According to the Department of Justice, 10% of Americans have been a victim of credit card fraud. Fortunately, by federal law if your card is lost or stolen, your liability is limited to $50. However, credit card fraud in the U.S. costs billions of dollars each year, and these costs are ultimately passed on to consumers in the form of…
If you are one of the millions of Americans who is looking to improve your credit, you are not alone. Improving credit and getting out of debt is one of the most common New Year’s resolutions, and many people seek out credit counseling services every year. Rebuilding credit is simple if you understand the steps necessary to enjoying a stellar…
Many people are struggling financially in our turbulent economic times. If you are one of these people, you may find that you have a number of credit cards that are maxed out and bills that are piling up for daily living expenses. Unfortunately, once you are behind on your credit card payments, the credit card companies are allowed to increase…
If you are trying to rebuild your credit, whatever the reason for your credit difficulties, you may well find yourself in a vicious cycle. One of the best ways of adding positive information to your credit history is to possess and use a credit card. However, without a reasonable credit history in the first place, it can be difficult or…
If you have a poor credit history or no credit history, you may find that you do not qualify for a regular credit card. If you have some cash, you can still get a Visa or MasterCard by choosing a prepaid card option. These prepaid cards are not actually credit cards at all and operate more like gift cards or…
We live in a world where credit begets credit. If you do not have any monthly bills that are debited off your account or if you do not have any credit cards, you will not have a credit score. It seems unfair that you need to have some sort of debt that you pay off in order to have a…
What is a Secured Credit Card? Secured credit cards require that you deposit money in a bank to be used as collateral for your credit card debt. You can think of it as a security deposit that sits in a bank account and is only used if you cannot pay your credit card bill. These types of cards are for…
MasterCard announced major changes to their fraud policies to protect consumers. Now customers will have zero-liability if their card is used fraudulently at an ATM or in a PIN based transaction. Previously, only signature based and online transactions were covered by the zero-liability policy. There are far fewer fraudulent uses of a card when a PIN is required. MasterCard did…
Frost Bank is the largest bank that operates only in Texas. It is also one of the oldest having been founded in 1868 in San Antonio, where it is still headquartered today. They currently have over 116 branches in the Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Rio Grande Valley, and San Antonio regions and over 1,100 ATM machines located…
Prosperity Bank was founded in 1983 when it bought a bank in Edna, Texas. It grew in the late 1980’s, primarily by purchasing failed banks in Texas that had been taken over by the FDIC. Today, the Houston, Texas based company operates 212 branches throughout Texas and another six branches in Oklahoma. Prosperity is the 8th largest bank in Texas…
