Credit Free History

(CSRwire) PROSPECT HEIGHTS, Ill. - A new survey by HSBC - North America finds that while 82 percent of consumers fear identity theft, only four in 10 have taken advantage of the recent law - the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACT Act) - that gives consumers free access annually to their credit reports to check for errors. Checking credit reports regularly can help consumers detect identity theft, which, according to the Federal Trade Commission, has struck 27.3 million Americans in the past five years. It's also an opportunity for consumers to understand their credit status, see how their financial decisions impact their credit standing and assess their progress toward achieving financial goals. "Knowing your credit history represents the first step toward understanding and managing your financial well-being," says Loretta Abrams, vice president of community development and consumer advocacy at HSBC - North America.

Experian offers credit freeze facility from November 1

Consumer credit reporting bureau Experian has announced that it will be offering its customers in 50 states and the District of Columbia, the chance to freeze their credit histories starting November 1. Experian is the second firm after TransUnion to offer consumers the option of freezing their credit histories. By freezing histories, consumers can block access to their reports by new creditors. The company said that it would be charging $10 every time a consumer wants to freeze his/her history temporarily or permanently. "It will be one option among a broad range of fraud-assistance tools we already provide to consumers so that they may make the choice best suited to their situation," said Kerry Williams, group president of credit services and decision analytics business at Experian. "Now that a national model for file freezing has emerged, Experian is offering this option to help prevent consumer confusion." TransUnion was the first company to offer this option, which will come into effect starting October 15.

Roddick and Nadal progress in Australia

Andy Roddick successful launched his Australian Open campaign with a quickfire 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 victory over Czech qualifier Lukas Dlouhy.

Heard any good Chicago jokes lately?

Every week, I write a column called "The Chicago Way," but I know almost no Chicago jokes. I need more and better material, and I'm hoping you can help.

World trade, poverty and the environment in the age of global ...

We have all sorts of reports on the advantages of remittances, and I think that the advantages they offer to developing countries are one of the key issues. But this is less a criticism than another question that needs to be addressed.

The second comment, which is perhaps more critical, is that insufficient attention is paid to the major obstacles that exist within countries and within regions (1). I agree that the major problem is with the industrialised countries, but beyond that it is clear that there are major impediments to enterprise creation, creative liberalisation. There are problems with insufficient investment in human capital formation. The entrepreneurs in most developing countries are screwed by their own, rather than by international institutions. This is one of the reasons that I was rather upset by the campaign in Dakar (2).

Is it the end for shopping fever?

But, like her fellow Britons, Hall is now facing a debt pile as big as her ironing stack; she knew she had to stop shopping when she counted 93 items in her basket. 'My clothes had encroached on my partner's side and on the top of the chest of drawers there were 3ft towers of ironing I had no space to put away. There were hundreds and hundreds of items.'

But living costs are now rising faster than any time in the past decade: so whether it's filling the tank, your monthly mortgage payment or a trip to the supermarket, the spare cash we used to burn in Topshop or on the latest album release at HMV is dwindling.

Team Party Crash: 'Radar' Third Issue Party

Nick Denton saunters up with L.A. blogger Mickey Kaus, who, in his long trench coat, looks like he desperately wants to be somebody's Deep Throat. The men start talking about Michael Kinsley and our eyes glaze over. Once they start serious discussion of whether Stuff magazine was "darker" under Greg Gutfeld's reign, we politely excuse ourselves. Also, we feel a bit weird reporting with Denton standing right there. It's a little like how we imagine it would feel to have our parents watching us have sex -- if Denton had any idea who we were.

We don't know at what point the party turns into a blogger clusterfuck, but we're pretty sure it's around the time Andrew Krucoff shows up, minus his trusty box of "Save Krucoff" buttons.

Free steps towards protecting your ID

Thanks to a new law in Maryland, you can now request the three major credit reporting agencies not give out your credit report. It is just the newest way to protect you from identity theft. It will cost you $15, a five dollar fee from each credit reporting agencies. But there are two other steps you can take to guard your good name and they are both free.You see ads all the time promising you a free credit report. Those ads are all too familiar to Angie Barnett, President and CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Greater Maryland. “It is all over the internet, we find them everywhere, I'm listening to the radio, you hear it constantly." But Barnett warns buyers beware. She says, “that you can get these free credit reports but what they are going to do is give you something you can already get for free then secondly they are going to try to sell you a bundle or package of services that are directly related to protecting you from identity theft." She goes on to say that those services are steps you can take on your own without paying.The federal government requires all three of the major credit reporting agencies, Transunion, Experian and Equifax, to give you a free copy of your report once a year. There is only one place on the internet where you can do that and it is http://www.annualcreditreport.com“We encourage people to be sure you stagger it," says Barnett.