| Payday loans have benefits, risks
Judy Killion of Garden City said she wanted to pay her electric bill so she wouldn't be left in the dark. Her daughter, Amber Zahnter, also of Garden City, said she wanted to pay rent and utilities but was having a hard time meeting those obligations. Neither said they expected a loan from a payday or auto title lender would lead them further into debt. Killion said her problems began in 2000 when she was living in a trailer at Meadow Lark. Her electric bill was higher than normal -- $300 -- and she didn't have the money. Friends told her about payday loans. Killion borrowed $200 from Check Into Cash, which now does business as Ace Express, and a $100 loan from Money Lenders, which is no longer in business. She said the lenders explained the contract to her and answered her questions regarding the loan, but she wasn't aware of late fees and the companies didn't mention them.
Payday lending reform needed
Ohio's 1995 legislation that enabled the practice of payday lending now looks like a classic case of good intentions gone awry. The idea was to allow people with modest incomes and checking accounts to take out small, two-week loans from check-cashing outlets, giving them quick access to cash to tide them over until their next paychecks. Lenders were permitted to charge high fees, $15 per $100 loaned, on the theory that people would make one-time use of this service in emergencies. But too often, it hasn't worked that way for cash-strapped Ohioans who use payday lending as a last resort. By the time they get their next paychecks, they find themselves unable to pay back the loan plus fees, so they end up taking out a second loan to pay the first one, and on and on.
Dante Tosetti Appointed Managing Director
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- First Republic Bank, a leading provider of private banking, private business banking and wealth management services, today announced that Dante Tosetti has been named Managing Director - Business Banking. Tosetti, who has 10 years of banking experience, will work with commercial business clients in the Bay Area and is located at the Bank's Walnut Creek office at 1400 Civic Drive. First Republic's business banking group provides an array of innovative financing solutions to businesses. Products include lines of credit, business loans, commercial real estate financing, and cash management programs, including online banking, remote deposit, and lockbox services. "Dante Tosetti is a terrific addition to our growing team of business bankers in the San Francisco Bay Area," said Katherine August-deWilde, President and Chief Operating Officer of First Republic Bank.
Debt And Your Taxes
This makes debt management more important than ever, because you are basically penalized by the IRS whenever you have interest that falls into the nondeductible category. Here's a quick summary on when you get a tax break for borrowing and when you don't. .
Post details: Are you satisfied with the outcome of the city's ...
She said people should send e-mails or write letters. "People have become frustrated with telephone communications," she said. Board member Herb Friedman said as far as he is concerned it's a dead issue. "The city is not going to do anything," he told his colleagues. "I'm not sure the board can waste any more time." Said board member Mary Herres: "If customers expect monetary relief, they will have to do it on their own." The compensation issue was included in a list of seven recommendations compiled by the advisory board in May. Huggenberger said Time Warner agreed to five of the seven recommendations. He said the company would: * Look into redesigning its Web site to help customers understand how complaints are handled.
Is the Democratic race over?
Polinaut expects a steady drumbeat of "I'm the electable one," from here on. Comments (7) "Is the Democratic race over?" God I hope not. Posted by bsimon | October 16, 2007 3:30 PM So what your really saying is you would like to see Bloomberg in the election as a third choice. (He might get my vote if he teams up with Ron Paul as VP candidate) Posted by ILikeBob | October 16, 2007 3:32 PM I don't know. National polls don't seem to matter as much as state-by-state races, where it's still competitive. I will say, though, that Obama is distant second instead of the close second he was a few months ago. But he's still got just about as much money as Hilary. Who knows how he'll end up spending it? I kinda think that the whole 'inevitable' line of thinking isn't really reality, but an argument put forth by the Clinton campaign.
Cupboard hardly bare on the farm
A sixth-round pick from Auburn in 2005, Thomas consistently has been one of the smartest, most coachable players in the system, and now he is beginning to hit (.280, with eight home runs and 30 doubles in 137 games at Erie in 2007). A left-handed batter who struggles against left-handed pitching, but has made himself a contender for an eventual trip to the majors. 11. Tony Giarratano, SS, 6-0, 180, age 25 He has had knee and shoulder problems the past two years. If he can come back healthy, the Tigers return to their system a certified, switch-hitting prospect with an excellent arm. 12. Brent Dlugach, SS, 6-5, 200, age 24 Dlugach hurt his right shoulder after 22 games last season. He was off to a terrific start at Erie, hitting .292 when he had surgery.
DLF Sells Stake in Kenneth Builders to Indiabulls Real Estate
DLF Ltd., India's biggest developer, said it sold its stake in Kenneth Builders and Developers Ltd. to its equal partner in the venture, Indiabulls Real Estate Ltd. DLF and Indiabulls formed the joint venture in 2006 to develop high-end residential apartments at Okhla in New Delhi. The unit bought its only holding, 35.8 acres (14.5 hectares) of land, for 4.5 billion rupees ($114 million) from the Delhi Development Authority in the same year. ``Buying and selling land is a continuous process for us,'' Sanjey Roy, a spokesman for the New Delhi-based DLF, said in a phone interview, confirming that the transaction took place while declining to give details. Kubeir Khera, a spokesman for Indiabulls, declined to comment. DLF sold its stake for 5 billion rupees, the Economic Times said today, without saying where it got the information.
Owners lose home, and pets suffer, too
Once an animal has been adopted, the previous owner has no claim to the animal. A pet owner who surrenders an animal also runs the risk, in some shelters, that the animal will be euthanized if a home can't be found. Some shelters try to minimize euthanization by capping the number of animals they take. Several said they have run up against those limits this year, even in the typically slow winter months, as owners are forced out of homes. The toll on the surrendering pet owners is immense, shelter officials say. .
Saint Joe and the impending global financial crisis
The Mortgage Bankers Association estimates that 1.35 million homes will enter foreclosure in 2007 and another 1.44 million in 2008, up from 705,000 in 2005. $514 billion in resets; 3.5 million foreclosures. Did I say Three Mile Island? I meant Nagasaki. California is bound to be the state that's hardest hit by the housing slump. Homeowners can expect to see price depreciation that could rival the Great Depression. As Broderick Perkins says, The California Association of Realtors reported the median price of an existing, single-family, detached home in California dropped 9.9 percent in October, compared to the same month a year ago. The decline was the largest year-to-year decline in CAR's history books. . . . "We believe that a downturn is imminent, with sales volumes down 52 percent from the peak (in January 2005) and inventory (11.8 months) up 100 percent since last year.
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