The first two provisions of the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure (“CARD”) Act of 2009 went into effect Thursday, August 20, 2009.  The CARD Act is designed to protect consumers from unfair and deceptive practices by credit card companies. 

It is the mid-1980′s. Savings & Loan institutions are failing at an alarming rate. So many are insolvent, in fact, that the Federal Savings & Loan Insurance Corporation (FSLIC), the deposit insurer of thrifts at that time, is running out of money to close insolvent thrifts. What does FSLIC do? It seeks out purchasers, who [...]

In Wednesday’s Business Week, Ben Steverman’s anaylsis of the possiblities of upcoming bankruptcy activity indicates that filings, rather than slowing as the economy gains its footing again, will instead swell with the failure of numerous entrepreneurial and high-debt companies. His opinion is that this will be due largely to the continuing spin-down in consumer demand [...]

“We may be seeing the beginning of the end of the recession,” President Barack Obama said yesterday in Raleigh.  Indeed, parts of the country are starting to experience some economic stability, according to the latest figures issued by the Federal Reserve, but the Fifth District of Virginia, North Carolina and  South Carolina remains weak. 

For nearly two years, the credit markets have been tightening, making it difficult for consumers and businesses to get credit for purchases and operations.  Several financial institutions declared bankruptcy or were on the brink of failure.  The federal government has used a variety of strategies to prevent a full-scale financial meltdown, including slashing interest rates, [...]

According to the Detroit News, General Motors reversed the closing of 41 of the 2,100 dealerships originally targeted to be closed as part of GM’s bankruptcy and restructuring.