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.

• Debt Settlement Service - 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.
• Personal Loan Company - Looking for a personal loan to consolidate your credit cards? These loans are usually unsecured, meaning you are not required to provide collateral. Approval is often based upon factors as your income, credit and job history.
• Credit and Debt Management - Do you have too many monthly bills and payments to manage them effectively? Visit this directory of sites in order to review and compare different debt management programs that may be able to help.

The FDIC at 75: Protecting America's Consumers from Generation to Generation

A Message to Readers

The FDIC was created by Congress in 1933 to restore confidence in the U.S. banking system after thousands of banks closed during the Great Depression, and families and businesses all across America lost money deposited in those institutions. We're extremely proud of the FDIC's 75 years of service to the American people, including the fact that no depositor has ever lost a single penny of FDIC-insured funds. But there's much more to the story about how the FDIC helps and protects consumers.

The FDIC will be observing our 75th anniversary in a variety of ways during 2008, including special features in FDIC Consumer News, starting with this collection of consumer tips and information reminding you how the FDIC is still here helping to preserve and protect your money, just as we have been for generations of bank customers since 1933.

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 02/14/2008

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.