Related Financial Services - The following directories of companies and services offer a wide variety of financial programs to assist you with handling your debts. Consolidate your bills with debt consolidation loans or use an unsecured loan or credit counseling for help with your payments.

• Debt Management Help - Do you have too many monthly payments to manage them properly? Visit this directory of sites in order to review and compare different debt management services that may be able to help.
• Personal Loan Rates - Need a smaller loan? Personal loans are most often unsecured. That means you do not have to secure them with personal assets in order to do a debt consolidation. This type of financing is typically based upon your credit history and your ability to make your payments.
• Debt Settlement Program - If you have a large amount credit cards and other unsecured debt, and have fallen behind your payments, this form of debt negotiation may be the right option for helping you with your finance problems.

A Special Guide for Seniors and Families

If a Crime Has Been Committed

Contact the fraud departments of any one of the three major credit bureaus if you suspect your name or accounts are being used improperly. They are Equifax at 1-800-525-6285, Experian at 1-888-397-3742, or TransUnion at 1-800-680-7289. Ask for a "fraud alert" to be placed on your credit file, which can help prevent a thief from opening new accounts or making changes to your existing accounts.

Call your financial institutions if accounts have been corrupted by a crook or fraudulently opened in your name. Discuss closing those accounts and opening new accounts. Also consider filling out an "ID Theft Affidavit" available on the Federal Trade Commission's Web site at www.consumer.gov/idtheft or by calling toll-free 1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338). This document can be used to help you prove you are an innocent victim.

Call the local police to fill out the necessary crime reports.

FDIC Consumer News is published by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

FDIC Consumer News is produced quarterly by the FDIC Office of Public Affairs in cooperation with other Divisions and Offices. It is intended to present information in a nontechnical way and is not intended to be a legal interpretation of FDIC or other government regulations and policies. Mention of a product, service or company does not constitute an endorsement.

Find current and past issues of FDIC Consumer News at http://www.fdic.gov/consumernews. Refer to this same index to locate the issues that are specially formatted for being reprinted in any quantity.

To receive an e-mail notice about each new issue of FDIC Consumer News posted on the FDIC Web site, with links to stories, follow instructions posted at www.fdic.gov/about/subscriptions/index.html.

Last updated on 11/10/2005

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