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 Consolidation Help - Are your bills piling up? Lower your monthly payments and consolidate them with a debt consolidation loan or a related service.
• Settlement of Debt - High credit card balances making your monthly payments impossible to meet? The negotiation of your outstanding bills with your creditors may be a good debt solution for you. Educate yourself on your options and compare available programs.
• Personal Loan Financing - Need a personal loan for debt consolidation? These types of loans often do not require collateral and are available to homeowners, as well as renters.

Protect Against Bad Deals and Scams that Arrive by Phone, Letter and the Internet

Beware of crooks impersonating legitimate businesses, charities and other organizations

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Try to deal only with businesses you already know or that have been recommended by someone you trust. This minimizes the chance that you may be lured in by a high-cost company or a shady marketer, perhaps even a con artist. When in doubt, start with your state or local consumer protection office (listed in the blue pages of your phone book) and ask where to go for information on whether a service provider is properly licensed to do business and whether there are complaints or rule violations tied to this company. Another resource for complaints against a company is the Better Business Bureau.

For guidance on whether a bank is legitimate, you can call the FDIC's toll-free consumer assistance line (1-877-ASK-FDIC, which is 1-877-275-3342). You can also use the FDIC's online directory of insured banking institutions, Bank Find, at www2.fdic.gov/idasp/main_bankfind.asp.

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 2/2/2007

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.

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.