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Most medical collection debt is about to fall off of consumer credit reports
Read full article: Most medical collection debt is about to fall off of consumer credit reportsA significant number of U.S. consumers will have their medical collection debt dropped from their credit report, the nation's biggest credit reporting bureaus announced Friday.
New tax incentive will allow companies to help pay off employees’ student loan debt
Read full article: New tax incentive will allow companies to help pay off employees’ student loan debtAs the student debt crisis hits $1.7 trillion in outstanding loans, many employers have taken a step that could slowly reduce student loan debt among their workers by offering student loan repayment assistance as an employee benefit. The assistance comes after the COVID-19 relief package was passed last December, which allows employers to make contributions of up to $5,250 a year to their employee’s student debt through 2025. Watch the video attached to this story for more.
Federal student loan borrowers hopeful Biden administration will provide more relief
Read full article: Federal student loan borrowers hopeful Biden administration will provide more reliefHOUSTON – Federal student loan borrowers may receive some reprieve this month once President-elect Joe Biden takes office. “I do have student loan debt. Americans as a collective have about $1.7 trillion in student loan debt with the average 2019 graduate carrying a $28,950 balance, according to the Federal Reserve. The incoming president is also considering erasing $10,000 in federal student loan debt per person, which has sparked controversy. “It really, again, disproportionately benefits higher income households relative to low income households.
This is where Houston ranks on list of most financially distressed cities during pandemic
Read full article: This is where Houston ranks on list of most financially distressed cities during pandemicAccording to a study performed by WalletHub, Houston is the 8th most financially distressed city amid the coronavirus pandemic. Out of 100 cities across the U.S., Houston is among five Texas cities ranking in the top 10. Experts found Houston scored the worst in the “Debt” and “Loans” search interest indexes, ranking first in these categories. The study also found Houston was one of the worst cities with a share of people with accounts in distress and the average number of accounts in distress in November. Additionally, Houston fell in the middle, ranking 25th for average credit score in November.
Silicon Valley-based lender sued thousands of Texans during the pandemic. It stopped when we started asking questions
Read full article: Silicon Valley-based lender sued thousands of Texans during the pandemic. It stopped when we started asking questionsOportun Inc. also said it would cap interest rates on new loans at 36% a percentage that consumer advocates consider the gold standard for smaller personal loans. That reporting has included interviews with individuals whom Oportun sued in small claims courts across the state, as well as numerous consumer advocates. Court records show that it has filed thousands of debt claims in Texas this year alone and tens of thousands since 2016. Some consumer advocates believe that size APR is still too high, but it is considered a gold standard ceiling for the kind of smaller installment loans that Oportun offers, which range from $300 to $10,000. Consumer advocates and attorneys praised the move, with some caveats, and said they hoped it would inspire other installment lenders, subprime and otherwise, to follow suit and possibly generate momentum for a nationwide interest-rate cap.
For some, credit cards are a major part of tax season, survey finds
Read full article: For some, credit cards are a major part of tax season, survey findsTax season and credit cards seem to go hand-in-hand like peanut butter and jelly, at least if you believe the findings of a recent study conducted by Credit Card Insider. Using SurveyMonkey to conduct an online survey of 3,114 adults from Feb. 3-5, Credit Card Insider found out the following information when it comes to how important credit cards are for people during tax season. 14% of respondents who expected to owe this year planned on using a credit card to pay their taxes. Of those expecting a tax refund, 40% had credit card debt. 75% of those with debt plan to use their tax refund toward paying it off.