| Volume 142 Number 60 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
Are you heading back to college this fall? If so, you might be about to move in to your first-ever rental house or apartment. Here are some tips for first-time renters: Click here for more.
The Apple Card is now open to all iPhone owners
The Apple Card, the company’s entry into the credit card market, is now open for all iPhone users. Over the last 10 days, it has only been available to select customers. Apple says its customers can quickly apply for the new credit card through the Wallet app on iPhone and start using it right away. Apple announced the card earlier this year, partnering with Goldman Sachs, saying it wanted to help consumers better manage their money. The Apple Card is like many regular credit cards. It doesn’t have an annual fee and it offers 3 percent cash back on Apple purchases and 1 percent on all other purchases. The card has gotten a rather lukewarm reception from personal finance experts who note that most cards now don’t charge an annual fee and offer rewards as generous or more than what the Apple Card pays. Click here for more.
Your Money
Having a decent down payment on a house can reduce how much you need to borrow and the interest you'll pay on the mortgage. It can also potentially qualify you for a lower interest rate. If you don't have enough cash on hand for a big down payment, you might think about using a personal loan. But in general, mortgage lenders don't allow the use of personal loan funds for a down payment. Also, having a personal loan on your credit report can affect your ability to qualify for the amount you need for the mortgage. Here's why personal loans usually aren't an option if you need a down payment and which alternatives are available. Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
In Kent v. Citibank, N.A., CASE NO. 19-60260-CIV-DIMITROULEAS/SNOW, 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 124478 (S.D. F. July 24, 2019) the Plaintiff contended that Defendant had made calls violating the TCPA as early as September, 2016. Yet the cardholder agreement containing the arbitration clause the Defendant wished to enforce was entered into months later. Since the arbitration clause in the cardholder agreement applied to “past, present, or future” conduct—and the messages were otherwise within the scope of the “disputes” subject to arbitration—the court concluded that the fact that messages were sent before the arbitration agreement was entered into did not defeat the motion to compel. Click here for more.