your W2 and 1099s are received.

Advantages to filling early can be:
*Receiving your refund faster
*Getting it over with
*Avoiding crowds and long lines at the post office
*Avoiding the possibility of being late, and owing more
*Giving your self time incase you realize something is more complicated that originally though

Advantages to waiting to pay your taxes until they are due:
*Maximizing your interest by keeping the money you owe in an interest-bearing account until April
*Possibly decrease your chances of being audited. Some think that it’s best to put your taxes off until the very extreme, and this will lessen your chances of being audited
*Tax forms can sometimes be updated during the tax season, the changes might not be reflected yet if you file early

If you are receiving money back it may be hard to wait, lending out your money to the government interest free is very nice, but not something that we all want to do for extended periods of time. If you are going to have to pay, it might be worth the wait!

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.

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……………..