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The Credit Elite Have Savvy Habits

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Payment history most important factor used to determine overall score.
Payment history most important factor used to determine overall score.
Ever yearned to be part of the “Credit Elite,” those whose credit ratings are up the 800-850 range as determined by the rating agencies? That kind of credit almost assures that you will be approved for loans and likely enjoy lower interest rates.

Those in the 800-plus range know that it doesn’t happen by chance. They make particular credit habits part of their regular personal finance strategies. Here are some of their suggestions:

Pay On Time

Without exception, pay on time. The payment history is the single most important factor that the agencies use to determine your overall score, being some 35 percent of the total. If you miss a payment or make one late, it has a negative effect.

Keep Balances Low Or Paid Off

Keep a rein on credit card balances. The size of the balance relative to the card limit is a factor. The best credit is generated by using less than 10 percent of the allowable limit.

Low Number of Credit Cards

Limit your credit accounts. Applying often for new credit can affect your bottom line. That activity represents 10 percent of the credit agency’s total. If you make frequent inquiries about new cards, for instance, trying to find the best mix of perks, it could have a negative effect. Try to get the right mix into place, then stand pat. A mix of debt, including credit cards, auto loans, mortgages, student loans, etc., all deftly managed, will impress the rating companies.

Don’t Spend More Than You Make

Live within your means. Overextending yourself financially will come home to roost. Don’t use credit to overspend. A solid, long-term credit history will keep your score in the range you want. The older your accounts become without serious lapses, the more they count. Stability is a factor when you’re looking at the 800 rankings.

Staying on course is important. Consistency is key to a good credit score. A small lapse can have a reverse effect. Make good credit a habit and stay on course. Check your credit score periodically and monitor your progress toward the elite standing.

Watch For Fraud At The ATM

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Fraudsters take $650 from each person they successfully skim.
Fraudsters take $650 from each person they successfully skim.
You’d think, wouldn’t you, that you could transact business at an ATM without worrying about fraud. But the crooks are always on the alert, according to an article in the June AARP Bulletin.

Thieves Focusing On ATMs

In fact, automated teller machines have become a focus for some of those determined to benefit at your cost. The introduction of chip-enabled credit and debit cards has made it tougher for thieves to steal your information at the cash register, so they have turned more attention to the ATMs, experts warn.

Increase In Compromised ATMS

FICO Card Alert Service keeps tabs on three in five debit cards used in the U.S. and they have reported a 500-plus percent increase in the number of ATMs compromised by thieves since 2014. The proliferation of inexpensive skimming technology has been used by fraudsters to fuel the increase.

Card-Reading Devices

On average, fraudsters take $650 from each person they successfully skim, according to the ATM Industry Association. They do it by illegally installing card-reading devices at ATMs, gas pumps and other debit-processing machines located in public places. When you insert your card, their device “skims” the pertinent data from the magnetic strip. A nearby hidden camera records your PIN number. The information is then used to make duplicate cards or sold on the black market.

Skimming Technology Constantly Upgraded

The skimming technology is constantly being upgraded, giving the crooks the advantage, the article reports. Banks can’t react fast enough to stay ahead of such tricks as the “shimmers” that crooks implant inside ATM slots to read your card, or the Bluetooth processes they use to transmit your stolen data to other bad guys.

What to do?

  1. Go inside the bank. They aren’t perfectly immune to fraud, but better than the ATM and are usually protected by cameras. The most susceptible ATMS are at convenience stores and other non-bank locations.
  2. Inspect ATM before using it. Be wary of those with card slots that are different colors than the rest of the machine. If there is unusual-looking equipment on the slot, keypad or overhead, avoid using it. If it is difficult to insert your card, stop the transaction. Newer ATMs have a flashing or steady light at the card slot. If it is obscured, don’t use it.
  3. Put your hand over the keypad when punching PIN numbers.
  4. Keep close tabs on cards. Most banks offer real-time alerts via text message or email if there are suspicious transactions.
  5. Create a separate account, smaller than normal and use it only for debit card transactions. That will cut your losses if you are illegally skimmed.
  6. Lower the limit on daily ATM withdrawals to a reasonable amount, say $100 per day so a crook cannot make multiple withdrawals within a short time.

