Complete info on the PBS Frontline segment called: The Card Game”

Click here to watch

“As credit card companies face rising public anger, new regulation from Washington and staggering new rates of default and bankruptcy, FRONTLINE correspondent Lowell Bergman investigates the future of the massive consumer loan industry and its impact on a fragile national economy.”

THE FIGHT OVER INTERCHANGE FEES: “Interchange fees are now the central issue in what is being called the largest private antitrust litigation in U.S. history.  Five years ago, Mitch Goldstone, an independent owner of scanmyphotos.com, an online photo service company, was struggling to keep his Southern California shop afloat. He began scrutinizing every expense and revenue stream of his small business. When he realized that an already costly expense — interchange fees – was increasing, he was livid.  “It got to the point where I had just a few employees and things were looking really bleak,” said Goldstone. “Interchange fees were the one expense that was going up, no matter what I did.”  In 2005, Goldstone (PDF) and more than 30 other merchants filed antitrust lawsuits in U.S District Court against Visa, MasterCard and several of their member banks, accusing them of breaching federal antitrust law by fixing the prices on interchange fees.”

[/source]

Just a heads up for everyone regarding the latest in Visa fraud. Royal Bank received this communication about the newest scam. This is happening in southern Alberta right now and moving.

This one is pretty slick since they provide YOU with all the information, except the one piece they want..

Note, the callers do not ask for your card number; they already have it.

This information is worth reading.. By understanding how the VISA & MasterCard telephone Credit Card Scam works, you’ll be better prepared to protect yourself. One of our employees was called on Wednesday from ‘VISA’, and I was called on Thursday from ‘MasterCard’.

The scam works like this:

Person calling says – ‘This is (name), and I’m calling from the Security and Fraud Department at VISA. My Badge number is 12460, Your card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern, and I’m calling to verify. This would be on your VISA card which was issued by (name of bank). Did you purchase an Anti-Telemarketing Device for $497.99 from a marketing company based in Arizona ?’ When you say ‘No’, the caller continues with, ‘Then we will be issuing a credit to your account. This is a company we have been watching and the charges range from $297 to $497, just under the $500 purchase pattern that flags most cards. Before your next statement, the credit will be sent to (gives you your address), is that correct?’ You say ‘yes’.

The caller continues – ‘I will be starting a Fraud Investigation. If you have any questions, you should call the 1- 800 number listed on the back of your card (1-800-VISA) and ask for Security. You will need to refer to this Control Number. The caller then gives you a 6 digit number. ‘Do you need me to read it again?’

Here’s the IMPORTANT part on how the scam works – The caller then says, ‘I need to verify you are in possession of your card’. He’ll ask you to ‘turn your card over and look for some numbers’. There are 7 numbers; the first 4 are part of your card number, the last 3 are the Security Numbers that verify you are the possessor of the card. These are the numbers you sometimes use to make Internet purchases to prove you have the card. The caller will ask you to read the last 3 numbers to him. After you tell the caller the 3 numbers, he’ll say, ‘That is correct, I just needed to verify that the card has not been lost or stolen, and that you still have your card. Do you have any other questions?’

After you say no, the caller then thanks you and states, ‘Don’t hesitate to call back if you do’, and hangs up. You actually say very little, and they never ask for or tell you the card number.. But after we were called on Wednesday, we called back. Within 20 minutes to ask a question. Are we were glad we did! The REAL VISA Security Department told us it was a scam and in the last 15 minutes a new purchase of $497.99 was charged to our card. We made a real fraud report and closed the VISA account. VISA is reissuing us a new number. What the scammers want is the 3-digit PIN number on the back of the card. Don’t give it to them. Instead, tell them you’ll call VISA or Master Card directly for verification of their conversation.

The real VISA told us that they will never ask for anything on the card as they already know the information since they issued the card! If you give the scammers your 3 Digit PIN Number, you think you’re receiving a credit; however, by the time you get your statement you’ll see charges for purchases you didn’t make, and by then it’s almost too late and/or more difficult to actually file a fraud report.

