Every year, hundreds of people in Minnesota are victims of identity theft. If it's not caught in time, identity thieves can drain your bank account, run up your credit cards and tank your credit score. For this reason, it's important to monitor your bank and credit...
Many homeowners in Minnesota receive robocalls, which are autodialed calls, and automatic text messages mostly from telemarketers attempting to sell products or services. The callers usually do not have permission to send these pre-recorded messages. The Telephone...
Have you received an automated call telling you that you’ve paid too much on your utility bill? The caller probably told you that you were eligible for a refund or a discount on your future payments. If all of this sounds a bit fishy, that’s because it probably is....
Consumers and debt collectors have both been waiting for several years for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to issue its debt collection final rule. The 653-page rule clarifies bans on harassment and abusive debt collections, false or misleading...
If you struggled to pay back your loans over this past year, deferred payments were a welcome relief. Student loans, car loans and housing payments stretched your paycheck to its limit. By placing these obligations on hold, you were able to take a breath and readjust...
This has been a year like no other. The pandemic has left more than 200,000 Americans dead and millions more without jobs. Schools sent students home and moved classes online. Businesses closed their doors, many of them permanently shuttered. Amid the pain, turmoil...
The pandemic has wreaked havoc on virtually every aspect of life in Minnesota, across the nation and around the world. One of the few things to have actually improved during these tumultuous months: the average American consumer's credit score. That’s according to the...
Upon checking your credit score, you might feel concerned if it is lower than you expected. A healthy credit history is crucial in getting approved for – and securing a favorable interest rate on – a car loan, mortgage or another credit card. If your credit habits are...
As regular readers of our Minnesota Consumer Rights Blog know, we recently published the first part of our debt collection primer. In it, we wrote about different types of debt collectors and debt. As promised, we’re going to look at what you should do when you’re...
As we all know, the pandemic brought with it economic devastation that included millions of job losses, layoffs and reductions in work hours and pay. According to a recent report from the federal Department of Labor, more than 25 million Americans are currently...