Credit Card Or Debit Card? It All Depends

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Which card is better to use between credit and debit?
Which card is better to use between credit and debit?

It’s one of the questions that enters into discussion whenever issues of personal finance come up. And the answer is not as easy as it would appear on the surface. Purchases with both cards are subject to processing that makes a difference. Before you decide how to handle your card-shopping, consider these factors.

Debit Card

When you use a debit card, the transaction usually requires a personal identification number or PIN. The transaction is completed in real time, with the money coming immediately out of your bank account and transferring to the merchant.

Credit Card

A credit card does not require a PIN and is an offline transaction. The funds remain in your account until the merchant settles the purchase. It generally takes two to three days for the transaction to be apparent in your account.

Fees

Before the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act was passed by Congress, card issuers could charge different fees for credit card purchases than for debit card transactions. Initially, interchange fees of 12 cents per transaction were set. They rose to a 21-cent cap before the bill was signed into law, but that was still significantly lower than the previous 45-cent fee that had been in effect.

Credit Unions

The law, however, does not apply to thousands of community banks and credit unions that issue cards. It is in effect for financial institutions with $10 billion or more in assets.

The caps tended to dry up the debit card rewards and free banking provisions that had been offered with cards.

Difference

With the regulatory changes it makes less difference if you use a debit card or charge card for your purchases. The major difference now is that a debit card does not help you build credit, while a credit card does. Many debit cards now will run transactions without the use of a PIN, which minimizes the prospects for fraud.

Personal Decision

If you pay off credit card purchases in a timely manner, avoiding the interest charges, the distinction between debit and credit is further neutralized. Most Americans are likely to have one or more of both types of cards in their wallets. How they use them as they shop is a personal decision.

Be Wary of Fake Debt Scams

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Be wary of bill collectors claiming you owe them money.
Be wary of bill collectors claiming you owe them money.
When a thief gets your credit card info and runs up a huge debt, who is responsible for paying? Some scammers are making an art out of trying to get the money from the card holder and there are steps you can take to protect yourself. The elderly are particularly vulnerable since they tend to be less savvy about electronic finance issues.

One unfortunate retirement-age woman found herself being dunned for $8,500 after someone named “David” used her credit information illegally. She received more than 60 calls over a three-week period, often late at night, as she was hassled to pay the debt. The harassment didn’t end until she hired a lawyer.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) reports that 8,700 similar complaints were filed with the agency over a 15-month period, half from elderly persons who reported unrelenting attempts to collect money they didn’t owe.

In the period from July 2013 to December 2014, the agency received overall 110,000 complaints regarding debt collection. The Federal Trade Commission lists such complaints as its most consistent industry problem.

The debt collectors report they are trying to collect some $756 billion in debt. It isn’t possible to estimate how much of that staggering total involves “false debt” claims. But based on complaints by those 62 and older, there are several identifiable tactics that collectors use to weasel money not owed from the elderly, according to an AARP magazine article. They include:

Common debt collector scams:

Threats to garnish Social Security or veterans’ benefits if the person doesn’t pay the claimed “debt.” CFPB experts say this is not possible. Garnishees from these government sources are only possible for delinquent state or federal debt such as unpaid taxes, student loans or government-backed mortgages. Alimony or child support payments also can be withheld from Social Security payments, but Supplemental Security Income benefits cannot be garnished due to any debt.

Pressure to pay medical bills that supposedly were generated by a late spouse. Widows are the frequent victims of this particular scam, which are purposely imposed on them when they are emotionally frail, just learning to cope with their loss. Or the scammers may make repeated attempts to collect debts that they falsely allege were owed by deceased family members.

Frequently repeated calls, offensive language and threats of public shame are among the scammers’ arsenal to intimidate so-called debtors into paying. The experts stress that persons being subjected to these annoying tactics should not respond under pressure simply to be rid of the annoyance. Verify the debt before even considering payment. Be aware that collectors cannot collect on debt that has expired under statute of limitations provisions. The period ranges from two to 10 years, depending on state laws.

There are instances of mistaken identity in which legitimate collectors simply have their information wrong. In some instances, they are able to collect from the wrong party because those being dunned are reluctant to provide identifying information over the phone for fear of identity theft. But if you think you may have wrongfully paid a debt under such circumstances, contact the CFPB and your state’s attorney general to report your concerns.