What makes this more remarkable is that on Thursday, I got a call from a ‘Jason Richardson of MasterCard’ with a word-for-word repeat of the VISA Scam. This time I didn’t let him finish. I hung up! We filed a police report, as instructed by VISA. The police said they are taking several of these reports daily! They also urged us to tell everybody we know that this scam is happening. I dealt with a similar situation this morning, with the caller telling me that $3,097 had been charged to my account for plane tickets to Spain , and so on through the above routine.

It appears that this Is a very active scam, and evidently quite successful.

Pass this on to all your family and friends

Niki Laxamana

Detective Constable (99739)

Toronto Police Service Fraud Squad – Corporate Section

40 College Street, 3rd Floor

Toronto, Ontario Canada M5G 2J3 B:

(416) 808-7344 F: (416) 808-7302

Que eles são analfabetos não é novidade, que fazem vergonha com sua “nassão” e “imença massa” também já sabemos.

Aí twittando alguem lembra que eles completaram a festa “bringando entre eles”.

http://globoesporte.globo.com/Esportes/Noticias/Times/Flamengo/0,,MUL1388594-9865,00.html

Torcida Feliz. Torcida da PAZ.

Hahahah

My husband Scott and I have been looking for a puppy for quite a while.  He wanted a lab, I wanted a German shepherd.  SO – we compromised on a combination Airedale/standard poodle.  Risking sounding like a parent who’s ready to flip open a wallet full of kid pictures at any opportunity, I must say this is the CUTEST puppy I’ve ever seen!  her name is Ethyl.  I was thinking of “Ethyl” on the old “I Love Lucy” show.  She is very smart.  We’ve had her five days and she is sitting on command and rarely has an accident in the house.  Our current challenge is training her to walk on a leash.  She just wants to chew the lease and leap and prance about.  Any recommendations on training in this area are welcome!

On the business side of things, my daughter is still hard at work perfecting my label so that I can get out there and start selling at craft fairs.  That being said, I am missing all the craft shows this Christmas season because the labels aren’t ready.  I am trying not to stress about that.  But I can’t help but tally up the income I am losing by not traveling with my wares this time of year…  ugh.

Yesterday was spent with a nice man in India who helped me install my MasterCard/visa/discover software so that when I finally get to the craft fairs, I can take people’s credit and debit cards.  YIPPEE!!  Anyone who has their own small business and has been through this process can feel my pain.  My training session for actually being able to use the program is next Tuesday.  More joy, I’m sure.  But it all needs to be done and I am feeling a certain kind of droll satisfaction in being to cross these particular items off my “to do” list.

Please enjoy my puppy pictures and let me know of any good puppy training tricks.  Also, anyone out there who makes their own organic skin care products, I want to hear from you, too!  Visit my site:  www.theasbeebeautifu.com

Nicht hinnehmbar ist es also, wie die Tagesschau-Redaktion des BRD-Staatsfernsehens hier pflichtschuldig und wie üblich völlig im Enddarm der Besitzenden verkrochen meldet, dass die armen, opferhaften Banken für die Versäumnisse und Fehler ihrer Geschäftspartner einstehen müssen, mit denen sie durch die erleichterte Verschuldung immer größerer Teile der Bevölkerung doch einen ganz anständien Reibach machen.

Leicht hinnehmbar, völlig erwünscht und zu Politik geworden ist es hingegen, wenn der Bundeshaushalt und damit die gesamte Bevölkerung der BRD für die Versäumnisse und Fehler der Bankster und Großkapitalverbrecher einstehen müssen. Und wie die das hinnehmen!

