Dynamic Guidance And Advocacy Throughout Northern Virginia
Have you ever had your credit score drop unexpectedly? Shocked by rejection of a credit application? These situations signal the possibility that your credit rating fell because someone made unauthorized hard credit pulls from your reports at the three consumer credit...
You may hear credit firms advertising their “credit protection” services, but it is a misnomer to say that they protect consumer credit in a preventative way. While there are smart choices that YOU can make about your own behavior in the marketplace, a credit firm is...
The commonwealth of Virginia has one of only about 15 mandatory state passenger-vehicle inspection programs in the country. While sometimes compliance seems like a hassle for a vehicle owner, a 2020 national study found that when a state requires safety inspections...
Most consumers expect to use credit for major purchases and needs. Common types of consumer credit include home mortgages, student loans, vehicle loans, home improvement loans, lines of credit and credit cards. People are careful to build good credit ratings through...
Many Virginians faced serious economic losses during the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by another financial challenge from household budget-busting inflation. For some whose credit scores also took a hit, it may have taken months of careful money management to rebuild...
In 1996, two bankers started giant debt-collection business Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC (PRA), with its headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, and other commonwealth offices in Danville and Hampton as well as in other states. In about 25 years, PRA has become one...
On April 26, 2023, the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) reinforced its official stance that debt collectors may not attempt to collect stale consumer debts. The agency did so in a new Advisory Opinion about this prohibition of the Fair Debt...
Did someone steal your identity and use it to spend your money, use your good credit to open fraudulent accounts or take out loans in your name? The ways an identity thief can exploit your personal identifying information are endless. You may be surprised at the...
Mold. The problem that homeowners dread. Mold can make people sick, cost money to remove, ruin belongings, lower homes’ values or make houses harder to sell. Unfortunately, even a brand-new home can become infected by mold – and quickly. Why does this happen? Mold...
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is a relatively new federal agency primarily responsible for protecting consumer use of financial products and services through enforcement of federal consumer financial laws. This responsibility includes oversight of...
