Credit catch-22: for buyers with no borrowing history, getting a car loan can be a challenge. (Starting Out).
DEBT-FREE and with a secure job managing a McDonald's franchise in Asheville, N.C., Rob Smith was expecting to get the green light from Volkswagen Credit for a $15,000 car loan. But when the salesman tried to check Smith's credit report, he couldn't find one. Smith, 24, had never had a mortgage, a

Publication: Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine

The great American Debt Diet: before and after: they owed money to banks, credit card companies, and student loan organizations--and believed there was no end in sight. Today these three couples are lean, mean, debt-free machines. How did they do it? What could they do better? Jean Chatzky, one of their original coaches, checks in with them.
THE AVERAGE AMERICAN FAMILY owes thousands on credit cards. We have less equity in our homes and owe more on our cars than ever before. And if interest rates continue to rise, monthly payments could skyrocket. The unfortunate result is that many of us can't save or invest--or sleep, for that

Publication: O, The Oprah Magazine

Analysis: When to allow car dealers to check your credit score
MADELEINE BRAND, ALEX CHADWICK NPR Special 05-24-2005 Analysis: When to allow car dealers to check your credit score Host: MADELEINE BRAND, ALEX CHADWICK Time: 4:00-5:00 PM MADELEINE BRAND, host: Personal finance now with our guru Michelle Singletary. Michelle writes the syndicated column The Color

Publication: NPR Special

ATTORNEY GENERAL MADIGAN: CAR BUYERS FACE CREDIT NIGHTMARE AFTER DEALERSHIP FAILS TO PROMPTLY PAY OFF LOAN BALANCES FOR TRADE-IN VEHICLES
The Illinois Attorney General issued the following news release: Attorney General Lisa Madigan today filed a lawsuit in Grundy County Circuit Court against a car dealership alleging that its failure to pay off in a timely manner the loan balances on trade-in vehicles has led to credit nightmares

Publication: US Fed News Service, Including US State News

ATTORNEY GENERAL MILLER WARNS LAWMAKERS, CONSUMERS ABOUT CAR-TITLE LOANS: 'THERE IS NO JUSTIFICATION FOR SUCH ASTRONOMICAL INTEREST RATES'
The Iowa Attorney General issued the following news release: Attorney General Tom Miller today cautioned consumers to avoid car-title loans, which charge what he called "astronomical and unjustified interest rates" - and he renewed his call for legislation to stop "unconscionable" lending practices

Publication: US Fed News Service, Including US State News

Dragged Down by Debt; People with shaky credit are getting suckered by risky loans against their paychecks, homes--and even cars.
Byline: Jane Bryant Quinn (Reporter Associate: Temma Ehrenfeld, with Pat Crowley) Claudie Harris, 54, of Kansas City, Mo., knows about living on the edge. She owes about$5,000 toward her late husband's medical bills. She's paying it, slowly, from the salary she earns as a housekeeper at a facility

Publication: Newsweek