Quelle des Screenshots: Videotext des BRD-Staatsfernsehens ARD, S. 125, Stand 20. November 2009, 13.15 Uhr

The WorldWide Investment in Online and Mobile Payment Technologies

SMS has been the mainstay of the Mobile Payments industry for over 10 years. Near Field Communication (NFC/RFID) is the emerging technology supported by Visa, MasterCard and the Global Banking community. It allows users to make payments by waving their mobile phone in front of a compatible reader.

But with the arrival of the Smart Phone other technologies are emerging. For example, Intuit’s GoPayment is an app that turns the iPhone or iPod touch into a credit card terminal that can process payments, track past charges, and generate electronic receipts for the customer.

Then there are the micro-payments players like MobillCash, Zong, Spare Change and BOKU. These start-ups support SMS mobile payments for micro-transactions on social network applications and gaming sites. For example Boku Mobile Payments Users enter their cell phone number on the site, reply to a text message and then all virtual charges are automatically charged to the user’s monthly cell phone bill. While MobillCash users pay by just entering in their phone number and then typing in a 4 digit code they receive via SMS.

Now don’t be fooled into thinking these micro-payment start-ups are minor players. TechCrunch reports that Zong has already processed mobile payments for over 10 million unique users worldwide in 2009. The size of that customer base would make Zong one of the top four banks here in Australia.

4 billion mobile phone users and only 1.6 billion bank accounts

Prior to the MasterCard announcement the big play this year had come from Nokia. In August they announced they would be launching Nokia Money, a new payment service powered by Obopay that allows users to send money to friends, merchants, and service companies simply by using their phone numbers.

The company’s aim is to Build a new ecosystem for mobile payments.

One of the biggest markets for this type of technology is in the emerging markets like Asia, Africa and South America. Places where many people have phones with pre-paid SIM cards but don’t have bank accounts.

As I said in my post A Telco you can Bank on?. The stakes are high. Visa has almost 5 times, and MasterCard almost 3 times, the transaction revenues of the Global Mobile Phone industry. If you are going to play in just one MobCon sector over the next 15 years then clearly forget media, forget software and forget telecoms. This is the game you should be in and it’s a game you should be playing to win.

Do you know who really pays for processing every time you swipe that plastic card? Well, it is the merchant and the processing costs are paid as interchange fee to the merchant’s own bank, the customer’s bank, and computer network that processes the transaction. Banks earned over USD 48 billion in interchange fees in 2008, which is more than the total revenues from fees on checking or saving accounts.

Merchants and credit card issuers have tie regarding interchange fees. Merchants find it unfair to give away a part of revenues to the credit card issuer and desire a change in the system. They find themselves in tight situation because if they do not provide the facility of using a Visa or Mastercard, they are most likely to make their customers unhappy. On the hand, credit card companies argue that the interchange fees simply cannot be waived off; somebody will have to pay for it. According to a recent report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the payment could ultimately land in the lap of consumers in the form of increased fees in other areas.

The government is evaluating various options to regulate interchange fees and draw a fair line between credit card issuers and merchants. Considering 2008 figures, if the government intervenes and reduces the interchange fees from 2.1% to 0.60%, it could save $34.3 billion annually for consumers as well as merchants. However, with the Credit CARD Act to be fully effective soon, the reduction seems less likely to occur. The credit card issuers are already finding their business in jeopardy and reducing the interchange fees could hit their revenues.

Government officials have said that retailers are pushing the agencies that regulate financial services to find a legislative solution. The GAO report suggests increase in transparency for consumers OR granting the ability to merchants to negotiate on rates directly with the credit card issuers could resolve the issue. But, even if the interchange fees are lowered it may eventually pass on to consumers.

http://www.free-credit-report-360.com

According to Minute Entries in the Orange County Court Case in which Masih Madani is a defendant,

“The primary thrust of both cases is the “missing” $3.5 million.  The related case (but not the instant case) also deals with so-called Stored-Value Card Liabilities (Motion, Exhibit A, Third Amended Complaint in the related case, paragraphs 63 – 79 and 94 – 99).  FVA alleges that Innovative Bank, Star, Madani and the Madani entities conspired to transfer Stored-Value Card Programs, including the liabilities on those Programs, to FVA without FVA’s knowledge or authorization. This is not so difficult to understand that it would confuse an average jury.”

