Being located in Arizona, Leadpile has kept up with the surrounding events and will continue to keep you updated. With so much controversy going on at the border, only time will tell if these new troops are a wise investment.

According to The New York Times the proposed bill would expand what information should be considered confidential. Such information would expand to include, health or financial data, a users race or sexual orientation, the users precise location and any unique customer identification number. This bill could also include the users IP address.

Online and off-line companies would have to disclose a description of the information being collected and how it is being used in their privacy policies

Representatives Rick Boucher, Democrat of Virginia and Cliff Stearns, Republican of Florida released the draft legislation on Tuesday May 4, 2010. Both parties will collect comments on the draft in hopes to have a formal legislation completed within a month or so.

Consumer groups have been fighting targeted advertisements, which could be based on the internets users actions. Google and Yahoo have already adjusted their own privacy policies around this concern.

This “would be the first law that applies generally to businesses requiring privacy notice, particularly in the offline space” said Lisa J. Sotto, a partner at Hunton & Williams.

In recent news, Ohio’s new payday lending law might not be going as smoothly as they had planned. According to dispatchpolitics.com, the public thought the commerce department (who regulates the payday lending industry) would be able to control the payday lenders from charging high interest rates on the short term loans.  It seems Ohians are getting around these new payday lending laws by offering short term loans under the Ohio Short Term Loan Act.  It seems they are trying to do anything possible to get around this newly implemented law.  Leadpile Lead Exchange will be keeping an eye on this to see if it affects the future lending laws of other states.

Matt Burns of Business First of Columbus had a very nice article today on the situation with the Ohio Payday Ballot.

According to Burns,, Ohio officials have finally finalized the ballot language for the Payday Issue.

The Ballot will read:  “Shall Section 3 of H.B. 545 be approved?” A “yes” vote keeps intact the provision of the law, which caps annual interest rates on payday loans at 28 percent, down from 391 percent, while limiting the maximum loan amount to $500, from $800.

A “no” vote, according to the language, sets the maximum loan amount back to $800 and allows payday lenders to levy a total charge on a loan that “substantially exceeds” 28 percent.  According to Burns, the 391 percent annual percentage rate calculation doesn’t appear on the ballot.

It looks like a Payday Group called Ohioans for Financial Freedom have worked to collect signatures to make sure the repeal makes it on the ballot. They called the language “fair and balanced.” According to Burns, Ohioans for Financial Freedom has until the end of the month to collect and submit more than 241,000 valid signatures to ensure a spot on the ballot.

Stay Tuned my friends. Ohio is in the middle of it.

To me when I hear people complain about things I often wonder if they are doing something about it. The best way to make your voice heard is to get out and vote. Don’t sit and complain and then if things don’t get better or change think that you can’t make a difference. Every voice heard is one more for change. In Maricopa county we had a large number of independent voters attempt to vote in the Presidential primary and I don’t think that has happened in the past. they were not allowed to vote because it was a party preference election but they still came out to make their voices heard. They wanted to make a difference whether it mattered or not in the final count. It mattered to them.

To make sure that you are registered to vote check with your local recorders office. Also make sure that your records are up to date so that you don’t end up going to the wrong place to vote and have to travel to another polling area wait in another line and then vote.  Next step is to make sure you know where your local polling place is. That information is vital to voting as well as knowing if you are registered.  You also need to check to see what kind of ID is required. In Arizona you need 2 forms of ID.  Remember what dates your elections are on. All elections should be listed on your local recorders web site.  It is very important to learn what you can about the candidates. You want to be an informed voter and not just vote for someone just because you “think” they will do a good job.  You can always volunteer to be a poll worker. Since you are going to the polls anyways. You get to meet your neighbors and I know I always have fun. I get to work at my daughter school so we always eat lunch together. Most important is to get out and VOTE! It can make a difference.

http://www.canivote.org/

Sure, all Cash Advance and Auto Groups want the SSN on the leads.  My question is, are they truly necessary?   Many may say, “well, sure it is!”  It’s needed to run a credit check when applying online.  What happens to leads that don’t provide an accurate Social or that become skeptical and refuse to provide it.

With identity theft in the U.S. affecting over 10 million Americans a year across the U.S. according to a study by the Berkeley Law School, you will experience less people providing their social on leads.  Especially, if they have been victims of identity theft.  Wouldn’t you agree?

What does this mean?  In a lead exchange, we provide safe, secured sites that are developed to ensure that the consumer feels comfortable.  Even then we will get leads where the consumer did not provide the Social.  Realistically, this doesn’t mean the lead is bad.  Payday lenders and Auto Dealers, can purchase leads of such and call them.  Making the consumer comfortable in providing sensitive data.  Consumers will need to earn your trust and understand that their information will not just be floating around and getting to the wrong hands. 

Buying leads with no SSN will bring in more business.  You will close more deals.  Lead exchange will increase your ROI, when you use all aspects to them.  Getting full applications is a great benefit, but don’t forget about the consumers that are interested but become uneasy with just providing all their personal information online.  They are a sure candidate to close more deals, I’m sure.

Its always easier when you can talk to a person directly! Keep that in mind.