Comparing Related Financial Services - In addition to the credit card company advertisers listed below, Debtconsolidationloan.com offers a wide variety of consumer finance program listings to assist you with controlling your debts and other money management needs. Consolidate credit card bills with debt consolidation loans or use a credit counseling service for help with your getting your monthly budget under control.

• Personal Loan Rates - Need a smaller loan? Personal loan financing is most often unsecured. Meaning... your home or personal property is not used as collateral and the loan decision will typically be based upon your credit history and your ability to make the necessary payments. Also, this is often referred to as a signature loan.
• Debt Management Credit 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.
• Settlement of Debt - 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.

Be on guard against financial fraud. "Con artists are very creative and unscrupulous when it comes to thinking of new ways to steal money," said Michael Benardo, manager of the FDIC's Financial Crimes Section. "Consumers need to understand the warning signs and be on the lookout for fraud involving loans, checks, credit cards, ATMs, the Internet and other bank products and services." Here's what Benardo said are some of the best ways to protect against financial fraud:

• Review your bank statements to spot unauthorized withdrawals.
• Get copies of your credit reports (http://www.AnnualCreditReport.com or call toll-free 1-877-322-8228) and look for loans, credit cards or other accounts that an identity thief may have opened in your name.
• Be wary of requests to divulge personal information — especially your date of birth, Social Security Number, bank account information and your mother's maiden name — in response to an unsolicited call, letter or e-mail, no matter how official it may look.
• Before disposing of documents with personal information, use a crosscut shredder that will turn the paper into confetti.
• Beware of offers or prizes that seem too good to be true — for example, you are told you won a lottery you never entered or a stranger sends you a big check by mistake — and you are pressured to wire money back to cover "fees," "taxes" or some other (fraudulent) purpose.

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 02/12/2008

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