Madani is now offering stored value cards sponsord by First Regional Bank.

The primary thrust of both cases is the “missing” $3.5 million.  The related case (but not the instant case) also deals with so-called Stored-Value Card Liabilities (Motion, Exhibit A, Third Amended Complaint in the related case, paragraphs 63 – 79 and 94 – 99).  FVA alleges that Innovative Bank, Star, Madani and the Madani entities conspired to transfer Stored-Value Card Programs, including the liabilities on those Programs, to FVA without FVA’s knowledge or authorization. This is not so difficult to understand that it would confuse an average jury.

LIVERPOOL ONE’S GIFT CARD GIVES STYLISH SHOPPERS THE KEY TO THE CITY

As Liverpool continues to take its place as the style capital of the North West, Liverpool ONE announces the launch of its exclusive Gift Card offering fashion conscious shoppers and foodies access to over 120 stores and restaurants. With all this on offer it makes the perfect gift for family and friends.

The perfect gift – for what you want

The Liverpool ONE MasterCard Gift Card is a single loaded prepaid card that can be used to purchase gifts and services within stores or restaurants located at Liverpool ONE, where MasterCard is accepted.

Sleek and stylishly designed, the Liverpool ONE Gift Card is available exclusively from the Information Centre on Wall Street. There is no charge for the card. The only charge is the amount customers choose to load onto the card. The card can be loaded from £5 – £500.  Up to the minute balances are available online at www.getmybalance.com

“The perfect gift – for what you want”

No entiendo como estas noticias sobre la anulación de 100.000 tarjetas de crédito por bancos alemanes no es más de lo que se presenta por momento.

Por lo que he leído, la causa es un robo de datos de un “servidor “ el cual es parte de la red de procesamiento de pagos de uno de los procesadores españoles de pagos por tarjetas, los cuales, si no me equivoco, son pocos; como por ejemplo Servired, 4B, Euro 6000, etc.

Primero, no entiendo ¿porque esto solo afecta a las tarjetas de crédito de bancos alemanes? ¿No será que en realidad esto afecta a todos los que han usado tarjetas de crédito por dicho proveedor de servicios, que por momento sigue sin identificarse? ¿Es posible que la diferencia es que los bancos alemanes están tomando medidas preventivas, mientras los demás se quedan silbando y disimulando?

Segundo, de momento no encuentro información concreta sobre los detalles de los tipos de irregularidades que se han encontrado (en extractos) para dar la alarma a esta incidencia. ¿No sería esta información de gran interés para los clientes?

Tercero, ¿Por qué no se identifica la entidad del procesador de pagos en la cual se ha encontrado el fallo? ¿No será que los intereses corporativos son mayores a las de los clientes? Vaya, que sorpresa seria eso también.

Bancos alemanes bloquean ya 100 mil tarjetas de crédito por supuesto fraude
Anulan bancos alemanes tarjetas de crédito por fraude en España
El País
El Mundo
BBC

Having over 100,000 cards recalled in Germany as a result of possible fraud in Spain shows just how serious this breach could be. Whilst it is still not possible to know who the Spanish card processing company is, I can imagine one of two scenarios: 1. a local processor switching terminal transactions for merchants within Spain itself, or 2. a processing company switching Internet transactions. It is also possible that the staff members concerned somehow sold off card details or used them in fraudulent transactions themselves. None of this is known and in none of the actual articles the past few hours are any real details made known, other than the German card recall. For issuers to recall cards the breach has had to be serious enough, and so I expect the news to get worse as the investigators start uncovering the facts.

