KFI will carry a news conference with LAPD Chief Charlie Beck and Mayor Villaraigosa regarding last week's arson fires. Listen live. Source: http://twitter.com/KFINEWS/statuses/154020396310601728
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SEOUL (Reuters) ? North Korea called on its people to rally behind new leader Kim Jong-un and protect him as "human shields" while working to solve the "burning issue" of food shortages by upholding the policies of his late father, Kim Jong-il.
The North's three main state newspapers said in a policy-setting editorial traditionally published on New Year's Day that Kim Jong-un has legitimacy to carry on the revolutionary battle initiated by his grandfather, Kim Il-sung, and developed by his father, the iron-fisted ruler who died two weeks ago.
"Kim Jong-un, the supreme leader of our Party and our people, is the banner of victory and glory of Songun (military-first) Korea and the eternal centre of its unity," the 5,000-word editorial carried by the North's state KCNA news agency said.
Asserting that the inexperienced young Kim, in his late 20s, is "precisely" identical to his father, the editorial said "the whole Party, the entire army and all the people should possess a firm conviction that they will become human bulwarks and human shields in defending Kim Jong-un unto death."
Notably, the editorial called North Korea's food problem "a burning issue" for the ruling Workers' Party to solve and build "a thriving country."
"Glorify this year 2012 as a year of proud victory, a year when an era of prosperity is unfolding, true to the instructions of the great General Kim Jong-il," the editorial said.
The destitute North has been suffering from chronic food shortages, relying heavily on outside aid. A U.N. report said in November the isolated communist state needs food assistance for nearly 3 million of its 24 million people in 2012.
NO MENTION OF NUCLEAR ARMS
Many Korea-watchers in Seoul say the editorial did not suggest any major new changes in social or economic policies but appeared to be sensitive over the food issue.
"In order to solidify and stabilize his grip on power, tackling the food problem is one of the top agenda topics Kim Jong-un should deal with for now," Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Koran Studies, told Reuters.
The editorial also assailed the South Korean government for pursuing confrontation despite efforts by the North to reopen dialogue, and it repeated its demand for the withdrawal of the U.S. military from the South.
But conspicuously absent from the editorial was any mention of North Korea's nuclear arms program, the key source of regional security concerns during Kim Jong-il's reign.
"The North seems poised to focus its polices on stabilizing domestic matters such as economic issues for the time being rather than to aggressively come forward with diplomatic affairs," said Yoo Ho-yeol, an North Korea expert at Korea University.
The North's remarks on the nuclear issue were featured prominently in previous New Year's Day editorials.
Momentum was building in diplomatic contacts between the North and the United States before the announcement of Kim Jong-il's death, raising expectations the two sides may be closer to reaching a compromise to restart stalled talks aimed at ending the North's nuclear program.
Those talks stalled in 2008 when Pyongyang baulked at inspections of its nuclear sites under a 2005 deal by six countries -- the two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia -- to give the impoverished North aid in return for disarmament.
"By giving up on comments on the nuclear issue, the North would secure much room in negotiations with the United States and the other signatories of the six-party talks," said Yang.
In a fiery message last week that marked the first communication with the outside world since Kim Jong-il's death, the North's National Defence Commission, which is seen as the apex of power, declared it would not deal with the current government in the South.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak angered Pyongyang by cutting off aid to its destitute neighbor when he took office in 2008, demanding nuclear disarmament and economic reform as preconditions to reopen food assistance and political engagement.
Tensions on the divided peninsula reached a new peak in 2010 when the North launched an artillery barrage into a South Korean island, killing civilians. The North was also blamed for a torpedo attack against a South Korean navy ship that killed 46.
North and South Korea are technically still at war under a truce ending the 1950-53 Korean War.
KCNA said later on Sunday that Kim Jong-un visited an army tank division in what it said was the first military inspection as supreme commander. The move signaled Kim would be continuing the kind of trips taken by his father as the key public appearances that publicized his activity as national leader.
The North's state media said on Saturday Kim Jong-un has been officially appointed supreme commander of its 1.2-million strong military, two days after the official mourning for the dead leader ended, in a move seen as a rush to solidify succession and boost the younger Kim's grip on power.
Kim Jong-un was named a four-star general and given the vice-chairmanship of the ruling party's Central Military Commission by his father in 2010.
Experts believe the untested new leader, who had only been groomed for power since 2009, will rule with the aid of a close coterie that includes his uncle and key power-broker, Jang Song-thaek, at least in the early stages of the leadership transition.
