What your banker wont tell you
This summer could be a foul season for many consumers followed by tumultuous times for the remaining years. The quadruple jinx of rising interest rates, higher credit card minimum payments, erratic fuel costs, and depressed home values could be the calamity for many families already living on the threshold of bankruptcy.
Americans who recently broke into overvalued home equity, at historically low interest rates, are now seeing a sign of things to come. In some cases, consumers may find themselves upside down, owing more than their home is worth. In other cases, low interest rate credit cards now mandate APRs at least four percentage points higher than two years ago. Plus, issuers have been forced by regulators to double minimum payments on some cardholders who are paying high interest rates. But the real blistering is fuel prices which could now soar any day to any price. Paying $4 per gallon for gas, higher utilities, a 30%+ APR for credit cards, and clinging to a 100%+ home equity line of credit may push more Americans into foreclosure and ultimately bankruptcy.
Dont kid yourself on your current home situation. If you are...