Llega la Navidad y Mastercard busca promover el uso de su tarjeta con una acción on line centrada en una herramienta que ayuda a los consumidores a elegir el regalo perfecto. A partir de una serie de datos, como la descripción de la personalidad del destinatario y el precio que se quiere gastar, la herramienta ofrece distintos regalos disponibles en Amazon.com. Además a través de Facebook Connect, los usuarios pueden crear sus listas de compras. La aplicación también incluye una calculadora de presupuestos.

Cheryl Guerin, responsable de marketing en MasterCard Worldwide ha comentado en un comunicado que esta iniciativa está en la línea de las tendencias de los consumidores a la hora de comprar: “La utilidad de la herramienta hace más fácil seleccionar los regalos perfectos, usando las aplicaciones de los medios sociales que forman parte de la vida de los compradores de hoy en día”.

El jugador de fútbol americano Peyton Manning y la actriz de la serie “Cómo conocí a vuestra madre” Alyson Hannigan promocionan la aplicación desde la web y desde la televisión con tres spots distintos. La campaña, creada por McCann Erickson, New York, estará en activo durante las Navidades.

Los consumidores que usen la aplicación reciben 10 dólares de crédito en la cuenta de Amazon, que pueden usarse en la tiende de Amazon MP3. MasterCard invirtió 219 millones de dólares en publicidad convencional en 2008 en Estados Unidos, según Nielsen.

Para conocer mas visita www.Priceless.com/giftfinder

Llega la Navidad y Mastercard busca promover el uso de su tarjeta con una acción on line centrada en una herramienta que ayuda a los consumidores a elegir el regalo perfecto. A partir de una serie de datos, como la descripción de la personalidad del destinatario y el precio que se quiere gastar, la herramienta ofrece distintos regalos disponibles en Amazon.com. Además a través de Facebook Connect, los usuarios pueden crear sus listas de compras. La aplicación también incluye una calculadora de presupuestos.

Cheryl Guerin, responsable de marketing en MasterCard Worldwide ha comentado en un comunicado que esta iniciativa está en la línea de las tendencias de los consumidores a la hora de comprar: “La utilidad de la herramienta hace más fácil seleccionar los regalos perfectos, usando las aplicaciones de los medios sociales que forman parte de la vida de los compradores de hoy en día”.

El jugador de fútbol americano Peyton Manning y la actriz de la serie “Cómo conocí a vuestra madre” Alyson Hannigan promocionan la aplicación desde la web y desde la televisión con tres spots distintos. La campaña, creada por McCann Erickson, New York, estará en activo durante las Navidades.

Más información: Marketingnews.es

MasterCard has announced that starting in 2010, MasterCard’s financial institutions will have the capability to offer MasterCard cardholders money transfers from any MasterCard or Maestro card to any other MasterCard or Maestro card. According to MasterCard, “this global card-to-card money transfer service will expand the usability and value of MasterCard products and global payments network by providing its customers with a convenient and cost-effective money transfer platform enabling person-to-person payments and cross-border remittances.”

MasterCard has announced the availability of M/Chip Advance, a payment platform takes traditional debit, credit and prepaid chip cards to the next level by advancing payment functionality, facilitating deployment of contactless applications and integrating information needed for business applications such as transit and loyalty. The result according to MasterCard: “the potential to deliver versatile, multi-functional payment capabilities to consumers on one payment card.”

Author: Edward Vegliante
Source: articledashboard.com

MasterCard and Visa: they’re both household names in today’s credit card world. In fact, MasterCard and Visa are so common that if you’re shopping for a new card, it may be difficult to choose one over the other. Which one is more widely accepted? Which one has better benefits? Should you apply for both? Here are some points to consider while comparing MasterCard and Visa credit cards.

How MasterCard and Visa Operate

While you see their name on many cards, MasterCard and Visa do not actually issue credit cards.

Rather, they function in a behind-the-scenes way. MasterCard and Visa are payment, www.chase.com, systems. They create and maintain the computer networks that process their credit card transactions. This is no small task. Literally billions of credit card transactions occur at ATMs and merchants around the world.