(Editing by Ed Lane)
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An insurance policy is just a promise that the company who issued it will offer you help and indemnity in the event of a loss. However, while many promises are free, automobile insurance is not. Furthermore, many states require you to have it to even drive your car on the public roads and many loan companies require insurance before you drive off the lot with a financed car. ?Whether you pay a lot or a little, there are some ways you can reduce your car insurance bills even more.
Invest in your safety. Many insurance companies also offer discounts for safety features on your car. Anti-lock brakes, multiple air bags and other safety equipment can lower your bills. If you also take a driver improvement or safety class approved by your company, you can see a substantial discount. Be prepared to show verification of these things if the company requests it.
Go to liability only coverage when you can. Liability coverage is coverage for damage you and your car cause to other people or property. If your state requires automobile insurance, this is the coverage it?s looking for you to carry. Physical damage coverage covers your car in the event of claim and is generally only required if you have a loan on the car. Once your car gets old enough that the cost of insuring it for physical damage outweighs its value, it?s time to drop to liability only, bringing your policy cost down with it.
Stop switching insurance companies every year. Although it?s possible to change insurance companies as much as you?d like, you should think twice before you do. Most companies offer some sort of discount for long term customers. If you can?t stay with your company, just make sure your switch doesn?t cause any gaps in your coverage. If you have continuous insurance, you often qualify for a discount when you switch to your new insurer.
Source: http://madamenoire.com/118297/4-tips-to-lowering-your-auto-insurance-bills/
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No one was more surprised than Thomas Carpenito with the credit-card invitation that landed in his mailbox earlier this year.
The 27-year-old deli owner from White Plains, N.Y., had about $10,000 in old debts and a credit rating 200 points below ?good.? He recalled thinking the post office had delivered the letter to the wrong house.
Far from a mistake, the offer was part of a controversial and growing partnership between debt collectors and banks that profits both. To get the new credit card, Mr. Carpenito agreed to repay $400 on a seven-year-old debt that had expired under New York?s statute of limitations.
?It was totally worth it,? he said. Having no credit cards made Mr. Carpenito feel ?like dirt,? he said, especially when out on dates. His new credit card, stamped with the MasterCard Inc. logo, was offered by Jefferson Capital Systems LLC, the debt-collection arm of CompuCredit Holdings Corp., in Atlanta.
CompuCredit, a leader in the business, collected about $15 million in newly resurrected debts and fees by issuing credit cards to people with banged-up credit in the first nine months of this year, according to a securities filing. It also has drawn scrutiny by federal authorities for allegedly deceptive practices.
Many U.S. banks, hungry for new revenue streams, are eager partners. They receive fees and higher-than-average interest rates by granting debt collectors access to their license with MasterCard. The debt companies typically agree to cover losses to banks if borrowers stop paying.
Some lenders say borrowers have a moral obligation to pay their debts even if they are no longer legally responsible. Others are leery about subprime borrowers. But the debt-driven credit cards show some banks tiptoeing back into subprime lending after suffering big losses during the financial crisis.
Collectors aren?t afraid of the risks in issuing new credit cards because they instantly turn a profit on virtually worthless debts?purchased for pennies on the dollar?when people agree to start making payments on them. The credit-card agreements essentially create assets out of thin air.
The cards, born a decade ago, are gaining new momentum as debt-collection firms look for new ways to collect, said William Weinstein, chief executive of Weinstein & Riley, a Seattle debt collector.
No one knows how many of these credit cards, usually stamped with the MasterCard logo, are in people?s wallets. MasterCard declined to comment.
Tommy?s Deli & Cafe
Thomas Carpenito got a credit card for agreeing to pay $400 of an old debt that New York state law had expunged.
Genesis Financial Solutions, of Beaverton, Ore., said it was opening about 100,000 new accounts a year in its ?Balance Transfer Program.? Unlike typical balance-transfer offers, where consumers are lured with low interest rates to move credit balances, Genesis borrowers move expired debts onto the new card.
Irving Levin, the chief executive of Genesis, said the company?s credit cards were an opportunity for consumers in a ?very much underserved segment.?
?I got a bunch of cards when I was younger, and the companies were basically giving them away,? said Mr. Carpenito of his past debt troubles. ?I couldn?t really handle the bills, and I fell way behind.?
Federal authorities have declared some of the offers deceptive because they failed to clearly explain to people they needn?t pay back even a penny of the past debts because the obligations had expired under statutes of limitations set by individual states.
Mr. Carpenito?s credit card from CompuCredit carried the name of Monterey County Bank, a unit of Northern California Bancorp. In 2010, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. accused Monterey of helping Tighorn Financial Services LLC disguise efforts to resurrect expired debts through new credit-card offers. Tighorn, a debt collector based in Sioux Falls, S.D., didn?t return calls for comment.
