Related 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 a debt consolidation loan or use a debt management or credit counseling service for help with your credit card bills and other payments.
- Bad Credit Debt Consolidation - Learn more on how debt consolidation can work for you and compare a detailed company list of lenders and related services offering help to people that need to consolidate debt.
- Debt Management Counseling - Do you feel that your credit card bills are stacking up with nowhere for you to turn? Your problem is not unique. Signing up with debt management firm may be the right solution to your debt problems. Review different firms offering these services to determine if this is the correct option for you.
- Debt Settlement Negotiation - Simply too much debt to get a grip on? Review a list of companies and learn more about this service that uses debt negotiation and arbitration to help people that need assistance with eliminating their debts.
Cutting Your Costs
Simple Strategies for Saving Money on Loans and Credit Cards
3. Check your credit report for accuracy. Something as simple as correcting incomplete or erroneous information in your credit record may be enough to qualify you for a better interest rate on a loan or credit card and save you hundreds of dollars each year in interest payments. For example, if you always pay your loans on time, but your credit report shows late payments, you'll want to correct that.
By federal law, you are entitled to one free copy of your credit report every year from each of the three nationwide credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Each company issues its own report, so it's smart to check each one. Go to www.AnnualCreditReport.com or call toll-free 1-877-322-8228 to order free credit reports or for more information. Although you can ask to receive copies from all three credit bureaus at the same time, you also can spread out your requests throughout the year to check for major changes or inconsistencies.
Identity theft is another reason to regularly review your credit reports. Make sure an ID thief hasn't opened credit cards or other accounts in your name to commit fraud.
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 8/10/2007