Other banks, such as Chase and Bank of America, issue the actual credit cards. These banks work with MasterCard or Visa. They place the brand name on their cards.

If you see the Visa name on a credit card, it means that Visa is backing up the card. The same is true for cards with the MasterCard logo on them. This is why you see cards with names such as the Chase Platinum MasterCard. Note that the name of the bank and the payment system are both mentioned. When you make a payment, it goes to the bank that issued the card.

Comparing MasterCard and Visa

As far as worldwide acceptance, MasterCard and Visa are quite comparable. Both of them have an established global presence.

Most retailers will take either one without hesitation. In rare occasions, a retailer may only accept, www.chase.com, one or the other. Even then, you should be able to find another store close by that does take your card.

If you’re searching for a credit card, you are probably comparing interest rates, reward programs, fees, and included benefits. Keep in mind that the issuing banks determine these factors. They are not decided by MasterCard or Visa.

Reasons to Get Both

If you are applying for your first card, remember that MasterCard and Visa are quite similar.

You will want to look at the various benefits offered by the banks that issue the cards. If you are planning to keep a balance from, www.chase.com, month to month, you may want to consider a card with a low interest rate. If you are looking for rewards and are able to pay off the balance in full each month, a card with a good reward program may better fit you.

If you have a Visa and want another credit card, it may be wise to get a MasterCard (and vice versa). The same is true for banks. If you have a card from Chase, try looking into, www.

chase.com, a different card issuer. Having variety will aid you should anything happen to one of the institutions. Also, since the different lenders are in competition, you may receive offers for better credit card deals in the future.

MasterCard and Visa are both solid credit card choices. Having a card from each company will give you more credit options. And having cards from, www.chase.com, different banks will get you access to the best reward programs, interest rates, and other benefits.

Start looking online today. Then pick out the credit cards that work best for you.

A McCann Worldgroup anuncia o lançamento de uma nova unidade de negócios. Sediada em Miami, a McCann MIA, é especializada no mercado latino-americano. Com a iniciativa, a McCann, um dos maiores grupos de comunicação do mundo, reforça sua missão de oferecer as melhores soluções de comunicação e marketing aos seus clientes.

O novo empreendimento vai proporcionar soluções com a inteligência e o discernimento necessários para que grandes marcas realizem negócios eficientes na América Latina. A unidade funciona como um centro de conhecimento do consumidor e de coordenação de clientes para a região.

“A McCann MIA é um ‘business hub’, que está aberto para ser parceiro de qualquer companhia que tenha negócios ou aspirações na América Latina. A unidade é um canal gerador de grandes idéias, mas de idéias estratégicas acompanhadas de excelentes realizações e execuções adequadas” define Luca Lindner, Diretor Regional da McCann Worldgroup para América Latina e Caribe.

A McCann MIA tem como foco o desenvolvimento de soluções de marketing e comunicação para atingir o consumidor da América Latina. “A unidade conta com uma equipe experiente de profissionais latino-americanos, o apoio da McCann Worldgroup e o amplo conhecimento sobre o consumidor dessa região. A McCann MIA é a porta de entrada para qualquer marca que tenha interesse na América Latina”, completa Lindner.

A missão da McCann MIA é criar oportunidades e estratégias para atuais e novos clientes de todo o mundo. É pensado de forma pan-regional a maneira de clientes começarem um negócio em uma nova região ou aumentarem seus negócios nas regiões já existentes.

A unidade de negócios já nasceu com três grandes clientes, MasterCard, Sony Ericsson e General Motors, e bons projetos na bagagem. Entre eles a Pesquisa sobre o Consumidor Emergente, um estudo realizado em 13 cidades latino-americanas.  O projeto mapeou o novo consumidor emergente ao longo dos últimos dois anos. O estudo filtrou os anseios e os hábitos dessa nova classe social, que é atualmente a maior consumidora da região.

