| Volume 18 Number 14 |
Subscribe to the Newsletter
Forward this news alert to your family and friends
Helpful Links
Texas Consumer Complaint Center
Credit Reports and Identity Theft
Your Guide to Small Claims Court
Contact Us
1-713-743-2168
Halloween, or Hallowe'en, is a holiday celebrated on the night of October 31. Traditional activities include trick-or-treating, Halloween festivals, bonfires, costume parties, visiting "haunted houses" and viewing horror films. Halloween originated from the Pagan festival Samhain, celebrated among the Celts of Ireland and Great Britain. Irish and Scottish immigrants carried versions of the tradition to North America in the nineteenth century. Other western countries embraced the holiday in the late twentieth century. Halloween is now celebrated in several parts of the western world, most commonly in Ireland, the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom. Click here for more.
The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
When shopping be sure to keep an eye on the register. Don't assume that just because a product is scanned, the amount is correct. Scanners are not always properly programmed to include sales and special deals, and often make errors.
Know Escrow Rules Before Waiving Them
Lenders often require homeowners who don't have much equity in their homes to escrow property taxes and insurance payments. That helps the lender manage risk in case you don't pay these bills, which would leave them to face potential losses from property damage or tax liens. If you have enough equity in the home, the lender may allow you to waive escrow provisions. Click here for more.
Time to Refinance is Now
Even if your loan isn't going to reset in the near future, there are good reasons not to wait. Sinking home values eat into your equity, making it harder to get a new loan. Click here for more.
Trick and Treat 'em: Halloween Decorations
reports the American Greetings Corp., based in Cleveland. What's more, pumpkins, greeting cards and other party staples accounted for more than $4.9 billion in sales in 2006, says the National Retail Federation in Washington, D.C. Let the inexpensive Halloween decoration planning begin! Click here for more.
Your Money
What is the fastest and cheapest way to pay down your debts? Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
A misrepresentation is actionable whether made to the consumer directly, or indirectly through his lawyer. In a case involving four consolidated cases, the 7th Circuit has held that if the consumer is represented by a lawyer, a debt collector must give the same written notice to the lawyer that section 1692g would require were the consumer unrepresented and the notice sent directly to him. Click here for more.