To protect yourself against fake collectors, follow these steps:

Ask for specific information about the alleged debt. If the collector fails to respond, you can assume it is a scam. Visit go.usa.gov/Fsge for information about bogus collectors.

Keep close tabs on your credit transactions. You are entitled to three annual free reports from the three major credit reporting firms. Visit AnnualCreditReport.com for information on obtaining these reports. Look for unrecognized debt in your name and report discrepancies immediately.

Visit go.usa.gov/FsY3 to get information about alleged debt. Dispute claims that are not correct. You can obtain sample letters from that address that you can use as patterns to report your disputes. Send the information by certified mail and with a “return receipt” to the collector and to the creditor. Copy to the CFPB, the Federal Trade Commission and your state attorney general.

If you are being dunned for alleged credit card debt, insist on written proof, such as statements detailing unpaid charges. If the collector claims medical debt, ask for documents detailing services, dates and names of providers. Cross-check with Medicare and private insurers.

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Check Up On Your Personal Finance Planning

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The Great Recession that plagued personal finances from 1993 to 2008 had a significant impact on the amount of money Americans were saving. Savings figures for the period were at the lowest levels in recent history.

But by May of 2009, the household savings rate had climbed to 6.9 percent, the highest level since 1993. It took a major financial jolt to get people back on the right track. The effect of the recession, coming on the heels of a period of high borrowing, was a disaster for many. Bankruptcy filings had nearly doubled by the end of 2008.
If you have lingering concerns about the state of your own finances, check your data against these indicators. Make adjustments if necessary.

5 Steps To Financial Health

Credit Scores

1. Check your credit score. In a range of 300 to 850, the higher your score, the better your financial health. Lenders use this score to determine if they want to do business with you. To get a credit score without cost, contact one of the three primary credit bureaus, TransUnion, Equifax or Experian. If your score is below 600, try to improve it by paying down debt, satisfying outstanding judgments or curb your use of credit cards.

Savings

2. If you are saving less than 5 percent of your income, it isn’t enough. In 1993, the rate, at 7 percent, was the highest it had been. Since then, too many earners began dipping into savings to see them through the recession, rather than adding to their savings cushion. The trend now is up and if you haven’t joined the savers, now is the time. Don’t look at it as an immediate thing, but as part of the retirement you hope to have. If your savings backup is niggardly, it may disappear entirely in the event of a medical emergency or any other of the many financial challenges that can bite when you aren’t prepared. Make savings of 10 percent of income a goal.

Credit Cards

3. You can be pretty sure you are in over your head if you carry credit card balances from month to month or if you are paying only a small amount to the principal. This is a major cause of financial stress for many people. Ideally, you use a credit card only in emergencies, or charge only what you can pay off in a month. Then you start whittling away at the total, paying whatever you can over the expected monthly payment. Only $5,000 in credit card debt requires a minimum $200 a month and can ultimately cost $8,000, taking up to 13 years to pay off.

Mortgages

4. If housing consumes more than 28 percent of your income, you are in trouble. Almost certainly you will have to cut back in other areas of your budget to handle that load. When the housing market was thriving, the mortgage lenders were allowing people to buy homes that absorbed up to 35 percent of their income, but with the country just coming out of the housing slump, they are edging back to the 28 percent figure. Give some serious thought to downsizing if possible.

Cut Back

5. If your non-housing bills are going crazy, you can assume you need to do something to restore balance. Succumbing to the temptation to buy items on time, you end up paying what seem to be relatively small amounts on a dozen or more products or services. Then relative small quickly becomes over-large and you’re suddenly in the category in which the required outgo is larger than the income. Assess your situation by putting all the bills on the table and seriously discussing them. Identify what you can trim or do without and then do without it. Just one for-instance: Do you really need a 500-channel cable TV package if you are using only a few of the channels? Do you really need a land line if you have cell phones? Etc. etc. etc. An honest look may help your family regain control of its resources without any really painful sacrifices.

Do what you can to avoid become part of the dismal foreclosure and bankruptcy statistics. Keep tabs on your finances and move toward a better distribution of what you have for the sake of the future as well as the present.