More Consumer Protection on the Way: The Creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Agency

It turns out that the Credit CARD Act of 2009 – a series of reforms in the credit card industry aimed at eliminating or mitigating unfair and abusive practices – was only the initial salvo of a legislative campaign aimed at benefiting consumers.

At this point in the economic recession, just about everyone agrees that our financial regulatory system needs a serious overhaul. President Obama is taking an important step with the creation of a new consumer protection agency — the Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA) — that will be the cornerstone of financial reform.

The proposed agency’s powers and oversight would extend to home mortgages, credit cards, consumer loans, and other consumer credit services. The agency’s first charter would be to create consumer-friendly, uniform disclosure to all home purchase and financing transactions, like ‘good-faith’ estimates and truth-in-lending statements.

The proposed CFPA puts consumer concerns front and center, rather than as a tangential issue. Designed to rule credit and loan institutions, the agency would be a toothier watchdog for financial institutions who are long accustomed to cozy relationships with the institutions meant to regulate them. Such cozy relationships are a big part of our current financial predicament, and the whole reason Obama and Representative Barney Frank (D-MA) are such major proponents of the agency.

BillShrink fully supports the creation of the CFPA. After all, we’re a company dedicated to saving people money by providing apples-to-apples comparisons on costs of their everyday bills.

Bottom line: In the everlasting conflict between big business Goliath and the little David, it’s about time David got some backup.

photo credit: amycgx

FCC to America: Is Your Cell Phone Bill Confusing?

This summer, the Federal Communications Committee (FCC) asked America to weigh in on whether consumers have enough information to make decisions about their communications services.

Turns out Americans have plenty to say. And so do we. BillShrink has found that 8 out of 10 people are overpaying on their cell phone bills — to the tune of $800 million dollars total so far this year!

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The Collapse of Personal Savings Rate in America

This year’s dramatic shift in the economy found many Americans without a ‘rainy day’ fund.  Millions of Americans lost their jobs and saw their 401(k) wiped out. It is unsurprising then to see that the trend of personal savings rate has been on a fast-pace decline since the mid 1980’s, reaching decade-low levels in recent years. The following graphic shows the trend of personal savings rate per month from 1959 to 2009, along with an alarmingly opposing trend of rising consumer debt.

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10 Simple Tips to Master the Art of Haggling and Savvy Shopping

If you’re a news junkie like me, you may have read about a recent finding produced by America’s Research Group, which found that in the past holiday season, approximately 72% of customers haggled with a retailer, compared with 56% the year before.  Upon hearing this news, the consumer advocate in me was delighted and I proceeded to do a little dance in the head — or so I thought until fellow passengers on the bus started starring at me funny.

Public dancing aside, it was even more enjoyable to read that about 80% of those attempting to haggle were successful at getting a better deal, compared with about half of those who were successful a year earlier.  Despite difficult economic times, it was refreshing for us at BillShrink to see that more Americans are getting over the idea that the act of haggling  can be bad-form — after all, when done properly and gracefully, haggling is just another way for a savvy consumer to get a better deal.

If haggling isn’t your forte, have no fear, we have a few tips for you.

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7 Overlooked Benefits of the Recession

Nothing is easier than identifying problems during recessions. In fact, one might argue that what is truly difficult is avoiding mention of these problems, which are shouted from the rooftops daily by politicians and journalists. (Many of whom harp on problems even during prosperous times.) Still harder is calling attention to the overlooked benefits that economic downturns can bring. In this recession as in others past, opportunities have opened up for consumers, investors and businesses positioned to capitalize on them. Typically, these opportunities require seeing the recession as it specifically relates to you, rather than the all-encompassing malaise often seen by others. Here are 7 of the most appealing recessionary opportunities.

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U.S. Vs Europe: Cash For Clunkers

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Recessions throughout history have led to government action intended to help. A primary example from today’s slowdown are “clunkers” programs, which amount to government subsidies for buying new, more fuel efficient cars from troubled auto makers. Since clunkers programs have been in effect for a while now, we thought it was time to rank the American and European programs - and declare a winner.

Five important criteria have been used for the ranking process below. Let us know what you think in the comments.

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8 Ways to Majorly Fail at Customer Support

Some people just can’t make an honest living. And, sometimes, businesses fail to outdo this axiom as well. In other cases, there are grand mistakes which result in lots of frustration, money lost by customers, brands or both. Usually these situations are worsened by bureaucracy, poor management, and an unwillingness by many companies to admit fault. With the advent of the internet, it has become easier for ill-treated customers to bring attention to their situation, and customers as a whole are now regularly made aware of the scams that befall others on a daily basis. The following are some of the most memorable experiences of the last several years.

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Details: Cash for Clunkers Rules

If you’ve been waiting at the edge of your seat for the finalized rules on the “cash for clunkers” program, then today is your lucky day.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has finalized and released the final rules for the $1 billion program to trade in your old vehicle for a credit of up to $4,500 towards a new vehicle.  Below you will find some quick details, caveat, and lowdown you should know if you’re interested in the cash for clunker program.

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