Related Financial Services - The following Debt Consolidation Loan Directory sections allow you to comparison shop other finance products, such as debt consolidation loans and credit counseling firms.

• Debt Management Program - Having trouble managing the demands of mounting credit card debts and other bills? You are not alone. Using the services of a debt management company may be the solution to your problems.
• Debt Settlement Company - If you have too many credit cards and other small debts and are unable to make your payments, this form of debt negotiation may be right for you.
• Personal Loan Financing - Looking for a small loan to consolidate your debt? Personal loans are typically unsecured and do not require the use of collateral.

A Special Guide for Seniors and Families

It's Never Too Late to Simplify and Organize Your Finances

Toss old documents: Are you afraid to throw away old bank statements, bills, receipts and cancelled checks because you think you may need them some day? We can't tell you when it's safe to throw away certain financial documents —that's for you to decide, perhaps after consulting with your accountant or attorney. But we have offered general guidance that's reasonable for many people in the Fall 2002 FDIC Consumer News (online at www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/news/cnfall02/bnkrcrds.html). For example, cancelled checks with no long-term significance for tax or other purposes probably can be destroyed after about a year. Cancelled checks that support your tax returns (such as charitable contributions, investments, home improvement costs or tax payments) should be held for at least seven years, and in some cases indefinitely.

Also, to avoid becoming a victim of identity theft, shred any document that contains a Social Security number, bank account number or other personal or financial information. A crosscut shredder that turns paper into confetti is highly recommended by experts.

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 11/14/2005

Make educated decisions when shopping for bank services, consolidation of debt, mortgages and insurance. Read up!

DebtConsolidationLoan.com has a growing list of free informative and educational financial articles for consumers shopping for many types of financial services related to the management of your money, such as bill consolidation, fraud alerts and auto insurance. There is no better way to make decisions regarding your personal finances than to read and understand how they work, fees you will be charged, etc. Please feel free to visit our consumer library to learn more.

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• Home Equity Loan Products: How to Borrow Safely - As values increase in many housing markets, Americans are increasingly tapping their home's equity for an equity loan or an equity line of credit. Learn more and make the right decision for your needs.

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