Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 26 May 2000 — Page 28
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Credit unions can save on interest (NAPSA) — Using your credit wisely can and software, consumer electronics, jewelry add up to good financial sense. That may be and automobiles to credit union members,
why a growing number of families and individuals are looking for rates that are below those charged by a credit card or store charge account. What they are discovering is that financing their purchases through a credit union often gets them rates on
_ average of 9.9 per-
cent, roughly half the rate that an average credit card charges (which are often 18-21 per-
cent). There are a surprising number of credit lars in finance charges because of the low rates unions that families can belong to, from veter- offered by credit unions, ans groups to teacher or business groups. So next time, before you shop, you may want Helping this process along is a Web site that to check with CUShopper first. More informais linked to more than 1,000 credit unions. The tion is available at www.CUShopper.com or by site, CUShopper.com, sells computer hardware calling, toll-free, 1-888-cushopper. Here’s how cutting comers can be painless (NAPSA) — A penny saved is not just a the first time, I was able to save more than 20 penny earned. It’s a penny that could be earning percent on my home electric bill,” said David
Horowitz, a former consumer reporter for NBC and CBS and host of the Fight Back! television se-
ries.
Consumers who visit the site can choose one of several monthly bill categories, conduct a quick search to compare rates and services based on their unique usage or necessities and instantly receive unbiased recom-
on long distance calls, wireless phone service, mendations which will let them quickly switch Internet access, credit cards, mortgages, auto to the company of their choice, loans, utilities, auto insurance and home insur- The site is expanding to cover 18 different ance. categories of bills with plans to include such The free site provides consumers with ways services as student loans, debt consolidation to save on bills as well as ways to find service and personal insurance, packages the fit usage patterns. For example, if The Yankee Group, a leading business anayou use your cell phone for emergency calls lyst firm, recently called the site “the best cornonly, you should not be paying $ 100 a month for parison service so far.” 1000 minutes. Experts say you should pay no One of the best parts, say financial analysts, more than $20 a month. is that using this service is free. “LowerMyBills.com is a marvelous service. The site empowers consumers to make smart For more information, visit choices. When I used LowerMyBills.com for www.LowerMyBills.com.
interest in a savings
account.
That’s why saving money wherever you can makes sense. Fortunately, new services can help cut corners many families didn’t even know
existed.
Web sites such as LowerMyBills.com are dedicated to lowering monthly bills. At present, the site can help people lower bills
A new Web site linked to credit unions offers •hoppers low rates on big ticket items such as
cars.
As a shopper selects products to buy, the credit union's rates and terms for borrowing are displayed. Some loans receive instant approval, while others may take a few days depending on the credit union’s processing
time.
According to Adam Wicks Walker, cofounder and chairman of CUShopper.com, the site links credit unions with e-commerce, allowing people to buy big-ticket items such as cars, computers and travel services and save hundreds of dol-
BUSINESS BRIEFS
predatory lending abuses. FHA, which is part of HUD, insured 1.3 million home mortgages last year. Based on the work of HUD’s Baltimore Task Force on Predatory Lending formed at the request of U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski, the new protections include: restructuring inflated mortgages, default counseling for FHA borrowers, denying FHA insurance toTHA homes that have been “flipped" at inflated prices, placing caps on the points and fees charged FHA borrowers, deploying special teams to pursue unscrupulous appraisers and lenders, removing appraisers involved with large numbers of foreclosures, and imposing tighter FHA downpayment rules. Regulators say Conseco troubles won’t affect claims Conseco Inc.’s financial problems are not expected to cause the company’s policyholders to lose money because its insurance subsidiaries remain financially healthy and hold enough reserves to ensure they are able to meet obligations, regulators said. Although Conseco’s stock
Continued from Page D1 price has been dropping amid heavy losses at the Carmelbased insurance and financial company, its problems are concentrated in Conseco’s parent company, not the insurance subsidiaries. The 9 million consumers who have insurance through Conseco “are not going to see any effect of what’s going on at the very top,” said Mark * Hanna, a spokesman for the Texas Department Of Insurance in Austin, which oversees two of Conseco’s largest insurance companies, Conseco Life Insurance Co. of Texas and Bankers National Life. State regulators typically begin watching a company more closely if they hear an unusual number of complaints; if customers begin surrendering their polices in large numbers; or if customers report particularly slow payment of claims. None of those warning signs have emerged from Conseco, said Liz Carroll, chief deputy commissioner of the Indiana Department of Insurance.
Conseco saw its stock price slide after it bought Green Tree Financial Corp. in April 1998, a move many on Wall Street thought was ill advised. Founder Stephen C. Hilbert resigned as chairman and chief executive last month. Guide Corp. plans new plant Guide Corp. is planning a new plant in Anderson that could bring 600 new jobs to the city, according to documents obtained by the Anderson Herald Bulletin. Guide, an auto parts manufacturer, is waiting for members of United Auto Workers Local 663 to ratify a memo- ( randum of understanding before it proceeds with plans to build a proposed lighting assembly plant in Anderson, and a similar plant in Monroe, La. The memorandum and a flier from Local 663 president Dave Petty were distributed to workers at the Anderson facility. The documents outline plans to open the plants over the next Five