Outra imersão aborda a Geração Y da região. A grande capacidade do jovem de digerir um alto nível de informações e estar atento a tudo o que acontece no mundo, fez com que ele se tornasse um grande influenciador na hora das compras da família.

Entre os consumidores latino-americanos que já foram mapeados pela McCann MIA, estão as mulheres latinas. O estudo chamado Mulher Latina mostra que elas passam de 300 milhões, sendo 50% ativas economicamente. Em alguns países, 30% delas já são as principais fontes de renda da família.

“Existem grandes oportunidades de negócios na América Latina e o objetivo dessa unidade é ajudar as empresas a entenderem o complexo funcionamento da região”, explica Luca. “Por ser uma organização totalmente integrada, a McCann MIA vai permitir que os clientes se envolvam com os consumidores latino-americanos. E com isso passará a existir um relacionamento benéfico entre eles”, finaliza.

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FRONTLINE Presents
THE CARD GAME
Tuesday, November 24, 2009, at 9 P.M. ET on PBS

Watch VIDEO

www.pbs.org/frontline/creditcards

As credit card companies face rising public anger, new regulation from Washington and staggering new rates of default and bankruptcy, FRONTLINE correspondent Lowell Bergman investigates the future of the massive consumer loan industry and its impact on a fragile national economy.

In The Card Game, a follow-up to the Secret History of the Credit Card and a joint project with The New York Times airing Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009, at 9 P.M. ET on PBS (check local listings), Bergman and the Times talk to industry insiders, lobbyists, politicians and consumer advocates as they square off over attempts to reform the way the industry has done business for decades.

“The card issuers could do anything they want,” Robert McKinley, CEO of CardWeb.com, tells FRONTLINE of the industry’s unchecked power over consumers. “They could change your interest rate. They could impose an annual fee. They could close your account.” High interest rates along with more and more penalty fees drove up profits for the industry, Bergman finds, as the banks followed the lead of an aggressive upstart: Providian Bank. In an exclusive interview with FRONTLINE, former Providian CEO Shailesh Mehta tells Bergman how his company successfully targeted vulnerable low-income customers whom Providian called “the unbanked.”

“They’re lower-income people-bad credits, bankrupts, young credits, no credits,” Mehta says. Providian also innovated by offering “free” credit cards that carried heavy hidden fees. “I used to use the word ‘penalty pricing’ or ’stealth pricing,’” Mehta tells FRONTLINE. “When people make the buying decision, they don’t look at the penalty fees because they never believe they’ll be late. They never believe they’ll be over limit, right? … Our business took off. … We were making a billion dollars a year.”

It took the economic collapse in the fall of 2008 to set the stage for potentially historic change in the consumer credit business. President Obama and his team pushed through a credit card reform bill in May, and they’re now looking to establish a new Consumer Finance Protection Agency. But the banking and financial services industries contribute huge amounts of money to Congress — and the jury is still out on whether the new regulations can pass. “It’s a step in the right direction, but it’s a modest step,” says Harvard law professor Elizabeth Warren. “It’s a set of very discrete new laws. And the credit industry instantly set to work on how they could run around them. By itself, that set of rules won’t change the game.”

“It’s hard for them to get a bill through the U.S. Senate when the industry is pouring money into Washington,” says Martin Eakes of the Center for Responsible Lending of the banks’ political clout. “As Sen. [Dick] Durbin from Chicago recently said, ‘The banks, even as unpopular as they are right now in this crisis, still own this place.’”

The Card Game is a FRONTLINE co-production with Cam Bay Productions and The New York Times. The film is written and produced by Lowell Bergman and Oriana Zill de Granados. The correspondent is Lowell Bergman. FRONTLINE is produced by WGBH Boston and is broadcast nationwide on PBS. Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers. Major funding for FRONTLINE is provided by The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Additional funding is provided by the Park Foundation. FRONTLINE is closed-captioned for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers and described for people who are blind or visually impaired by the Media Access Group at WGBH. FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of the WGBH Educational Foundation. The executive producer of FRONTLINE is David Fanning.

