| 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.
HSBC Survey: Consumers Slow to Seek Free Credit Reports, Despite ...
(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.
Behind the Edwards Surge: Right Message at the Right Time
Much was made of Illinois Senator Barack Obama's superb speech to a huge crowd of Iowa Democrats at the mid-November Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner in Des Moines. Without a doubt, it helped to propel Obama ahead of New York Senator Hillary Clinton in polls conducted in the weeks after the event. But Obama's speech in November may not turn out to be the definitional statement of the fight for Iowa. What could turn out to be the most critical comment of the campaign came from John Edwards in the last debate between the Democratic contenders — and the former senator from North Carolina may well claim the caucus-night victory that is the reward for delivering the right message at the right time. It wasn't a great rhetorical flourish. It wasn't even a new statement.
Our picks for weekend ideas that can't miss
3:10 To Yuma" // Russell Crowe and Christian Bale bring the Western back to the big screen with class and style in this compelling remake of the 1957 Glenn Ford tale. Crowe stars as a flamboyant outlaw captured by the law, and Bale is a financially ailing farmer who hires on to help escort the bad guy through rough country.
"Sunshine" // The end of the world is at hand in Danny Boyle's sci-fi saga set 50 years from now, when the sun is dying and a band of astronauts sets out on a daring last-gasp mission to re-ignite the fading star. Cillian Murphy leads an ensemble cast as the scientist who developed the bomb that the crew aims to deliver into the sun. Michelle Yeoh, Cliff Curtis, Troy Garity and Rose Byrne co-star as fellow space travelers.
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