Related Financial Services - The following Debt Consolidation Loan Directory listings of companies are offered to assist you with gaining control of your personal finances and the management of your money. Also, feel free to review the rest of the sub-directories on DebtConsolidationLoan.com to shop for other finance products, such as credit cards and mortgage refinancing.

• Debt Management Services - Having trouble keeping up with your monthly credit payments? Compare debt management companies in this online list that can try amd help you get a grip on your personal financial situation.
• Debt Settlement Negotiation - Too much debt? List of companies providing this alternative to bankruptcy that provides for debt negotiation and arbitration services for those that need to eliminate debt.
• Get Personal Loan - 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.

Fires, Floods and Other Misfortunes: Are You Prepared Financially?

Disasters can impair your ability to conduct day-to-day money matters. This guide can help you plan appropriately.

While Hurricane Katrina was the dominant disaster story in the U.S. in 2005, other calamities such as floods, fires, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes or similar events occur frequently, forcing people to evacuate their homes. Minor disasters also damage or destroy property or personal belongings. Just ask anyone whose has had a water pipe burst at home, turning their storage or living space into a wading pool. So why is the FDIC — a banking regulator — telling you about floods and fires?

What to Have Ready

Consider keeping the following documents, bank products and other items in a secure place and readily available in an emergency. (For guidance on how and where to keep originals and copies of selected items, keep reading.)

Forms of identification: These primarily include driver's licenses (or state ID cards for non-drivers), insurance cards, Social Security cards, passports, and birth certificates. These documents will be crucial if you or your family should need to rebuild lost records or otherwise prove to a government agency, a bank or other business that you are who you claim to be. "It's best to have the originals, but it's also important to have photocopies of these documents in case originals are misplaced or destroyed," said Kincaid. "Also, never keep the originals with the copies."

Your checkbook with enough blank checks and deposit slips to last a month or so: Your need for checks will vary depending on how long you may be displaced or how often you write checks. Even if you rarely or never write checks, at least consider having a copy of a check or your checking account number handy. That's because, in an emergency, you can authorize an important payment by providing the recipient (for example, an insurance company) your checking account number over the phone.

Automated teller machine cards, debit cards (for use at ATMs and merchants) and credit cards: These cards give you access to cash and the ability to make payments on outstanding bills. Most ATM and debit cards require the use of personal identification numbers (PINs), so make sure you know those numbers. Don't write your PINs on or near your cards in case they are lost or stolen. Also, don't assume that merchants and ATMs in areas affected by a disaster will be immediately functioning as usual — that's why it's smart to have other options available for getting cash and making payments, as described in this article.

Cash: The amount you should have available will depend on several factors, including the number of people in your family and your ability to use ATM, debit and credit cards to get more cash or make purchases. But remember that cash in your house or wallet and not in your bank account can easily be lost or stolen.

Phone numbers for your financial services providers: These would include local and toll-free numbers for your bank, credit card companies, brokerage firms (for stocks, bonds or mutual fund investments) and insurance companies. Why have these numbers handy? You may need to defer a payment, replace lost cards or documents, open new accounts, or otherwise request assistance. If you have people you regularly deal with, have their phone numbers on your list, too. "Working with someone who knows you can speed things up and provide you with some additional peace of mind," said Kincaid.

Important account numbers: These would include bank and brokerage account numbers, credit card numbers, and homeowner's or renter's insurance policy numbers. Kincaid also suggests copying the front and back of your credit cards (and keeping them in a safe place). "Often times, if you have a copy of your credit card and a valid ID, you can make a purchase without having your actual card," she explained. Plus, the photocopies can help you keep track of your account numbers and company phone numbers.

The key to your safe deposit box: You can't get into your safe deposit box at the bank without your key, no matter how many forms of identification you have. Also, while many banks issue two keys when a box is rented, simply giving someone else a key doesn't allow that person access to a box in an emergency. He or she also must be designated in the bank's records as a joint renter or be appointed a "deputy" or "agent" who has access to your box. Contact your bank about the proper arrangements.

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 2/02/2006

Make the correct decisions when shopping for banking, debt consolidation and related financial services. Educate yourself!

The Debt Consolidation Loan Directory has a growing library of free informative / educational financial resources for consumers shopping for many types of services related to the management of your money, such as consolidating credit card debts, fraud alerts and car insurance. There is no better way to make decisions regarding the management of your personal finances than to read and understand how they work. Please feel free to visit our consumer resource library for more information.

• Cell Phone Banking - New cell phones are constantly evolving and becoming more sophisticated. This includes adding the capability of handling online banking through your phone. This FDIC article discusses some of the possibilities and precautions you should take when using your phone for banking purposes.
• How to Protect Yourself with FDIC Insurance - Read up on what qualifications are necessary and how to determine if your deposits are covered by FDIC insurance.
• Direct Deposit Safer than Checks? - The US Treasury Department reports that a majority of surveyed consumers mistakenly believe that paper checks are safer than direct deposit.
• Consider the Fees! - Learn what to look for and examine the details of each banking account offer for possible fees, such as: inactivity, minimum balance and ATM withdrawal fees.

The Debt Consolidation Loan Directory is a service of Infinamic, Inc. All information is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed. Infinamic, Inc. is not responsible for the content and services, that may be provided to you, by following the links from this web site. Use this service at your own discretion.