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...
It has been a good summer for debt collectors. Profits have tripled for two of the largest companies in the industry, according to a report from Bloomberg. One of those companies is Encore Capital Group Inc., which took in $66 million more in revenue than anticipated....
When residents of Minnesota and Wisconsin look back on summer, it’s often with fond memories of sunny days, sparkling lakes and weekends at cabins up north. When the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recently looked back with its summer edition of...
It’s true in Minnesota and it’s true in Wisconsin. In fact, it’s true across the nation: your credit score is a crucial component of your financial life. Whether you are buying a house or purchasing a car, lenders look long and hard at your credit score to decide...
Though Minnesota’s news outlets report on developments in the coronavirus pandemic every day, few have paid attention to the recent introduction of the COVID-19 Medical Debt Collection Relief Act in the U.S. Congress. The measure is written “to prevent healthcare...