7 small steps to improving credit card history!

Does improving your credit score seem daunting? It doesn't have to be. Taking a few small steps now can mean the difference between a 550 and a 780. Follow these tips to see your score improve.

Barclays the euro salvage plan, the real tragedy of the scandal is the apparent lack of ethics!

You might have missed the latest bank scandal, the one involving Barclays (BCS), in the hubbub of the U.S. health-care ruling and the euro salvage plan. If so, here’s what you need to know: On June 27, Barclays, the U.K.’s second-largest bank by assets, admitted that it deliberately reported artificial borrowing costs from 2005 to 2009. The false reports were used to set a benchmark rate, the London interbank offered rate, or Libor, which affects the value of trillions of dollars of derivatives contracts, mortgages, and consumer loans. The bank agreed to pay a hefty $455 million to settle charges with U.S. and U.K. regulators, and on July 2, Chairman Marcus Agius resigned.

Home Loan Mortgage Refinancing vs Home Equity Loan?

 If you are considering borrowing against your home's equity, then you have two main options. One option is to do a cash-out refinance of your current mortgage. The other options is to take out a second mortgage, either a Home Equity Loan (HEL) or a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC).  Depending on your particular situation, one option may be better for you than the other.