Search

Reports that credit card issuers are increasingly punishing card users who fail various standards. Introductory or `teaser' rates; Penalties imposed by card companies; Late fees; Less tolerance toward customers; Vanishing fee-free cards. INSET: What to do if you're hit.

Discusses how credit card issuers are pitching new rebates and low interest rates as they scramble for business. How battle heated up with the entrance of nonbank companies into the market, most notably General Motors with a no-annual-fee MasterCard that offers a 5% rebate toward a car or truck; Flood of creative plastic that won't be stanched anytime soon; How perks differ from those of past years; Examples of offerings. INSET: Got a spotty credit record? (secured cards), by M.M..

Presents experts' predictions of a bull market for bonds during the 1990s. Why bonds look strong; Impact of interest rates on a bond's return; Bonds to avoid.

Examines the benefits of purchasing United States government securities for investment purposes. Placing a phone order; Lower minimum purchase amount; New inflation-indexed savings bonds; Tax benefits; Details about Treasury securities; Making direct purchases; Treasury Direct program.

Discusses the costs involved with making long-distance telephone calls. How customers are not guaranteed the rate for which they signed; Decrease in the value of phone company stocks; Efforts to increase consumer rights.

Presents various statistics for the United States as of January 8, 2001. Statistics of the census which was conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau; Details of U.S. presidents' salaries; Details of the price of a stamp, which increased on January 7.

Discusses the agreement between long-distance telephone companies and the United States Federal Communications Commission to reduce long-distance rates. Increased benefits for those who are infrequent long-distance callers; Opinion that the plan could be a step toward a more economical telephone service plan.

Discusses the effect of deregulation on the electricity and gas industries in the United States, as of 1999. Marketing strategies of some service providers; How the system works; Effect of deregulation on costs; Example of an environmentally friendly company which is more expensive; Consumers' fears about switching gas and electricity providers. INSET: The gas isn't always greener.

Discusses the drop in interest rates in the United States as of October 1998. The average 30-year fixed rate mortgage, according to Freddie Mac; Reactions from analysts; The possibility that automobile loans could drop even further.

Predicts that mortgage rates have room to fall a bit more in early 1994 as it becomes clear that inflation and economic growth are not accelerating to a higher plane. Reason for modest inflation; Why borrowers shouldn't bank on another huge drop in long-term rates.

States that when Congress agreed in 1992 to allow regulation of cable television rates, the assumption was that rates would go down on September 1, 1993, the day the new regulations take hold. Examples of how some rates could actually rise; Comments by Consumer Federation of Americas's Gene Kimmelman.

Analyzes the importance of United States Treasury 30-year bonds as economic indicators. Interest rates on such bonds and their effects; What happens when rates are low; Positive impact of low rates on the stock market; Bond issuance; What would cause a jump in long-term rates; When low rates are not good; Why rates could keep falling.

Notes that the United States Postal Service will increase the cost of a stamp to 33 cents on January 10, 1999.

Notes that the US Treasury Department has gilded its savings bond program to spur sales by lifting the interest rate on new 30-year Series EE bonds to 5.68 percent. The decision to credit interest monthly instead of every six months; When the new EE bonds start earning long-term market rates; Contact information.

Considers how a bond market rally could lead to big savings for home buyers. Drop of long-term interest rates in May 1995; Possibility that rates may continue to fall; Predictions.

Reports that some customers are benefitting by threatening to switch long-distance carriers. Various incentives offered by MCI, AT&T, and Sprint; Contact points.

Reports that in conjunction with GE Capital Mortgage Insurance Corp., some lenders backed by the Federal National Mortgage Association--the nation's largest supplier of home mortgage funds--now offers 30-year loans with 3 percent down payments rather than the usual 5% to 20%. Loan limits which vary by city; Borrowers qualifying for Federal Housing Administration-insured loans; Nothing-down program offered by Fleet Financial Group.

States that low mortgage rates continue to spur home sales, and with increased demand, median sales prices for existing homes are inching upward. Number of existing single-family homes sold in 1992 and 1993; Average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage in 1992, 1993 and 1994; Projected increase in median price of existing United States single-family homes for 1994; More.