Your rates of bank

It’s getting harder to find a car to lease these days. Chrysler’s financial arm recently pulled out of the car leasing business, and Ford Motor Credit, GMAC and many large banks also have announced pullbacks.- advertisement -

The reason? Lease financing companies, particularly the Big Three automakers’ captive finance arms, are being pummeled by the falling residual values of trucks and SUVs coming off lease, which have fallen as much as 20 percent in just the last few months.

The impact? If you’ve got excellent credit — 700 credit score or above — and are looking to lease outside of the Big Three, you’ll likely still qualify for a decent deal. Otherwise, you’ll either be out of luck or will face much higher lease payments.

(more…)

Are you thinking about buying a new car, but dreading the dealer haggles that come with the purchase? There are a number of car-buying services that say they’ll do the negotiating dirty work for you, and save you thousands of dollars in the process.- advertisement -

These services are often just a mouse click or phone call away. Fees range from free (if you’re a member of one of their affiliates) to anywhere from $200 to $400, with about half of the amount due upfront.

Buyers typically begin by calling the car-buying service or filling out information online.

(more…)

If you’ve ever aimlessly wandered around in a crowded parking lot, you probably have a notion of what it feels like to have your vehicle stolen. There’s that sense of dread, unease and confusion as you think, “It has to be here somewhere. My car couldn’t have just driven away.”- advertisement -

Well, yes — it could.

Every 26.4 seconds, another car is stolen in the United States, according to a report by the National Insurance Crime Bureau. The good news is that the number of car thefts has been decreasing over the last three years. The bad news is that the recovery rate of stolen autos is also down.

(more…)

Washington Mutual, Wachovia and National City are among the financial institutions that have announced huge losses and are looking for billions of dollars from private equity firms or others in the industry just to keep their doors open. In all likelihood, the bigger banks and savings and loan associations will survive the mortgage debacle and ensuing credit crunch, albeit somewhat battered and bruised.- advertisement -

But smaller banks may not fare as well, although it doesn’t appear that we’ll see a cascade of bank failures. Nevertheless, the increased risk has prompted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., or FDIC, to beef up its staffing in anticipation of banks going belly-up.

(more…)

Some ways to get help in providing medical care for your pets.

Help for your pets

1.Pet clinical trials2.Student programs3.Veterinarian payment plans4.Helping Pets Fund5.Humane Society grant program6.Pet care insurance7.Practice preventative health care8.Food issues9.Foster homes/breed rescue10.Pet credit card

Pet clinical trials
“There are many clinical studies that are ongoing at The University of Tennessee as there are at other universities,” says Joe Bartges, DVM, Ph.D., a professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. “Many clinical studies provide care and treatment and follow-up at no expense to pet owners, while others subsidize the cost of providing the medical care.”

(more…)

In this age of flash-in-the-pan pop stars, the steady longevity of Steve Winwood can be hard to fathom. Now 60, Winwood began performing as a teenager, scoring his first hits at the age of 17, when his band The Spencer Davis Group rocked the charts with “Gimme Some Loving” and “I’m a Man.”- advertisement -

Over the next decade he formed the supergroup Blind Faith with Cream refugee Eric Clapton, then followed it with the popular ’70s act Traffic, releasing classics including “The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys” and “Dear Mr. Fantasy.”

(more…)

Millions of people know actor John O’Hurley as the man with the stentorian voice who entertained us as Elaine Benes’ boss on “Seinfeld.” His witty and wry portrayal of J. Peterman led to many successful print and TV ads for major companies.- advertisement -

Or maybe you remember him for mesmerizing us with his fancy footwork as the runner-up celebrity dancer in the first season of “Dancing With The Stars,” where he ended up in a dance-off with soap star Kelly Monaco. In winning the September 2005 rematch against Monaco, he earned $126,000 for the charity Golfers Against Cancer.

(more…)

Is health care a right or a responsibility? During the third presidential debate, Barack Obama declared it to be a right, while John McCain called it a responsibility.- advertisement -

These assertions underscore the different philosophies underlying the candidates’ proposals. One assumes that everyone is entitled to health care; the other puts the responsibility for obtaining health care squarely on the shoulders of the consumer.

Consumers already have plenty of responsibilities, such as the responsibility to find a way to retire even if the stock market trashes their retirement plans, for which they have complete responsibility.

(more…)

By any standard, chef and restaurateur Bobby Flay is having a very good year. He premiered a new show, “Grill It!” on the Food Network, where he’s already seen on “Boy Meets Grill,” (for which he was nominated for a Daytime Emmy), “Throwdown! with Bobby Flay,” and “Iron Chef America.” He opened a new restaurant, Bobby’s Burger Palace; added judging duties on “The Next Food Network Star” to his already crowded TV schedule; and saw the book version of “Grill It!” become a New York Times bestseller. (more…)

Divorce is rarely an easy process. But falling home values and sluggish real estate sales are combining to make it particularly difficult right now.- advertisement -

Couples aren’t fighting over who gets to keep the house. They’re scrambling to get away from the burden of it. It’s too soon to see the trend reflected in official statistics; the most recent marriage and divorce numbers compiled by the National Center for Health Statistics date back to 2005 — just when real estate markets started to turn down from their boom years. But lawyers and financial planners anecdotally say they are seeing more clients stay married — if only for the time being — simply because they cannot afford to break up.

(more…)

The federal government has put its foot down: A lender can’t give you a subprime mortgage unless you are able to repay it. And that goes for jumbo mortgages, too — maybe.- advertisement -

You’re probably wondering why the feds find it necessary to tell lenders that they shouldn’t hand over the money before figuring out whether borrowers can afford the monthly mortgage payments. That seems awfully basic. But for a while, verifying a borrower’s ability to pay was out of fashion.

Like bell-bottom jeans, the practice of verifying a mortgage borrower’s ability to repay was wildly popular when Led Zeppelin ruled the airwaves, then became hopelessly uncool, and now is popular again.

(more…)

They should call Chase at the phone number that is on their mortgage statement.- advertisement -

When should borrowers call you — before they’re late with their first payment, or sometime later on (e.g., 60 to 90 days after missing the first payment)?
Borrowers concerned they may miss a payment should call their lender. It is never too early to start the discussion.

Should a borrower ask to speak with someone specific?
If a borrower calls Chase to discuss possible payment difficulties, the initial discussions will be handled through the customer care department.

(more…)