Source: PBS Press release

El fin de semana pasado comenzó en el Campo Argentino de Polo el 116º Campeonato Argentino Abierto de Polo Movistar (Title Sponsor) , presentado por Mercuria Energy Group (Presenting Sponsor) y con Mercedes Benz como Gold Sponsor.

El Abierto, que tendrá la final el 5 de diciembre, cuenta con ESPN, HSBC, La Martina y MasterCard como Sponsors Oficiales y a La Nación, Stella Artois, Rolex y Omint como Auspiciantes Oficiales

 11:59 pm

4 Ways to Blow Your Credit- AMERICA -  If you’re like every other poor schmuck in America, you’re dead broke, or damn near it, and your hard earned-credit, if you ever had it, is about to get tossed out the window.  Times are tough and every credit card company is weeding out the losers and jacking up the interest rates for the suckers who pay on time.  Yes, you are now a financial liability to your credit card comany and you’re in total denial of what’s going to happen in the near future.  Sure, you had a really good time using your plastic to pay for those messages with a happy ending in Vegas, but now you can’t pay for a porno mag and a spank sock at Sheetz.  It’s time to start penny pinching buttercup because you’r etwo late notices away from bum status. If you’re still not seeing the bigger picture and are just having fun with somebody else’s money, here are a few ways to run your credit right into the ground.

1.  Don’t make only the minimum payments.  As a matter of fact don’t make any payments.

2.  Carry 5 credit cards at all times.  That way you can randomly pick which one to max out first.

3.  Don’t pay on time.  Never pay on time, or take the irresponsibile way out and just don’t pay at all.

4.  Take cash advances.. It’s free cash that you’re never going to pay back anyway.  (http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/life/4-things-you-should-never-do-with-your-credit-cards-530910/)

If you’re frugal with your money and haven’t charged a nickle since the spawn of Bush the elder was screwing up the financial system while he was president, chances are you’ve managed to keep yourself afloat.  But, if you’ve been shopping on Ebay with that rubber credit card and tossing those late notices in the trash, it’s time to wake up and smell the odors of the Broke Street Mission.  The notice is in the mail and yes, that car on the back of the tow truck yesterday was yours.  These all are signs that you’re about to go dead so read them and weep.  Your credit just plain sucks.

Вот и настало время завести карту для удобства оплаты товаров в интернете, а если быть более точным, для регистрации а системе PayPal, что бы иметь доступ к ставкам и оплате товаров на ebay.com

Что можно сказать по поводу этой карты? По сути это просто кусок пластика, без магнитной ленты и без электронного чипа. Самое важное что есть на ней – это номер карты, валидный для большенства платежных систем и сетевых сервисов, грубо говоря, является полноценной картой мастеркад с очень маленькой оплатой за обслуживание. Ее нельзя помещать в банкоматы и снимать с нее деньги! Но никто не мешает перевести средства на другой счет в том же банке, благо в большенстве банках это бесплатная процедура.

После долгого изучения сайтов различных банков, имеющих филиалы в г.нск,  список уменьшился до 3 заведений:

• ВТБ24 – www.vtb24.ru
• Промсвязьбанк – www.psbank.ru
• Альфа-Банк – www.alfabank.ru

Для меня наиболее комфортным оказался Промсвязьбанк, как по тарифам на выпуск и обслуживание пластиковых карт, так и по физическому нахождению офиса.

Немного полезной информации:

Тарифы на расчетно-кассовое обслуживание

Тариф по выпуску и обслуживанию MasterCard Virtual

Срок выпуска карточки – 5 дней, после этого я думаю последует целая лента списка интернет-расходов, т.к. это более широкий канал чем webmoney и др. и накопилось уже много “нужного”.