KETC’sLiving St. Louisprogram recently featured a segment on credit counseling. Producer Ruth Ezell follows the story of Laurie Ferrer and her family. Like many other Americans, Laurie and her husband became dependent on their credit cards. The Ferrer family was no longer able to pay the minimum balances on all their cards and their interest rates kept getting higher; eventually their debt became too much to handle.
But Laurie and her family sought help, and they found a solution to their debt problems at ClearPoint Credit Counseling Solutions (formerly known as ClearPoint Financial Solutions). ClearPoint’s counseling services have already helped the Ferrer’s decrease their debt by 25% and they expect to be debt-free in three years.
You can watch the entire Living St. Louis segment HERE, or by watching the video below.
If you or someone you know need credit counseling, call United Way’s 2-1-1 Referral Service at (800) 427-4626—they’ll help connect you with trusted resources. You can also contact one of our partners, ClearPoint Credit Counseling Solutions, for help with credit card debt.
Since the beginning of the mortgage crisis, many experts have blamed the explosion in foreclosures on risky sub-prime loans. But USA Today reported recently that the rate of foreclosure for prime borrowers has been increasing, mainly because of rising unemployment rates. To read the rest of the article, CLICK HERE.
In April 2009, the Salvation Army hosted a free Family & Crisis Resource Fair. The event was in response to the many people who are facing unemployment, reduced hours, foreclosure, or other financial troubles. People were able to visit booths to get information and resources about different financial issues, as well as job hunting.
The Salvation Army is committed to providing assistance to those in need. If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, please contact the Salvation Army, Midland Division.
Below is a video of Major Lonneal Richardson, Divisional Commander of the Salvation Army’s Midland Division. In this clip, Major Richardson gives some suggestions for people who may be facing unemployment. To watch more videos from the fair, CLICK HERE.
Thursday, May 28th, the topic of KWMU’s St. Louis on the Air will be financial literacy for all ages. Guests on the program include Ms. Suzanne Gellman, Consumer Economics Specialist at University of Missouri Extension; Cassandra Kaufman, Director of Community Investment at the United Way of Greater St. Louis; and Yvonne Maldonado, Youth Specialist at Kingdom House.
Be sure to tune in to 90.7 FM from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. tomorrow for a great discussion about financial literacy!
To read more about KWMU’s Facing the Mortgage Crisis programs, CLICK HERE.
Last month KETC/Channel 9 attended one of the Brown Bag Series luncheons at University of Missouri – St. Louis. The topic of the luncheon was Facing the Financial Crisis: Using the Media to Address Community Issues. Thomas McPhail, Ph.D., a professor at UMSL, moderated the luncheon; the two panelists were Debbie Irwin, Foreclosure Taskforce Coordinator, and Dale Berenc, Manager of Education Services at KETC. Topics discussed included new media and the mortgage/financial crisis.
Here’s one of the clips from the luncheon. To watch the rest, visit our YouTube channel or CLICK HERE.
Today the St. Louis Post-Dispatch published an article about the increasing number of people who are volunteering while they’re unemployed. It’s a great way to feel good and help others, to keep your skills sharp, and to network if you’re unemployed or not getting as many hours as you’d like. A few St. Louis residents who shared their volunteer stories were actually able to find work due to the connections they made while volunteering.
Yesterday the St. Louis Post-Dispatch published an article about the effect of the mortgage crisis on renters–if a rental property is foreclosed on, even renters who pay their rent on time every month can find themselves out on the streets with little to no warning.
The article mentioned a few bills in the House and the Senate that are trying to extend the length of time renters have in foreclosed properties, but none of the bills have been passed yet.
If you or someone you know may be in this situation–if your landlord has been foreclosed on, or you think he or she may be–call United Way’s 2-1-1 Referral Service at (800) 427-4626. They can connect you with local, trusted resources.
On Thursday, April 23rd, the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis will host its annual Spring Career Fair from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Harris-Stowe State University. Over 15 employers will be there recruting for several types of jobs. The fair is open to the public, but a resume is required.
To check out the flyer for the job fair, CLICK HERE.
Event address:
Harris-Stowe State University
Emerson Performance Center
3026 Laclede Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63103
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported today that the Missouri attorney general is suing two companies they believe are involved with mortgage scams. To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
Over the summer Ruth Ezell did a Living St. Louis segment on mortgage scams. You can check out the video below.
Legitimate housing counseling agencies won’t contact you or send out advertisements. Their services also shouldn’t cost anything. You should be wary of any company that seeks you out and/or that is charging you a lot of money for housing counseling.
If you or someone you know is facing foreclosure, make sure you use a HUD-certified housing counseling agency. To find one, call United Way’s 2-1-1 Referral Service at (800) 427-4626.
Yesterday in The New York Times there was an article about debt settlement companies. The article features one West Virginia family who used a debt settlement company to try to manage their thousands of dollars of credit card debt, only to end up with higher credit card balances than before. The company took around $4,000 from the family, but didn’t help them manage their credit cards at all.
During these tough economic times, we need to be aware of companies saying they’ll take care of foreclosure or credit card debt. Make sure you work with a non-profit counseling agency; for foreclosure help, the company should be HUD-certified.
If you or someone you know needs credit counseling, call United Way’s 2-1-1 Referral Service at (800) 427-4626–they’ll help connect you with trusted resources. You can also contact one of our partners, ClearPoint Credit Counseling Solutions, for help with credit card debt. If you think you may have been part of a fraudulent scheme, contact the FBI.
To read the full article from The New York Times, CLICK HERE.
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