Bank officials last year agreed to a $3 million settlement without admitting or denying wrongdoing. ?Our bank no longer participates in any balance transfer card programs,? Charles T. Chrietzberg Jr., Monterey County Bank?s chairman, president and chief executive, said in an email in response to questions.
Mr. Carpenito?s credit card is now underwritten by another lender. In November, CompuCredit?s debt-collection arm got a credit line from another bank, PrivateBancorp Inc. in LaSalle, Ill., according to a securities filing, ?to facilitate the growth of this segment?s operations.?
CompuCredit didn?t respond to requests for comment.
Last month, its chairman and chief executive, David Hanna, told investors that the ?current economic environment could lead to increased opportunities?as consumers with less access to credit create additional demand.?
Two allegations of deception were settled with no admission of wrongdoing. Excerpts from the actions:
The FDIC has reason to believe that the Bank has engaged in unsafe or unsound banking practices, and engaged in deceptive practices ? in connection with the Bank?s credit card relationship with two other firms.
The Commission requests [relief] against CompuCredit Corporation and Jefferson Capital Systems for engaging in unfair or deceptive acts or practices in violation of ? the FTC Act and for engaging in acts and practices in violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
In 2008, CompuCredit agreed to return more than $114 million to customers after the Federal Trade Commission accused the company of deceptive practices that included failure to disclose high credit-card fees and failure to tell customers that accepting a Majestic credit card?emblazoned with a Visa Inc. logo?essentially enrolled them in a debt-repayment program. The company didn?t admit to any wrongdoing in the settlement.
Visa, which declined to comment, is no longer in the debt-collection credit-card business, according to lawyers for debtors who have gotten card offers.
People who stop paying bills earn lousy credit ratings but eventually are freed of old debt under statutes of limitations that vary by state and range from three years to 10 years from the last loan payment.
But if a debtor agrees to make even a single payment on an expired debt, the clock starts anew on some part of the old obligation, a process called ?re-aging.?
So if borrowers again fall behind on their payments, debt collectors can turn to their usual tools: letters, phone calls and lawsuits. By restarting a debt?s statute of limitations, the collectors have years to retrieve payments.
Regulators scrutinize offers to see whether they clearly state that borrowers are agreeing to repay part?or in some cases all?of an expired debt if they agree to a new credit card.
The pitches usually come in the form of a letter.
?Make your fresh start today,? said one Emblem credit card offer viewed by The Wall Street Journal. A sentence near the top of the offer said, ?This communication is from a debt collector.?
Kindra Weaver, an office administrator who lives in Artesia, N.M., said she had no idea the $300 she paid in March for a Milestone credit card from Genesis Financial Solutions settled a debt long past the statute of limitations.
But she said she would happily do it again. ?No one else wanted to even work with me,? said Ms. Weaver, 26 years old. ?I lost my job at one point and couldn?t make ends meet. But I feel so much better about my life now that I was able to pay and get back on track.?
Ms. Weaver has a $300 credit limit that can go up if she stays current with her monthly payments. Her credit card carries an annual interest rate of 19%, compared with an average rate of 13.7%.
Milestone credit cards are issued by Mid America Bank & Trust Co., a 91-year-old bank in Dixon, Mo. A regulatory filing shows the bank collected $1.1 million in ?credit card program fee income? in the first nine months of 2011. The bank had profits of $1.2 million over the same period. Mid America declined to comment for this article.
Card Acquisition LLC says on its website that the Sioux Falls company?s Affirm credit card can help debt collectors wring profits out of seemingly lost causes. The cards give ?the debtor a positive way to settle their debt,? the website said. Company officials didn?t respond to calls for comment.
Participating banks say borrowers with poor credit?stemming from lost jobs or other financial catastrophes, for example?deserve another chance.
How to restart lending to them is ?a question at the very center of the recovery,? John D. Hawke Jr., the nation?s top regulator of national banks from 1998 to 2008, said in an interview.
Last year, West Virginia Attorney General Darrell McGraw barred Jefferson Capital Systems, the debt-collection unit of CompuCredit, from offering state residents an Emblem credit card through the company?s ?Fresh Start Solution Program.?
Mr. McGraw said the program was ?abusive? because people didn?t realize they were agreeing to pay debt that had expired. Other issuers still can do business in West Virginia. Some companies are concerned regulatory scrutiny could slow growth.
Angela Hoover, a 47-year-old laboratory assistant from Strasburg, Pa., said she was ready to sign up for an Emblem credit card in November. After reading the offer letter three times, she realized she would have to pay $434 in old debts before she could get the card.
The letter?s ?legal hogwash? was confusing, she said. ?I am just grateful I didn?t accept it.?
Source: http://www.localnet360.com/price-of-credit-card-paying-expired-debt-2/
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