| Bankruptcy filings are coming back
When the federal bankruptcy law was tightened in October 2005, many people feared that the relief from crushing debt that bankruptcy is supposed to provide would be badly compromised. But today, two facts are clear. Far fewer people are filing, less than half the previous number. And the law still works for those in the direst circumstances. Judy and Henry Vandemark of Highland have been there. Late last year, they started talking to a bankruptcy attorney after falling behind on a personal loan from a finance company, Beneficial Finance. Efforts to work out a repayment plan they could afford failed, they said. "They wouldn't give an inch," Henry Vandemark said. "Even when we first discussed it with the lawyer why we wanted to go to bankruptcy, our lawyer contacted their lawyer ...
How to Build a Better Credit Rating
If you've ever applied for a credit card, a personal loan, or insurance, there's a file about you. This file is known as your credit report. It is chock full of information on where you live, how you pay your bills, and whether you've been sued, arrested, or filed for bankruptcy. Consumer reporting companies sell the information in your report to creditors, insurers, employers, and other businesses with a legitimate need for it. They use the information to evaluate your applications for credit, insurance, employment, or a lease. Having a good credit report means it will be easier for you to get loans and lower interest rates. Lower interest rates usually translate into smaller monthly payments. Nevertheless, newspapers, radio, TV, and the Internet are filled with ads for companies and services that promise to erase accurate negative information in your credit report in exchange for a fee.
Fitch Rates Virginia Public School Authority's $117MM 2007A Bonds ...
NEW YORK-(Business Wire)-April 5, 2007 - Fitch Ratings assigns an 'AA+' rating to $117.3 million Virginia Public School Authority (VPSA) school financing bonds (1997 resolution), series 2007A, expected to sell via competitive bids on April 11. Fitch also affirms the 'AA+' rating on $2.7 billion outstanding VPSA 1997 resolution bonds. The Rating Outlook is Stable. .
Child-care lobby MIA
To give credit where credit is due, the Doer government has increased funding for child care significantly since its first budget in 2000. Annual funding has more than doubled to over $100 million -- well before any Liberal plan. About 4,500 new spaces have been fully funded since 2002. The increases were paid for, in part, by transfers such as equalization payments and the CST. And contrary to the partisan fearmongering made by the MCCA during the last federal election, child-care fees have not risen. There's no reason why the Doer government couldn't increase child-care funding further given the substantial hike in transfers announced by the Harper government last month. In fact, I fully expect the Doer government to boost child-care funding in today's budget.
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