Related Consumer Finance Programs - The following sub-directories of companies offer a wide variety of financial programs to assist you with the management of your finances. Consolidate debt with a consolidation loan or use a debt counseling service or mortgage refinance for help with the consolidation of your charge card debt and other monthly payments.

• Bad Credit Debt Consolidation - Need lower payments? If you have a large amount of small debts (especially if they have adjustable interest rates), now may be a good time to do a consolidation of your bills and lower your overall monthly outgo.
• Personal Loan Rates - Looking for a small loan? Start at the personal loans directory, where you can shop and apply with different lenders and related services online.
• Debt Management Consolidation - 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.

Make Sure You Are Financially Fit

A checklist for shaping up your personal balance sheet

Three

Get a free copy of your credit report. These reports, prepared by companies called credit bureaus, summarize your history of paying debts and other bills. If you apply for a loan, insurance or a job, or you want to rent an apartment, chances are your credit report will be reviewed for information about your financial reliability. But you should be reviewing copies of your credit report, too. One reason is to correct errors or omissions, which could damage your credit rating and, in the case of a loan or credit card application, cost you hundreds of dollars each year in interest or other charges. Also, by monitoring your credit reports you help guard against identity theft because you can look for signs that a fraudster has opened credit cards or other accounts in your name.

The three nationwide credit bureaus – Equifax, Experian and TransUnion – issue their own reports and they sometimes differ, so it's smart to see what each one is saying. By law, you are entitled to one free copy of your report each year from each of those three companies. For more information and to order free credit reports, go to the Web site established by the three credit bureaus at www.AnnualCreditReport.com or call toll-free 1-877-322-8228. 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 get periodic updates.

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 2/1/2007

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.

DebtConsolidationLoan.com is a service of Infinamic, Inc. All debt consolidation and financial services 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.